Teaching, Learning, Research and Extension Through ICT in the Digital Era | Dr. Grace Javier Alfonso

Summary

The speaker, a media professional and educator, advocates for the use of ICT to enhance education, research, and community engagement, particularly through open distance learning. Highlighting the potential of technology in reaching underserved populations, the speaker emphasizes the role of e-learning and open educational resources (OER) in democratizing access to knowledge. They discuss the role of MOOCs, digital literacy, and multimedia in transforming education, especially in developing countries like the Philippines. The speaker also addresses the impact of national policies supporting open learning and the need for educators to adapt to evolving digital platforms.

Takeaways

• 📚 The speaker advocates for the use of technology in education, especially in enhancing teaching, learning, and research through ICT.
• 🌍 Open distance e-learning (ODEL) is promoted as a way to reach marginalized learners in the Philippines and abroad.
• 💡 The speaker emphasizes the importance of continuing research to fully understand the benefits of ICT and e-learning in higher education.
• 🔄 The speaker supports the concept of lifelong learning and open sharing of educational resources through technology.
• 📱 With the growth of internet connectivity in the Philippines, OER (Open Educational Resources) and MOOCs are seen as valuable tools for accessible education.
• 🌐 The integration of media, ICT, and educational institutions is highlighted as a new paradigm for global teaching and learning communities.
• 🎓 UP Open University is recognized for its efforts in promoting openness in education through its online courses and ODEL initiatives.
• 💻 The speaker discusses the growing need for digital literacy as both educators and learners must adapt to new technologies.
• 🏛️ The Philippine government's role in promoting openness and ICT-enhanced education is reinforced through new laws like the Open Distance Learning Act.
• 🧑‍🤝‍🧑 The speaker calls for collaboration between educational institutions, government, and media to promote ICT for social transformation and educational accessibility.

Q & A

What is the main focus of the speaker in the transcript?

The speaker is focused on the role of information and communication technology (ICT) in higher education, particularly in enhancing teaching, learning, and research through open distance learning and e-learning.

How does the speaker view the use of technology in education?

The speaker advocates for the use of technology to improve educational methodologies and practices, while ensuring that quality assurance is maintained. They believe technology enhances the learning experience and broadens access to education.

What are the challenges mentioned regarding higher education in the Philippines?

The speaker mentions the challenge of providing higher education to over 700,000 high school graduates each year who lack opportunities, as well as millions of adult Filipinos who need continuing professional education. They highlight the need for digital solutions to reach marginalized populations.

What role does the speaker assign to digital information communication technology in addressing educational challenges?

Digital ICT is seen as a crucial tool in extending higher education to marginalized communities, allowing institutions to deliver education more widely without the physical limitations of traditional methods.

What are MOOCs, and how are they relevant to the speaker's message?

MOOCs (Massive Open Online Courses) are a form of open educational resources (OER) that offer free, scalable educational content. The speaker highlights MOOCs as an important tool for enhancing access to education in developing countries like the Philippines.

What is the significance of open educational resources (OER) in the context of this speech?

OER are crucial because they allow educational materials to be freely shared and reused, supporting the speaker’s advocacy for open and accessible education. This is especially important in the context of developing countries where resources may be limited.

How does the speaker describe the current state of internet access in the Philippines?

The speaker notes that internet penetration in the Philippines stands at 43.5%, with 44 million active users. This growing connectivity is seen as an opportunity to leverage ICT for expanding access to education.

What role does the UP Open University play in the speaker’s vision for open distance learning?

UP Open University is presented as a leader in open distance learning, having moved fully online in 2007. It plays a pivotal role in providing accessible higher education through digital platforms and MOOCs.

What is the role of ICT in global education according to the speaker?

ICT is transforming education by merging with traditional media and educational institutions to create global teaching and learning communities. This shift facilitates the exchange of ideas and knowledge creation on a global scale.

What are the implications of the Open Distance Learning Act mentioned in the transcript?

The Open Distance Learning Act promotes greater access to higher education through the use of ICT. It outlines roles for institutions like UP Open University in leading the development of distance learning programs, MOOCs, and OER in the Philippines.

