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REALIZING OUR ICT4E VISION1

JAL@2008 ICT in Basic Education Congress

As some of you may know, DepED is in the final stages of

completing its Five-Year Information and Communications

Technology for Education Strategic Plan. This DepED ICT4E

Strategic Plan builds on earlier computerization strategies and

ICT plans developed by the Department with assistance from

stakeholders such as FIT-ED.

The DepED ICT4E is anchored on and supports the Basic

Education Sector Reform Agenda (BESRA). And you know,

BESRA has five Key Reform Thrusts based on the following

principles:

� School-based Initiatives;

� Standards;

� Strategies;

� Systems; and,

� Stakeholder engagement.

Clearly, these KRTs can be better achieved with extensive and appropriate use of ICT.

Two things make me proud about the DepED ICT4E plan that we are finalizing. First, it is

comprehensive yet detailed. Second, while benchmarked on global best practices, it is a result of an

extensive stakeholder engagement.

The Vision

Following the overall vision of the Department, our ICT4E

vision is “21st

Century Education For All Filipinos, Anytime,

Anywhere.” This means an ICT-enabled education system that

transforms our children into dynamic life-long learners and

values-centered, responsible citizens.

To achieve this, we will intensify our use of ICT to:

� Revitalize our schools;

� Link our learners to global resources;

� Enable learners to critically seek and analyze

information;

� Create new knowledge and products; and,

� Develop habits of self-learning.

To achieve our learner-centered ICT4E vision, we will undertake the following activities in the

next five years:

� Completely integrate ICT into the curriculum;

� Intensify competency-based professional development programs;

1 Message delivered by Department of Education Secretary Jesli A Lapus during the 3

rd National ICTs in

Basic Education Congress, Waterfront Hotel, Cebu City, 10 September 2008

Realizing Our ICT4E Vision

SJAL@2008 ICT Congress

3rd National ICTs in Basic Education Congress

10 September 2008

Waterfront Hotel, Lahug, Cebu City

BESRA Five Key Reform Thrusts (KRTs)

• Continuous School Improvement Facilitated by Active Involvement of Local Stakeholders;

• Better Learning Outcomes Achieved by Improved Teacher Standards;

• Desired Learning Outcomes Enhanced by National Curriculum Strategies, Multi-Sector Coordination, and Quality Assurance;

• Improved Impact on Outcomes Resulting from Complementary Early Childhood Education, Alternative Learning Systems and Private Sector Participation; and,

• A Change in DepED culture from prescribing actions through orders and memos to facilitating school initiatives and assuring quality

DepEd 5-year ICT4E Strategic Plan

Our Vision for ICT4E:

21st Century Education for all

Filipinos Anytime,

Anywhere.

Intensify use of ICTs to:

• Revitalize our schools to make them into dynamic, collaborative

and innovative learning institutions where students can become

more motivated, inquisitive and creative learners;

• Link our learners with the vast networked world of information

and knowledge to enable them to acquire a broad knowledge

base and a global outlook and provide them with the resources

for the development of creative mind;

• Develop skills and capacities in our learners that would enable

them to critically and intelligently seek, absorb analyze, manage

and present information;

• Create new knowledge and products; and,

• Develop habits of self-learning in our learners to nurture the

attitude and capability for lifelong learning.

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� Establish the necessary ICT infrastructure; and,

� Develop processes and systems for governance and

management

In this list, technology deployment is only 1 of the 4

activities we are targeting. This means, and I would like to

emphasize this – our ICT4E plan is not technology-led. Here,

we pay more attention to defining educational objectives

that ICT could help us achieve. We look at how we should

change the way we do things so that we can work smarter

with ICT; and, define how we can improve the capacity of our

people to effectively use ICT to serve our goals.

As we always say, providing our students with 21st

century skills is the goal of our educational system. While

21st

century skills go beyond ICT skills, development of ICT

competency remains an important goal to us. ICT

competency is the necessary condition to learn, work and

innovate with ICT. Thus, the ICT4E plan identifies the

learning targets for learners.

