ADVERTISEMENT
Manila Bulletin devider Technews devider The Manila Bulletin and DICT forge partnership to train children the basics of coding

The Manila Bulletin and DICT forge partnership to train children the basics of coding

Published Jun 6, 2023 03:07 am

These past couple of years have been a whirlwind in the tech industry. From web3, cybersecurity, and now AI, technology is moving at a velocity that can leave people behind. So it is now a primordial concern that people be equipped in this digital age, from technical skills to awareness.  Knowing this, the Manila Bulletin and the Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) have forged a partnership to train children as young as seven about the fundamentals of programming.  Retired General Reynaldo S. Rafal, vice president of the administration department, Manila Bulletin; and Assistant Secretary Jeffrey Ian Dy, Department of Information and Communications Technology, in the MOA signing.
DICT Assistant Secretary, Jeffrey Ian Dy, said: “Hindi tayo na-biyayaan ng ganitong klaseng oportunidad noon. Dati kasi Tumbang Preso masaya na ako eh. Pero maganda na ngayon, binubuksan natin ang pintuan para sa mga kabataan. Hindi lamang sa pag bubukas ng pinto, tuturuan din sila ng productive skills tulad ng pag program at pag assemble ng sensors.” (We weren’t given this kind of opportunity back then. Personally I was content with playing Tumbang Preso. But these are exciting times, as we open doors for children. And this isn’t just about opening opportunities, but we’re teaching them productive skills such as programming and assembling sensors.) Asec Dy continues with the awareness program will not end after the partnership with the Manila Bulletin. The DICT intends to continue to raise awareness through other means such as LGUs and reaching out to schools. He adds that programming jobs will continue to improve, and the current trend they see right now is that programmers will not be replaced.
“Hindi lang sa programming, pati sa critical thinking. Matutunan nila ang cost and effect. Because programming is about cost and effect. At kapag marunong ka ng cost and effect, true story, you will be a better and civilized person. Kasi alam mo lahat ng gagawin mo may consequence,” Asec Dy said.  (Not only in programming, but also in critical thinking. They will learn cost and effect. Because programming is about cost and effect. And if you understand cost and effect, true story, you will be a better and civilized person. Because you know everything you do has a consequence.) The children, accompanied by their parents and guardians, along with officials from Brgy. 657, led by barangay chairman John "Pipoy" Jimenea. The children will undergo a four-day educational program that will allow them to explore robotics and programming.
The entire awareness program takes place a total of four days. The students will learn about robotics through Lego robotic kits and learn how to program them. They will start with basic programming such as how to move the robot, to more complex patterns such as line tracing, where the robot will follow the black line beneath it.  A demo of the robotics subject using Lego's robotics kits. During the four-day program, students will learn how to program the robot's movement patterns, how to assemble the robots, and undergo coding training through Minecraft Educational Edition.
The students will also be exposed to the Education Edition of Minecraft, which will allow them to express their creativity and gain additional programming knowledge. It also provides puzzle-solving challenges and collaborative learning.  The trainers who will educate the students.
Director Maria Teresa Magno-Garcia, Director IV, ICT Literacy and Competency Development Bureau thanked the Manila Bulletin and the DICT for the program to train children in the fundamentals of coding. Director Maria Teresa Magno-Garcia, Director IV, ICT Literacy and Competency Development Bureau
The event is also supported by Nullspace, which sponsored the event.
ADVERTISEMENT
.most-popular .layout-ratio{ padding-bottom: 79.13%; } @media (min-width: 768px) and (max-width: 1024px) { .widget-title { font-size: 15px !important; } }

{{ articles_filter_1561_widget.title }}

{{ item.title }}
.most-popular .layout-ratio{ padding-bottom: 79.13%; } @media (min-width: 768px) and (max-width: 1024px) { .widget-title { font-size: 15px !important; } }

{{ articles_filter_1562_widget.title }}

{{ item.title }}
.most-popular .layout-ratio{ padding-bottom: 79.13%; } @media (min-width: 768px) and (max-width: 1024px) { .widget-title { font-size: 15px !important; } }

