Online education expanding, awaits innovation

When Janice Barnwell decided to boost her career by obtaining a master's degree in business, the working mother chose an online university because of the convenience and the low cost.

The 44-year-old's educational experience exceeded her expectations, and her new employer paid for her to take four more courses online to sharpen her skills.

"At first I was very intimidated (by taking classes remotely). It's something I've never done," said Barnwell, who works as a wealth management liaison. "But it quickly changed for me because the interaction I had online with my classmates and professors felt real."

The online education sector grew 13 percent last year and had been growing at about 20 percent in previous years. Nearly one in four students take at least some college courses online, up from one in 10 in 2002. Two million students, most older than the traditional 18-22 year-old undergraduates, take all their courses online and two million more take one or more online course.

President Barack Obama pledged $500 million for online courses and materials as part of a multi-pronged plan aimed at expanding access to college.

Twenty-nine percent of U.S. adults have a college degree, fewer than in many other industrialized nations. Only about 40 percent of Americans who start college graduate. The price of higher education, which rises by an average of 8 percent a year, contributes to the high dropout rate.

"All along that education pipeline, too many people ... are slipping through the cracks. It's not only heartbreaking for those students; it's a loss for our economy and our country," Obama said in a recent speech.

Jeff Conlon, chief executive of Kaplan Higher Education with some 59,000 online students, said traditional colleges could not meet Obama's goals for higher education.

"Obama wants to make us first again by 2020," he said.

"In order to do that, we need to create 63 million college graduates over that period. The higher education system as constructed will come up 16 million degrees short. There's not capacity in the system."

Proponents of online education cite a recent Department of Education study that concluded course work is better absorbed online than material presented in live classrooms.

Among the heavily marketed for-profit online educators, the leader is the University of Phoenix, a unit of Apollo Group Inc, whose enrollment rose 22 percent to 420,700 students in the quarter ending May 31, with revenues rising 26 percent.

Both Kaplan, a unit of Washington Post Co, and Phoenix are accredited universities. Employers increasingly see degrees earned online as equal to those received from brick-and-mortar schools, experts say. Some managers believe students who earn degrees online while also holding a job are likely to exhibit more self-discipline and determination.

Bells and whistles?

Richard Garrett of Boston consultant Eduventures Inc. said interest in online education may have plateaued for now, awaiting innovations that will transform the experience beyond screen imitations of the brick-and-mortar curriculum.

"We're still at a pretty rudimentary stage," Garrett said, noting educators rarely employ video, unique links, or other technological innovations.

"Will it be games? Will it be simulations? Will it be social networking? Will it be something we haven't yet come across?" he said.

No one has yet figured out how nursing students can practice drawing blood online, Conlon said. But there have been enhancements such as virtual laboratories where budding chemists can conduct experiments that might be too dangerous or too costly in the real world.

Most online course offerings tend toward vocational subjects like business, legal and health care training. Students needing hands-on experience go to Kaplan's campuses or its partners.

Most Kaplan classes are capped at 25 students because faculty can be subjected to communication overload. Students who might have been intimidated to speak up in classrooms often find their voice online.

Professors, most with doctorates, are hired for their teaching ability and not for their research, Conlon said.

The cost at Kaplan for a four-year college degree is around $65,000, compared to up to $150,000 or more at a private college. Online library access is provided by the University of Alabama in Huntsville.

By studying online, Barnwell saved on the time and travel to the university nearest her New Jersey home. Online tuition was less than $30,000, one-third the cost of the university.

Roughly half of the 4,500 U.S. brick-and-mortar colleges and universities now have online programs. Some have proven so popular that schools have had to restrict enrollment by on-campus students because they were taking slots away from off-campus students, said Jeff Seaman, who led a survey on the topic for the Sloan Consortium.

Online education is also making inroads in schools, with one million U.S. elementary and high school students, or some 4 percent of the total, learning online.

Some take remedial or advanced placement courses not available at their schools, and some are being home-schooled or live in isolated rural areas.

"You're able to learn at your own pace and you also can have help whenever you need it from the teacher," said Christopher Cox, 12, a child actor in Columbia, Maryland.

Harvard Business School Professor Clayton Christensen predicted half of kindergarten through high school students will attend school online within the next decade.

This worries people like Laurie Fendrich who wrote a response to a Washington Post article on the subject.

"If we want our kids to end up sitting alone in isolated little rooms when they're 18 and 20, staring at computer screens instead of facing other real human beings, thinking in a way that turns thought into nothing but bits of information ... we could insert them into comfortable little cocoons in their homes from the age of, oh, say, seven."

Amadeus, schools ink IT accord

AMADEUS has forged partnerships with some educational institutions in training their students on the use of the latest information-technology platforms for the travel and tourism industry.

Amadeus Philippines general manager Albert Villadolid said through this venture, travel agencies in the country will have competent talent readily available from school.

Amadeus Philippines, he said, entered into long-term agreements with De La Salle–College of Saint Benilde, Far Eastern University, Lyceum of the Philippines University, San Sebastian College, University of the Philippines and University of San Jose Recoletos.

