DepEd to educators: Strike balance between technology, humanities

KUALA LUMPUR – A ranking official of the Department of Education (DepEd) has underscored the need to balance the use of technology with educating students on humanities to ensure that they develop holistically.

Speaking at the Bett Asia summit here on Tuesday, Education Undersecretary Jesus Mateo stressed that technology should be viewed as supplement and not as replacement of teachers.

“While we keep on saying that we need to train teachers on the use of technology, (we have to remember that) if we want to educate a child holistically, technology is just one aspect. We have to also build the arts and culture side, the human aspect of being human,” he said.

Mateo stressed the need to make sure that the “human” side of child development is not compromised.

“There will be new skills that you need to develop. That’s where the challenge comes in, as far as education is concerned. You can never predict what will happen in future, but what education can do is (to give) have the ability to learn things,” he added.

Don Carlson, director for education of Microsoft Asia Pacific, said initiatives that introduce the use of technology in the education sector must ensure that the social aspect of learning remains in place.

“Every student is not going to become a coder. We’re not trying to make every student a coder, that’s not what its objective is. But if you give students real world problems to solve, and they can do it via technology, then those who can do it would follow the path. Everybody can have that ability to solve problems through creativity, through problem solving,” he said.

Cyber Expo

In Manila, the DepEd organized a three-day Cyber Expo to feature the latest methods and approaches in education technology as well as showcase technological solutions that may address problems affecting learners and their local communities.

“The Cyber Expo aims to harness technological strides, ideas, systems and inventions and provide a variety of new and innovative opportunities and approaches to learning and teaching,” DepEd Undersecretary Alain Del Pascua said.

“It serves as a platform for learners, teachers and administrators to showcase their information technology-enabled products, achievements, experiences, best practices and innovations, and where new finds from all over the world are presented and discussed,” Pascua added.

He also proposed the establishment of techno-hubs to support academic and co-curricular activities as well as the transformation of public science high schools into innovation hubs and centers of excellence in the fields of cyber security and industrial robotics.