Educational Technologies for Kiddoes

Learners who do not have gadgets to study on line or blended, we can help and preserve their mental health. 

With the COVID-19 pandemic wreaking havoc to our school kids today amid this New Normal teaching/learning situation, we need to help out making them equipped with needed skills and technologies required to online and blended learning modalities. However, not all are having this skills and technologies like those who belong to least, lost and left out due to their challenging economic conditions. It takes a village to educate a child, yes but that village should be responsive enough to the needs of these kids. Providing them the skills and technologies would definitely be a great help for them and thus, preserving their mental health. Having a program where everyone could pitch in, business persons, tech-hub, educational experts in integrating technology in their lessons, philanthropists, and the like, would be a springboard to a responsive community of supporters. Through this collaboration of conscientious people, learning and fun could be had by these learners needing support and all. An organization which could receive donations, in monetary and in kind, so as to buy the necessary technologies like android cellphone, iPad, laptop or desktop for a communal learning session tie up with their school respective school enrolled and currently taking up blended or blended learning modalities. These select learners that are in need of those technologies and trainings for the use of such could have equity now learning with current modalities. Monitoring of such could be good ensuring the success of this program and could send ripples of change, even mindsets, the world over.

Educational technologies and the skills needed to use them is number one need of our least, lost and left out learners under this New Normal teaching/learning situation.  Poverty is root cause of this and lack of opportunities for parents to have a decent job and buy those gadgets like android cellphone, iPad, laptop or desktop. Personally, am handling Sixth Graders here in Gumaok Elementary School under blended modality, which means,  learners need those technologies mentioned to keep on with the lesson; however, some of them could not afford a cellphone, even a load or internet signal is also a challenge for them. This lack of educational technologies and skills in using such could really deter the chance of continuing education which they all the right to. If there is an organization working for this; well, our kids would definitely have the equity to keep pace with the co-learners and be confident enough learning lessons, have deeper chances toward getting informed about an issue related to their lesson, and from there decide and do projects which could be an application of their learning, for the betterment of their community, country and the world at large. This ripple of success could be had once all concerned stakeholders and people rally behind the success of each child learning under this trying times. A village of conscientious people around could really be the source of hope, strength and all for this learning journey of our least, lost and left out learners this pandemic. 

Select learners in school where parents belong to the economically challenged sector, say under 4Ps program, where government has been giving them stipend for their needs but not enough for educational needs. Yes, with lack of educational needs like android cellphone, load, wifi or internet signal it would be difficult for kids to study online or blended modality. Coping with these challenges, oftentimes could result to kids having mental stress, low-confidence and the like knowing that they could not keep up pace with their co-learners who can afford or just making do with one cellphone being used with three or four kids having online classes in a day. This scenario is just normal in our community and needed attention, so as to make our learners have a good chance keeping pace with current educational set up. in fact, my current research on this delves with the challenges online and blended learners facing today, the what, why and how 

With the sincere desire to help out this kiddoes with technological poverty and skills barrenness in using such, a responsive community of doers, thinkers and advocates could do wonders toward providing these kiddoes the needed support and skills so as to cope with current learning modalities, particularly online and blended. Out of 273 Sixth Graders enrolled this school year, there are 85 learners who are in need of such gadgets. I was really sad when a kid told me that she had no android cellphone and could not join our google meet up, answer test questions thru google form, among other challenges. How i wish I could provide you with those, was my thinking until a number of them had same problem, then I saw this opportunity to submit a proposal for this kind of problem this COVID-19 pandemic kids are facing. 

Steps to take so as to ensure success:

1. Identify those who belong to least, lost and left out learners

2. Assess their economic and academic status

3. Assess their skills and educational technology needs

4. Determine the over-all set up needed as to android cellphone, wifi or internet signal

5. Provide them such needed tools after they have been orient on the in and out of this program

6. Periodic monitoring of their performance, technology status as working, not working, and the like

7. Assess the effectiveness of efficiency of this program at the end of the term or quarter or school year. 

Team Leader:

Larry I. Nabiong, Teacher III, Gumaok E/s

Support:

Nelia B. Agueran, TeacherIII, Gumaok E/s

Rosalie F. Diaz, Teacher I, Gumaok E/s

Providing kids with the needed technological tools for their online or blended learning modes, would really be a good equity for them to keep up with the trend of the New Normal. Not only does it caters the need for their performance, but also giving them confidence to learn and grow and glow! 

Having a group of donors or sponsors could be a village responsive enough ensuring education continuity in this trying time. 

