Malditang Librarian

Both private and public schools urged the local government units (LGUs) to provide them with connectivity and internet access to boost the online learning requirements of their students as the education sector prepares for the new normal when school resumes next month. The request highlighted the opening session of the Liveable Cities Labs:  Webinar Series on the topic, "Online Education Under COVID" that was organized by the Liveable Cities Challenge (LCC),  the League of Cities of the Philippines and Globe Business. Dr. Salustiano Jimenez, acting Director of Region VII of the Department of Education (DepEd), opened the discussion by presenting the current situation of public schools in Central Visayas. Dr. Jimenez said that due to the COVID-19 pandemic, DepEd needs to adjust to new teaching modalities to suit learners, which include modular, online or distance learning, self-learning, blended learning, and homeschooling.  The DepEd urged the LGUs, especially the citie...

In the new normal, the internet is becoming a necessity, especially in educational institutions where online learning is pushed as a means to jumpstart the school year. To ensure students continue on their learning journey, Globe myBusiness has partnered with Cebu Technological University (CTU) by providing custom internet plans for remote learning.  The partnership enabled CTU to secure multiple direct internet for 15 sites and more than 26,000 Globe at Home Prepaid WiFi units for students and staff. The kits are inclusive of a WiFi modem and a LAN port, free data allocation, as well as access to applications that are valuable in the learning process.  “My mandate is to ensure that CTU can deliver quality service to our stakeholders by making sure that the General Service Quality Dimensions by Parasuraman and Berry Model are addressed. Moreover, these match our university’s expectations and students' priorities according to tangibles, responsiveness, reliability, empathy” e...

Mark Andrew "Marky" Bacordo in Lakawon Island for his 26th Birthday It's been awhile since there was a #Humans of the Library post in this blog. Due to the pandemic, librarians are adjusting to the new normal. One recent issue librarians are still talking about is the recent comment by the NLP Director that there are "no schools in the provinces offering Library Science courses." Which is wrong, there are many good LIS schools producing librarians in the provinces. Anyway, here's a librarian who graduated LIS from a school in General Santos City.  In fact, three out of five previous guests in this blog series are librarians from good LIS schools in the provinces: Christian George Acevedo , Jolo Van Clyde Abatayo , and Carl Joseph Burlat .  Our 6th featured librarian is Mark Andrew D. Bacordo, RL, or more known as Marky Bacordo on social media. He graduated BLIS from Notre Dame of Dadiangas University, General Santos City and graduated in 2014. He took his ML...

The Professional Regulation Commission (PRC) just announced that licensure examinations for professionals this September 2020 will be postponed to next year, 2021. This includes the Librarians Licensure Examination (LLE) which is usually scheduled in September.  Aside from the LLE, the following board exams are also postponed to next year:  Licensure Examination for Foresters (September 1 – 2, 2020)   Licensure Examination for Registered Electrical Engineers (September 4 – 5, 2020) Licensure Examination for Registered Master Electricians (September 6, 2020) Librarians Licensure Examination (September 8 – 9, 2020) Licensure Examination for Respiratory Therapists (September 15 – 16, 2020) Licensure Examination for Professional Teachers (September 27, 2020) Agricultural and Biosystems Engineers Licensure Examination (September 29 – 30, 2020) According to PRC, the cancellation is "due to government-imposed restrictions and other unforeseeable circumstances because of e...

As another academic year approaches, schools and universities are preparing to utilize and maximize distance learning following the government’s quarantine guidelines. Google for Education partners with Globe to meet the growing demand for better academic services and transform the digital learning experience. Google for Education is an ecosystem of products, programs, and training grounded on the platform’s innovative tools and resources. They will provide a comprehensive onboarding process, tailor-made teacher training, and strong after-sales support for partner schools and institutions nationwide.  “We have seen how technology has powered many industries amid the COVID-19 pandemic. We believe we can do the same for the education sector through blended or fully online learning. Together with Google for Education, we aim to boost the digital learning efforts of the Philippines’ educational system through more accessible, user-friendly, and interactive solutions for parents, teache...

Connected Women prepares Filipino women for the future of work by training them to be data labelers, virtual assistants, and more With the Philippines bracing itself for the impact of artificial intelligence (AI), one social impact tech startup is making sure that Filipino women are prepared for the inevitable changes. Philippines-based startup Connected Women creates opportunities for both skilled and underskilled women by training them to be data annotators, which are considered to be essential in any program that uses AI. Labeling and categorizing images can earn data annotators around P500 per day, depending on their output. This is more than what many Filipino women earn in the informal economy due to lack of education or access to decent jobs. Outside NCR, the minimum wage ranges from P200 to P400 a day. The training is part of the #WomenRiseAboveCovid program in partnership with the joint EU-UN Women program WeEmpowerAsia. This initiative is one of two tracks with the other focu...

