B
6 | Lunes, Nobyembre 07, 2016
ILLBOARD Globe, Molave App Challenge Cebu 2016: Helping children read and write in Cebuano LIBRE PARA SA LAHAT
GLOBE Telecom, in partnership with Molave Development Foundation, launches App Challenge Cebu 2016 to encourage the creation of educational Android apps that will teach K-3 pupils about reading and writing in Cebuano. “We want to advance Globe Telecom’s education initiatives by coming out with top-quality content in learning areas that are underserved. The tri-lingual system is a key cause of lack of basic reading comprehension. With poor reading skills, students are ill-equipped to learn other key subjects such as Math and Science. Literacy in the mother tongue is an essential component in the foundation of early learning. Thus, we didn’t hesitate to accept the request of Molave Development Foundation to mount an app challenge encouraging developers to create an educational app that can teach K-3 students about reading, writing, and comprehending Cebuano,” said Michelle Tapia, Head of Education and Digital Learning under Corporate Strategy and Business Development Group of Globe. At present, a lot of students have minimal-to-no usable material for in-classroom learning or for self-study especially for fundamental skills like mother tongue literacy in K-3, thus, while they are able to speak and to understand their main language or dialect, their reading and writing abilities are limited. On the other hand, many teachers all over the country are saddled with additional work on content development to compensate for the lack of available good-quality materials instead of being able to focus on
improving student outcomes. Cebuano is among the pre-identified major Mother Tongues for instruction, according to the Department of Education. The language is the second most widely used language, after Tagalog, and is spoken by 21 million Filipinos. The apps are expected to help address the problem by teaching the half-a-million Cebuano children their native alphabet and helping them build their vocabulary, among other things, through various activities. Learning concepts will focus on colors, numbers, shapes, family members, and/or body parts. To qualify for the App Challenge, interested parties need to form a group of 3-4 members with at least one member who is fluent in Cebuano. Teams may register at http://bit.ly/ AppChallengeCebu2016 and submit their proposal by November 10, 2016. Teams based outside Cebu are expected to travel to Cebu for the Pitch & Awarding at their own capacity. The project proposal, which has to be in PDF format of two pages or less, should explain the following: how the Android app will respond to the required functionality, how it will appeal to the target audience of K-3 children and their parents, any additional features or ideas to achieve the app’s learning objectives, and illustrations and graphics that depict the concept. The top five qualifiers will be announced on November 11 and will be invited to attend a one-day online workshop via Brightspace on November 14. Technology and learning
experts from Globe Telecom, Molave Development Foundation, and IREX will also participate in the online workshop to mentor the qualifying teams. The qualifiers may use Globe Labs Application Program Interface (APIs) for SMS, Voice, Charging, Sponsored Access, and Location-Based Services to create their app. To access the API, they have to register with Globe Labs at http:// www.globelabs.com.ph/ community. Live Beta version of the app must be 70% completed and will be presented during the face-to-face Pitch Day in December in Cebu. Winning Android apps are expected to be completed by March 31, 2017 and must be published to the Google App Store. It will also be disseminated to the network of libraries and schools in the country. The first prize winner will receive P100,000 for funding development, a special gadget for each team member, long-term advisory with Molave and Globe Labs, and an audience with Kickstart Ventures, Inc., a fully-owned venture capital firm of Globe. The rest of the participants will be given tokens and consolation prizes. The apps will be judged based on the following criteria: features – 30%, quality of design – 15%, feasibility/sustainability – 15%; appropriateness (content, learning outcomes) – 30%; and uniqueness – 10%. To know more about the App Challenge, please visit https://www. facebook.com/ globelabs/ or email Hack_Ed_Cebu2016@ molavefoundation.org.
Rural sector craft plans for development DAVAO CITY—The rural sector composed of stakeholders and rural experts met here for a two-day conference to craft recommendations on rural development for inclusion in the 2017-2022 Philippine Development Plan (PDP). DAR Secretary Rafael Mariano, whose agency was the lead convenor of the summit, said, “these consultative conference and workshops is a step in the right direction for us in the Duterte administration. In these workshops, we consulted our kababayans who discussed with us what they need and expect from the government. We listened to them and consolidated their ideas and suggestions for rural development.” The conference was a thematic summit on food security, land tenure improvement and environmental protection whose proponents are the Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR), Department of Agriculture (DA) and Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR). “It was tackled in the workshops that our farmers want security of tenure in their lands. They also want their welfare and rights protected. We at the DAR will do just that so that they can ably contribute to rural development,” said Mariano. “Another major issue raised [in the workshops] was self-sufficiency in food production and illegal mining. We in the rural sector fully agree with our stakeholders that our country should not depend on importation of agri-products like rice. We should be self-sufficient to ensure food security in the country. We are also one with them in enforcing responsible mining for the protection of our environment,” added Mariano. DAR Undersecretary Luis Pangulayan said the summit “served as consultation mechanism for the DAR, DA and DENR to present the country’s current state on food security, agrarian reform and environmental protection initiatives to our stakeholders.” Pangulayan said around 300 participants from the three government agencies, nongovernment organizations, and rural development experts attended the two-day summit. The participants discussed updates and status of the rural development plans of various agencies. Workshops and consultations were also conducted for the participants. “The participants and us in the government, brainstormed on the opportunities, challenges and came up with suggested solutions on land, food and environmental problems,” added Pangulayan. On the second day, outputs from workshop groups from the DAR, DA and DENR was presented to Cabinet Secretary Leoncio Evasco represented by Assistant Secretary Jonas George Soriano who in turn will submit it to the President the for consideration in the crafting of the 2017-2022 PDP. The conference on food security, land tenure improvement and environmental protection was held at the Waterfront Insular Hotel, Davao City on Nov. 3 to 4, 2016.