Continuous monitoring of this program, er modeling this to other schools could really be evidences for more projects like this to proliferate around, especially the kiddoes who are least, lost and left out members of our society.

Ripples of this could make a difference to all kids in he Third World Countries, and beyond.

Haven't tested yet, but with the beauty of this program helping them to have equity toward getting education under this condition of COVID-19, I am sure that a big difference could be seen from this and would definitely be an example for others to do same -- help out when you CAN, help others so they CAN, and be the people who CAN do extraordinary things out of ordinary grind.

Educational tools like android cellphone, iPad, laptop or desktop with internet connection could really help learners coping up with the New Normal set up. 

Once they  have these learning technologies, it would be easier to do their task, have google meet up with co-learners and teachers, even they could learn a lesson virtually synchronously or asynchronously. 

Likewise, they would be tech-savvy, what with the 21st century skills needed to survive in this educational landscape where every opportunity is an incremental thingy to their gradual unfolding of their hidden potentials which could be a blessing to the world, or even deserving a Nobel Peace Prize in the future!

Starting them early by giving them the much support could be the honing processes of their God-given talents; thus, making ourselves a contributing agents to their well-beings and all.

Likewise, the greatest help we could give them is not the material things but the confidence which they could have within themselves toward their own journey. And, with such mindset, they could become good citizens who are working toward realization of Sustainable Development Goals of 2030-- and beyond.

First off, a ripple will illustrate how this program could create impact to the lives of the kids, teachers, families, donors, community, country and the whole world at large. 

With the kids having problems the community of supporters could rally against this challenge of want of technologies needed in their online or blended mode of learning. Purchase of said gadgets could start a new life for kids to go on with their learning sans this kind of burden, not only for their parents but to their teachers as well who wanted to help out but still don't have the capacity to provide such gadgets, for all the students under them. 

Once they have the so-called gadgets they could join their co-learners and have fun and meaningful learning journeys together. 

The community of supporters -- donors and sponsors -- could be the wind beneath their fragile wings to even flap a little away from hardships toward getting a wisdom or two from a story read from kindle book or other apps with stories for kids. These different reading sites could teach them the value of collaboration, compassion and openness to all challenges as a chance for all of us to do something in solving problems the world is facing today and beyond. 

Inculcating in their young minds the value of collaboration, humanity and all, these kiddoes would definitely grow to become good citizens of the world, and could pay it forward to the needs of those who would come after them in this complex existence of ours. A change of change would be happening when everyone did their thing sans neglecting even one of those who belong to the least, lost and left out. 

Creating a ripple of change is what we need to do especially this COVID-19 pandemic where everyone has a role to play to alleviate someone's suffering. This time, more than anyone else, we need to make a stand and be our kiddoes' superheroes!

Since we are in the initial stage of this project, I think having such would not be feasible. However, we really feel the need of kiddoes having no gadgets in their online or blended learning journey. So there is a pressing need for us adults to do something out of this situation and be partners of these kiddoes toward having continuity of education this COVID-19 pandemic. Since, kids are the hope of our future, we need to support them, in every which way we can, no matter what the cost.  

We want to see happy kids learning in the New Normal sans this lack of educational technologies which are great challenge for them and their parents. With the provision of such coming from benevolent sponsors or donors around, locally and globally, we could say that we have been responsive enough to their call for support. Having them the chance of using those technologies could be a springboard to more fun and meaningful learning journey, especially those kids who belong to the least, lost and left out. 

This year, initial stage, must the toughest one for we have to find sponsors and donors, willing and able to provide kiddoes with their much needed gadgets. 

By the second year, of course, we could have a base line against our goals to get more kiddoes the needed support and see a change on their performance in school via online or blended modalities. 

And in the third year, of course, an increased in the number of those who will become the recipients and the successes of those who had been having their support for two or three years time. 

Same with the fourth or fifth year, wherein the number of recipients increased and the successes they would have can be worthy enough.

Providing these gadgets to these school kiddoes, we need the support of those who have the financial power to contribute a dollar or what to this great endeavor. Soliciting donations from different corporations, rich individuals and other philanthropists who are more than willing and able to extend a helping hand to this kiddoes' needs would greatly be impactful to this initiative. Advocating kiddoes' education under this condition of COVID-19 is something which we could be doing as a sane and sound and saint group of individuals working towards making a BIG difference to kiddoes' lives!

And when everybody's doing their part or share, well, it would be lots of fun for all to feel worthy being called responsive members of global society where every opportunity to making a difference is taken as a blessing from above. 

"I could not join you in zoom or google meet, for i don't have an android phone." 

"We don't have load."

