There is no denying that the world is going digital. 86% of leaders consider digital as their number one priority. It is changing all industries and education should not be left behind. Microsoft, in its constant push for innovation to empower every person and every organization to achieve more, is leading the charge in the digital transformation of education in the Philippines.
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| Mr. Ferdie Saputil, Enterprise Commercial and Public Sector Country Lead at Microsoft Philippines |
Microsoft has launched several efforts to bridge educational gaps in the Philippines. This includes empowering the visually impaired through a more inclusive SPED with ATRIEV. Microsoft also launched the Microsoft Experience Hub at Asia Pacific College, a classroom of the future where students are prepared with 21st century skills.
Microsoft is celebrating key milestones in the Education Summit. The summit that took place at SMX Convention Hall in SM Aura, Taguig aims to deliver impactful sessions on the digital transformation journey that involves school leaders, administrators, students, and institutions.
Minecraft: Education Edition
Microsoft is pushing the boundaries of education and in order to transform it, the company provides tools such as Power BI & Azure Machine Learning for data analysis and coding, collaboration on O365, Teams, OneNote, Skype in the classroom, and Kaizala messaging app.
Students are also engaged through Minecraft in the classroom. Minecraft: Education Edition is an open world game that promotes creativity, collaboration, and problem-solving in an immersive environment where the only limit is your imagination.
Top educators believe that Minecraft supports social and emotional learning (SEL) as well as promotes the 5Cs: Creativity, Critical Thinking, Communication, Collaboration, and Computational Thinking.
Teachers also felt that their students' decision-making and communication abilities were positively impacted by the time they spent playing Minecraft, whether working in small groups or individually.
Minecraft also helps in the emotional development of the students. It can be used as a learning platform to advocate empathy. In a study conducted, it has been observed that Minecraft enables students to build empathy skills by personally interacting with classmates, as well as with the characters within the game.
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| Clarissa Segismundo, Microsoft Philippines Education Programs Lead |
"At Microsoft, we believe that technology alone cannot develop the future-ready skills students require. Technology is an accelerator, but alone it does not enable change. We believe in the power of schools and the impact school leadership can have when they work towards a common goal," said Clarissa Segismundo, Microsoft Philippines Education Programs Lead.
Microsoft Education Ambassadors
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| Image courtesy of Andy Patricio Bonifacio, Microsoft Education Ambassador from Panghulo National High School, Division of Malabon City |
The Microsoft Education Ambassadors program is a community of passionate individuals who aim to bridge the gap in learning through the proper use of technology for teaching and learning. This program enables Microsoft to scale and sustain the support given to educators, schools and communities.
Empowering Educators
Microsoft is empowering educators in the country by conducting scalable training programs on teaching with technology through partner in institutions like the Department of Education (DepEd) and its various Microsoft Showcase Schools. Educators are equipped with modern tools to transform teaching and learning in the classroom.
Teach the Teachers Program
Microsoft celebrates a key milestone, reaching 1,000 Microsoft Education Ambassadors in the country. It is the highest number in the entire Asia-Pacific region. There are also 100 Microsoft Certified Educators (MCEs) in the Philippines.
Microsoft Showcase Schools
Microsoft continues to optimize institutions to transform education through the Microsoft Showcase Schools. These schools are part of a global network of schools who exemplify innovation in the campus through technology and it covers the institutions, educators, and the students.
The 2017 Microsoft Showcase Schools promote digital transformation through their leadership in personalized learning, amplified by 1:1 deployments effectively using Microsoft solutions such as Windows 10, Office 365, Office Sway, OneNote, Skype, to enable anytime, anywhere education for all.
Microsoft Showcase Schools in the Philippines include Asia Pacific College, De La Salle Santiago Zobel, De La Salle University Dasmarinas, Lyceum of the Philippines Manila, National University, Xavier University, Ateneo de Cagayan, and Silliman University.
These schools also use Kaizala, a mobile app and service for communicating and coordinating work to promote productivity and collaboration. The app makes it easier for both teachers and students to manage their work and connect with large number of people inside and outside the classroom.