My major and minor Field Trips and Seminars (FTS) learnings

My major and minor Field Trips and Seminars (FTS) learnings

The purpose of education is to develop the knowledge, skill or character of students. Thus the education is the process of learning and knowing, which is not restricted to our school or textbooks. Education is very important for an individual life. Education is a major aspect of development of any modern society. The importance of education is evident at every stage of education whether at primary, secondary, high secondary and in higher education. Universities are the main institutions that provide higher education. MARY (2009) describes that higher education is said to produce that essential balance between theory and real practice in any given field. Higher education is viewed as a source of great potential for the socio-economic and cultural development of the country. Higher education is rapidly changing our world and changes the things in new form. Our need of change in this level not only in academic side but student life also. As the students being the main clients of higher education. They are central part of learning process. Therefore, they not only required quality education but also effective and latest means of learning to have a better knowledge and have a command on what they are studding presently so they will able to apply that knowledge in their future lives also. For this purpose, different sort of activities like seminars, discussions, presentations, workshops, local conferences, lectures and educational field trips are essentials to conduct at this level. Especially the activity of educational field trips which are commonly conducted for the students at higher level are one of the major source of providing knowledge to the students by giving opportunity for self-experiences and observations and self long-lasting learning. 
The positive benefits derive from field trips are hands-on, real-world experiences, quality of education, positive attitudes to science and motivation towards the subjects, improvement of the socialization between students, which would impinge on the classroom, and development of rapport between teachers and students, enabling teachers to utilize other learning strategies such as cooperative learning.

The 5 days stay at Manila brought great enjoyment to the FTS students and most importantly the course help the students many learned lessons in life that they could use especially because in the future, the students should be independently living and this course helped them to learn and understand the things that an adult should know.

That is why when we were asked on what is our preferred FTS model I chose the model A, because model A consist of the following:

- allows the student that were enrolled in FTS to visit ICT companies outside Mindanao, that are using more advance technology compare to the technology that are being used in ICT companies in Davao or in entire Mindanao.

- allows the student to be educated of the technology that other region or cities are using or being studied by other schools or university and other ICT companies.

- this field trip would help the students enrolled in FTS to experience to experience riding in an airplane, especially those students who did not yet experience riding an airplane (including myself).

- to visit and to step at the most popular tourist spots in the country, particularly the tourist spots outside Mindanao (in Luzon) most probably and to enjoy the place and the visit of a particular place.

- to take pictures and to probably buy local products for a memorabilia and “pasalubong” for our siblings and parents and other relatives.

And I guess, I have made the right decision because I experience so many things during our stay in Manila. Because model A have given the students opportunity to the students to be familiarize what is in the real life especially outside Mindanao. Also the major field trip have given the students opportunity for the students to experience and learn from ICT companies which operates nationally and an exposure and an advantage for the students particular when the students would apply for a job whether within the city or outside the city since we will be going to be expose to the real world for the IT professionals compare to other students who were not expose or did not visit and experience what we will be experiencing for our field trips and seminars which we would be joining and it is nationally. The student and the parents would be willing to send the students to Luzon particularly in NCR for this kind of experience that could affect the future of the IC students enrolled in this course, that is why every year field trip and seminar (FTS this course) is always being pursued and the facilitators are always doing their best for this field trip and seminar to be held in Luzon and NCR or outside Mindanao because they can judge and can prove that attending seminars nationally is much more beneficial for the students for their experience and learning. And if Field trip and Seminars would be held within Mindanao that would not be a big advantage for us if we would include and boast it if we would be applying for a job within Davao City and especially outside Davao City particularly the ICT companies which operates nationally or entire Philippines, and also the large ICT companies in the country. We all know that there is already an over population of BSIT graduates and it is challenging for every graduate to get high-paying job but if the students were exposed to the new innovation or technology from the seminars that they will be attending there would be a high possibility that would not be a difficult task for us anymore, since the goals of the seminars that would be setting is for the students to build their own company or their own business.

