Monthly Archives: November 2017

Team Kramer, apparently the most adorable family in the country, made waves in social media and television recently and is now utilizing their popularity to support children’s causes.

Team Kramer, in collaboration with Sterling Books, brings you Team Kramer Values and Healthy Habits, a series of children’s story books all written by Cheska Garcia-Kramer and edited by Cristelle Mariano. Proceeds of these books will go to Children’s Hour Philippines Foundation’s projects to help Filipino children in need, primarily by building libraries and reading corners in public schools nationwide.

Published by Sterling Paper, the six books contain lessons, values, and healthy habits taught by the Kramers to their own children at home. Cheska adds that these books are “written from the heart” and are culled from their personal experiences. It is also penned witth the help of her husband Doug and kids, Kendra, Scarlett, and Gavin.

Cheska has always loved writing poetry as a child. Coming from a broken family, she shared that it was her outlet when her parents were separating.  Now that she is a mother herself, she used her creative expression to help other parents introduce important values to their kids, and to teach children the importance of keeping proper hygiene. “Through my personal experience as a mother, I was inspired to write children’s books based on the things that my kids and I would go through in our daily lives,” she explained.

As Christmas quickly rolls in, the Kramers encourage parents, teachers, and guardians alike to make these books their meaningful Christmas gift to their children. As Brand Ambassadors of Children’s Hour, the Kramers highly advocate the value of education for every Filipino child, and that access to quality education is every Filipino child’s right.  They believe that education is an important aspect in creating better Filipino citizens and is an avenue where we can mold our children’s characters.

The Kramers have pledged that the proceeds of the books will be donated to Children’s Hour to support the foundation’s projects in education, health & nutrition, and child welfare and development. The proceeds will also support Children’s Hour’s initiatives in building libraries and reading corners in public schools nationwide.

“There is rampant need in providing Filipino children safe places where they can study and learn. In the Philippines, 85% of our public schools have no functioning libraries,” explains Ms. Ovy Javier, Assistant Executive Director of Children’s Hour. “Some children have not even experienced what it is like to have reading corners, or to be in a library–where they have access to as many books as they want to read, or to even have access to well-lit spaces where they can study,” she adds. “We are thankful to Team Kramer for championing our children’s causes and for helping us build more safe learning spaces for all the children that we serve.”

Everyone who gets a copy of the Team Kramer Values and Healthy Habits boks also contribute to Children’s Hour in reaching out to more Filipino children in need.

These books are now available in all National Book Store branches nationwide at very affordable prices.

The leading producer of OLED TVs gets to the bottom of TV’s staying power

As the world’s Internet penetration rate increases, many doomsday heralds predict the demise of TV. However, fast-forward to 2017, the TV is not only still around, but also better and more high-tech models are being released every year. At this rate, one cannot help but wonder: What gives TV the staying power it is enjoying today? 

TV affects society

The original philosophy behind the TV as a medium is to facilitate communication and globalization in the modern world. And as we find ourselves in a brand-new golden age of TV, no other medium does this as beautifully and as covertly as TV.

Cultural changes on a global and local scale have been fueled in one way or another by TV shows. Locally, variety shows are consistently influencing the way most Filipinos talk. And social scientists believe that teleseryes, like FPJ’s Ang Probinsyano, effectively preserve and promote Filipino family values and patriotism in a society that’s bombarded by various influences from abroad. These examples are just the tip of the iceberg. 

Although some may argue that smartphones, tablets, and laptops are just as good as TVs when it comes to conveying society-altering messages, the clamor for high quality media cannot be ignored. 

TV offers immersive viewing experience   

While the big screen will always have a special place in the hearts of many cineastes, in front of the silver screen is where many families find themselves bonding over the latest episode of the hottest TV series. This is why more companies, like LG Electronics, deliver products that cater to the need for an immersive at-home viewing experience.

Early this year, LG released its latest OLED TV masterpiece – the 77-inch LG Signature OLED TV – in the local market. It features Active HDR with Dolby VisionTM and Dolby AtmosTM – an explosive combination in the visual and aural sense, significantly elevating the TV experience at home. This immersive entertainment formula is the perfect solution to stay true to the award-winning work many people put in cinematic masterpieces.

