It pays to get creative, as proven by this public school teacher who recently went viral for the ingenious way he takes his students’ attendance.
On Tuesday, teacher Michael Angelo Maleriado schooled netizens on how to reduce pollution in the classroom.
“This is how I check my attendance in the classroom,” Maleriado started his Facebook post. “I let them create QR (Quick Response) codes which I scan before they enter the room. Easier and paperless.”
He even added the hashtag #DepEd, referring to the Philippines’ Department of Education.
Maleriado is a Grade 9 teacher at the General Emilio Aguinaldo National High School in Imus, Cavite.
In a Facebook message to Coconuts Manila, he talked about the importance of using technology in the classroom and setting a good example for others.
“Whether with or with lack of resources, there are always other means of utilizing the use of technology,” he said. “I’d like them [teachers] to explore on (sic) new ideas and to give it an opportunity to be studied and be improved. In the end, we are all going to benefit from it all.”
On his post, Maleriado said that the app for scanning the attendance is free and can easily be exported on Microsoft Excel. Students can also easily create the QR code tag themselves.
His post has gone viral, garnering over 12,000 likes and almost 13,000 shares as of this article’s posting.
Netizens lauded him for the creative idea:
Ken Butawan wrote: “Amazing, salute to you sir, haha.”
Kenneth Tejada tagged a friend and said: “New idea for [class] attendance.”
Hazel Villamor wrote: “Way to go dear, Michael Angelo! Congratulations! I really love innovative people! Criticisms? What’s success without them!”
Maleriado shared with Coconuts Manila that he decided to go green and use less paper because he felt “guilty” about producing waste.
“Teachers use so much papers per school year and some of them go to (sic) straight to the trash. We use them in making exams, quizzes, hand outs, school forms and much more. And to be honest I feel guilty when papers are wasted,” Maleriado said.
He said that he lessened the use of paper “by converting some of my classroom activities into a digital format, like, checking the attendance and creating quizzes online.”
And it has done actual good here in the Philippines.
Today, Maleriado shared in another Facebook post about how another teacher had followed his example.
“More than the criticisms, I am more empowered that I was able to inspire teachers from all over the country with this idea,” his caption reads.
“A teacher sent me this photo of her students showing off their QR codes.”
DepEd, take note.
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