Localized Computer Science Bootcamp empowers educators in Bukidnon

Hosting a localized Computer Science Bootcamp, Bukidnon State University (BukSU) equipped educators with essential computer science skills. The three-day intensive training program held on October 2-4, 2024 at the University Auditorium aimed to introduce and strengthen the Computer Science of the K-12 education in the province.

The boot camp was a collaboration between BukSU through the leadership and facilitation of BukSU College of Education’s Project Managers Dean Dr. Ann Sheila C. Del Rosario and Dr. Iris L. Ramirez, the Commission on Higher Education (CHED), National Teachers College (NTC) and Code.org.

Dr. Joy M. Mirasol, SMART BukSU President, virtually welcomed the guests and participants with an important note to have fun during the training, and to experience fully the three-day event by active participation.

Ms. Doyeon Kim, Code.org Head of Partnerships for the Asia Pacific Region, and Dr. Edizon A. Fermin from NTC also virtually joined during the opening program with messages emphasizing why Computer Science (CS) is foundational.

“CS prepares learners to develop the critical lens for interpreting the world around them and teaches them how to think and solve problems to help people and improve communities. It also prepares them for the demands of the current time, and able to adapt to the world of coding,” Ms. Kim said.

Ms. Armie Bunag, representative of the International Affairs Service of CHED (CHED- IAS), delivered a message on behalf of Atty. Lily Freida M. Milla, CESO IV, Officer-In-Charge of the Office of the Deputy Executive Director and Director for CHED-IAS.

“This boot camp is uniquely facilitated by our trained instructors who recently completed their CS Fundamentals Facilitators Training. Our ultimate aim is to equip you with a robust foundation in computer science, empowering you to effectively integrate computational thinking and coding into your classrooms,” Ms. Bunag read.

Participants were from the different divisions of the Department of Education (DepEd) particularly from DepEd Bukidnon, DepEd Malaybalay City, and DepEd Valencia City, along with faculty members of BukSU from the Elementary Laboratory School (ELS), Secondary School Laboratory (SSL), and Natural Sciences Department (NSD). They were identified to undergo training on the Fundamentals of Computer Science utilizing the website where a curriculum has already been designed by Code.org.

Model lessons were provided through the Code.org website. Participants explored the pedagogical techniques via hands-on activity (unplugged activity) and online activity (plugged activity).

The first day of the training welcomed the participants with an introduction to Fundamentals of Computer Science (CS), and a reminder of their roles as either a learner or a learning facilitator while the lessons progressed.

BukSU Instructors and training facilitators enabled the participants to engage in various activities: table group discussions on the participants’ background knowledge of CS, and psychomotor activities to learn several teaching practices and strategies through dancing and songwriting.

The second day of the intensive computer science boot camp kicked off with personal reflections on how technology and computer science have impacted their current teaching roles.

During the plugged activity, they mastered ‘loops and repeats’ in coding. In the field of computer science, these terms are used to denote actions that are performed multiple times or continuously.

Participants were also given the time to prepare for a live teaching demonstration by applying plugged and unplugged activities capping the second day of the workshop.

On the final day of the boot camp, K-12 educators were encouraged to do a project showcase presentation and sharing of pedagogical strategies along with feedbacking from the presentations. Warm-up activities were conducted to get to the application through professional etiquette by scheduling appointments with four individuals. Participants reflected on the significance of appointment scheduling in fostering positive relationships within the academic community and beyond.

The entire Bootcamp was facilitated by select BukSU faculty members who were trained for months under the mentoring of Code.org: Ms. Jade C. Colegado, Mr. Arl Marc L. Castilla, Dr. Joseph C. Pasco, Mr. Rhondell M. Paraiso (lead facilitator), Ms. Jonah L. Antipuesto, Mr. Kim Sipin, and Mr. Kent Patrick A. Parungao.

“I could use the learning to SDE, STEM, and TVL students. As a teacher in DepEd, I believe there is a future for coding in Computer Science in basic education. We need seminar workshops on coding pedagogies to advocate for integrating it to basic education. The problem is on the curriculum alignment, limited units to be used, internet connection, and the ability of teachers to grasp. For now, I have to explore more to Code.org and align this where this falls to the competencies, but definitely when I return to my station, I will share this with my students,” said participant Kenneth James Alamillo teaching Empowerment Technology.

“This training has provided me with knowledge on the basics of CS, especially in using Code.org. I was also able to gain knowledge on pedagogical strategies for my class, and the different collaborative sessions in this training provided me with valuable insights to enhance understanding and boost my confidence in teaching those concepts,” shared Arthurmie J. Caitor teaching General Physics and Practical Research for Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM).

“The website (Code.org website) is very useful because it offers a lot of activities that can be used both by the teachers and students. It is a good avenue for sharing resources and for mentoring and support,” expressed Cesarianie S. Niere of Lantapan National High School-Senior High School.

“The activities on the basics and fundamentals of coding are doable. For me, there is a future to Computer Science. I plan to integrate my learning to my classes especially the plugged and unplugged methods, and will do my best to introduce coding activities to my learners,” said Ms. Ivy Mae I. Aquino of BukSU ELS.

On August 19-21, 2024, a national training on Computer Science Fundamentals (CSF) was held at Bukidnon State University (BukSU) for select educators across the Philippines. Building upon this national training, localized boot camps are held throughout the Philippines. These boot camps will be facilitated by graduates of the national program.

(BukSU-Information Unit)