DepEd Batanes pushes through virtual, face-to-face journ training after months of postponement

Governance Human Resource Development

Posted by admin on 2022-05-31 02:52:01 | Last Updated by admin on 2024-09-19 10:39:42

Share: Facebook | Visits: 2446

---

The Schools Division of Batanes sealed off its three-day journalism training via virtual and face-to-face modes after almost nine months of consecutive postponements primarily due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Attended by around 45 school paper advisers (SPAs), special program for journalism coordinators, and the writers of the DepEd Batanes paper, the journalism training started on January 11 at the Ivatan Conference Hall at the Schools Division Office.

        Myrna Agudo, Education Program Supervisor for Filipino and Schools Division Journalism Coordinator, said that the three-day journalism training was originally calendared in July last year, but it was consecutively postponed due to the effects of lockdowns and surge of COVID-19 cases in the province.

        �We have long planned this event, pero sunod-sunod ang lockdown natin last year dahil sa pagsirit ng mga cases natin sa COVID,� Agudo said during a press briefing yesterday.

        Aside from the effects of COVID-19 pandemic, the training was also re-calendared due to the availability of the speakers, funds, and venue.

�I am so happy that finally, this training-workshop is realized despite our challenges in looking for available funds and synchronizing the availability of our resource speakers,� she said. 

Agudo added that the training is the first journalism-related activity for the teachers since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Virtual and face-to-face modes

        Because of the quarantine protocols, resource speakers from the mainland Luzon were not able to physically deliver their lectures, so DepEd Batanes resorted to using virtual and face-to-face modes.

        Outside-Batanes speakers recorded their lectures and workshop instructions while the island-based lecturers trained the participants in person.

        Speakers from outside the province recorded their lectures to avoid technical glitches that may be caused by unreliable internet connectivity in the province.

Meanwhile, the conduct of the in-person mode received approval from the Office of the Schools Division Superintendent and was supervised by DepEd Batanes� health staff to ensure that minimum health protocols were followed.

The four outside-the-province speakers were Mark Djeron  Tumabao of the Philippine Information Agency, Joemar Furigay of Las Pinas Science High School, Renato Aranda of the Philippine Star, and Santiago Pagulayan of DepEd Tuguegarao. Island-based lecturers were Ferdinand Bulusan and Randal Castillo of Batanes State College.

Preparation to Schools Press Conference

        Asked about the importance of the three-day training, Agudo said that it would be helpful in preparing the students for the upcoming Division Schools Press Conference (DSPC).

        �We want our students to be equipped when they will join the DSPC and eventually in the Regional Journalympics, so you [teachers] are re-trained ahead of time,� Agudo said.

        According to Agudo, the teachers are expected to train their student-writers after the conduct of the training, especially that neophyte SPAs were also included in the training.

Migration to online publication

        Aside from enhancing the writing skills of the journalism coordinators and teacher-writers, the three-day training also aimed at sharpening their skills in using online platform in publishing journalistic content.

        �This training has long been scheduled in response to the pandemic that limits our mobility to distribute printed form of our school papers, so we are exploring the means to use online�unfortunately, the training was postponed last year,� Agudo said.

        The third day of the training exposed the participants in creating an official online platform for their respective school papers. Such topic was facilitated by Castillo, an information technology instructor.

        Bulusan also mentioned that using the online mode of disseminating news and information would help in reaching more audiences.

        �When we explore the means of migrating to online publication, we can deliver the news and important happenings in our schools to people from different parts of the globe. In that way, they will be kept informed about our activities,� Bulusan said. 

Go!