Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Patrice Bacote
EDTC 645
Introduction
Today’s learners have a major challenge ahead of them. Not only are they expected to
master core subjects, but they must also learn to use technology to execute 21st century skills (i.e.
collaboration, teamwork, and problem solving). This expectation is not unique to the United
States. Instead, it is a global requirement. Many countries across the globe are working
feverishly to ensure that their students have access to the latest educational technologies. For
some countries, this task is seemingly effortless; for others, much more laborious. The
Philippines, located off the coast of Southeast Asia, is a chain of tiny islands and is known for its
rainforest-covered mountains and volcanic activity. The country is also located close to the
equator, making typhoons and earthquakes a frequent occurrence. The geographical features of
the Philippines are a major, underlying cause of the Philippines’ slow trudge towards becoming a
Balmeo et al. (2014) states “for the acquisition of meaningful learning experiences to
develop problem solving and higher order thinking skills and to function in the world beyond the
classroom, access to technology is an essential element and its appropriate and successful
integration into learning environments has the potential to benefit all students” (p.159). It is
crucial for the Filipino government to address its technological disadvantages and challenges in
an effort to integrate technology into student learning and advance its country.
This synthesis report will explore three major issues faced by the Philippines when it
limited resources, and 3) need for professional development. Two main articles, Integrating
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MAJOR TECHNOLOGY ISSUES IN THE PHILIPPINES
Technology in Teaching Students with Special Learning Needs in the SPED Schools in Baguio
City (2014) and Teaching and Learning with Mobile Technology: A Qualitative Explorative
Study about the Introduction of Tablet Devices in Secondary Education (2015) were used as a
research foundation in analyzing these three major issues. The first article, published in the
IAFOR Journal of Education, is a study in which 53 SPED teachers from Baguio City responded
technology in teaching students with special learning needs” (Balmeo, 2014, p. 158). The authors
of the second peer-reviewed article, published on the PLOS website (an online journal),
conducted an “explorative focus group study” to “investigate teachers’ and students’ perceptions
concerning the impact of using tablet devices for teaching and learning purposes” (Montreuix,
Vanderline, Schellens, & Marez, 2015). These two articles, as well as other sources, helped to
develop a well-rounded synthesis report that outlines the major issues centered around the
Issue 1: Infrastructure
As previously mentioned, the geographical features of the Philippines play a major role in
the slow integration of technology into Filipino schools. The Filipino government faces a major
challenge when it comes to building up the infrastructure. When asked about the infrastructure of
the Philippines, Rodrigo Duterte, Philippine President responded “the city is really suffering now
from lack of mobility, not only in terms of mobility, it’s really the total absence of
infrastructure…” (France-Presse, 2017). Perhaps, this lack of mobility is caused by the fact that
Philippines have a notably different experience with using technology in school than those who
live in the city. A report published by Intel Education (2014) shares, “while the small agricultural
town of Marilog is only 50km from the country’s third-largest city, Davao, it was only partially
electrified and its major primary school, Marilog Central Elementary School (MCES), had no
electricity, so the students had no access to modern learning technology” (p. 1). In addition to
this, integrating technology into MCES has been a major challenge “because conventional urban
education technology relies heavily on live Internet access… however, at MCES the lack of
reliable Internet connectivity prevented students from getting access to Internet content during
lessons” (p. 3). The absence of electricity and reliable Internet connectivity makes the integration
Amidst the reports of struggle with building infrastructure, live some stories of hope and
success. Intel Education (2014) found a way to provide MCES, the aforementioned school, with
To work around the school’s limited connectivity, Intel engaged with Critical Links, whose
delivery to teachers and students via a built-in wireless access point… because the
micro-server and the tablets have no moving parts, they are very power efficient and offer
high reliability. They are powered by a cost-effective solar power system that keeps the
entire ICT environment running and available throughout the school day (pp. 3-4)
The University of the Philippines Open University (UPOU) also has a success story. At
first, the university used strictly textbooks, pens and paper as the main tools for learning.
