CATBALOGAN CITY – One of Samar State University’s (SSU) solutions to the Covid-19 educational crisis is to put learning on radio. With this, the University being the Chair of the Technology Infrastructure and Support (TIS) Committee of the Eastern Visayas Higher Education Institutions Flexible Learning Management Consortium (EVHEIs-FLMSC) hosted the Webinar Series on On-Air Learning: Rediscovering Radio for Flexible Learning on August 17-20, 2020.
Addressing Digital Divide
Dr. Marilyn D. Cardoso, University President, emphasized the importance of capacitating teachers to reach the students who do not have access to the internet, thus, answering the digital divide.
“826 million students kept out of classrooms by the pandemic do not have access to a computer at home, 706 million students lack internet access, and 56 million live in areas not covered by mobile network. This is the very reason for this webinar, to make sure learning continues amidst disruption,” she stated.
The Webinar Series on On-Air Learning aimed to ‘leave no student behind’ by rediscovering radio as one of the supports in flexible learning.
According to Commission on Higher Education (CHED) Commissioner Aldrin A. Darilag, to make learning inclusive, the affordances provided by a wide range of technologies must be maximized.
He also stated that not all Filipino households have internet connection and understanding various learning modalities is important.
“Through this Webinar Series, the vision of the commission is strengthened, that is to equip our teachers with the mindset knowledge and competencies to maximize the affordances provided by a wide range of technologies – from on-air, to online, to offline – so we can truly make education inclusive and accessible to our students,” he said.
Sense of Community
The University had invited participants not only from the member-SUCs of the consortium but also the ‘co-builders’ from the Department of Education (DepEd) and other Private Higher Education Institution (PHEIs) to advocate the sense of sharing and community.
“This is our shared efforts not to disrupt learning. We have invited teachers from the Department of Education and other private schools to partake in the sharing of knowledge as forerunners in nation building,” said Dr. Cardoso.
As Dr. Cardoso described, it is a manifestation of educators ‘braving the storm’ amid COVID-19.
“Our resilience, cooperation, and unity will make us thrive,” she emphasized.
Dr. Darilag even said that this is an example of what bayanihan is in time of the pandemic.
The Webinar series was attended by more than 1,500 teachers, faculty, and staff of Region VIII.
Speakers On-Air
The speakers were from Day 1 to Day 2 talked on the essential topics that will enable participants to create lesson and deliver them on-air.
Asst. Prof.. Lester P. Ordan, Community Broadcasting and Distance-Based Learning Systems Professor of UP Los Banos, talked on the Radio Overview including its roles, functions, and relevance to education in the new normal.
KBP Golden Dove Awards and Metro Manila Film Festival (MMFF) Juror, Asst. Prof. Mark Lester M. Chico of UP Los Banos, taught how to translate self-learning modules into radio-based instruction. He also touched on Broadcast Speech and Performance and how an effective radio instructional delivery is done.
Digging deeper into the production of On-Air Learning, Mr. Ryan Jay I. Galang, AM Station News Writer and Program Development Head, and Mr. Joseph Lydio R. Roble, III, a Various Media Producer and Editor, introduced the different tools that can be used and tips that can be applied in producing Radio Instructional Materials (IMs).
The third day was allotted for the workshop per SUC.
Online Roadshow of On-Air Learning
Each SUC was assigned an academic field where they will focus their presentation on. The presentations will present the academic expertise on Agriculture, IT, Nursing, Management/HRM, Fishery/Mrine Sciences, Accountancy, Teacher Education, Engineering, Maritime, and Development Communication by ESSU, NwSSU, UEP, BipSU, SSU, EVSU, LNU, SLSU, PIT, VSU, respectively.
DepEd Catbalogan and DepEd Tacloban also presented their on-air learning lessons.
The presenters were evaluated by the speakers on how they converted their learning packets to a radio IM.
Daryl Casiano and Jerson Sorio, SSU representatives, were able to ‘hit the mark’ as they exemplified an outstanding radio production on the lesson “Introduction to Microbiology”.
Asst. Prof. Chico even gave a high remark to the content of the radio script following every detail of the standard script he presented.
Mr. Roble also commended the audio editing of the IM using the Audacity software which was edited by the In-Charge of the DYSY 102.9 University Radio, Ms. Joan Baclay.
The Webinar Series reached more than 3000 views on Facebook and more than 500 on Youtube as it ended on Thursday, August 20.
Meanwhile, the faculty will continue its workshop on On-Air Learning to reach more students and to make education in the Philippines amidst the disruption.
