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On their first day in elementary school, young pupils in Lapu-Lapu City are taught the basics in using computers and other technologies
CEBU, Philippines – Six-year-old Rhenz Angelo delos Santos is happy to be back in school after a whole summer of watching YouTube videos and playing games on his mother’s smartphone.
On the first day of class, the grade schooler at Marigondon Elementary School in Lapu-Lapu City, Cebu, wanted to play with his friends and learn more about how wheels on cars work.
“My father is an engineer. I want to be like him and also be a firefighter when I’m older,” Rhenz told Rappler on Monday, July 29.
Rhenz is still in first grade but already has a good grasp of how the internet works.
He shared that he often connects his mother’s smartphone to their television at home in order to watch videos of his idols like American YouTuber and entrepreneur James Stephen “Jimmy” Donaldson or more commonly known as “MrBeast.”
Rhenz told Rappler that he plans to create his own social media account when he is older to talk with his friends online.
As classes officially begin for the academic year 2024 to 2025, students like Rhenz find themselves taking on science and mathematics with more vigor because teachers have begun utilizing new technologies.
In Rhenz’s class, teacher Mary Ann Crescencio uses an interactive display board (IDB) with touchscreen capabilities to help students learn about shapes and colors.
Some students were already familiar with touchscreen technology and showed little to no difficulty in describing geometric figures while counting the figures one by one.
“We have to acknowledge that the children now are digital natives…we have to adapt 21st-century skills and because of that, we have to integrate information and communication technologies (ICTs),” Crescencio said in a mix of English and Cebuano.
According to the teacher, children who underwent modular learning during the pandemic were “passive” in learning but when ICTs were added into their daily lessons during their face-to-face sessions, students were motivated and active.
Special classes
At Marigondon Elementary, students were tested for their aptitudes in science, mathematics, and the arts.
“Most of them are screened and undergo reading and oral interviews and multiple-intelligence tests where they show their talents,” Crescencio told Rappler.
Rhenz’s class belongs to the special science class category. Each of the special science classes has an interactive display board to augment the delivery of lessons and specific science subjects, including ICT laboratory lessons, to help nurture the pupils’ skills in science-related fields.
As early as Grade 1, Crescencio said, the students are taught the basics on using computers.
However, Marigondon Elementary School Principal Marichu Ligan told Rappler that the number of ICT equipment in the school is not enough for the students enrolled.
Ligan shared that the school has around 6,300 students enrolled and 123 classrooms as of writing. She added that they expect to see more students since some have yet to complete the enrolment process.
Despite the low number of ICT equipment, the principal assured that all of their students can still borrow the available laptops and tabs in their laboratories. – Rappler.com