Outlines

00:00

🎓 Embracing ICT for Higher Education

The speaker emphasizes their role as a communication and media professional, as well as an advocate for open distance learning (ODL). They express the importance of using information and communication technology (ICT) to improve teaching, research, and collaboration in higher education. The discussion highlights the need to integrate technology into education to enhance methodologies and extend outreach to communities. Additionally, the speaker advocates for lifelong learning and learner-centered education, stressing that ICT can be a crucial tool in overcoming challenges, particularly in reaching underserved populations in the Philippines and beyond.

05:01

🌍 Expanding Educational Access through ICT

In this paragraph, the speaker discusses the digital landscape in the Philippines, noting the increasing internet penetration and how ICT supports open distance learning (ODL). They emphasize the transformative power of technology in education, particularly in addressing the needs of millions of Filipino students and professionals who require continuing education. They touch on the role of UP Open University, which has embraced online education, and the broader impact of ICT in creating accessible, interactive, and ubiquitous platforms for lifelong learning in the country.

10:03

📱 ICT and E-Learning for Social Transformation

The speaker explores how ICT is revolutionizing not just education but also government and commercial services. They discuss the evolving social contract between citizens and institutions, driven by technology's ability to provide efficiency, immediacy, and accessibility. The integration of ICT in teaching, research, and social services has paved the way for comprehensive e-learning systems, transforming the way knowledge is disseminated and reshaping the global landscape of education. The speaker envisions a future where digital platforms become central to learning and governance.

15:04

📖 Open Education and the Role of ODL in the Philippines

This section highlights the role of open distance learning (ODL) in the Philippines, specifically focusing on the UP Open University. The speaker outlines the objectives of ODL in providing leadership in education, promoting best practices, and designing ICT-enabled curricula. They also emphasize the importance of MOOCs (Massive Open Online Courses) and open educational resources (OER) in making education more accessible. The paragraph touches on recent legal developments in the country, such as the Open Distance Learning Act, which aims to expand educational opportunities through technology, particularly for underserved groups.

📡 Future Directions for Open Education and Technology

The final paragraph reflects on the implications of recent trends in open education for higher education institutions in the Philippines. The speaker stresses the importance of aligning these developments with the mission of higher education institutions. They advocate for the continued use of ICT to support teaching and learning, ensuring that openness and technology enhance educational quality and access in the 21st century. The speaker concludes by calling for a deeper understanding of how technology can help institutions fulfill their educational missions.

Keywords

💡ICT (Information and Communication Technology)

ICT refers to the technology used to communicate and manage information digitally, including the internet, computers, and mobile devices. In the context of the video, ICT is crucial for enhancing education, enabling the integration of digital tools in teaching, research, and community outreach. The speaker emphasizes its role in reaching students in remote areas and supporting lifelong learning.

💡Open Distance Learning (ODL)

ODL is a flexible learning method that allows students to study remotely without needing to be physically present in a traditional classroom. The video highlights ODL as a key approach in making education accessible, especially in the Philippines, where geographical challenges prevent many from attending on-site education. It combines the principles of openness with digital technologies to expand access to higher education.

💡MOOCs (Massive Open Online Courses)

MOOCs are free online courses available to a large number of participants, designed to provide access to education globally. In the video, MOOCs are mentioned as an important component of open education, helping both teachers and learners, especially in developing countries. They are a type of Open Educational Resource (OER) that promotes knowledge sharing and human resource development.

💡OER (Open Educational Resources)

OER refers to freely accessible, openly licensed materials that are used for teaching, learning, and research. These can include textbooks, courses, and multimedia content. The video emphasizes the importance of OER in enhancing access to education, particularly in developing countries like the Philippines, where resources can be limited. OERs are seen as a critical tool for fostering open learning.

💡Lifelong Learning

Lifelong learning is the continuous, self-motivated pursuit of knowledge for personal or professional development. The speaker advocates for using technology to support lifelong learning, allowing people of all ages, including adult learners, to continue their education. This is particularly relevant in the Philippines, where many adults seek professional continuing education through digital platforms.