As you may know 21st Century Skills involves the delivery of digital age literacy requirements

for our learners to include the development of Inventive Thinking, Effective Communication,

Creativity, Collaboration and High Productivity.

In our plan, learners will acquire these skills during the formal years of schooling and in

alternative learning modes. Towards this, competency standards for elementary and general high

school students as well as technical-vocational high school students and ALS learners have been

identified.

Towards an Enhanced Curriculum

An important step in achieving our ICT4E vision is

curriculum reform where we will proceed in two stages. In

the initial stage, ICT will be integrated within the existing

curriculum. The second stage will see the full integration of

ICT in an enriched curriculum.

But even without this plan, efforts to integrate ICT in the

curriculum have started. And it is happening at the delivery

mode. ICT is taught at secondary schools as a separate subject

on computer education. We have outlined the deliverables at

the first stage.

The second stage or the full implementation of ICT in the

enriched curriculum will commence as soon as we’ve

completed stage I. Stage II will begin with a review of the

curriculum content in light of the radical changes brought about by ICT in society, economy and

politics.

Activities for the next five years:

• Completely integrate ICT into the curriculum, which

includes the development of multimedia

instructional materials, and ICT-enabled assessment;

• Intensify competency-based professional

development programs for our teachers, staff and

officials;

• Establish the necessary ICT infrastructure and

applications; and,

• Develop processes and systems that ensure efficient,

transparent and effective governance and

management

ICT Learning targets:

• Basic Operations and Concepts;

• Social, Ethical And Human Issues;

• ICT for Producing;

• ICT for Communicating;

• ICT for Researching; and,

• ICT for Problem-solving

ICT-enhanced Curricular Reform Stages

• In the initial stage, ICT will be

integrated within the existing

curriculum.

• The second stage will see the

full integration of ICT in an

enriched curriculum.

ICT-enhanced Curriculum Stage I Targets (1):

• reviewed the existing curricula and content with a

view to suggesting common teaching and learning

strategies using ICT;

• identified and shared ICT resources (e.g. relevant web-

sites or courseware) that can serve the general

purpose and specific elements of teaching and

learning in subjects, cross-curricular areas and

integrated studies;

• encouraged and institutionalized school-based efforts

to adapt ICT to different learning areas, subjects,

interests and abilities of students, and stakeholder

expectations;

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The ICT4E strategic plan also focused on digital content development or what we call

“Multimedia Instructional Materials Development.”

There are various independent initiatives within DepEd to

develop digital content. The materials that we have developed

(as opposed to those that are commercially procured) are

being collated and are already available for use by teachers

through the DepEd website. Despite these efforts, access to

existing digital content remains limited and creating a

comprehensive inventory of these materials continues to be a

challenge.

The ICT4E plan calls for the intensified development and

acquisition of Multimedia Instructional Materials

Development or MIM as supplement to, not as a replacement

of, existing (printed) instructional materials.

Competency Standards

To realize this ICT4E strategic plan, ICT competency

standards for teachers, education managers, school officials

and non-teaching personnel/administrative staff shall be

developed and adopted.

We have already started work on the DepEd ICT

Competency Standard for Teachers and we expect that this

standard will be adopted next year.

This standard defines the required ICT competency in 6

domains and 3 levels.

Teachers will be required to work towards the attainment

of the DepEd ICT Competency Standard. To assist them, a

comprehensive professional development program for

teachers will be developed. This program will be built on

existing in- service training initiatives.

I cannot overemphasize that to raise the ICT competency

of teachers would require support and collaboration among

DepEd, TEls, CHED, PRC and our private sector partners.

For our education managers and school administrators,

the Department will adopt similar national and globally

established competency standards such as ISTE/NETS

(International Society for Technology Education - National

Educational Technology Standards).

Consistent with our thrust of using global bench marks and adopting best practices, DepEd will

adopt an industry-based ICT Competency Standards relevant to our Non-Teacher

Personnel/Administrative staff.

