THE Cebu Provincial Council recently passed Resolution
894-2008 “supporting Smart Communications, Inc.
(SMART) in its Smart Mentors Program, a specialized
training and development program for faculty members
of partner schools under the Smart Schools Program”.
The resolution was authored by Cebu Provincial Board
Members Juan V. Bolo and Julian B. Daan.
Smart Mentors was launched in 2007 under the Smart
Schools Program, the flagship community service initiative
of SMART which aims to promote Information and Communications
Technology in basic education.
Under Smart Mentors, 25 faculty members are selected
from Smart Schools Program partners nationwide to undergo
an 11-month action research course that will earn them
a Master of Arts degree in Instructional Design and
Technology. The program is implemented in partnership
with Learn. Ph Foundation and the Philippine Business
for Social Progress (PBSP).
This year, SMART expanded Smart Mentors to also include
faculty members of partner elementary public schools
under the Smart Schools Jr. Program. The Smart Schools
Program now counts 150 public high school partners and
30 public elementary school partners under Smart Schools
Jr.
Among those who qualified from Cebu are Edlyn Bueno
of Medellin National Science and Technology School in
Medellin and Lorna Granada of Puertobello National High
School-Poblacion extension in Tudela. SMART has 17 partner
public schools in Cebu City and Province, of which 12
are high schools and five are elementary schools.
Bueno and Granada are among the second batch of 25
Smart Mentors who are currently undergoing the two-week,
live-in, intensive face-to-face learning experience
that starts the action research course. This year’s
batch includes eight faculty members from North Luzon
Smart Schools Program partner schools, four from South
Luzon, six from Visayas and seven from Mindanao.
The goal of the scholarship program is to equip teacher-champions
with the tools necessary to empower them to mentor other
teachers in the science of Instructional Design. The
Smart Mentors are expected to train, guide and coach
at least 15 other teachers to develop, implement and
evaluate new or existing ICT-enabled Learning Activities
that, in the end, help improve student learning.
The Smart Mentors will also be the champions of various
Smart Schools Program initiatives in the field of training,
program development and rewards and recognition.
Last year, SMART was also recognized for its Smart Schools
Program by the Department of Education (DepEd) Cebu
Province.
Under the Smart Schools Program, public schools nationwide
are provided with one-year free Internet access via
Smart Bro and other PLDT communication solutions, online
content via www.smartschools.ph and weekly newsletter
and teacher trainings.