💡Digital Literacy

Digital literacy involves the ability to use digital tools, such as computers and the internet, to access and manage information. In the video, the speaker stresses the importance of digital literacy for both students and teachers as the educational environment becomes more reliant on technology. The growth of e-learning requires new skills in using multimedia and engaging with interactive content.

💡21st Century Higher Education

This concept refers to the modern educational landscape, characterized by the integration of technology and the need for skills such as critical thinking, collaboration, and digital proficiency. The video highlights the challenges faced by educators in adapting to these changes and the necessity of ICT to meet the demands of a growing population of students, especially digital natives.

💡Digital Natives

Digital natives are individuals who have grown up in the digital age, familiar with the internet and modern technology from an early age. The speaker in the video mentions that more digital natives are entering higher education each year, and institutions must adapt their teaching methods to cater to their learning styles, which often involve multimedia and online interaction.

💡Transnational Education

Transnational education refers to educational programs or courses provided by institutions across borders. In the video, the speaker discusses how the Philippines is promoting greater openness in transnational education, allowing learners from different countries to access educational resources and programs through ICT, and facilitating global knowledge exchange.

💡Openness

Openness in education refers to the philosophy of making educational resources and opportunities freely available to anyone, anywhere. The video emphasizes the role of openness in the digital age, advocating for open distance learning, open educational resources, and MOOCs as ways to democratize education. This concept is central to the speaker's message about expanding access to education through technology.

Highlights

The use of ICT in education can enhance teaching, learning, and research, especially in higher education, through technology-driven modalities and methodologies.

As an advocate of lifelong learning and open educational resources (OER), the speaker emphasizes the importance of openness and learner-centered education.

The use of digital information and communication technology (ICT) is essential to address the educational needs of high school graduates and adult Filipinos, especially those who are marginalized.

Distance learning and open educational resources (OER), including MOOCs, offer significant benefits to educators and learners, particularly in developing countries like the Philippines.

The speaker highlights the increasing internet penetration in the Philippines and its potential to transform education through online platforms and media connectivity.

The University of the Philippines Open University (UPOU) has embraced online education since 2001, with a fully online system by 2007, leading the movement in open distance learning.

Multimedia technology, combining print, audio, video, and graphics, enhances the constructivist, participatory pedagogy of teaching and learning in the digital era.

MOOCs (Massive Open Online Courses) are presented as a scalable solution for human resource development and widening access to education.

The integration of ICT in education has resulted in changes in the learning styles of students, especially with more digital natives entering higher education.

The speaker discusses the future of e-learning and the role of mobile, e-governance, and the digital transformation of public services in everyday life.

ICT has made e-learning a viable global option, connecting learners, educational institutions, and communities across the globe.

The principle of open educational resources (OER) has helped lower the cost of producing and distributing learning materials, promoting free knowledge.

Openness in education in the Philippines revolves around access, quality, and transnational education, supported by national legislation.

The Open Distance Learning (ODL) Act in the Philippines aims to expand access to education through ICT and distance learning methods.

Telecommunication networks and media organizations are encouraged to support open distance learning (ODL) initiatives in the Philippines, offering assistance to educational programs.

