ICT Workshop Day 1

When I came to the school a year ago, I was asked to be one of the facilitators for the school’s ICT program. The seminar then was held after school hours from 4 to 7 pm.  Most, if not all, of the teachers were already tired and were just playing along hoping that the seminar would end so that we could all go home. Tiredness and the desire to go home were the learning barriers. Also, the CMPC’s (notebook pcs) were so unreliable that most of the time was taken setting them up and fixing the problems.

(We were teasing Sir Diomeng because it took him almost three hours to type a lesson plan using MS Word. But he did finish the task, and he was able to submit the required output of the workshop.)

But today’s seminar was different.  The teachers were not tired, and the atmosphere was relaxed. It’s amazing how things get efficiently done in a relaxed and laid back atmosphere. Of course, all of us would rather have the semestral break, but we have to follow the department's order to conduct school based training.

I saw on the news that there were groups of teachers who were opposing this order. They said the teachers needed the break. I agree, but I DepEd is justified in saying that the summer vacation was enough rest for us, teachers.

Anyway, we were having fun teaching our senior (or senior citizens) teachers. When the seminars started a year ago, most of them were afraid to touch the computers for fear that they would break or damage them. Up to now, they still have this apprehension about computers.  The facilitators and I have to continually assure them that pressing the wrong button would not break or short circuit the computers. They would not blow up or something.

(Mam Virgie complained that she was having a head ache. It was not surprising because she was using a classmate PC that had 6" screen. Coaching them was fun. Jokes were always flying around.)

I also explained to one of them, with difficulty may I say, what a computer virus was.

The real challenge was how to change the senior teachers’ attitude towards computers and to challenge them not to be afraid to explore their computers.