During the 5 day Field Trip and seminar in Manila, everyday is a learning day, the students were able to learn new things. And this is my learning during our 5 day seminar.

Day 1 - we went on a seminar to visit Fluor Daniel but because the aircraft delayed in landing in NAIA 3 and due to heavy traffic in Villamor Airbase, Fluor Daniel canceled our company visit to them because their function room will not be available. Since our company visit in SSS will be at 1pm, we first take our lunch and then we go directly to SSS to learn how the SSS or Social Security System would the give their service to their members also how technology would help them to improve and lessen their members effort in paying or remitting their payment for SSS. We also want to learn of what will be the privileges of becoming a member of SSS specially when emergencies happen.

I learned that Social Security System is dedicated in giving their service to their members by giving a quick actions when their members needed their service. I always heard complains about SSS that they are slow in executing their obligations in giving their assistance to their members, but after hearing their part I realize that it would either the employer is not remitting their employees deductions or because of the delivery delays.

Day 2 – we went on a seminar to Attend Y4iT seminar and to hear from different speakers of Y4iT which is held at SMX Convention. We purpose to attend the seminar to be encourage to be a future technopreneur and not to be an ordinary employee of a company. The speakers also inspired us not be defeat by our emotions and to pursue our dreams whatever happens and wherever life takes you. They also thought us how to think like a them a technopreneur and not just an employee. Every speaker has their own individual experience on how they end up being a CEO or President of a company or incorporation. The speaker who inspired me the most is Ms. Rhea Althea Guntalilib, visually impaired and totally blind yet managed to graduate as a Magna Cumlaude at UP Diliman and currently working as a Software Development Analyst at Smart Communications Inc., she inspired many students during the Y4iT seminar by sharing us her experiences and what she have gone through and the things she did to pursue her education and her dreams. I have so many things in Y4iT seminar though we only attended one day and didn't finish the whole seminar. I learned that if you are determined to pursue or follow your dreams you will most likely achieve it. I hear many inspiring stories from the speakers, though they were physically and financially challenged, they were still able to prevail against the difficulties in life. They also teach us about the standards that we sometimes do not even give importance. If it is possible I hope that USeP will be able to send every student in Y4iT every year, because it would really help the IT and CS students to give more effort in pursuing their studies.

Day 3 - we went on a seminar to Philippine Long Distance and Telecommunications or PLDT. Among all the companies we have visited PLDT is my favorite, because PLDT welcome us to their Innolab and I was very amazed of the technologies that they are now using. I also appreciated how they educated us to their new products and explained to us how they are giving their customers their services. We intended to visit PLDT in Manila because we know that PLDT in Manila is far better than PLDT in Davao and because we think that we could get more knowledge and advice from them. After lunch we went to IBM to learn how IBM operates after it slows down in manufacturing computers and Operating systems. We also intend to visit IBM because we want to know what new technologies they are now creating and what are their effort in coming back to top.

I learned so many things from the two companies we have visited. In PLDT, I learned that they are not just focus on telecommunications, they also want to give their clients the best services that they can offer specially when it comes to technology. They created InnoLab for research and development that the customer would not think of transferring to their other competitors. I also learned that PLDT wants to accumulate big companies that are giving great services so that their company would grow and they could attract more customers and their present clients would be loyal to them. I learned that PLDT is also helping its employees to be more knowledgeable and to be more educated to develop much advance technology and to give good service to their clients. In IBM I learned that they have not stopped in creating innovative ideas and great machines. I learned that IBM is not competing with any company, they are just doing their best to achieve on what goal that they have set. I learned that IBM wants to create a perfect AI machine that can soon beat every person's intelligence. And because of it I realized that IBM is not yet out of computing field. On these two companies I was amazed by both of the technologies that they are now using. How I wish I could be part on one of these companies.