Transcripts

I am speaking today as a communication

person a media professional and a

teacher researcher an open distance

e-learning advocate for higher education

for us who are actively involved in

using ICT for education we certainly

want to make use of technology to

enhance our teaching learning research

for new knowledge seeker theorizing so I

mean improved food allergies modalities

methodologies and in terms of practice

Extension collaborating with our

community of practice and benefit people

in our communities where we live in our

nation region and the world certainly we

want to make our lives better as we

maximize the use of technology without

taking away practices that we feel are

essential aspects of quality assurance

and what we always say our push for

pursuit of excellence being part of a

university that champions openness this

makes me an advocate of all their old EE

L learner centered education continuing

professional education and lifelong

learning in general and open sharing of

resources through ICT

Fross teachers who use ICT for education

we are now in the middle of the 21st

century higher education environment

there is greater work ahead of us

the many universities schools and

colleges of traditional mode and open

universities as well we teachers who put

high regard to the use of technology

enhance and technology

I entered education you know as

educators we have to think about 700 to

800 thousand high school graduates every

year who are not given the opportunity

to take higher education and the

numerous millions of adult Filipinos in

our country and abroad who need

professional continuing education we can

only do so much in physically you know

replicating our institutions fly our

professors in every island of our

country to reach those who are

marginalized we therefore make digital

information communication technology

work for higher education in our country

we have to continue doing research to

fully understand the benefits of ICT and

elearning for higher education moving

forward we have to examine the

parameters of openness in determining

our institutions direction in these

digital times concepts of open education

in general and in particular open

educational resources or oer including

MOOCs MOOCs is a form of oer it is a

type of what we are it poses benefits to

all teachers and learners especially in

developing countries like the

Philippines only R is a term that was

first formalized in UNESCO's 2002 form

on OpenCourseWare in teaching learning

and research materials yars

can be in any medium digital or

otherwise and in the public domain

or is under an open license because in

most occasions being associated with

open distance learning and the openness

movement digital oh you are is an

important resource for education in the

Philippines especially as

Internet connectivity becomes

increasingly available and starting his

maturity year 2016 with our total

population of 102 million and 250,000

hundred 33 Filipinos the Internet users

out of this population we have 44

million four hundred seventy eight

thousand eight hundred eight word that

means forty three point five percent

penetration so considering the active

users of the internet with its

continuing growth and considered as the

Philippines being the text hist social

network selfie photo senders it is part

of this generations learning style for

tertiary education learners and with the

Philippines having an active and

dedicated people to maximize ICT for

education we have U P Open University

which started to go online in 2001 and

fully online on 2007 and with today's

media connectivity interactivity and

ubiquity brings the Filipino people a

powerful platform that promises higher

education institutions making its way to

strengthen the concept of lifelong

learning these modes of openness have

been applied not only to open distance

learning institutions in varying degrees

over the years while these outcomes have

dominated the discourse and openness in

higher education conferences you know

all over the world dramatic changes in

information and communication

technologies in recent years have added

new dimensions to openness when we think

about the way ideas now move in a

networked society and how fast the

exchanges of ideas are the network

is this an ending trillion of

conversations making usable media we

have print we have radio television all

rolled in the medium that is multimedia

print graphics audio video all different

media together with its own set of

grammar and syntax giving openness this

new excitement and synergy in this new

dimensions of connectivity interactivity

your biscuity everywhere it's accessible

framed in this automatic constructivist

participatory pedagogy of teaching

learning in multimedia age this digital

era not only calls for knowledge of

different literacies but what is more

exciting if you have this multimedia

that captures orality the exchange of

ideas verbally and you have moments of

quiet contemplating in moods of

visuality let me talk about the concept

of openness in the case of new P Open

University for you P Open University the

MOOCs called model courses for free have

become the way of openness and in doing

its share of scalable human resource

development

these are released as we are free for

sharing open distance e-learning the

worldview that has guided the upo use

performance of its instruction research

and public service functions Odell draws

from the philosophies of open learning

the affordances of distance education

and the approaches of e-learning were

being supported by the values that

underpin the university's ethos academic

excellence academic readin intellectual

pluralism and service to society and so

we have books and you pou has termed its

own brand move

as I said earlier massive open distance

e-learning the model the widening of

virtual teaching and learning culture

worldwide has ushered in the changing

learning styles of our students each

year more and more digital natives are

joining the higher education sector even

digital migrants like us are

persistently and constantly being put in

a position where we have to adapt new

