DAVAO CITY – An innovation for online teaching and learning designed and manufactured by the University of Southeastern Philippines (USEP) Digihub Fablab won 3rd place in the recently concluded virtual Fabrication Festival, dubbed Fabfest 4.
The innovation, a Mirror Bracket which functions similarly to a virtual whiteboard, helps teachers in demonstrating and showing their lessons during online classes. This was the entry of the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) in Region 11 in the Fabsiklaban Competition, particularly in the COVID-19 response innovation category.
The Fabfest 4, which DTI-Region 7 jointly organized with the Department of Science and Technology’s (DOST) Advanced Manufacturing Center (AMCen), carried the theme, “Fabricating the New.” A total of 13 fabrication laboratories Ifablabs) nationwide. The fablabs are part of the initiatives under DTI’s Shared Service Facility (SSF) program.
According to the designer, Jeremiah Bargio, Science Research Assistant II of DOST-Region 11, the team was inspired by a post from a teacher who was only using compact discs (CDs) and pencils to show how to solve a mathematical problem. However, with the use of the Mirror Board, teachers and instructors can already show with ease to their students, or even to non-student participants, the step-by-step process of answering a mathematical problem, for example.
The locally designed Mirror Board works with either desktop computers or laptops with a built-in camera in the monitors and can be installed easily by anyone. It works by bending down the mirror, reflecting what is written on a paper placed over the keyboard, and then reflects back to the built-in camera in the monitor. This simple tool can be used with any online teaching platforms, including Zoom, Google Meet, MS Team, among others.
DTI-Region 11 Regional Director Maria Belenda Q. Ambi shared that such an innovation is very timely, especially for teachers who want their students to learn more from them.
“We want to see more innovative projects in the coming days. We encourage everyone, particularly those who have an innovative idea, to maximize our fablab here,” she said.
The DigiHub FabLab is being operated and managed by USEP, in partnership with DTI-Region 11, DOST-Region 11, and the Mindanao Trade Expo Foundation, Inc. (MTEFI). ♦
Date of Release: 2 February 2021