Day 4 – we went on a seminar to Toshiba Information Equipment Philippines Inc., or TIP to learn how Toshiba Philippines operates here in Philippines and why they have chosen our country to manufacture storage device. Also how Toshiba manufacture storage devices and how they handle their products before they release to the market. I also want to know what are the other products Toshiba manufactures. Also after the customers bought their products what would be their services that they would offer if there will be defects. And also I want to know what are the benefit of the customer if they would choose Toshiba than other competing brands or what makes them different and more outstanding than other brands. I also want to know how reliable the Toshiba products are, specially their storage devices because TIP aims to be number one or at the top of making storage devices worldwide. And how could they be able to achieve their goal. I also want to know how they would be able to maintain their motto “Leading Innovation”.

I learned many things in TIP because they tour us almost to their whole site. From the research and design department to shipping room.

I also learned that Toshiba also cares for the environment, since we now that manufacturing devices cause pollution particularly to the air, I learned that Toshiba makes sure that they could not add or they could not cause the pollution to the environment.

They even create activities to help the environment, including charity bazaars, were employees donate their unnecessary or secondhand goods to do the internal bid. After the bid, donate all the profit to a public welfare institution, invoice donation, battery recycle, environmental care were their employees adopt plants to create a better working environment and enhance environmental consciousness. This shows that Toshiba is not only committed for the advancement of their technology but they are committed to the entire future of the world.

I also learned that Toshiba gives great service to their customer when there is a defect from their products. And also Toshiba is very strict in abiding rules but do not have any discrimination in choosing their employees.

The company also is very sensitive is manufacturing their products particularly their storage devices.

Day 5 – we went to Metropolitan Manila Development Authority, an agency currently headed by Chairman Francis Tolentino to know how MMDA operates in the entire NCR, how they were able to apprehend the violators, what are their actions in case of road accidents and what are the fines that they imposed when there is violations. Also we want to know what are the MMDA laws. I learned that everyday there are many traffic violators in Metro Manila and many shocking and traumatizing accidents happen in the streets of Metro Manila and the MMDA is doing their best to make sure that streets in Metro Manila is always in good condition and Metro Manila will be a livable city.

Before we went to Manila, we have had our interpersonal skill seminar first held at University of Southeastern Philippines' Social Hall. This seminar helped the students to be more comfortable interacting and communicating with each other. Before every thing else, we first attended our Interpersonal Skills to develop our interpersonal skill and to create a comfortable atmosphere especially during our major field where we will leaving our comfort zone which is our house and will be with the FTS class for 5 days. This interpersonal skill team building would help every student that would join the FTS to create a good communication to every students and will somewhat remove the barriers of communicating with each other. UGTO prepare several activities for this event, the facilitators encourage the students to actively participate and express ourselves. This activities help everyone of us to understand each other and to be more open and comfortable dealing with each other.

Because of the interpersonal skill seminar that was organized before the major and minor Field Trips and seminars, I learned the importance of having a team building activity because it will help the students to interact with other people and will also increase the students self-confidence and independence. I also learned to trust my classmates and to be more concern because they also have their own problems and difficulties that they are experiencing in life. The team building activity did not only help the students to build trust in the team but it also help the students build their trust to themselves that they have the capacity to trust themselves and also trust the people around them.

And after the major FTS in Manila, we visited the Davao City's counter part agency for Metropolitan Manila Development Authority, the Public Safety and Security Command Center. We visited the Public Safety and Security Command Center (PSSCC) to know, learn and to understand how the command center monitors and responds to unlikely accidents happens in the streets and public places of Davao City.

The class also wants to differentiate PSSCC to its counter part in Metro Manila which is the MMDA and to judge which agency gives a better service or performance in keeping its residence secure from any threat.

