BAGUIO CITY—Wireless leader Smart Communications, Inc. (Smart) and the Department of Education’s Bureau of Alternative Learning System (DepEd-BALS) have jointly unveiled a mobile application as part of its pioneering initiatives in mEducation, or use of mobile technologies in education.

Smart and DepEd-BALS, working through startup partner Orange Fix, have developed the mobile app that would digitize all teaching materials under the ALS curriculum, making it more convenient for the mobile teachers to teach their community of learners.

The ALS mobile app was presented to the hundreds of mobile teachers who attended the BALS National Convention held from August 13-15, 2013 at the Teachers’ Camp in Baguio City. 

Under the cluster Technology in Teaching-Learning with ALS, James Jorge of Smart Internet Broadband Marketing did a product demonstration where he showed the mobile teachers how to navigate the ALS mobile app and the possibilities that one can have in terms of a more enhanced teaching and learning experience with the use of the tool.

The ALS app is free of charge and is bundled with low-cost tablets powered by Smart Bro so that mobile teachers can now access their teaching materials anytime, anywhere, online or offline from their tablets.

BALS handles non-formal education, providing a venue for individuals of all ages that were not able to and cannot go through the formal classroom learning to still get education and secure their elementary and high school diplomas.   

The method by which education is delivered is through 6,000 mobile teachers all over the country who go where the students are—in the mountains, isolated sitios, markets or barangay centers. 

“As part of our mEducation initiatives, Smart is pursuing partnerships that will enable us to integrate mobile technologies in teaching and learning. This partnership with BALS is just the first of many similar joint deployments in the future,” said Darwin Flores, Smart department head for community partnerships. 

“This collaboration with Smart is indeed a game-changer. Alternative teaching aided by mobile technologies would surely help in making our army of mobile teachers across the country more effective in their goal of making education more accessible to all Filipinos—both out of school youth and adult learners,” said BALS director Dr. Carolina Guerrero.