By Merlina Hernando Malipot To help ensure that learning will continue even when children are at home, an eLibrary was launched to provide free downloadable ebooks and interactive videos for Kinder to Grade 12 students nationwide. Hundreds of ebooks and videos provided by the Department of Education (DepEd) and other sources can now be easily accessed for free by K to 12 students, educators, and parents nationwide through the Globe eLibrary. The Globe eLibrary is a web platform that features age-appropriate and engaging e-books and e-learning videos which can be accessed through mobile phones, tablets, laptops, and desktop computers. This is also available on DepEd Commons (commons.deped.gov.ph), DepEd’s pilot program on learning continuity which also contains online quizzes and exercises for K to 12 learners and content for Alternative Learning System (ALS). By giving free access to learners, teachers, parents and guardians, the Globe eLibrary allows continuous learning during the enhanced community quarantine which prompted many schools in Luzon and other parts of the country to suspend classes. “We want to give the children an opportunity to continue learning even when they are at home,” said Globe Chief Sustainability Officer and SVP for Corporate Communications Yoly Crisanto. “Through eLibrary, we hope that teachers and their students or parents and their children could make full use of the wide selection of content to create a fun and engaging education experience,” she added. Meanwhile, DepEd welcomed this collaboration with Globe. “The launch of the Globe eLibrary could not be more timely given the situation we are facing now,” said DepEd Undersecretary Alain Pascua. “As we are building the content of DepEd Commons, this influx of eBooks from Globe will help provide our learners and teachers with more content they can work with,” he added. Globe noted that with the eLibrary, everybody may read all ebooks and watch all videos that they want. Downloaded ebooks may be opened using any ebook reader that supports ePUB and PDF formats while downloaded videos may be viewed through any .mp4 player. Copies of these materials may also be sent out to other people. The ebooks collection in the e-library includes storybooks for children and young adults as well as textbooks on core subjects such as Math, Science, English, Filipino, Music, Arts, among others. These were curated from various sources that allow free public use and sharing such as Gutenberg.org and Storyweaver.org.in. Local titles were provided by DepEd’s Bureau of Learning Resources while more Globe content partners are expected to contribute in the coming months. Meanwhile, the eLearning videos, some of which were developed by teachers themselves, introduce important concepts in English, Math, and Science, incorporating sights and sounds that are familiar to the students. These originated from Text2Teach, a 10-year program launched by the Ayala Foundation, Globe, DepEd, and various organizations in 2003. Text2Teach was designed to supply public schools with high-quality video content and teacher training on utilizing mobile technology for learning. The Globe eLibrary also provides a new home for Text2Teach content as it promotes digital learning among students and teachers nationwide, particularly in schools where access to quality books is limited, and usage of technology for learning is not maximized.