I learned that PSSCC gives a better service in securing its residents than the MMDA probably because Metro Manila is more populated, hence more crimes and accidents happen in Manila than Davao City and because MMDA also monitors the flood level in Metro Manila because typhoons frequently visit the country capital city. And besides IBM is helping Davao City to be more secured from criminals or any unpleasant thing that will happen in Davao City by integrating city operations into a single system, infused with advanced technologies, to further enhance public safety operations in the city.

Using IBM’s Intelligent Operations Center (IOC), the PSSCC will have a centralized dashboard view that will allow the city to monitor events and operations in real time. This comprehensive view will enable officials to better predict and plan for potential issues.

To enable Davao’s smarter city transformation, the IOC will integrate multiple city agencies in the PSSCC to improve interdepartmental collaboration and enhance the management of Davao’s four pillars of public safety: crime prevention and suppression; emergency response; threat prevention and response; and traffic management.

“We believe that building a safer city will bring us one step closer to our ultimate goal of becoming a major growth pole in the international market,” said Mayor Sara Duterte, Davao City. “By integrating information collected from multiple agencies that are dedicated to protecting the welfare of citizens, we are setting the foundation for a more efficient and safer environment that will foster economic growth.”

To address the unique needs of Davao, the IOC solution is integrated with advanced technologies such as video analytics software, multi-channel unified communication and Global Positioning System (GPS) location tracking.

Of course, we did not went to Manila for educational tour only but also to have fun. One of the most exciting moment of the FTS was 1 first day, before we actually took the flight to Manila. Everyone of us, especially those who will be experiencing their first airplane ride were very excited. Me and my classmates planned to be seated at the window side of the plane so that we could see, enjoy and experience the sight below. Because we were not seated next to each other, it was silent during the flight. We were also able to experience and learn the things to remember during an airplane ride. I think, in the future if my family would be traveling abroad, I will be one of the person that will teach my siblings on what they should do at the airport and and during the flight. I am really happy experiencing my first airplane ride, because I will not look ignorant when I will be taking again my next airplane ride. I expected that I might look ignorant and I might commit some mistakes during my first airplane ride and it really did happen, but because I have my friends and classmates I didn't feel awkward towards my actions.

Since it is my first time riding on a plane, I might look ignorant when I would first enter the airport the Davao International Airport. Yes, I have entered the Davao International Airport but I have not gone inside or enter the building of the prominent airport in our City. I am now 21 years living in our dearest, safe and beautiful city and yet I did not have the chance to enter the airport in my entire life. Only this September 16, 2013 will I be given the chance to step inside our airport. I might look ignorant and I might lose in the airport (I hope it would not happen) because of the overwhelming experience that I will finally have the chance to fly with classmates. I really hope that when I would graduate (not sure of how many years to go) and have a job that together with my family, we will have the chance to have a vacation outside the country. I would be a great opportunity for me and my sibling and my mother to enjoy the and visit the tourist spots not just in the Davao, or in Manila but around the world. In Europe, North and South America and in the neighboring countries in Asia. In Singapore, Japan, China, and probably even in South Pole.

Our arrival at Ninoy Aquino International Airport Terminal 3 was delayed due to miscalculations committed by the pilot, and because of the delay we were not able to visit Fluor Daniel. We had our breakfast at McDonald's in Newport. After we eat breakfast since we were supposedly heading to Fluor Daniel but because they cannot accommodate us, our bus stopped at a park and then we head to Jade Valley to eat our lunch. Actually I am were still full during our lunch but because I thought that I might get hungry during the company visit I only ate a little, and then I stayed outside the restaurant because it is cold inside.

On the afternoon we visited the Social Security System (SSS) and it is still raining, I really thought that I would get sick because during our first day, because whenever we were going to enter and exit the tour bus we gets wet due to the all day rain that day. I now realize that the rain is the real culprit why we did not able to visit Fluor Daniel, because of the rain the pilot committed miscalculations and because also of the rain, we were stock in traffic at Villamor Airbase.