{{ articles_filter_1563_widget.title }}

{{ item.title }}

{{ articles_filter_1564_widget.title }}

{{ item.title }}
.mb-article-details { position: relative; } .mb-article-details .article-body-preview, .mb-article-details .article-body-summary{ font-size: 17px; line-height: 30px; font-family: "Libre Caslon Text", serif; color: #000; } .mb-article-details .article-body-preview iframe , .mb-article-details .article-body-summary iframe{ width: 100%; margin: auto; } .read-more-background { background: linear-gradient(180deg, color(display-p3 1.000 1.000 1.000 / 0) 13.75%, color(display-p3 1.000 1.000 1.000 / 0.8) 30.79%, color(display-p3 1.000 1.000 1.000) 72.5%); position: absolute; height: 200px; width: 100%; bottom: 0; display: flex; justify-content: center; align-items: center; padding: 0; } .read-more-background a{ color: #000; } .read-more-btn { padding: 17px 45px; font-family: Inter; font-weight: 700; font-size: 18px; line-height: 16px; text-align: center; vertical-align: middle; border: 1px solid black; background-color: white; } .hidden { display: none; }
function initializeAllSwipers() { // Get all hidden inputs with cms_article_id document.querySelectorAll('[id^="cms_article_id_"]').forEach(function (input) { const cmsArticleId = input.value; const articleSelector = '#article-' + cmsArticleId + ' .body_images'; const swiperElement = document.querySelector(articleSelector); if (swiperElement && !swiperElement.classList.contains('swiper-initialized')) { new Swiper(articleSelector, { loop: true, pagination: false, navigation: { nextEl: '#article-' + cmsArticleId + ' .swiper-button-next', prevEl: '#article-' + cmsArticleId + ' .swiper-button-prev', }, }); } }); } setTimeout(initializeAllSwipers, 3000); const intersectionObserver = new IntersectionObserver( (entries) => { entries.forEach((entry) => { if (entry.isIntersecting) { const newUrl = entry.target.getAttribute("data-url"); if (newUrl) { history.pushState(null, null, newUrl); let article = entry.target; // Extract metadata const author = article.querySelector('.author-section').textContent.replace('By', '').trim(); const section = article.querySelector('.section-info ').textContent.replace(' ', ' '); const title = article.querySelector('.article-title h1').textContent; // Parse URL for Chartbeat path format const parsedUrl = new URL(newUrl, window.location.origin); const cleanUrl = parsedUrl.host + parsedUrl.pathname; // Update Chartbeat configuration if (typeof window._sf_async_config !== 'undefined') { window._sf_async_config.path = cleanUrl; window._sf_async_config.sections = section; window._sf_async_config.authors = author; } // Track virtual page view with Chartbeat if (typeof pSUPERFLY !== 'undefined' && typeof pSUPERFLY.virtualPage === 'function') { try { pSUPERFLY.virtualPage({ path: cleanUrl, title: title, sections: section, authors: author }); } catch (error) { console.error('ping error', error); } } // Optional: Update document title if (title && title !== document.title) { document.title = title; } } } }); }, { threshold: 0.1 } ); function showArticleBody(button) { const article = button.closest("article"); const summary = article.querySelector(".article-body-summary"); const body = article.querySelector(".article-body-preview"); const readMoreSection = article.querySelector(".read-more-background"); // Hide summary and read-more section summary.style.display = "none"; readMoreSection.style.display = "none"; // Show the full article body body.classList.remove("hidden"); } document.addEventListener("DOMContentLoaded", () => { let loadCount = 0; // Track how many times articles are loaded const offset = [1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10]; // Offset values const currentUrl = window.location.pathname.substring(1); let isLoading = false; // Prevent multiple calls if (!currentUrl) { console.log("Current URL is invalid."); return; } const sentinel = document.getElementById("load-more-sentinel"); if (!sentinel) { console.log("Sentinel element not found."); return; } function isSentinelVisible() { const rect = sentinel.getBoundingClientRect(); return ( rect.top < window.innerHeight && rect.bottom >= 0 ); } function onScroll() { if (isLoading) return; if (isSentinelVisible()) { if (loadCount >= offset.length) { console.log("Maximum load attempts reached."); window.removeEventListener("scroll", onScroll); return; } isLoading = true; const currentOffset = offset[loadCount]; window.loadMoreItems().then(() => { let article = document.querySelector('#widget_1690 > div:nth-last-of-type(2) article'); intersectionObserver.observe(article) loadCount++; }).catch(error => { console.error("Error loading more items:", error); }).finally(() => { isLoading = false; }); } } window.addEventListener("scroll", onScroll); });
Join Our Newsletters

Sign up by email to receive news.

© 2025 Manila Bulletin The Nation's Leading Newspaper. All Rights Reserved.