Classroom Gadgets –

Using Technology to
Enhance Learning
CALGARYHERALD
Updated: September 3, 2013

S H A R E A D J U S T C O MM E N T P R I N T

“It’s the most wonderful time of the year,” so the Staples

commercial goes.
It’s back-to-school time, as students change gears from the lazy days of summer and
shift back to hitting the books. Today’s classrooms are equipped with the latest
technology to enhance instruction. Here are some favourite student and teacher
gadgets for use in day-to-day learning:

1) Smartphones – Smartphone use in the classroom is still somewhat controversial,

but the Calgary Board of Education actually encourages it as a learning tool. In
an interview with CTV, Queen’s University National Scholar and Associate
Professor Sidneyeve Matrix compared the situation to when calculators were first used
by students in the classroom. “We had a whole new level of computational skill, and
now we’re going to have a whole new level of mobile digital skills when we turn to
mobile learning on the handhelds.”
2) Laptops and tablets – Technology users are moving towards being more mobile,
and teachers and students are a significant part of that trend. Last month, Lenovo, the
world’s top PC vendor reported that they sold more smartphones and tablets than
PCs for the first time ever.
3) Interactive whiteboards – Calgary-based SMART Technologies’ SMART Boards
are popular with both teachers and students. Teachers can project presentations onto
the SMART Boards and they can write, touch and interact with their content.
4) Document cameras – Document cameras are a fun way for teachers to show
students new and interesting ways of looking at objects. Whether they are zooming in
on the smaller details of a 3D object, or observing science experiments, students can
share an equal view of the lesson – without crowding the teacher’s desk.
5) mp3 players – Whether a student is listening to his own music while studying, or a
teacher is playing an audio book to her students, mp3 players are an increasingly
common sight in schools. Both teachers and students can make full use of mp3 players
in their school activities.
While the best learning models still involve personal communication, technology can be
introduced in any number of ways to enhance student learning and make lectures more
interactive. What are some of your favourite educational tech gadgets?

Photo credit: www.edudemic.com

Author: Heidi Gammuac

From Thailand to Siargao:

Why an OFW teacher
returned
'No matter what, happens, I’d come back and leave my mark'

Miguel Sevidal
Published 10:43 AM, August 12, 2015

Updated 10:43 AM, August 12, 2015

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TEACHER BRIAN. Bryan Mangahas comes home to teach in Siargao. Photo from Brian Mangahas'
Facebook

MANILA, Philippines – It's not easy to leave home to live in another country, but
teacher Bryan Mangahas took his chance to teach in Thailand.
After 3 years of teaching in the neighboring country, Mangahas took home what he
learned to continue teaching public school in his mother country with Teach for the
Philippines.

Teach for the Philippines is a non-profit, non-governmental organization which works to

provide all Filipino children with an inclusive, relevant, and excellent education by 2050.
It aims to do so by situating the country’s top young leaders as public school teacher
fellows for two years.

According to Mangahas, he chose to come back and teach because he shares a similar
vision with TFP – to provide all Filipino children with quality education.

“I believe I can make my vision possible, especially [with this] two-year fellowship
program,” Mangahas says.

Thailand tenure
Mangahas, who is originally from Manila, said Thailand is very much like the Philippines
– though with key differences in terms of food, language, and places of worship.

The similarities of the two countries made it possible for him to adjust easily to Thai life.
It took him only a month to get used to Thai cuisine and 6 months to take command of
the local language.

“I never really had a hard time living in Thailand,” Mangahas adds.

Fondly called as "Kru (Teacher) Bryan" by his students, Mangahas originally intended to
stay for only a year. But after seeing his impact on HG Sawananan Wittaya School and
the Sukhothai community, Mangahas was compelled to extend his tenure.

From Thailand to Siargao

Now a public school teacher in Numencia Elementary School in Del Carmen, Siargao,
Surigao del Norte, Mangahas is wary of the challenges that accompany his
homecoming.

Mangahas admits he feels pressured with his new assignment, more so because
Numencia is a new placement school.

“The pressure is on us [teacher fellows],” Mangahas says.

He also adds that the Philippine educational system has changed since he was last
home, moving from the K to 10 system to K to 12, which, he believes, will provide
Filipino youth equal access to 13 years of free basic education.

Despite growing up in the Philippines, Mangahas has doubts on his grasp of the Filipino
language, which seems to have waned during his 3-year stint in Thailand. To combat
this, Mangahas said he constantly practices the local language in front of the mirror and
during conversations in the classroom.

But these challenges only seem to motivate Mangahas further.

“I feel more challenged and determined to be the best that I can be,” Mangahas
declares.

A Filipino public school teacher

Ultimately, Mangahas hopes his efforts as a public school teacher will “make a change,
make a difference, help the country even in the smallest ways possible.”
While teaching abroad, Mangahas would recall how his grandfather, a
former barangay captain, made him promise not to be lured by lucrative offers abroad
and make his own contribution to the country.

“No matter what happens, I’d come back and leave my mark just like [my grandfather],”
Mangahas says.

Mangahas believes he is delivering on that promise. In a lecture on good citizenship, he

challenges his class, “Do you think our country could still become one of the richest
countries in the world despite what we’re experiencing now?”

One of his students, Basty, confidently answered, “Yes, by being good and intelligent
citizens.”

Mangahas then asks: “What if all the young aspiring leaders in the country teach for the
Philippines just like me? Imagine how many Bastys we’ll have, and how many hopes for
our future we’ll inspire.” – Rappler.com

Miguel Sevidal is a Rappler intern.

https://www.rappler.com/move-ph/balikbayan/96814-filipino-teacher-returns-thailand-siargao