Teaming through Learning Technology

On the shoulders lay the task of dedicated mentoring to effectively bring the
ambitions of students to fruition. A webinar on "Strengthening Synchronous Learning:
Boosters, Add-ons and Netiquettes" was held last October 14 and 15 for faculty
members and October 16 for the parents. The webinar was an output of the study
conducted by the Synchronous Learning Concerns (SLC) Committee, one of the
committees created by the Vice President for Academic Affairs to address the conduct
of Flexible Learning Delivery (FLD) in the university. This committee is spearheaded by
Dr. Mayling I. Capuno and Mr. Alvin C. Mercado.

University of Batangas’ teachers, professors and instructors are trained to be
catalysts of learner-centered and skill-oriented education, with the ultimate aspiration of
producing globally-competitive, technology-and- research-driven citizens. The webinar
aimed to provide vital and updated information about synchronous learning delivery to
two primary stakeholders of the university, the faculty and parents. For faculty
members, the webinar aimed to provide the faculty members of all academic levels a
reorientation of the capabilities and features of Google Meet, the official virtual
conferencing tool used by the school in conducting online synchronous classes. It also
aimed to orient faculty members on selected Google Extensions that enhances teacher
productivity and supports the delivery of synchronous classes. "Millennials have been
raised in a technological environment in which they are accustomed to rapid screen
changes. As a result, they have limited attention spans which made the practice of
communicating synchronously in an online environment very challenging for us,
teachers. Due to this, conducting a synchronous session requires a set of skills on our
part.

These skills include among others, technological skills which refer to the
application of the tools and resources of the learning management system, skills in
designing course content, and selection of the appropriate instructional resources.
Moreover, for synchronous sessions to be effective, we should present lessons in
digestible morsels, not lengthy expositions, and encourage the use of engaging but brief
lecture starters, such as personal vignettes, puzzles, and short movies or video clips.
Furthermore, a set of guidelines must be established for effective teaching and learning
process to take place in an online environment" shared Ms. Daniella M. Decena,
Instructor from College of Education, Arts and Sciences (UBLC). Faculty members
were introduced with selected applications geared towards increasing interactivity of
synchronous classes and were reminded again with the established Netiquettes and
Guidelines in the Conduct of Online Synchronous Classes.

For the parents/guardians, the webinar aimed to acquaint parents/guardians with
features of Google Meet, the official virtual conferencing tool used by the school in
conducting online synchronous classes, to address parent/guardian concerns in the

conduct of online synchronous classes, and to brief parents/guardians with the
established Netiquettes and Guidelines in the Conduct of Online Synchronous Classes.
University of Batangas, with the innovativeness of the young minds harnessed
with the passion and concern of the teachers, instructors and professors, will keep on
improving to keep up with the changes and needs of the students.