Under the agreements, Amadeus Philippines will provide all the partner-schools with its wide range of e-learning courses that will be used in the training of college students on the intricacies of the travel and tourism industry.

“We expect our partnerships with some of the country’s leading schools to create a steady pool of globally certified travel professionals, trained in using the most widely deployed global distribution system in the world,” Villadolid said.

He said this will also keep the major schools in the country on track with the breakthroughs that Amadeus is achieving in its research and development, to make available to all stakeholders in the tourism industry the most efficient technology.

The Amadeus platform, he said, is the popular choice among travel agencies, airlines, hotels, cruise liners, car rental companies and insurance firms.

Enderun Colleges, the Philippine affiliate of Les Roches International School of Hotel Management in Switzerland and the Alain Ducasse Formation in France, also entered into a partnership with Amadeus Philippines for the training of its students on the use of the Amadeus Property Management System (PMS).

The Amadeus PMS is directly linked to the Amadeus Global Distribution System and includes its inter-hotel chain communication capability and e-mail confirmation facility.

Amadeus started Philippine operations in 1997 and its patented technology is now being used by more than 2,000 travel agencies, leading domestic airlines and hotels.

DepEd urges private sector to support ICT-enhanced education

Education Secretary Jesli Lapus has enjoined the private sector to work closely with the department in promoting learning systems enhanced with information communication technology to improve teaching and learning outcomes.

“Enhancing the curriculum with ICT is the only way for our public school children to meet the challenges of 21st century learning,” Lapus said as 40 Intel Classmate PCs were turned over to public schoolchildren in Concepcion, Tarlac recently.

Lapus said, “We thank our partners in Intel for investing in education, and for supporting our major thrust to introduce technology in education. This intervention would not have been possible without their support to DepEd through the Adopt-A-School Program.”

A Classmate PC includes two gigabytes of memory storage and Microsoft Office. It is internet-ready, portable, and user-friendly for children.

To date, 280 Classmate PCs have been turned over by DepEd’s Adopt-A-School Program to public schools in Pampanga, Baguio City, Sagada, and Taytay, Rizal. Some 400 Classmate PCs are scheduled for turn-over to other DepEd elementary schools in different divisions nationwide.

Lapus added, “This partnership with Intel is geared towards building the ICT Enhanced Elementary School Model, which puts a premium on ICT-enhanced education. We hope to achieve this goal and turn every public school into a space where teaching and learning outcomes are improved by technology.”

Aside from Intel, collaboration is ongoing with Aralandesk.Net for the creation of the ICT Enhanced Elementary School Model. Together with these partner institutions, DepEd ensures full utilization of ICT facilities to improve the teaching and learning process in public schools.

A workshop on mapping digital resources in English is being conducted with support from Aralandesk.Net at no cost to DepEd. The department is also heavily investing in the drafting of a Digital Learning Resource Management Guide that will serve as standards for identifying and harvesting digital materials, and matching these with the curriculum.

The Adopt-A-School Program is DepEd’s venue for cooperation between the government and the private sector. Since it was relaunched by Lapus in 2006, more than PhP12 Billion worth of assistance to public schools have been committed by the private sector. Private groups and individuals can support DepEd’s education initiatives in exchange for up to 150% tax incentives.

Private sector assistance ranges from technology support to supplementary learning materials, from literacy programs to physical infrastructure and facilities to feeding programs. Companies and individuals may also extend direct assistance to public schoolchildren in the form of school supplies.

The DepEd Chief added, “I urge other companies to invest in education through Adopt-A-School and join us as we say Edukasyon Ang Solusyon. Our initiatives in education would not have been successful without our partners’ all out support. ”

IT careers ‘rewarding,’ says expert

YOU NEED not be a graduate of a computer course to land a job in the expanding field of information technology (IT), according to a technology career expert.

"IT is an ever-changing field and we should try to erase this misconception of seeing this profession [as being] exclusive to those who understand its jargon, and that it’s boring. It is not always the case," Gina S. Duminy told students at the 7th Philippine Youth Congress in Information Technology at the University of the Philippines in Diliman yesterday.

"It is wrong to generalize that IT professionals are techie gear heads with little interest in anything outside of technology. We also pursue other interests and hobbies," she added.

Ms. Duminy, president of itprosasia.com, an online career resource for technology professionals, explained that the field is a "multifaceted discipline" that is focused in providing business solutions, adding that an ideal IT professional "is somebody who understands business."

"IT is a challenge in organizing people, solving issues and problems through better process and organization. Its emphasis is on business problem solving."

Ms. Duminy also outlined career options for future IT professionals, which include business operations, database development and administration, security and compliance, networking design and administration, technical support, and Web development and administration.

Aside from career growth, the field offers a good compensation package. Research firm ZDNet Asia’s "IT Salary Benchmark Philippines" report last year said the country’s top five IT skills received salaries ranging from P495,000 to P600,000 a year on average. These are: application development, desktops/software, web development, database management, and systems administration.

The continued growth in the business process outsourcing (BPO) sector is also an indication that demand for IT professionals is increasing, said Ms. Duminy. The Business Processing Association of the Philippines expects to corner at least 10% of the global outsourcing and IT market by 2010.

