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Recognizing that technology is a potent tool in education, St. Paul College, Pasig (SPCP), recently inked an agreement with Microsoft Philippines through its partner First Datacorp, to standardize on Windows Vista and the 2007 Microsoft Office system. The operating system and productivity suite will be deployed throughout St. Paul's information technology (IT) infrastructure, and will replace the school's previous open source system.
Sr. Teresita Baricaua, SPC, SPCP Directress cites the disparate computing experience of the students as a driver for the shift to Microsoft. "Our students usually present their class reports using Microsoft PowerPoint. When these are given out as homework, they use their computers at home to prepare their reports with PowerPoint. In class, they load their files in the Linux PC to present their work but find that they are unable to present the report as they have it or not at all because of technical and compatibility issues."
Sr. Baricaua adds that with the school being the 'second home' for their students, St. Paul College, Pasig strives to supplement the learning experiences that children undergo at home. "Microsoft applications are the most widely-used and trusted around the world, even our students are already using Windows Vista at home. We want to create a seamless learning environment for our students so we updated our hardware and acquired licenses to adapt to the current trend."
After only using the Linux operating system for one school year, SPCP decided to revamp their entire IT infrastructure and completely standardize on Microsoft technology. Unfamiliarity with the software and compatibility issues were primary concerns leading to the shift from open source software. Faculty members were looking for programs and applications that complemented their teaching style, but these were not available in Linux. Teachers noted that students were becoming confused with the software's user interface being utilized in the school's Linux PC after being used to the Windows Operating system in their home PCs.
"We've always believed that the best use of technology is in education. Currently, it is being utilized as an important teaching tool," said Mr. Rafael "Pepeng" Rollan, Managing Director, Microsoft Philippines. "At Microsoft, we focus on developing technology that will give users a positive and secure experience. We hope that our technology can continue to enhance the teaching and learning process.
With the help of Microsoft Philippines, St. Paul College, Pasig decided to enlist the support and services of Microsoft Gold Certified Partner First Datacorp (FDC), to help the school achieve its IT goals by completely standardizing on Microsoft technology. The Windows Vista and Office 2007 licenses will be fully deployed in the upcoming school year.
According to Mr. Jorge Buenaventura, FDC President, "As a Microsoft partner, we consider ourselves as service providers that seek to enable software licenses to become more meaningful to the user. The decision to acquire genuine licenses also ensures that the school will be able to enjoy the software updates and support that maximizes the computing experience."
Second home to more than 4,700 students from pre-school to high school, St. Paul College, Pasig aims to provide high-quality education to its students with the help of 300 faculty members. The adoption of Microsoft technologies will also benefit St. Paul's faculty.
"The decision to standardize on Microsoft has been very well received by our teachers," Sr. Baricaua enthuses. "Since 1996, we've been offering a faculty literacy program that allows them to attend training on various Microsoft technologies. However, our teachers don't get to use what they've learned from the training because our computers had been running on Linux. Shifting to Microsoft will give them avenues and opportunities to maximize their training and become world-class teachers who have experience with Microsoft solutions, which are utilized globally across organizations. As 21st century educators, our new role is maximize the use of technology to facilitate a rich learning experience for our students."
Photo above shows representatives from St. Paul's College Pasig, Microsoft Philippines and First Datacorp during the contract signing (seated from left to right): Mr. Jorge Buenaventura, President, First Datacorp, Sr. Teresita Baricaua, SPC, Directress, St. Paul College, Pasig; and Mr. Rafael "Pepeng" Rollan, Managing Director, Microsoft Philippines.
-- Tech Times Online
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