"No reliable internet connection, sir."

My son could not answer google form, don't have cellphone."

"We only have one cellphone, and we are 3 students with online classes. How are we going to make do with that?"

Such reasons or problems our kiddoes are having when it comes to their blended or online classes or what. It is so depressing for a teacher who wants to help out but don't have the capacity to do so.

When we talked about this, the three of us brainstormed on how to help out despite our limited means as teachers in the Philippines where majority of our learners are poor and don't have the much needed gadgets to participate in our online classes. 

Yes, we have modular mode of learning but, communication is one key component of having kids connected and having fun through meaningful zoom "Kumustahan", sort of having fun getting each other's updated with their classmates on virtual classroom. 

Why not look for sponsors or donors who could give these learners of us the gadgets, the load or internet signal they needed the most? There are a lot of good people around who might be of help to these kids. And, then this project started out. Our sincerest desire is for them to have the continuity of education amid this COVID-19 pandemic and have fun! Yes, for they don't have to suffer stress at a young age, for their parents should be grappling also with their food and other needs, so why not help them in every which way possible. 

While this project is being written, our team have the plan to send letters asking for an old gadgets ( such as android cellphone, pocket wifi, etc. which donors or sponsors could give to these kids)

This is tough job to do but still doable and fun having a great feeling of doing something great for our kiddoes. 

Hoping that this initiative create tiny ripple of change, even just a little help could really be impactful when put together toward materialization of this project/solution to these kids' needs. 

As if now, we're three working for this project. A tiny ripple could start out a bigger one. In due time, when everybody sees our effort and the confidence these kids will be having, people around -- with a heart of gold -- would definitely be pitching in, resources and all.

Each one of us is a school teacher and we are handling these learners in one subject or another, so we have the time to monitor, mentor or what these kiddoes toward using such gadgets responsibly. Listen to their other needs when it comes to joining zoom or google meet, among other concerns. 

When it comes to soliciting from good-hearted donors, we could really be trusted enough to use such for the betterment of recipients and have them this value of responsibility be ingrained in their minds and hearts. 

Criteria and checklist for distribution and monitoring be put in place and let them have the needed support in using those and taking care of those for the next learners to use such. Or, they could have those till they finish schooling, or till they are capable of having their own gadgets and all. 

Yes, the needs are endless but with tiny ripples making impact, time will come where everybody has this mindset of pitching in and helping out. 

Starting this culture of "pitching in and helping out" could be the needed key toward having people the right mindset to contribute even a little amount or donate their old gadgets to these kiddoes learning quest.  

Since all of us are school teachers for 25, 20 and 5 years we are definitely sure of doing things like conceptualizing and implementing new idea. 

We have been trained to do planning, executing, evaluating or SWOT analysis. 

We have the desire to make a difference to this kiddoes' lives, and it is our responsibility to have them all be/have the best (not the least), found (not lost) and prioritized (not left out).

As of now, we are still looking for collaborators or backers for such an initiative. With openness, sincerity and all, we could find them -- those with same feathers with us -- we need to work together for the good of these kiddoes' when it comes to their educational needs. So good luck to us.

Partnership with Octava and MIT and the rest of benevolent people and organizations around, it would be great a feeling having giants behind us, inspiring us to do ripple, even tiny yet powerful enough to creating change for the lives of our beneficiaries. 

Kids with small dreams, need us more than ever. Especially this time of COVID-19 pandemic.  

Any help coming from people/organizations around could be springboard for more fun and meaningful engagement toward creating a difference to people's lives, in this particular initiative, the kiddoes with challenges having educational technologies due to their poor situation in life. 

Here, we are responsive people who know the essence of passion and compassion to effect change to those who are least, lost and left out. 

May this journey of pitching in and helping out be the beginning of more initiatives like this to mushroom around. A strike of lightning be made! 

Then, a beautiful story emerges. 

Having sense of community, rubbing the magic off those who have done successfully before us, could really be a great experience of fun and meaningful interaction with the experts in financing, networking and technology. 

They could mentor us on how to go about our initiative to become successful and thus, making a mark of excellence in providing initiative to those who needed the most. 

We are all educators in our TEAM so we deeply feel the agony of kids having problems with technologies, for even a lowly cellphone they could not afford. 

With the right people around, we are looking forward to the expertise they could extend to us and be our inspiration to pursue this initiative no matter what the cost-- time, resources and so on. 

What matters most to us is the impact this one could make -- the ripple though small could be the single step to a giant leap toward progress and development of those who are in the fringes of society. 

Again, nobody should be least, lost and left out among these kiddoes.