In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, director Christopher Nolan said, “Sound is as important as picture. I don’t agree with the idea that you can only achieve clarity through dialogue. Clarity of story, clarity of emotions – I try to achieve that in a very layered way using all the different things at my disposal – picture and sound,” he said. 

This is why LG’s TVs and sound bars come with Dolby Atmos technology to provide immersive audio with three-dimensional, object-based surround sound. 

One of the company’s most notable sound bars is the advanced Multi-Dimensional SJ9 Surround Sound Bar. It is equipped with multiple speakers that deliver high-quality audio from every conceivable angle. 

Meanwhile, the Sound Bar Flex SJ7 brings versatility by allowing users to position its two halves anywhere they like.        

“We recognize the importance of good quality audio in delivering cinematic masterpieces to more people. We put in equal amount of effort in making our TVs and sound bars; they are designed to deliver excellent musical scores down to its last note,” said Mr. Tony An, LG Philippines Vice President for Home Entertainment. 

As long as more people demand for high quality content, TV will still be around, continuously evolving to redefine what it means to achieve a complete viewing experience.

For more information about LG’s TVs and sound bars, please visit www.lg.com/ph

Pushing the boundaries of education through digital transformation

Digital transformation is here, and it’s changing all industries, including education. Microsoft, in its constant push for innovation to empower every person and every organization to achieve more, is leading the charge in the digital transformation of education in the Philippines. 

“At Microsoft, we believe that technology alone cannot develop the future-ready skills students require. Technology is an accelerator, but alone it does not enable change. We believe in the power of schools and the impact school leadership can have when they work towards a common goal,” said Clarissa Segismundo, Microsoft Philippines Education Programs Lead. 

In the last few months, Microsoft has launched several efforts to bridge educational gaps in the Philippines. This includes empowering the visually impaired through a more inclusive SPED with ATRIEV. Microsoft also launched the Microsoft Experience Hub at Asia Pacific College (APC), a classroom of the future where students are prepared with 21st century skills. 

Today, Microsoft is celebrating key milestones in the Education Summit. The summit aims to deliver impactful sessions on the digital transformation journey that involve school leaders, administrators, students, and institutions. 

Empowering educators

Microsoft is empowering educators in the country by conducting scalable training programs on teaching with technology through partner institutions like the Department of Education (DepEd) and its various Microsoft Showcase Schools. Educators are equipped with modern tools to transform teaching and learning in the classroom.  

Today, Microsoft celebrates a key milestone, reaching 1,000 Microsoft Education Ambassadors in the country, the highest number in the entire Asia Pacific region. In addition, there are now also 100 MCEs (Microsoft Certified Educators) in the Philippines.

Engaging students

In its thrust to transform education, Microsoft provides tools such as Power BI & Azure Machine Learning for data analysis and coding, collaboration on O365, Teams, OneNote, Skype in the Classroom, and Kaizala messaging app. Students are also engaged through Minecraft in the classroom. Minecraft: Education Edition is an open world game that promotes creativity, collaboration, and problem-solving in an immersive environment where the only limit is your imagination.

According to top educators, Minecraft supports social and emotional learning (SEL) as well as promotes the 5Cs: Creativity, Collaboration, Communication, Critical thinking and Computational thinking.

Educators cited “problem solving” as the top SEL skill that their students learn from classroom Minecraft lessons. Other top skills cultivated include creativity, critical thinking, and collaboration.

In addition, teachers also felt that their students’ decision-making and communication abilities were positively impacted by the time they spent playing Minecraft, whether working in small groups or individually. 

Minecraft can also be a used as a learning platform to advocate empathy. In the same study, educators believe that Minecraft also enables students to build empathy skills due to interactions with classmates, as well as with characters within the game.

Optimizing institutions

Through the Microsoft Showcase Schools, Microsoft continues to optimize institutions to transform education. These schools are part of a global network of schools who exemplify innovation in the campus through technology – and that covers the institution, educators, and their students. 

