Vibal Publishing launches V-Smart for Windows 8

CEBU, Philippines - One of the longest-running academic publishers and leading innovator for educational materials in the country is now aggressively geared towards integrating technology into the basic learning system of the Filipino students, foreseeing the future of Philippine education.

To keep up with the advent of technology, the Philippines’ leading publisher of educational materials for basic education has put together its educational resources and used them collectively for the modern learning system.

Vibal Group of Companies president and chief executive officer Gus Vibal said that the company has acknowledged the evolution of printing books and other educational materials into the trend of going digital at present with the affordability and convenient access of gadgets and other technological devices.

Vibal Publishing House, Inc. was founded in 1953 by the late veteran newspaperman Hilarion Vibal and his wife, Esther Asuncion-Vibal.

It was in March 2012 that Vibal Group of Companies launched its education partnership with Microsoft Philippines.

It also developed the Vibe Reader for Windows 7 in September 2012 and for Windows 8 in May 2013. Vibe Reader is an innovative electronic reading application that can open books, textbooks, magazines and other reading materials converted by Vibe Technologies, Inc., the technology arm of Vibal Publishing House. 

Vibal cited that the application makes digital reading more efficient, responsive and customizable to users particularly for students.

Last Wednesday, Vibal Group of Companies launched the V-Smart for Windows 8. It is an offline-online mobile and social learning management system with an integrated e-textbook reader that is designed specifically for the 21st century digital classroom. It is a knowledge database that is available with or without the internet connection.

“If before, children used to do personal learning to study ahead, we turn them into social learners nowadays with the technological platform,” he said, who described V-Smart as a social and mobile technology integrated to the K to 12 basic education program.

Apart from being just electronic, Vibal noted that digital education also translates to interaction among students. Unlike the traditional learning approach, V-Smart was developed to be an alternative to the existing learning management systems entirely operated through the Internet.

“You can find your notes, grades, calendar, and other learning tools in this platform. You can also interact with your teachers and classmates through V-Smart, and even track your own program. Instead of lesson plans, topics can be introduced as a playlist. Classroom discussion can be through social stream while students can earn badges as awards instead of just grades. Everything is a matter of how do we gamify learning to get students engaged,” he stated.

Meanwhile, Microsoft Philippines general manager Karrie Ilagan said that technology is a potent tool to empower education in the country.

She said that improving the access of Filipinos to technology could help fuel the growth of the country and develop healthy communities.

Apart from entrepreneurial spirit and efficient governance, Microsoft Philippines has identified education as one of the three main pillars to develop the country.

“We want to empower the youth through the use of technology in order to address the gap of the labor force to be globally competitive, thus creating economic opportunities for individuals and communities. We use technology to foster collaborations to create 21st century education without compromising the data privacy of the students,” she stated.

The company recently launched its Office 365, a subscription-based online office and software plus services suite that offers access to various services and software built around the Microsoft Office platform.

According to Ilagan, it could be used as a cloud service for business and education customers to deliver power production to establishments and educational institutions.

By October, Microsoft shall deliver the advanced version of Windows 8, the Windows 8.1 update. The company recorded 100 million of Windows 8 licenses sold last May of this year.

Ilagan said that the company remains bullish that the momentum will continue on growing and commits itself to provide the academe with learning opportunities with other accessible devices such as tablets, touch screen personal computers and convertibles.

Vibal Group of Companies also collaborated with Procter and Gamble to supply one million personal computers to public schools until 2035 wherein Vibal Group of Companies has donated 1,000 Windows 7 netbooks to the public.

It further inked partnership with Samsung for the Department of Education’s adopt-a-school program wherein Vibal donated P25 million-worth of Samsung all-in-one personal computers running on Windows 8 to 500 public special education classrooms including the National High School for the Blind.  (FREEMAN)