In preparation for the upcoming trimester, Asia Pacific College (APC) and National University (NU) partnered with Globe Business to offer free connectivity solutions through SchoolSURF Plans, Home Prepaid WiFi kits, and Load Up to enrollees. “For education to work in an online environment, teachers and students must be able to interact in a way that’s similar to the face-to-face experience. Our collaboration with Globe Business will bring learning innovations and other opportunities to ensure flexible engagements,” said NU President Dr. Renato Carlos H. Ermita, Jr. The unavailability of internet connections to many Filipino households poses a challenge for distance learning, which is by far the safest alternative to in-school classes. “By democratizing access to education, every student will have equal opportunity for continuous learning in a connected environment, and eventually, equal opportunity in finding their place in the workforce," shared APC President Dr. Tata P. Medado. ...

The Philippine Librarians Association, Inc. - Western Visayas Region Librarians Council (PLAI WVRLC) will be having its first online annual regional congress this August 20, 2020 (Thursday) at 9:00 AM. The theme of this webinar is "Libraries & Pandemic: Personal and Institutional Preparedness of Libraries and Librarians in Western Visayas." Description of the webinar: The Philippine Librarians Association, Inc. (PLAI)-WVRLC committed to its mission of fostering professional growth and performance of its members, believes that libraries, as well as librarians and information professionals, should continuously serve in times of pandemic. Explain the changing roles of libraries and librarians in the advent of a global pandemic.  Identify partners, collaborators and communities to strengthen services and resources of libraries.  Understand societal changes that impact the psychological and behavioral patterns of librarians and library users. Present best practices on innova...

I open my Facebook feed, and I am bombarded by many things trying to get my attention. Aside from the usual posts from friends, there's an announcement for another webinar. Someone is trying to sell you something. Here's a free resource with thousands and even millions of information you might need. Here's an overwhelming list of links for you to access information right at your fingertips. Do I need to mention the latest statistics on COVID-19 growing every day? There's news again of another questionable thing the government is doing, followed by the usual complaints of the citizens. Everyone is anxious. I admit: I can't keep up. I am a librarian, so I deal with a lot of information at work. We are adjusting to an all-online learning environment, and the library is trying to prove that the university needs us more than ever. We try to find and get accessible resources for the faculty and students since they can't go to the library the way they are used to. We a...

With community quarantine guidelines in place, families are expected to use the internet more as they stay safe at home. This puts them at greater risk for bullying, threats, and crimes. To help minimize the risk and promote responsible digital citizenship, Globe held the first Kids & Tech: Parenting in the Digital Age , an exclusive webinar that teaches families to become savvy consumers of social media and technology.  The panel included representatives from Globe myBusiness: Georges Dizon, Business Enablement and Training Manager, and Maybe Lynn Tarroja, Customer Development Manager. The webinar was moderated by Kristen Dimayuga, the program lead for education of the Corporate Communications Group of Globe. Together, the panelists shared the Parent Module, a family-oriented approach to digital citizenship. It follows the framework of the Digital Thumbprint Program (DTP), a series of workshops taught to students on how to help cultivate a safer online environment. In the webi...

The global pandemic has encouraged many industries to adjust and find ways to thrive in the new normal. In the education sector, institutions are expected to explore new ways of learning while maintaining social distancing guidelines. Earlier this month, the national government announced that face-to-face classes will be postponed until a COVID-19 vaccine is developed. The Department of Education said that the while preparing schools for “a different setup” is a challenge, the Department is readying the resumption of school operations based on their Basic Education — Learning Continuity Plan (BE-LCP) which would affect almost the entire education infrastructure in the country — from the DepEd Central Office down to the school level. Meanwhile, the Commission on Higher Education shared that they are working with the Department of Health to draft guidelines on health protocols when classes resume. “With the threat of COVID-19, schools and universities are seeing additional pressure to...

I just started a new job at the beginning of March. But two weeks later, the lockdown was declared in my city. At first, the general community quarantine was only for two weeks but extended and extended until May. I just went back to work this June but everything is different.  So many things have changed. Social distancing, face masks, mandatory temperature checks, filling out forms to prove you have no COVID-19 symptoms - all of these part of the norm now. In jeepneys, plastic dividers separate passengers. Malls used to be crowded where you can just stroll and hang out, but now it's not a place to linger in.  I work in a university library, so the challenge now is schools shifting to online learning. Libraries who didn't have any online presence or services are forced to keep up. It's a challenging and exciting time as my work also involves setting up, brainstorming, and improving online services. I help out on the library website and social media, so I ended up using the...