The San Juan City local government partnered with Converge ICT Solutions Inc. to activate free internet connectivity for over 12,000 public school students in 6,000 households within the city. This is to help students, families, and educators in the city adapt to the learn-from-home environment amid mobility restrictions during the pandemic.
Through this partnership, students and educators may access the Learning Management System in three different platforms:
- DepEd Commons which is a database of learning modules.
- Makabagong San Juan Learning Management System which is San Juan’s dedicated learning portal.
- Makabagong San Juan Learning Communication System which is a chat facility.
These allow students and teachers to have seamless learning through lectures, exams, and overall coordination.
Over a month after the system was launched, several students and teachers shared their experiences. The LMS app provided aid for students despite the challenges of distance learning. They are satisfied as it addresses the challenges during the transition from face-to-face classes to online.
Specific features of the app were highlighted such as the raise of hand, emojis, and chatbox which make communication easy and offer a substitute to increase student participation.
On the other hand, teachers are benefitting from the LMS app as it eases their role. Ms. Sheila Mae Mariano from Salapan Elementary School said that the Makabagong San Juan Learning Management System has enabled them to provide continuous education despite the pandemic. When used together with the free intranet and tablet, the LMS app can motivate more students to attend online classes, according to Mariano.
Students and teachers are now able to communicate better and more efficiently with video conference and messaging features. Visual materials are now easier to present through slide decks, worksheets, modules, webpage, and other learning materials. In addition, the function of uploading photos, decks, modules, and worksheets provides a better experience in encouraging the students to increase virtual participation.
Together with the 12,500 tablets, 1,000 laptops, and 1,000 pocket Wi-Fis turned over by the Department of Information Communications Technology (DICT), the free intranet connection, and the Learning Management System, the San Juan City local government and Converge aim to support students and teachers in making online education more accessible.
San Juan City is the pioneer city to provide a free internet connection to all of its public school students.
