Online learning as a disaster resilience response—A Lenovo perspective

POSTED BY: Lionell Go Macahilig
2020-09-27 13:56:00 PHT

Lenovo’s EdVision program braces the education sector for disruptions, upskills students for a digital future

  • As disasters often disrupt schooling in the Philippines, the education sector must strengthen its resilience to uphold the continuous education of children.
  • A tech-assisted shift will significantly change the game for the sector, making online learning a solution for schools to keep the academic year uninterrupted in the face of any calamity, without compromising the safety of students, teachers, or staff.
  • Tech-assisted learning is the future of education, enabling schools to digitally equip students for the jobs of the future.

Its geographic location makes the Philippines highly prone to natural calamities, which often forces schoolsto cancel classes or temporarily shut down. Add to that the ongoing coronavirus pandemic that magnified the need to make education disaster-proof. Thanks to technology,this is now possible. This tech-assisted shift will significantly change the game, making online learning a solution for schools to keep the academic year uninterrupted in the face of any calamity.

Global tech innovator Lenovo has proven itself an ally of the education sector, offering assistance in the pivotal shift to online learning through its new EdVision program. Implemented in partnership with Microsoft, EdVision was designed to prepare the academe for the future of education through accelerated digital transformation while simultaneously reinforcing the resilience of the sector with its smarter education tech offerings that support remote learning.

While the local education sector has already begun digitally transforming a few years back, the health crisis has hastened the shift in a way that may have exposed vulnerabilities that are yet to be addressed. As preparation for the upcoming virtual academic year—and a blended learning system in the general sense, the EdVision program enables partner schools to head their digital transformation journeys with innovative end-to-end education solutions which include literacy training, device seeding, curriculum build up, and soft skills workshops facilitated by industry experts to help boost e-learning literacy.
“Amid the schools’ adoption of a new learning environment,we found that many are still grappling with finding the right learning management system and which devices to use in administering learning through the online platform. With EdVision, Lenovo aims to be the trusted partner of schools in the Philippines in their digital transformation journey to be able to equip them with the right infrastructure. With fool-proof blended learning systems in place, learning doesn’t have to stop at any time or for any reason schools have to be shut down,” said Anna Abola, Lenovo Philippines Commercial Marketing Manager.

Preparing students for a digitally ready future

Many of today’s students will enter into careers that have yet to be imagined. Lenovo collaborated with Microsoft to conduct training workshops and enablement webinars that aim to teach students time-saving productivity tools that will offer them a more convenient transition to online learning at present, as well as equip them with skills that will be needed to succeed in the workplace of the future.

“The education sector's abrupt yet complete transition to the online platform is one huge leap in its digital transformation journey. It may be a complex process, but the EdVision program is guaranteed to support institutions in shaping students to become more digitally ready for a more digitally competent future. We will achieve this through close collaborations with educators themselves so we can all make sure that learning is at the center of every student’s education experience,” Abola said.

The EdVision program provides specialized benefits for teachers, who have the enviable task of making sure students receive the same quality of education regardless of the classroom setup. Theywill be extended leadership skill training workshops, exclusive discounts on Lenovo products, and other perks should they qualify in the Teacher Ambassador Program. It can also help them set up a studio that enables them to create their own learning content by filming, including tool kits consisting of devices they need to be digitally well-equipped and enhance their remote teaching capabilities.

“Transforming education is critical for the development of society. It may seem daunting at first, but if it means that the education of our children will not suffer or take a backseat in the face of disaster, it will be worth it in the end. After all, technology has long been changing the way students are learning, and it is high time to keep up. Lenovo will continue to work hard with our partner industry leaders to create innovative solutions suitable for all learning environments because we believe that together, we can overcome the challenges and help students in the Philippines unlock limitless learning,” Abola said.

Pioneered in the Philippines, EdVisionwillthen be launched in Indonesia, Thailand, Hong Kong, Singapore, and Malaysia. More information about the program is available at www.lenovo.com/ph/en/edvision. Everyone is invited to join the discussion and learn more online learning how-tos through free webinars available in the EdVision Facebook page at www.facebook.com/LenovoEdvision.