The 2017 Microsoft Showcase Schools promote digital transformation through their leadership in personalized learning, amplified by 1:1 deployments effectively using Microsoft solutions such as Windows 10, Office 365, Office Sway, OneNote, Skype, to enable anywhere, anytime education for all. Microsoft Showcase Schools in the Philippines include Asia Pacific College, ,De La Salle Santiago Zobel, and De La Salle University Dasmariňas , Lyceum of the Philippines Manila, National University, Xavier University Ateneo de Cagayan, Silliman University. 

To promote productivity and collaboration, these schools also use Kaizala — a mobile app and service for communicating and coordinating work. It makes it easy for both teachers and students to manage their work and connect with large numbers of people inside and outside the classroom.  

Another example of the power of technology in transforming education is the EGG classroom. It is an example of how learners in off-grid locations can be educated through cloud technology.

These are just a few milestones in Microsoft’s digital transformation journey as it continues its mission to empower each and every individual to achieve more.

“At Microsoft, we are deeply committed to the digital transformation in education. This is why we work closely with key educational institutions in the Philippines like the DepEd and our Showcase Schools. Through strategic partnerships, we can transform the way students learn and educators teach,” said Segismundo.

All pyrotechnics are allowed to be used everywhere &

ONLY firecrackers are limited to be used in designated areas.

1. The Philippine Fireworks Association on Nov. 21 spoke at Pandesal Forum at Kamuning Bakery Café in Quezon City, appealing to leaders of local government units (LGUs) and the media to help clarify that there is no firecrackers ban in the Philippines, that President Rodrigo R. Duterte’s Executive Order 28  allows pyrotechnics (or “pa-ilaw” in Filipino, meaning “lights”) to be used. It is not true that pyrotechnics are prohibited, restricted or limited.

PLS. BAN PICCOLO & SMUGGLED FIREWORKS—The association urges strict ban on dangerous piccolo firecrackers (which had in the past caused 60% or more injuries every New Year) and asks topping of illegal smuggled fireworks which usually have unregulated and dubious quality.

2. Please help clarify that Executive Order 28 only limits the use of firecrackers (or “paputok” in Filipino) to designated areas nationwide, but this doesn’t include the safer pyrotechnics.

3. Our association wishes to appeal to Quezon City and other local government  units not to totally ban all pyrotechnics during this holiday season, especially for welcoming the new year .

4. We wish to appeal to local government officials to please not restrict or discourage these age-old tradition of using pyrotechnics for celebrations, because this is a safer legal alternative to firecrackers

5. Our association appeals to mass media and social media to please help spread the whole truth and to help us clarify misinformation adversely and unfairly affecting our whole industry.

6. The association wishes to thank President Duterte for his fairness towards our local Philippine-made pyrotechnics and fireworks industry, which is mainly but not only limited to Bulacan province,  that’s why Executive Order No. 28 is clear about allowing pyrotechnics and encourages people to shift from firecrackers to pyrotechnics.

Clarification “fireworks” is both firecrackers and pyrotechnics; firecrackers’ main effect is sound and pyrotechnics’ main effects are lights.

7. The Philippine fireworks industry benefits an estimated 150,000 people with livelihoods connected to local manufacturing and selling fireworks nationwide.

8. The association appeals for support for this local industry, which has potentials for exports, but the domestic industry needs to survive and be given fairness. Examples of good local manufacturers is Asean’s biggest fireworks manufacturer the Dragon Fireworks of Bulacan province. This company is ISO-certified, it has represented the Philippines and won gold medals and other honors for the country in international competitions like those in Cannes, France; in the 2013 Berlin “Pyronale”; in Hanover, Germany; etc.

9. The association warns that any moves by local or even national politicians for a total ban of fireworks will just worsen public safety, because it will encourage unregulated small-scale and secret backyard producers and it shall encourage unregulated smuggling of imported fireworks with dubious or inconsistent quality. It will also encourage people to go back to using dangerous firecrackers instead of the safer pyrotechnics.

10. The Philippine Fireworks Association appeals to politicians in LGUs and the media for fairness, for support for this domestic fireworks manufacturing industry which provides many livelihoods, generates taxes, supports the Philippine economy and has huge export potentials.