The Department of Education (DepEd) Commons website. (Screenshot)
MANILA – Studying at home has become more viable after telecommunications (telco) giant PLDT and its wireless subsidiary Smart Communications (Smart) granted its users free access to the Department of Education (DepEd) Commons website and other web-based learning tools.
In a statement on Monday, PLDT said all Smart mobile subscribers will have access to https://commons.deped.gov.ph for free, even without peso or data load.
“This gives them access to a multitude of educational resources for use in various grade levels of the curriculum,” PLDT said.
This, after DepEd Secretary Leonor Briones, called for support from telcos to provide free access to the DepEd Commons website to aid the government in its fight against the coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) pandemic as well as to support the education of Filipino children.
“We are thankful for our partners’ generosity in support of the continuity of public education by providing us free data for DepEd Commons access amid the COVID-19 situation,” Briones said.
According to DepEd Undersecretary for Administration Alain Del Pascua, the DepEd Commons provides online review materials and Open Educational Resources (OER) for the use of both students and teachers.
“OERs in DepEd Commons are authored by public school teachers who are subject experts, properly cited and acknowledged. Teachers can retain, reuse, revise, remix, and redistribute the content by blending it with a learning management system to deliver a distance learning modality,” the DepEd said.
Aside from DepEd Commons, it also provides free access to 10 literacy apps, available in different indigenous languages, and can be downloaded on Google Play under #LearnSmart.
“These interactive apps help develop literacy, numeracy, and higher-order thinking skills among children from Kinder to Grade 3,” PLDT said.
For teachers, PLDT said it also provides free access to #CyberSmart resources that equip teachers with knowledge on cybersecurity and safety, data privacy and protection, and combatting misinformation or "fake news."
Al Panlilio, PLDT Chief Revenue Officer and President of Smart said with online learning becoming more mainstream due to the pandemic, “the local educational climate and norms of teaching” have changed for the long run.
As part of its continued charity efforts in light of the pandemic, Smart said that 10 units of “School-in-a-bag, a portable digital laboratory designed to facilitate continuous learning in times of emergency and disasters,” will be provided to teachers and students that are unequipped for online learning.
“These services also augment the collective Bayanihan efforts of the PLDT Group and MVP Group of Companies to assist the different government agencies in implementing the necessary programs to control the spread of the virus and still service the general public amid the ECQ,” PLDT said.
According to the DepEd Commons website, mobile networks under Globe Telecom also have free access to the online learning portal. (PNA)