technology challenging us faculty and

learners to develop other media

literacies and deep realization that

teachers and learners are co-creators of

academic texts from research and

practice pushes new knowledge for the

growth of our disciplines and

communities of practice what is the

direction in the future the email

culture is likewise going to be very

much reality so not only being connected

directly to services provided by the

private sector but to government

transactions as well government's all

over the world are finding solutions for

their government procedures and

transactions and exchanging the best

practices in the world and selling the

culture of advocating any government

transactions in everyday life therefore

not only commercial transactions will be

available on demand in the likes of bank

deposits withdrawals online shopping a

booking for travel to the few we have

had these for quite some time when this

is fully implemented it becomes a social

contract where the citizenry the general

public expects efficiency immediacy

accessibility and connectivity of all

services this social contract becomes

second nature and a way of life

expecting nothing less in all the other

services extended by both private and

government institutions

then we shall definitely see eMobile

Ecole church he teaching elearning in

research prevailing and linking along

through ICT for social transformation as

ICTs become more comprehensive elearning

has become a viable option in reaching

out to learners from across the globe

ICT has merged with media institutions

educational institutions and communities

of practice it's a new paradigm of

building global teaching and learning

communities thereby changing how new

knowledge happens this has changed the

way we think and how we try to solve our

problems and challenges we see teaching

and learning in all levels if the

university is causing colleges in the

workplace with a learning platform that

we call in eLearning so e-learning

platforms offering different types of

courses directly to the public in social

media whether it's an ending

conversations and on television when

it's stream of documentaries exposes

instructional and talk shows in all

levels new knowledge teaching and

learning transpire the development of

free and user-friendly ICT has also

brought down the cost of producing and

distributing learning resources this

coupled with the principle that

knowledge must be free has contributed

to the propagation of open educational

resources according to UNESCO we are are

any type of educational materials that

are in the public domain or introduced

with an open license

and digital media today have

incorporated all traditional media into

multi media transforming and redefining

the processes of teaching learning

research and extension I cannot

overemphasize this point for all yours

to be truly meaningful they had to be

delivered and used within the context of

a teaching learning research and

extension environment after discussing

the global trends in open education let

me share my perspectives on the openness

discourse in the Philippines this is

based on my conversations with fellow

academics university administrators and

policy makers in the government and the

Philippine discourse of openness in

education revolves around three

interrelated issues national access

quality and transnational education no

makers in the country have heeded this

call so the Philippine provision in

higher education Technical Education

Skills Development Authority of the

Philippines and U P Open University were

named as the three institutions to

enable the implementation of the new law

known as open distance learning Act and

the application of open learning as a

philosophy on access to educational

services and the use of distance

education system of delivering quality

higher in technical educational services

identifying ICT as delivery mode and

other approaches this law is

transferring the development and

production of MOOCs and away ours and

the Philippines

as shown in section 12 the role of

University of the Philippines Open

University is summarized into the

following it says provide leadership in

ODL promote best practices share in

research in odl design curricular

programs in OBL developed and promote

appropriate ICT design quality learning

materials make instructional materials

assist educational institutions for

specific murder groups or the public at

large design and implement a continuum

program to develop high quality high

level expertise and capacitate odl

teachers and practitioners you know I'm

thankful that I work closely with this

because you know being part also of the

technical panel of transnational

education in China and with you pay Open

University working closely with our

Chancellor and other administrators and

other faculty and staff of UPA Open

University their opportunities there are

many changes that will happen in odl

scenario in this country will be wide

will be deep and will really affect our

lives as educators what is good as well

in the section 15 of the LDL ACT

rolls of broadcast media and

telecommunication networks they are

encouraged to provide as much assistance

to those offering of their programmes

and also in Section 18 talks about tax

exemption donations if you are going to

donate and have grants for individuals

in organizations there will be tax

exemption for donors so translational

Education CMO has also gone through

public hearings and will be ready for

orientation for Philippine HTI's the

national government wants to promote

greater openness this is learning in

education and IRR

has gone through public hearings as well

an orientation for a chi is on the law

has transpired what are the implications

of these trends and developments for us

who are in higher education and

believers of information communication

technology for education in needing the

call for technology enhance education we

need to go back to the mission of our

respective HTI's another way how can

openers and technology enhance education

support the attainment of our mission in

the context of teaching and learning in

the 21st century

you