Division ICT Unit Successfully Conducted the ICT Literacy Program (Level 1) Training Course for SDO Personnel
By Nadine Muriel C. Alibutod, Administrative Assistant III
June 13, 2023 — “The advancement of technology is based on making it fit in so that you don’t really even notice it, so it’s part of everyday life” – Bill Gates
Technology has become fundamental in our daily lives wherein computers and mobile devices are now necessities in everything that we do. As we enter the Fourth Industrial Revolution, also known as Industry 4.0, the ongoing shift towards new and advanced technologies of automation, artificial intelligence (AI), Internet of Things (IoT), and robotics, we must learn to embrace this rapidly changing landscape of technology.
To adapt to these changes, the ICT Unit of the Schools Division Office of Pampanga (SDO Pampanga) conducted a 3-day ICT Literacy Program (Level 1) for SDO Personnel. The first batch of personnel from School Governance and Operations Division (SGOD) and Curriculum Implementation Division (CID) took part last May 17-19, 2023, and the second batch from the Office of the Schools Division Superintendent (OSDS) participated last June 7-9, 2023, at the Teachers’ Training Center of SDO Pampanga.
The training course has two levels. The first level is the Fundamental Level, wherein it will tackle Office Productivity Automation, and the second level will be about Internet Technology and Online Collaborative Tools. It aims to inculcate the responsible use of ICT and to train the participants on the use of different office productivity applications to aid them in their work. At the end of each topic, participants will be assessed on the skills and knowledge gained from the training.
Schools Division Superintendent (SDS) Romeo M. Alip together with the two Assistant Schools Division Superintendents (ASDS) Melissa S. Sanchez and Shirley B. Zipagan attended the opening program and welcomed the participants. “As technology advances, we encourage you to update yourselves with the skills and knowledge that can help you adapt to these digital transformations”, said ASDS Melissa S. Sanchez in her opening remarks. “For us to be able to deliver efficient and reliable public service, we welcome these digital transformations and accept that there is a need to upskill ourselves through this kind of training”, said SDS Romeo M. Alip in his inspirational message.
For the first day of training, DepEd Order No. 95, s.2010 or Guidelines on the Proper Use of Computer and Network Facilities in all DepEd Administrative Offices and Schools, Migration of Google Workshop to Microsoft 365 – Gmail to Outlook, and File Transfer from Google Drive to Microsoft OneDrive using Mover.io were discussed by SDO Pampanga IT Officer (ITO) John Paul B. Pallasigui, Administrative Assistant III (ADAS III) Nadine Muriel C. Alibutod, and Administrative Aide I (ADA I) Kenneth Justin V. Mangulabnan, respectively.
Mr. Pallasigui emphasized that as public servants, we should be responsible for using the resources and technological equipment provided by DepEd or any government agency. Ms. Alibutod discussed the first phase of Google Workspace to Microsoft 365 migration which is the linking of Gmail (DepEd Email) and exporting of Gmail messages. In the afternoon, Mr. Mangulabnan showed me how to use Mover.io for transferring files from Google Drive to OneDrive. Participants were asked to link and export their Gmail accounts and messages to Outlook as well as transfer their files using Mover.io.
Word Processing Fundamentals Using Microsoft Word and Basics of Mail Merge were discussed by Ms. Alibutod on the second day. Changing of default page setup and font settings, opening, and saving a Word document, formatting of text using different formatting styles, inserting of objects, pictures, header, and footer, and searching and printing of a document were presented during the morning session. In the afternoon, creating a certificate using Mail Merge was discussed. After the discussion, they were required to create a merged certificate applying all the Word Processing Fundamentals.
On the last day of the training, Mr. Pallasigui presented the Electronic Spreadsheet Fundamentals using Microsoft Excel. He elaborated on the steps on how to manage and format data and sheets. He also discussed the common Excel formulas such as Mathematical Operations, SUM, AVERAGE, MIN, MAX, and other useful formulas like COUNT, IF, RANK, and VLOOKUP. Each participant was asked to create a simple enrollment datasheet that can search and display specific data by providing the school ID as the lookup value.
Before the 3-day training ended, Mr. Pallasigui thanked the participants for being enthusiastic in learning the fundamentals and encouraged them to continue in Level 2 of the training course. He also mentioned that this training course would not be successful without the support of the top management and unit heads. He concluded the training with his closing remarks, “Practice makes perfect. Magiging effective ang gained skills and knowledge natin kapag palagi natin itong pina-practice or ginagamit. Kahit anong training ang salihan natin kung hindi naman natin ginagamit yung natutuhan natin, wala rin”. The participants received their certificates and took a group photo.