Almost every after we had our company visit at afternoon we had our shopping. During the first day we went to SM Mall of Asia to buy stuffs and to tour the one of the biggest mall in the country. After the shopping/mall tour, we ate our dinner then headed to Kabayan Hotel.

We attended Youth for Information Technology (Y4iT) congress at SMX Convention. As I have expected the thousands of delegates attended the largest conference for IT students, professionals and individuals. Y4IT is the biggest gathering of IT students, professionals, freelancers, educators and etc. It is also the biggest seminar this year that we will be joining during our Field Trip and Seminars (FTS). In this seminar, we will be educated about what is happening in reality in IT industry. Many speakers will be invited to be educators for the participants especially the students who will be joining the event. In this seminar, I got ideas and encouragement from the speakers. I hope that the speakers will educate us truthfully and not just saying anything though it is not really that easy or he is saying something to lure us to own their goal. I want to be inspired and I want that when I believed on anyone's encouragement I want the that he have given me is not unreal and possibly it will become a discouragement. . I hope that this seminar will enlighten my mind of the field or career that I have chosen of what reality is IT is about.

I am expecting that I would hear more about the technopreneurship since it is part of our degree particularly in IT. I want to hear and to learn more details about the course, what are the techniques and the advantages of being a technopreneur. I want to be exposed on the ICT field and how would it look like working as an IT practitioner, programmer, developer or IT professional, because I really am afraid of exploring and show off to the world I want first to be oriented about my chosen career, for me to be inspired and encourage.

The Y4IT event would give us especially the students to be oriented and also the students would be given the opportunity to hear the exchange of ideas from the speakers as well as other students as well as the other participants. I also what to hear innovations and new technology especially new technology from different countries. I hope that this conference of IT people will help from my course Technopreneurship because we (me and my classmates) were having difficulty in coping and we are having difficulty in getting the whole picture of the technopreneurship particularly the greater benefits of being a technopreneur and we cannot also imagine ourselves being a tehnopreneur. For me, being a successful technopreneur is an impossible thing. And this belief is the belief that I want to change. Because for us, only Bill Gates, Steve Jobs and other notable successful individuals in computing field can be a successful technopreneur. I cannot even imagine myself as a successful person particularly in the ICT field. I think that is why our instructor require us to join the Y4IT seminar or conference, because we the students were not yet ready for the world and that is why they have created this kind of event that will let the youth particularly the students in ICT field to be prepare for the real world of IT industry. Because most the students were still yet dependent of their family who supports them for their necessities and the students were still ignorant of or too tender for the competition in the real world.

Truthfully, I do not dream of power, I just want to know how really IT stuff works. And as I always said in my previous reflections, I will be contented having a stable job and I can afford buying my own clothes, food and other necessities. This principle was taught to us my our mother. She said that we should not aim too much for this world, because the successful people did not do it all that honest. I think I should keep my respect for myself, than to live successfully but not really happy.

I am thankful to our instructor because of his requirement of joining this great event, that I can possibly join once. But if I will be affected or maybe encourage for the speeches that I have heard might be joining the next Y4IT or other IT conferences.

Day 3 was amazing because we were able to visit the prominent company – Philippine Long Distance Company and the International Business Machines (IBM) we were able to see the new technologies that both of the companies that is they currently developing. After the company visit and the mall tour we head to Kabayan Hotel.

Day 4 is one of the most unforgettable memory I had in FTS. We visited Toshiba first at Laguna and we were able to see their actual operations. And then after that, we went to Tagaytay go have our lunch and see the fascinating sites and famous tourist spots in Tagaytay. We also bought pasalubong for our families and friends. And then we headed to Enchanted Kingdom to experience every heart breaking rides in Enchanted Kingdom.

At day 5 we went to visit MMDA and understand how they are monitoring the traffic in the country's capital. MMDA also monitors the flood levels in Metro Manila. MMDA is the counterpart of PSSCC in Davao City.

I will always remember this in my mind this FTS. I was satisfied for what my have mother paid.