Camp Blog Revisited
Forty-six of the most promising public secondary students and teachers converge at picturesque Mimosa Leisure Estate for Camp Blog 1B. This edition, to be held from November 13 to 22, is the second of a series. The Camp was made possible through the iSchools Project and the Pampanga Agricultural College.
Camp Blog is a progression of content development activities using blogging to promote localized educational content. It has become an academic space where the best of traditional educational methods are made more palatable for more tech-literate learners.
Camp Blog is an opportunity for the different members of secondary public schools to find common ground. Teachers and students all share equal footing at the Camp since what matters are the unique perspectives and insights they offer.
The 46 participants were chosen from over a hundred applicants nationwide. To be included in this select group, they had to submit an essay that demonstrated their communication skills; subject expertise; adaptability to ICT; and potential to be ICT champions of their schools.
Participants were then grouped according to their specialization or preference -- English, Math, Science and TLE.
At the end of ten days, participants would have created digital educational content spiced up with their own unique ideas and experiences.
To aid them in this task, each participant was lent a brand-new HP 6530b laptop for the duration of Camp.
Professors from the University of the Philippines-Open University served as Subject Matter Experts (SMEx) that helped participants design their topic outlines based on the subject assigned.
Blogging professionals taught participants how to publish online using the Wordpress platform. They were taught skills in embedding multimedia and proper content organization to maximize what the platform offers.
Veteran journalists taught online research and writing techniques to help participants reach out to a new tech-savvy audience. At the same time, they acted as style editors tasked with helping participants define their voice among the clutter on the web.
Come November 22, the Camp's best blogs will be showcased at a public exhibit and awarding ceremony to be held at SM City Clark.
Antonette Torres, iSchools Project Manager, believes that Camp Blog is the natural progression of ICT-empowered schools.
“The first step was to receive the iSchools computer lab and training,” Torres shares.
She adds that, “the next step is to create digital materials meaningful to their schools as this requires a certain level of mastery of basic ICT skills and sensitivity to the needs of local learners.”
The iSchools Project is a flagship initiative of the Commission on Information and Communications Technology, which aims to close the digital divide in public secondary education.
With an annual budget of P350 million, the iSchools Project has served 680 schools in the Philippines with internet literacy training and Internet laboratories, making it the most comprehensive ICT-in-education project in the country
Pampanga Agricultural College is the State Universities and Colleges (SUC) partner of the Commission in implementing the iSchools Project in the province.