She reminded students to improve on their craft and master at least three competency skills in IT. A student should avoid being a "jack of all trades, master of none."

"This profession entails continuous acquisition of new skills and learning. You have to work hard at it."

She noted that it is sometimes hard to screen fresh graduates applying for a job due to their similar backgrounds. But what makes one stand out from the others are training and skills they acquired in college, she said.

"It shows how diligent and dedicated a student is to the field. If he has undergone good skills training then it would be a plus Employers have their own set of expectations depending on what the business is all about, the goals, the competency requirements for the job, among others."

"Still, the minimum is passion. Pursue [things] you are good at. That should be accompanied with discipline, openness to learn, and good communication skills," she said.

Reading in the 21st century

Reading never goes out of style, even in the age of technology.

In the August 1894 issue of Scribner’s magazine, an article by Octave Uzanne, predicted “The End of Books,” proposing that in the 20th century, the printed page will be replaced by “storyographs,” patented cylinders containing recordings of books. Uzanne imagines today’s libraries transformed into “phonographotecks” or “phonostereoteks,” repositories for the “storyographs.” He also imagined portable players that he called “pocket phono-opera-graphs.”

While Uzanne’s predictions almost accurately cover audiobooks, ebooks, mp3 players, and personal ebook readers, he was wrong on one count: the introduction of these technologies did not herald the end of books, but rather gives the 21st century person new ways to enjoy the printed page, and enhanced the reading experience.

The Manila International Book Fair lists the top 10 reading technologies, proving just how relevant reading still is in the 21st century.

As the Manila International Book Fair, the paramount event of the Philippine book industry, marks its 30th anniversary this year on Sept 16-20 at the SMX Convention Center, it once again welcomes book lovers to celebrate it celebrates the written word in all its forms.

1. E-books and E-book readers – E-books are digital media that are equivalent to the conventional printed book, usually read on e-book readers. These are devices that specifically function to display books, equipped with an electronic ink display that mimics the appearance of a printed page. As an added advantage, e-book readers can store hundreds of titles, are portable, are readable even in bright sunlight or in a dark room, and have a long battery life. Other gadgets, such as personal computers, laptops, PDAs and cell phones, can also be used to read e-books but do not have the book-like display of e-book reader devices.
2. Audio books – Audio books are recordings of the spoken word, often (but not always) the recording of a conventional printed book. While they first appeared in cassettes and CDs, audiobooks are more popularly available today in digital formats. Some audio books are abridged while some carry the complete text; some are straight narrations, others are dramatized or narrated by celebrity readers. Audiobooks are convenient for multi-taskers, who wish to enjoy books while driving, working out, or doing housework, and also open up more reading opportunities for slow readers, or the visually-impaired.
3. Social Networking sites – Book lovers can reach out to fellow book lovers via social networking sites that allow members to create virtual book shelves, post reviews, and create book discussions. Examples of such sites are Shelfari.com (currently housing the biggest online community of Filipino book lovers, Flips Flipping Pages), GoodReads.com, LibraryThing.com, and Anobii.com.
4. Online Book Trading – Swapping books with other readers across the globe can be done through book tradings sites. Some sites, such as BookMooch.com, operate on a points system, others, like Paperbackswap.com and Titletrader.com, operate on request queues. Other sites, like Bookcrossing.com involves randomly leaving books in public areas for other people to find.
5. Reading implements – These are mechanical implements that aid the reading of the conventional printed book. Book lights are personal lamps that can be slipped inside or clipped on to books to illuminate reading in the dark. Some book light varieties consist of a thin sheet of acrylic lit up by LED lights so that the whole page is illuminated by white light (as opposed to a portion of the book) and eliminates shadows cast by lamps. Book stands or book holders are devices designed to free hands from the weight of the book while reading, especially for heavy books, such as textbooks, encyclopedias, and bibles. There are also thumb rings that allow reading a book with one hand, and book totes that protect the book and mark the page where the reader left off.
6. On-demand Publishing – It is always difficult to get publishers to look at new manuscripts. Limited financial resources and high capital requirements mean greater selectivity by publishers, resulting in fewer new authors every year. The alternative route left for authors is self-publishing, which is an arduous task for any new author. But with the advent of new printing technology, anyone can be capable of printing their own book, with print runs as small as 50 copies or as big as 1000 copies, in a matter of minutes and at feasible costs. In the Philippines, this option is offered by Central Books Publish on Demand Service, offering packages includes the registration for copyright and ISBN, guidance for cover design and layout, full proofs of the book, and even marketing material, such as book posters. Central Books also offers the Picture Books service, which layout a collection of digital photos using a template-based system, and come up with a personalized book of memories.
7. E-learning – With the pervasiveness of technology in everyday life, academic istitutions have realized the need to maximize the benefits of technological advancement. In 2004, the Department of Education recognized e-learning as an effective solution to the downgrading quality of Philippine education by issuing a policy directing the incorporation of information communications technology (ICT) into school curricula.

In response, Diwa Learning Systems, Inc., established iDIWA, an e-learning group designed to take the initiative in spearheading the integration of information technology in its core business: education

or academic publishing, and came up with GENYO (pronounced as jen-yo), a fully integrated e-learning program that has multimedia content for five key learning areas: Science, Math, English and Araling Panlipunan.