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MAJOR TECHNOLOGY ISSUES IN THE PHILIPPINES
However, due to the determination of the government and community to build up infrastructure
and wireless connectivity, “in 2000 it introduced online tutorials using an open source learning
management system (LMS) initially for students who were unable to attend the monthly
face-to-face tutorial sessions… the Internet became more accessible to teachers and students
alike, online tutorials became the default tutorial mode for all courses, and in 2007 UPOU shifted
Another issue slowing the complete integration of technology into education in the
Philippines is limited resources. To help gain a better perspective of the word limited, consider
this- “the survey made in 2002 by the Philippine Senate Committee on Education, Arts and
Culture to the South-East Asian Ministers of Education Organization Regional Centre for
Educational Innovation and Technology (SEAMEO INNOTECH), reveals that there are only
about 5,217 (14.28 percent) schools who have computers in the Philippines” (Balmeo et al.,
2014, p.162). Even more concerning is that many of the 14.28 percent of schools with access to
computers, may not be using the computers effectively. Ayao-ao (2014) suggests “while there
are provisions for computers and Internet in schools, these may not really accommodate all the
students’ needs… [and students] only get to use [them] when they are enrolled in computer
Since the number of computers available in Filipino schools is limited, the most ideal
setup for the computers is to place them in a computer lab for all students to share. However, “in
cases where no classroom is available at all to be turned into the school’s computer room,
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MAJOR TECHNOLOGY ISSUES IN THE PHILIPPINES
computers are housed in the principal’s office or other administrative rooms” Balmeo et al.,
2014, p. 162).
A third issue surrounding the integration of technology into Filipino schools is the need
for professional development. In an effort to transform education practices in the rural parts of
the Philippines, Intel Education provided teachers of MCES with professional development. The
need was discovered when they learned that “the teachers of MCES did the best they could with
available resources but often found that the traditional lecture style of teaching and the lack of
access to technology left them struggling” Intel Education, 2014, p. 1). Intel Education then
“provided professional development, which was delivered by accredited trainers from the nearby
Ateneo de Davao University… [to help] teachers learn how to use Project Based Approaches to
engage students and help them develop critical thinking and collaboration skills” (p. 2).
Montreuix, Vanderline, Schellens, & Marez (2015) state “…learning with technology
needs more than making learning activities digital, it is also about creating contexts for authentic
learning that use new technologies in integrated and meaningful ways to enhance the production
Schellens, & Marez (2015) also suggest the Philippines’ need for innovative teachers, those
believe in “higher-order thinking and reasoning, and [believe] that realistic lessons can be
offered in order for students to learn in an active manner”. Edgar Manaran, a fifth-grade English
Mr. Manaran values hybrid learning and has completed five Massive Open Online
Courses (MOOCs): Shaping the Way We Teach English 1 and 2, and three courses
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MAJOR TECHNOLOGY ISSUES IN THE PHILIPPINES
related to English writing. Because of his leadership skills and superior performance in
MOOCs, he was chosen as team leader for one of the ten towns in the Davao del Norte
Conclusion
In order to develop a complete understanding about how the technology use of the
Philippines compares to technology use in the United States, there is a need for further research.
The articles used for this synthesis report are more centered around education in the rural parts of
the Philippines. It is possible that schools in the major cities of the Philippines have been more
To review, the purpose of this synthesis report was to explore how the lack of
development all play a major role in why the Philippines struggles with fully integrating
educational technology into every classroom. In order for the Philippines to catch up to some of
their global peers who have been more successful with technology integration in education, the
building up of infrastructure in rural areas must continue, schools must find more ways to bring
technology into their buildings and use it effectively once it arrives, and teachers must partake in
a series of professional development trainings to help them to understand their role in using
technology to advance their students. Balmeo et al. (2014) profoundly state that “the
administration, teachers and the students are considered to be the main proponents in the
integration of technology for teaching-learning process to take place effectively” (p. 171). All
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Balmeo, M. L., Nimo, E. A., Pagal, A. M., Puga, S. C., ArisDafQuiño, & Sanwen, J. L. (2014).
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MAJOR TECHNOLOGY ISSUES IN THE PHILIPPINES
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