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INNOTECH Flexible Learning Management System

The Japan Prize Video Library at SEAMEO INNOTECH's Learning Resource Center. Search for it here.

Globe Pays Tribute to BridgeCom Partners. Globe Telecoms paid tribute to its corporate partners in the Bridging Communities Program, aptly known as Globe BridgeCom, through a night of celebration held at the Ayala Museum in Makati City on 29 April 2008. SEAMEO INNOTECH, as one of its esteemed partners, received a plaque of recognition for its contribution in "transforming and enriching the lives of Filipinos through sustainable corporate social responsibility programs." Globe BridgeCom focuses on advocacies in education, entrepreneurship, environment, youth development, volunteerism and community involvement.

Training on Contextual Teaching and Learning. A number of subject coordinators from Semirara Island in Antique Province are currently undergoing a two-week training on contextual teaching and learning (CTL) at the Center. The training is seen vital in the effective use of "applied academics" in teaching Science, Math, English and Technology and Livelihood Education subjects in secondary education. CTL is an innovative approach propagated under SEAMEO INNOTECH's Project APEX (Applied Academics for Excellence) that aims to connect students' learning to the development of the community. The said training is being held from 28 April to 14 May 2008 and sponsored by Semirara Mining Corporation.

Education for New Water Ethic. The Regional Workshop on Monitoring and Assessment of the Integration of Human Values in Water, Sanitation and Hygiene Education in Southeast Asian Schools was held at the Center from 28-30 April 2008. The workshop aimed to track and evaluate the use of the integrated value-based water, sanitation and hygiene lessons, determine how to further improve the teaching-learning materials developed by the project, and consider other mechanisms that need to be put in place to ensure project sustainability.

ICeXCELS in Indonesia. SEAMEO INNOTECH conducted an orientation for 59 Indonesian school heads on 14-15 April 2008 at the Pusat Pengembangan dan Pemberdayaan Pendidik dan Tenaga Kependidikan (PPPPTK) Bahasa, the Language Institute in Jakarta, Indonesia. The orientation was meant to prepare the selected school heads for the monthlong ICeXCELS (Instructional and Curricular Excellence in School Leadership for Southeast Asia) Flexible Learning Short Course. Apart from this, the Indonesian school administrators will also undergo an English enhancement program. ICeXCELS Indonesia is being delivered in cooperation with the Ministry of National Education of Indonesia and the Philippine Normal University.

Madrasah Learning Materials Review. The Center assisted the Department of Education in conducting a workshop to review madrasah religious textbooks in April 2008, with funding support from UNICEF. The Islamic textbooks, which are intended for use in private madaris, cover the subjects of Qu'ran, Aqeddah and Fiqh, and Seerah and Hadith. These textbooks have been in pilot use for three years now. Review findings are hoped to improve the accuracy and effectiveness of the learning materials.

2008 Policy Forum. Policy issues in access to secondary education and technical-vocational education in the Philippines were discussed in a presentation of two new studies conducted by SEAMEO INNOTECH in its first research forum for 2008. These were a policy study funded by the World Bank - Asia Pacific Research Network and the Korean Educational Development Institute (WB-APRI-KEDI) that examined access to and demand for secondary education in the Philippines, and a survey research that looked into the situation and profile of Philippine technical-vocational high schools. The Center's policy forums aim to generate awareness and make the public and policymakers appreciate the importance of research in policy formulation, planning and decision-making. Partners from the academe, government education agencies, educational non-government organizations, and international financing institutions communicated their concerns to Congressman Del De Guzman, Chairman of the Committee on Basic Education and Culture, House of Representatives.

Thai Educators Gain Tips on Micro-Level Planning. A select group of Thai educators participated in a specialized program on educational micro-planning processes and techniques from 27-28 March 2008 at SEAMEO INNOTECH. The said education planners from the Southern Border Province of Thailand received introductions into the current Philippine education system, programs and projects. They also had a chance to discourse with field officials of the Department of Education in the National Capital Region and in the Schools Division of Mandaluyong City about important concepts and principles in micro-planning. The meeting similarly afforded the group with knowledge of the most common micro-level planning techniques that they can apply for better coherence and synchronicity of their plans and action points.

INNOTECH Forges Partnership with Japanese University. SEAMEO INNOTECH continues to widen its reach in its mission to provide innovative research and training solutions. Recently, it signed an agreement of cooperation with the University of Tsukuba—Center for Research on International Cooperation in Educational Development (CRICED), the main office for international linkages of the Japan Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology. The partnership covers a period of five years and involves exchange of faculty and researchers, collaborative research and joint academic meetings, and exchange of information, publications and materials for academic purposes. To facilitate the cooperation plans, Dr. Mariko Sato, professor at CRICED, visited the Center in 10 March 2008 to formalize initial undertakings between INNOTECH and CRICED.

ICeXCELS Receives Commendation from UNESCO. SEAMEO INNOTECH's innovative program on Instructional and Curricular Excellence in School Leadership and Management (ICeXCELS) received commendation in the 2007 UNESCO ICT in Education Innovation Awards - Education Planner and Administrator Category. ICeXCELS specifically received recognition for its innovative means of using ICT to enhance the leadership and management competencies of school administrators in the Southeast Asian region. Some 146 programs were considered for the awards, given out by UNESCO Bangkok in acknowledgment of outstanding innovative practices on the use of ICT in education throughout Asia-Pacific. The Philippine Department of Education is currently reaping the benefits of ICeXCELS through a nationwide program for elementary and secondary school principals, dubbed "DepED eXCELS Program".

Pakistan Educators Get Briefing on Curriculum Development. A group of Pakistani officials from the Curriculum Wing of the Ministry of Education paid INNOTECH a visit on 14 February 2008 for an orientation on its curriculum research projects and programs—Project APEX, e-IMPACT and text2teach, and ICeXCELS. The visit, facilitated by the University of the East in Manila, formed part of a weeklong study program aimed at providing insights on current methods and best curriculum practices in the Philippines. The Pakistan Ministry of Education and the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA) jointly sponsored the study program.

In February 21, under a similar study program, the Center received a number of Pakistan teacher educators. The visit primarily focused on enhancing the visitors' understanding of the pre-service training for aspiring teachers and the in-service training for current teachers in the Philippines.

DepED eXCELS Wraps Up First Run. End-of-course assessments of school heads participating in the eXCELS (Excellence in School Leadership) Program sponsored by the Philippine Department of Education wrapped up in February 2008 with the first batch of around 300 learners. The DepED eXCELS Program targets more than 1500 school principals all over the country to upskill them for reforms being implemented by the education department. This professional development program which combines face-to-face and online sessions was designed by SEAMEO INNOTECH. Graduates are entitled to academic credits from partner TEIs.