Global Classroom Launches in High Schools

Hundreds of high school students and their teachers launched PeaceTech’s “Global Classroom” in the Philippines on August 17. Videoconferencing will now be mainstreamed in Grade 7 Social Studies and Grade 8 Values Education full-time throughout the school year. Cotabato City National High School on the island of Mindanao and Ramon Magsaysay High School in Metro Manila were the launch schools.

Videoconferencing will bridge classrooms hundreds of kilometres apart with two objectives. The first is to improve learning by making it more cool, using ICT. A second objective is to increase tolerance between youth in regions divided by distance, ignorance and armed conflict.

Today was amazing”, says social studies teacher, Luzviminda De La Cruz “The students in the classrooms at both sides of the videoconference were really active! And they had brilliant ideas! This is all because of technology.”

PeaceTech’s Dana De Guzman heads “Global Classroom”This will break barriers between students in conflict-affected areas. Beginning with our first global classrooms in the Philippines, we are eager to expand into other countries and connect youth of diverse ethnicities and faiths.”

Global Classroom is a partnership between the Philippine Department of Education and PeaceTech to institutionalize classroom videoconferencing into the high school curriculum.

Special thanks go to teachers Vertido, De la Cruz, Labao, Labang and department heads, Ang and Dr. Imperial at Ramon Magsaysay High School – Cubao. Also to teachers Husain, Jones, De La Torre, Villano, Ledesma, Loquis, Adam and department head Guadiano at Cotabato City National High School. Also to principals Dr. Tagayun of Ramon Magsaysay High School and Dr. Cedeno of Cotabato City National High School. And to engineer Marlon Virgio and PeaceTech officer Julie Esmael.

Our final appreciation to our donors: TELUS International Philippines, Hope International Development Agency; and the Souchay Gossen Family Foundation.