GENYO comes with an authoring tool that allows teachers to customize pages, a teacher training program that helps them become effective educators, access to an online learning portal (GENYO Online at www.genyo.idiwa.ph) ICT strategic management services, network consulting, and technical support.

Central Books and Diwa Learning Systems are exhibitors at the Manila International Book Fair.

As the MIBF celebrates its pearl anniversary, it once again unites bibliophiles and major players in the publishing industry in its continuing efforts to promote books and reading, with the largest and most varied collection of titles that will surely inspire the avid reader.

Co-located at the MIBF is Edu.Shop, a trade fair for school materials, supplies, equipment, and facilities.

Wonder Koreans visit Ateneo

Unlike the usual foreign visitors who come here to see the beauty of the Philippines, these student volunteers were exposed to the not-so-attractive aspects of the country as well.

"I want nobody, nobody but you!” Clap, clap, and point. (Admit it — you sang and even did the dance in your head.)

I don’t blame you. This song by the Korean girl group Wonder Girls has been invading radio stations and noontime shows. And once somebody starts singing or humming it — it’s quite hard to get it off your head. The dance steps aren’t very hard to follow, too!

But this past week, our knowledge and consciousness of the Korean world transcended beyond what we once could only watch in YouTube or Korean drama DVDs, as the Ateneo School of Government welcomed 10 student volunteers from Korea University.

These students are Kang Dong In, Won Sung Jun, Kim Woo Young, Kwon Yong Geun, Shin Hye Jin, Lee Kyong Eun, Choi Jong Min, Kim Jang Won, Kim Jong Kwan, and Lee Jae Yong, accompanied by their teacher, Shin Young Ran.

Now, their names may sound confusing for us, but these aren’t just ordinary Korean students — these are some of the best of Korea University, which is one of the top three universities in the whole of Korea. Yet these young people actually sacrificed a small part of their summer vacation to come here to the Philippines for nine days to work as volunteers in different NGOs.

This partnership was initiated by Prof. Kim Byung Ki, acting dean of the Korea University Graduate School of International Studies, andHarvey Keh, director of the Youth Leadership and Social Entrepreneurship Program of the Ateneo School of Government. It is the first joint project between these two institutions that aims to provide training and practical experience for students in a global context.

CONTRIBUTION OF FILPINOS TO KOREAN HISTORY

Prof. Kim always stressed that Koreans should realize the big contibution of the Filipino people to their history as a democratic country.

During the Korean War, the Filipino soldiers fought side by side with the Koreans to fight for democracy and freedom against those who wanted to push for communism.

Now, as the Koreans have reached the First World, it is now time to pay back the generosity of the Filipino by volunteering their time, resources and talents towards helping uplift our country.

The students were assigned to different organizations within the network, specifically Gawad Kalinga, Pathways to Higher Education, Ateneo Center for Educational Development, Science and Technology Innovations for the Base of the Pyramid in Southeast Asia (iBoP Asia) and Affiliated Network for Social Accountability (ANSA).

Despite being a relatively close neighbour country, Korea has left the Philippines lagging behind in many aspects. So, it may have been quite a shock for them to learn about the poor state of our public education, the rampant corruption in our government, the brain drain phenomenon, among many other things.

But of course, we didn’t want to depress them too much—it is after all, their summer vacation. We treated them to lots of Filipino food, toured them around Metro Manila’s different malls, and took them out for karaoke and some drinks.

Last Sunday, we even let them witness the fierce collegiate rivalry of the blue and green: all of them got the chance to experience the Ateneo-La Salle basketball game at the Araneta Coliseum.

Incidentally, this was touted as the best game the Blue Eagles played this whole season, finishing with a lead of 18 points over the Archers.) We’ve never had such a huge and convincing lead before, so we reckon that our Korean volunteers brought some good luck to the team.

It was a privilege for us to work with such intelligent, well-traveled and engaging young Korean individuals. Aside from teaching us so many things about their home country, they made us realize a thing or two about our own culture that we sometimes tend to overlook.

More importantly, they serve as excellent examples of what it means to do more than what is expected of you. If young Koreans could come all the way here to visit and interact with public school students and their parents, experience living in Payatas, and help research and organize events for the betterment of the Philippine society—then all the more should we, young Filipinos, step up and do the same. No matter how globalized the world becomes, this is still our nation, and our nation is our business. It is we Filipinos who should be at the forefront of change. So to our Korean volunteers, maraming salamat and we hope to see you again soon!

No, they may not be the Wonder Girls, but our Korean friends had just about the same impact on us as the song ‘Nobody’—they’re going to be hard to forget.

Arriane Serafico graduated with honors from the Ateneo de Manila University-Loyola Schools and now works at the Ateneo School of Government.

She is also a big fan of Korean telenovelas.

10 state colleges, universities to offer biotechnology courses

Sixteen state colleges and universities nationwide will soon include biotechnology in their existing curriculum in a bid to popularize the subject and eventually help the country benefit from the relatively new field.