ICT-enhanced Curriculum Stage I Targets (2):

• encouraged and helped schools to use ICT in

making internal assessment less labour

intensive; and

• conducted research on the impact of ICT on

student learning from the experiences of the

more pioneering schools to facilitate

informed decisions regarding the curriculum

and assessment modes.

Targets on Multimedia Instructional Development (1)

• Adopt Digital Content Development and Usability

Framework that would serve as a guide in the

development, adaption, adoption and/or

acquisition of MIM;

• Develop and adopt an Intellectual Property Rights

Framework and Guidance based on open content

principles to facilitate the development of MIM

and the sharing of digital content that are donated

to DepEd or developed by its teachers and officials

on a national level;

Targets on Multimedia Instructional Development (2)

• Provide incentives to encourage the

development of regional/local content by

teachers and other education personnel and

officials;

• Establish procurement guidelines for

commercially developed MIM. Like textbooks,

we will purchase copyright of commercial MIM.

Schools may independently source MIM only for

"special and local needs"

ICT Competency Standards for Teachers

• This standard defines the required ICT

competency in 6 domains:

– ICT;

– Pedagogy;

– Organization and Administration;

– Teacher Professional Development;

– Social, Ethical Legal and Human Issues; and,

– Evaluation and Assessment

ICT Competency Standards for Teachers

• ICT competency in these 6 domains

can be achieved in three levels:

–Basic

–Proficient

–Advanced

• Based on existing national and

international standards such as NICS

Teachers and UNESCO

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We envision a wide-reaching training program where all

our efforts would be synchronized, redundancies eliminated

and collective training effort maximized. DepEd will work

with other government agencies such as TESDA and CICT, as

well as private sector partners like Intel, Oracle, Microsoft,

Cisco; and stakeholders like FIT-ED, ideacorp and GILAS in the

training program's development and implementation.

Enterprise Architecture

To ensure that we have the right technology

infrastructure to support our plan, we are developing the

DepEd Enterprise Architecture. World class organizations do

not build ICT systems without an architectural framework.

This will set the right course for changes in the ICT landscape

so that the Department's education strategy receives long-

term technology support.

Governance

Our plan does not stop with the list of actions we need to

make. It also includes discussions on how to properly govern

and manage ICT in the Department.

Towards this, DepEd took the initial step in setting up an

ICT governance framework through DepEd Order 1 series of

2007. By next year, we would have established a DepEd ICT

governance framework that will be comprised of: 1) a set of

principles on ICT use and procurement, 2) an effective and

responsive decision-making hierarchy and 3) tailor-made

system of reporting and monitoring processes.

Our governance framework will ensure that DepEd senior

officials - in the central office and in the field - are involved in

ICT decisions. ICT is too important to be left in the hands of

technology experts or techies.

While we don't have anything against techies in ICT4E, we

nonetheless recognize that we need a sound and robust

technology and efficient processes. To ensure this, a

dedicated unit led by the DepEd Chief Information Officer has

to be created and properly staffed. Furthermore, we need

Chief Technology Officers or CTOs in the regions and divisions.

We have already proposed the creation of the DepEd CIO and

we are in the process of transforming our existing ICT

coordinators in the regions and divisions into CTOs.

As proof of our commitment to successfully implement this plan, we proposed funding for this

as part of our 2009 budget. We hope that the DBM and our legislators would not only approve the

funding for this year but also earmark bigger amounts in the next 5 years.

DepED Enterprise Architecture

• A "method of ICT standardization and

governance."

• The aim of our EA is to set the right

course for changes in the ICT

landscape so that the Department's

education strategy receives the best

possible, long-term technology

support.

DepED Enterprise Architecture

• We will establish an integrated ICT service

network that will enable efficient,

transparent and effective governance and

management.

• Prescribe systems that would minimize

the burden of data collection and

reporting from key school personnel to

allow them to focus on their critical tasks

in pedagogy.

