CATBALOGAN CITY, Philippines—Twenty-five (25) secondary science teachers from the Department of Education (DepEd) Catbalogan City Division completed a five-day Trainers’ Training on the Use of Smartphone-Based Physics Experiments held from July 14 to 18, 2025 at the College of Arts and Sciences (CAS) Physics Laboratory of Samar State University (SSU) Main Campus, Catbalogan City. The initiative responds to the growing demand for digital tools in education and offers a cost-effective solution to address limited access to traditional laboratory equipment.
The training aimed to equip educators with practical skills in using the phyphox application, a smartphone technology, for conducting physics experiments in classroom settings.
Mr. Frank Angelo A. Pacala, Lead Teacher in Physics at the Presidential School in Karshi, Uzbekistan, served as the Resource Speaker of the said trainers’ training. His sessions emphasized inquiry-based learning and digital literacy, aligning with international standards in science education. The teachers were also introduced to smartphone sensors for data collection, advanced techniques in data analysis, and the design of small-scale research projects. They were further guided in writing research articles with potential for publication in reputable academic journals.
Now in its third year, the training forms part of SSU’s extension program titled Equipping Science Teachers with Competencies and Innovations towards Digital Education Revolution 4.0 under the Environmental Sustainability Research & Development Center (ESRDC). It was organized by Dr. Rezy V. Mendaño, along with Dr. Nicolas O. Boco and Ms. Myrniel G. Macha, of the Graduate School’s Master of Arts in Teaching major in Physics program.
Apart from supporting the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, this initiative also contributes to the Philippine Development Plan (2023–2028) by promoting inclusive, innovative, and resource-efficient teaching practices.