The University of the Philippines’ National Institute of Molecular Biology and Biotechnology (NIMBB), in collaboration with the Department of Agriculture and the Commission on Higher Education, has developed the program instituting a General Education (GE) Biotechnology Course in the curriculum of selected state colleges and Universities (SCUs)

Dr. Cynthia Hedreyda, NIMBB director, said that while there is limitless information on biotechnology, there is not enough popular awareness of the subject.

Biotechnology is defined as “the use of living organisms, especially microorganisms, in industrial, agricultural, medical and other technological applications.”

She said biotechnology education in the country is disseminated primarily through workshops and symposia conducted by scientists, people from the academe, government agencies like the DA and the Department of Science and Technology.

“These attempts, are, however, not sufficient to make knowledge of benefits derived from products of the new technology, particularly the agricultural products of modern biotechnology, widespread,” she said.

Agriculture Secretary Arthur Yap said the introduction of the biotechnology course is “one of the many initiatives that we are undertaking to vigorously promote the safe and responsible use of biotechnology is its inclusion in the college curriculum, initially in 16 selected state colleges and universities.

He said, “Our aim is to equip Filipino teachers, students and other interested individuals with the basic knowledge, and enable them to make informed decisions on biotechnology products and latest breakthroughs and developments, and related issues on human health and the environment, and ethical concerns.”

“Further, through this initiative we hope to encourage more Filipino youth to pursue a career in the field of biotechnology, either as researchers and scientists or entrepreneurs,” he added.

The Cavite State University and University of Southern Mindanao have begun offering three units of the biotechnology course to their students.

Segfredo Serrano, DA undersecretary for policy and planning, said the integration of the biotechnology course in the college curriculum “will help transform biotechnology education into something we can benefit more from.”

Biotechnology courses cover a variety of topics from the history of traditional and modern biotechnology, the use of biotechnology for health, environment and industry, legal battles, and ethical issues.

Internet – Hazardous as a Pandemic?

(Net Precautions part 2)

We’re picking up where we left off last time. For our kids to better understand the Internet and make proper use of it, let’s define some terms associated with it…

Computer Terms. Understand both technical and slang computer terms when referencing downloading, files sharing and other computer uses. For example, “ripping” is slang commonly used to describe copying. “Warez” (pronounced “ware-z”) is used to describe software that has been illegally stripped of its copyright protection.

Appropriate and Legal. Know your bounds. Know what is legal usage of a computer software and what is not. For instance, personal, self-created works may be legally shared on P2P (peer-to-peer) networks, but sharing copyrighted works without permission from the creator is illegal and may be categorized as plagiarism.

Risks and Consequences. There are risks and consequences associated with file-sharing, downloading and copying software, music, movies and games illegally. Parents are also urged to talk to children about the economics behind piracy and illegal uploading and downloading. Demonstrate that there are real consequences, both for themselves and for the authors of the creative works. We have to let our kids know that there are repercussions.

Rules. Just like with my Keoni, I’ve established house ground rules that include computer usage. These rules are “golden” and I made it appoint that these rules reinforce what they are learning in school currently. Rules at school and rules at home should mirror one another.

Present Alternatives. We can avoid our kids immersion into piracy and illegal file sharing by offering incentives and legal alternatives to illegal file-sharing and downloading by giving them gift certificate to National Book Store or CDR-King as rewards for good behavior or we could set aside part of their allowance for purchasing music, software, games and other entertainment and educational products.

Communicate More. Let’s not be remiss in monitoring our kids’ computer habits and usage. Several conversations may be necessary as they develop an understanding of what is legal and safe and what is not.

To sum this all up, responsible parenting also should always include “knowing what your kids are into, and what they do “on the Net.” We should make an effort to take the extra precaution. There are sites such as www.b4usurf.org that could give you more helpful tips about cyber-ethics and cyber-safety.

The Business Software Alliance is the foremost organization dedicated to promoting a safe and legal digital world. BSA is the voice of the world’s commercial software industry and its hardware partners before governments and in the international marketplace.

Its members represent one of the fastest growing industries in the world. BSA programs foster technology innovation through education and policy initiatives that promote copyright protection, cyber security, trade and e-commerce. BSA members include Adobe, Agilent Technologies, Altium, Apple, Autodesk, Bentley Systems, CA, Cadence Design Systems, Cisco Systems, CNC Software/Mastercam, Corel, CyberLink, Dassault Systèmes SolidWorks Corporation, Dell, Embarcadero, Frontline PCB Solutions - An Orbotech Valor Company, HP, IBM, Intel, Intuit, McAfee, Microsoft, Mindjet, Minitab, NedGraphics, PTC, Quark, Quest Software, Rosetta Stone, SAP, SAS Institute, Siemens, Sybase, Symantec, Synopsys, Tekla, The MathWorks and Trend Micro.

In the Philippines, the BSA maintains a Memorandum of Understanding with the Philippine Software Industry Association, Philippine Internet Services Organization, the Institute of Internal Auditors, the Association of Government Internal Auditors, the Intellectual Property Office of the Philippines, the Pilipinas Anti-Piracy Team and the Intellectual Property Coalition.