DepED Enterprise Architecture

• Among the systems that will be developed, in the

order of priority, are:

– School-based Information Management System (includes

raw data on enrollment, assets, no of teachers, etc)

– Enterprise Learning Management System,

– Human Resource Information System - that interfaces wi

GSIS, Phil Health, BIR, DBM, banks, etc),

– Resources Management System

– Performance Management System

– Globalized Service Support

– Executive Information System (enhanced BEIS) with

Geographical Information System (GIS)

Governance

• Ensure that DepED senior

officials - in the central office

and in the field - are involved in

ICT decisions.

• ICT is too important to be left in

the hands of technology experts

or techies.

Governance

• A dedicated unit led by the DepED Chief

Information Officer needs to be created and

properly staffed.

• We need Chief Technology Officers or CTOs in

the region and division.

• Creation of the DepED CIO and we are in the

process of transforming our existing ICT

coordinators in the regions and divisions into

CTOs.

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The Community and ICT4E

But before I close, I would like to stress that we will not

succeed if we do it alone.

The successful integration of ICT into the Philippine

education system will require a coordinated and

comprehensive approach. It demands the active participation

of all education stakeholders.

As learning will increasingly occur anywhere, anytime, the

community will play a vital role as partners of DepEd in

ensuring a safe and stimulating ICT learning environment.

It is recognized that parents will play a vital role in

encouraging and guiding their children towards the

achievement of our goals. They are also the most important

support mechanism for the success of the ICT4E strategic plan.

DepEd will continue to encourage the private sector and

NGOs such as FIT-ED to become involved in helping schools

achieve the strategic thrusts of this plan.

We also count on the local government units which can

provide significant resources for us to establish sustainable

ICT-enabled schools.

Conclusion

For far too long, we work in parallel, and sometimes even in cross purposes, in our efforts to

harness the power of ICT in education. Ultimately, our various efforts fail to meet the challenge of

the times. We had successful pilots but we never scaled them nationally. And they eventually fold up

when external funding ends. In the meantime our learners suffer.

With this plan, we now have the opportunity to bring our

collective strength together, work hand in glove - and even

achieve synergy.

This ICT4E strategic plan as it stands can still be improved.

Our technical experts in Manila cannot anticipate the ICT

requirements of teachers and students in Malaybalay. This is

the reason why we are going through an extensive

consultation to improve our ICT4E plan. Last month, the team

that is putting this plan together has completed consultations

in Regions 10 and 12 and Northern Luzon. Earlier this month they conducted the Southern Luzon

consultation and by the end of this month consultations in the Visayas and the Central Office.

If you have been unable to participate in these consultations, go to our website, download the

plan, read it and send your comments to my office or through email at

ICT4Ecomments@teacher.deped.gov.ph. All comments and suggestions are welcomed. And debate

on the document is encouraged.

The Community and ICT4E

• We will not succeed if we do it

alone

• The community will play a vital

role as partners of DepED in

ensuring a safe and responsible

ICT learning environment

The Community and ICT4E

• Parents

• Private sector and non-government

organizations

• Local Government Units

• Local community facilities such as

Community eCenters and local

Internet Cafes

The Community and ICT4E

• we now have the opportunity to

bring our collective strength

together

• work hand in glove - and even

achieve synergy -- for our children

and their future

Please email your comments,

suggestions and recommendations to:

ICT4EComments@teacher.deped.gov.ph

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However, once we've finalized the document and we

begin its implementation, I would ask that all of us stop

debating and begin working together. There is no time left to

waste. We are already on a catch-up mode. We have to

implement our ICT4E plan with the single mindedness that we

have not seen before. We have to be relentless and tireless

because nothing less than the future of our nation is at stake.

Thank you for your patience. I look forward to working

with all of you as we forge on to deliver 21st

century education

for all Filipinos, anytime, anywhere.

Mabuhay tayong lahat!

Realizing Our ICT4E Vision

SJAL@2008 ICT Congress

3rd National ICTs in Basic Education Congress

10 September 2008

Waterfront Hotel, Lahug, Cebu City