Triple nationwide celebrations for the environment all set this November
A ROSTER of activities that will promote the creation of eco-schools and eco-cities has been lined up by the Department of Environment and Natural Resources-Environmental Management Bureau (DENR-EMB) as it leads nationwide celebrations of Clean Air Month, Environmental Awareness Month and Climate Change Consciousness Week (November 21-25) this November. With the theme “Green Schools : Build Climate-resilient and Sustainable Communities”, these activities will aim to inculcate environmental awareness among the youth and promote ways of reducing their negative impact on the environment. It will also focus on sharing and upscaling of good practices of environmentally-sustainable communities to pave the way for the build-up of more sustainable and eco-friendly schools in the Philippines. The country has long been feeling the impacts of climate change and part of the global solution is keeping communities safe and strong through adaptation and mitigation measures, said EMB Director Gilbert Gonzales. “It is
imperative that all of us stay committed to countering the adverse effects of this phenomenon and building sustainable solutions for the long-term benefit of people and nature,” he added. For the entire month of November, the DENR-EMB Central and Regional Offices, together with other partner agencies and organizations are joining forces to promote the three events and spearhead the line-up of activities that will be celebrated this November. The celebration of Clean Air Month will kick-off with a youth forum (3 pm to 5 pm)–cum- free clean air concert (5:30 pm to 8:30 pm, dubbed “Project : Green Schools; Lesson: Climate Resiliency” at the Market! Market! Activity Center in Taguig City on November 8. The three-hour concert will feature a number of popular bands like 6 cycle mind, Silent Sanctuary, Gloc 9, and clean air champion Lou Bonnevie. This concert is organized by EMB-DENR with the Earth Day Jam Foundation, and other sector-partners. The EMB, through its Air Quality Management Section (AQMS), will conduct a National Airshed Management
Seminar - Workshop on November 7-11 in Clark, Pampanga. At the regional level, there will be Takbo para sa Malinis na Hangin (November 26) in MIMAROPA; Airshed Summit and Check your Car Day (November 15) in Region 5; “Bike for Air” (November 4) in Region 8; Transport Forum for Clean Air (November 8) in Region 12. Most of the activities on environmental awareness center on climate change, solid waste management and water quality management. On November 15-16, EMB Central and NCR Offices will hold a Metro Manila Partners’ Forum for Adopt-an-Estero/ Water Body Program at the Sulo Hotel in Quezon City. It will be followed by a National Harmonization Workshop on the Adopt-an-Estero Water Body Program which will converge EMB regional coordinators of the Adopt-anEstero/Water Body Program to share experiences and success stories on November 17-18. Other activities include Workshop on Philippine Environment Partnership Program (PEPP) to Support Industry Self-Regulation Towards Improved En-
vironmental Performance on November 8-11 in Region IVA; and National Water Quality Management Area Conference on November 21-25 in Region 12. A National Senior Educators’ Conference on “Greening Higher Education Towards Sustainable Development Goals” will also be held in Iloilo City from November 22-24, in coordination with the Philippine Association of Tertiary Level Educational Institutions in Environmental Protection and Management (PATLEPAM). For its part, DepEd is also mobilizing all its division offices to encourage schools/academic institutions to become more actively involved in environmental issues at a practical and local level. On November 25, all divisions will celebrate the National Day for Youth in Climate Action which will gather elementary and secondary students in a forum clean air, solid waste management and climate change. Also included in the line-up are activities on waste recycling, tree planting, water conservation, climate change, environmental film showings and symposia, including school clean-ups.
This month’s celebration will also drum beat the upcoming National Search for Sustainable and Eco-Friendly Schools next year. For the National Climate Change Consciousness Week which is celebrated from November 21-25, the DENR’s Climate Change Service, and Strategic Communications and Initiatives Service, in coordination with DENR bureaus and offices, will be holding an Exhibit on Climate Change from November 21-25, at the DENR Lobby in Quezon City. Happening in the afternoons of November 21, 23 and 25 will be a Lecture Series on Climate Change for the Schools and Communities at the DENR Social Hall, also in Quezon City. As part of its Nationwide Campaign for Climate Change Education, the San Beda Environmental Law Society, with the DENR, Climate Change Commission, The Climate Reality Project, SEED Institute will be organizing a series of youth fora on climate change which will be conducted at the De La Salle University campus during the Climate Change Consciousness Week.