I think it’s important to be abreast with the situation in the Internet and know that it is wise to leave the lines of communication with our kids open. Updating internet users is the only way to ensure that the children today are 100% protected from all forms of cyber threats.“

Internet – Hazardous as a Pandemic?

(Net Precautions part 1)

So much has been said about the Internet and the wealth of information it gives us. In the same token as we’ve written several times on the dangers and ill affects it may have on our kids as well. I can’t stress it enough, I guess, basing it on my own experiences with my Keoni. So, parents, once again, please beware –the Internet can be dangerous to your child’s moral health.

With the advent of the H1NI pandemic in the country, parents were naturally worried about their children catching the dreaded flu as they finally went back to school after an extended summer vacation due to the class suspension.

But aside from this danger in the real world, there is another danger in the virtual world of the Internet that parents should be concerned about – the possibility of their kids being exposed to, and becoming victims of, spam mail, offensive websites, photographs and sexual videos that have been circulating in the Internet such as the controversial ones that have been in the headlines lately.

It seems like more and more kids nowadays are starting to use computers at a younger age than their parents or even their older siblings. They spend much of their time either browsing the Internet, playing online games or updating their profile in social networking sites. Why, my 7-year old Keoni has two email accounts, one in Yahoo and one Gmail, a Friendster, Facebook and ToonTown Account! Thank God I monitor the kinds of social sites he could belong to much less check on the sites he goes to.

Aside from offensive materials, computers can also suffer from other web surfing hazards such as the infection of Trojans and computer viruses. Additionally, the children may be downloading files and programs, unaware that doing so may be a crime against the Intellectual Property (IP) Code of the Philippines, which prohibits any form of copying of copyrighted material without permission from the owner.

“The number of Internet users is growing exponentially every year and the Internet is fast-becoming a staple educational resource. With this boom in technology, Filipino Internet users should be given enough information that will not only allow them to derive full benefit from use of the Internet, but also protect them from the apparent risks present in the cyber world,” said Dr. William Torres, President, Philippine Internet Services Organization (PISO).

Recognizing the enormous influence of the Internet and the need for information on safe Internet usage, the Business Software Alliance (BSA), the foremost organization dedicated to promoting a safe and legal digital world, has been maintaining B4USurf (www.b4usurf.org) an online resource website that teaches cyber-ethics and cyber safety to teachers, parents and children.

If not properly guided, what looks like an innocent playground can turn into a danger zone for our kids. The net is also populated with online hazards and threats. We encourage parents to learn the ways and means of cyber-ethics and cyber-safety with their children by referencing the resources available on the B4USurf website.

Looks like the future generation will continue to be immersed in the digital age which gives us, parents, all the more reasons to be wary. Due to the outpour of requests from parent email senders, one again here is a guide for children in the promotion of safer Internet us. (To be continued)

OFWs learn basic computer skills in London

At a time when internet technology has made communication with loved ones more easier, faster and cheaper many Filipinos working in the household sector in the United Kingdom such as domestic helpers, housekeepers and nannies have little or no knowledge at all in operating the computer.

Juvy Santiago, a Filipino overseas worker for almost a decade is one of them. She has not tried browsing the internet simply because she has dedicated herself to earn a living to fend for her family back home.

But her life is about to change.

Santiago is one of the attendees of the training in basic computer course organized by the Philippine Overseas and Labor Office (POLO) of the Philippine Embassy in London.

The course aims to provide basic knowledge in word, excel, power point and writing an email and chatting online, among others.

For Santiago, who has been hoping to acquire basic skills in using the computer, the program came at the right time.

“Malaking maitutulong nitong first learning namin sa embassy ng computer kasi doon kami matututo kung paano kami gumawa ng word, mag- type kami o kahit anumang document na kailangan naming gawin, pwede na naming isarili yun,” said Santiago, a housekeeper in London.

Santiago aims to use the internet as an alternative means of communicating with her family in the Philippines. She said she is looking forward to chat online with her kids which will help her in cutting down her telephone bills.

A total of 29 enrollees participated in the course who like Santiago, are working in the household sector and have very little or no knowledge of the use internet and very low computer literacy.

“The objective of course is to upgrade the skills of our OFWs especially those in the household sector--- the nannies, domestic helpers and others,” said Labor Attache Jainal ‘Jun’ Rasul of the Philippine Embassy’s labor office.

With the UK Home Office toughening up the laws on immigration for low-skilled migrant workers, Rasul said this is an opportunity that OFWs here should not pass up.

“We know for a fact that UK is skills-based and they are attracting migrants who are skilled or highly-skilled so this is the best time to invest in themselves in terms of education.”

The course is going to run for six consecutive Sundays and is conducted at the embassy in London. The POLO office is also offering other skills training such as basic English language course at the culmination of this project.

State schools’ IT systems severely lacking: lawmaker

State universities and colleges (SUCs) are way behind in rolling out basic IT systems such as those that would enable students to pay for tuition electronically and retrieve their grades online, a lawmaker said Sunday.

Catanduanes Rep. Joseph Santiago, chairman of the House committee on information and communications technology, has urged SUCs to establish area alliances and invest in groups in essential IT networks.

"We recognize that IT systems require extra spending that many SUCs can’t readily afford if they each decided to invest one by one. Thus, one practical approach is for them to form partnerships, combine limited financial resources, and develop shared networks," Santiago said in a press statement.

"This is what community colleges in the U.S. are doing. Groups of community colleges share IT systems that allow their students to pay fees online via credit or debit cards, and access their grades electronically," said Santiago, also former chief of the National Telecommunications Commission.

Students in American community colleges can even apply and pay for a transcript online, he pointed out.

"This can be duplicated here. For instance, all SUCs in Bicol can cost-effectively invest in a common IT system," added Santiago, whose home province hosts a state school – the Catanduanes State Colleges (CSC) based in Virac.

He challenged SUCs to embrace and harness new technologies to boost administrative cost-efficiencies.

"There is no question that SUCs stand to lessen administrative costs, reduce paperwork, and generate huge long-term savings from shared IT systems," Santiago said.

"Right now, the campuses of SUCs have long queues everywhere during enrolment and releasing of grades. And schools have to force many staff and pay them extra to work overtime just to be able to cope with those waiting in line," he added.

At present, the country has 110 SUCs. They have 444 main and satellite campuses nationwide with a combined student population of more than 900,000. In addition, the country also has 77 local universities and colleges (LUCs).

SUCs are chartered public higher education institutions established by law, administered and financially subsidized by the national government. LUCs are those established by the local government through resolutions or ordinances. LUCs are financially supported by the local government concerned.

DepEd starts IT-based learning in Visayas

The Department of Education on Friday said ICT-based educational materials are now being pilot-tested in selected public schools in the Visayas via the Learning Resource Management and Development System (LRMDS) to enhance learning among students.

The move is part of DepEd’s continuing development of educational tools that are responsive to the needs of the 21st century.

The LRMDS portal contains quality learning and teaching tools for students and teachers which the schools can access anytime and anywhere. These come in the form of lesson guides, interactive teaching materials and professional development materials.

DepEd also launched the enhanced Basic Education Information System (BEIS) geared to strengthen management decision-making and optimize allocation of education resources. Through the BEIS, data from the school, division, regional and national levels will be processed into useful information which can be easily accessed.

“These are some of the major contributions of DepEd to provide 21st century education for all Filipinos,” Education Secretary Jesli Lapus said. “We know all too well that the use of ICT in education is very critical in learning as well as in school management,” he added.

The LRMD portal and BEIS are funded by the Australian Agency for International Development (AusAID). These initiatives fall under the Stage 2 of Strengthening the Implementation of Basic Education in Selected Provinces in the Visayas (STRIVE) Project.

“I am sure this will have far reaching effects when implemented in the rest of the DepEd regions and divisions nationwide” Lapus said.

In a related development, the Australian government has turned over to DepEd the Training and Development Center in Region VII based in Cebu City. The center will provide professional development for educational leaders, teachers and non-teaching staff.

“We need to invest more in honing the skills and talents of our own people because they will eventually be in the frontline,” Lapus said. “The center is cost-effective in providing continuous professional training to DepEd personnel” he added.

In a related development, DepEd has targeted all the 5,237 public high schools nationwide to be equipped with computer laboratories by the end of 2009. President Gloria Arroyo has instructed Lapus to have all high schools connected to the internet within this year.

“Our next target is to increase access to varied and quality learning, teaching and staff development resources,” Lapus said.

College e-textbooks go to class in iPhones

US and Canadian college students can pack textbooks into their pockets instead of spine-bending backpacks courtesy of an iPhone application released by CourseSmart.

The northern California supplier of electronic textbooks on Tuesday released free software that makes digitized forms of college textbooks available on Apple's ubiquitous iPhone or iPod Touch devices.

"We've seen significant demand from student customers for the ability to get required textbook content in electronic form on an iPhone or iPod Touch," said CourseSmart executive vice president Frank Lyman.

"We see incredible potential for iPhone and iPod Touch applications in education."

Students that buy "eTextbooks" from CourseSmart can view them from any Internet-linked computers and are able to print out pages or copy sections into custom study guides.

Instead of lugging old-fashioned ink and paper books to classes, students can use iPhones of iPod Touch devices to access textbooks online for reference during classes.

"It's important to students to be able to access textbook content in color with the same page layout as a printed textbook and now the eTextbooks App allows them to do that," Lyman said.

CourseSmart began offering eTextbooks in 2007 and as of Tuesday had reportedly sold copies to students in slightly more than 5,900 schools.

CourseSmart said it works with a dozen major textbook publishers to stay current with electronic versions mandated by professors for classes and claims its prices are typically about half that of print versions.

The CourseSmart iPhone program is available at Apple's online App Store.

There's room for IT in government amid crisis

Education, health, environment and infrastructure are areas where governments in the Asia-Pacific region would mostly focus their attention and budgets on as they cope with the present global economic storm. Somewhere in the projects that would come from these areas are IT-related ones that would be incorporated as an element of new vital government initiatives.

This, in a nutshell, is the prospect awaiting IT and CIOs in government that market researcher IDC deduced from its latest Government Insights study, Economic Stimulus and Expansionary Budgets: Tabulating the Government’s Response to the Economic Downturn in Asia-Pacific.

IDC said there are $767 billion worth of initiatives that have been unveiled by governments in the Asia-Pacific (excluding Japan) or APEJ between August 2008 and April 2009.

The initiatives range from economic stimulus packages and expansionary budgets to the advancement of planned spending and projects.

Gerald Wang, market analyst for IDC Government Insights Asia-Pacific, said, “Most new government budgets do not single out IT spending but incorporates it as an element of a new and urgent government initiative. Despite this, it is still welcoming news for both government technology officers and information technology vendors.”

Based on the initiatives announced by governments across the APEJ region, IDC Government Insights analysts have identified the following key areas of investments, the implications of these priorities on ICT spending, as well as potential opportunities for businesses. These investments will begin in late 2009 and continue through 2014.

Infrastructure projects

Infrastructure projects not only help immediately create jobs but also boost citizen services, as they provide an opportunity for government agencies to address aging issues and problems with congested transportation systems, or upgrade healthcare and educational facilities for the benefit of their citizens.

The spike in infrastructure projects would likely boost ICT investments in areas such as remote monitoring for building maintenance, automated adherence to stricter safety standards and environmental compliance such as monitoring technologies for industry emissions.

Future schools

Future schools, which leverage on innovative technologies and business models to reach their target groups, will emerge as a key investment for governments. Among others, future schools address the objective of governments to create jobs through upgrades in educational infrastructure.

An example of public sector ICT spending that will likely arise from the emergence of future schools is the upgrade of existing ICT infrastructure in educational institutions across all levels.

Healthcare reforms

Healthcare is a key investment area for governments as it is related to job creation, skills development, citizen-services enhancement, and digital inclusion.

Healthcare investments provide a clear boost to public sector ICT investments. For example, to accelerate the move toward patients’ digital information, investments will have to be made in the existing ICT infrastructure of hospitals.

Green technologies

The current financial crisis provides a window of opportunity to restart the economic engine with a focus on long-term solutions that are economically, socially and ecologically sustainable.

In this context, national stimulus packages, to varying degrees, are seeking to not only revive but also green their national economies.

Furthermore, green technologies also help government agencies meet cost-cutting and budget optimization goals through a focus on energy efficiency.

Investments to strengthen green infrastructure across the APEJ have clear implications for technology spending in areas such as intelligent grid technologies, energy efficiency technologies, environmentally sound technologies (ESTs) that generate low or zero waste, etc.

The IDC Government Insights study features a specific country-by-country analysis of the budget stimulus initiatives across 13 APEJ economies. It serves as a guide to public sector CIOs seeking to optimize technology selection and implementation strategies.

In addition, it also provides guidance to IT vendors on how to best engage the public sector and plan the best business strategies to pursue new revenues from the opportunities generated by economic stimulus initiatives.

Kaspersky To Hold Student Summit On Cybercrime

Kaspersky Lab announces that it is holding its international student conference dubbed, “IT Security for the Next Generation’’ as part of the Kaspersky Academy education program.

This conference brings together students, experts, scientists and researchers from around the world in a collaborative environment to present and discuss issues relating to cybercrime. It provides a platform for the next generation to be able to share their respective knowledge and experiences and to develop new ideas to improve the level of security in information technology.

To encourage an outstanding number of participants in the program, Kaspersky Lab has recently introduced the South East Asian (S.E.A.) Cup for this conference in addition to existing regional cups, such as the Russian and CIS Cup, European Cup.

The introduction of the S.E.A. Cup is expected to draw an overwhelming participation interest from many countries in the region including the Philippines, Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand, Vietnam, Indonesia and others.

Bachelor students from universities, institutes of higher education and graduate schools in the Philippines are welcome to apply. Participation in the program can either be as individual or as a group. Interested parties are required to register online via http://www.kaspersky.com.sg/it_security_conference_about.htm before 15 August 2009 to qualify their participation.

Program committees including Kaspersky Lab CEO Eugene Kaspersky will evaluate the submissions of which three best research papers from the Philippines, will receive US$1,000 each and automatically qualify for the next round to compete with other fellow Asians at the S.E.A. Cup where the top three research papers would receive US$1,500 and move on to the next level, representing South East Asia in the International Cup.

The final three best research papers will be announced on November 15, 2009, to represent the S.E.A. Cup during the International Conference for the winners from all over the world in April 2010 whereby all the expenses will be paid for. Place and exact date are to be settled.

“Professional scientific communities are especially relevant today and the company deems its duty to actively participate in the development of science and bring together talented young scientists from different countries,” says Suk Ling Gun, Managing Director of Kaspersky Lab in Southeast Asia. “We hope that the “IT Security for the Next Generation’’ conference will provide an opportunity for young specialists from all over the world to develop and exchange their ideas.”

Those wishing to participate should prepare and send their research papers on one of the following topics to the organizing committee by September 15th, 2009:

• Future ICT-related problems
• Psychology of cybercrime
• Economic structure of cybercrime
• Online commerce of e-crime
• Law and security: e.g. intellectual property (rights & innovation, rights transfer)
• Impact, threats, incidents caused by botnets
• Measuring malware & spam

For further information, please send an email to studconf@kaspersky-sea.com.