𝐃𝐢𝐠𝐢𝐭𝐚𝐥 𝐓𝐞𝐜𝐡𝐧𝐨𝐥𝐨𝐠𝐲 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐏𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐧𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐡𝐢𝐩: 𝐀 𝐛𝐥𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐧𝐠, 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐚 𝐜𝐮𝐫𝐬𝐞

𝙱𝚢: 𝙴𝚍𝚠𝚒𝚗 𝙲. 𝙵𝚞𝚎𝚐𝚘 𝙰𝚐𝚞𝚜𝚊𝚗 𝙿𝚎𝚚𝚞𝚎ň𝚘 𝙽𝚊𝚝𝚒𝚘𝚗𝚊𝚕 𝙷𝚒𝚐𝚑 𝚂𝚌𝚑𝚘𝚘𝚕. 𝙱𝚞𝚝𝚞𝚊𝚗 𝙲𝚒𝚝𝚢 𝙳𝚒𝚟𝚒𝚜𝚒𝚘𝚗 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗗𝗲𝗽𝗮𝗿𝘁𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗼𝗳 𝗘𝗱𝘂𝗰𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝘀𝗲𝗲𝗸𝘀 𝘁𝗼 𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗯𝗹𝗶𝘀𝗵 𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗸𝗮𝗴𝗲𝘀 𝗼𝗿 𝗿𝗲𝗹𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀𝗵𝗶𝗽𝘀 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝗽𝗿𝗶𝘃𝗮𝘁𝗲 𝗼𝗿𝗴𝗮𝗻𝗶𝘇𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀 𝗼𝗿 𝗼𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿 𝗴𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗿𝗻𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗮𝗴𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗶𝗲𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗿𝗼𝘂𝗴𝗵 𝗮 𝗠𝗲𝗺𝗼𝗿𝗮𝗻𝗱𝘂𝗺 𝗼𝗳 𝗔𝗴𝗿𝗲𝗲𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁 (𝗠𝗢𝗔) 𝗼𝗿 𝗠𝗲𝗺𝗼𝗿𝗮𝗻𝗱𝘂𝗺 𝗼𝗳 𝗨𝗻𝗱𝗲𝗿𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗻𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴 (𝗠𝗢𝗨), 𝗮𝗶𝗺𝗲𝗱 𝘁𝗼 𝗶𝗺𝗽𝗹𝗲𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘀𝘂𝗽𝗽𝗼𝗿𝘁 𝘃𝗮𝗿𝗶𝗼𝘂𝘀 𝗗𝗲𝗽𝗘𝗱 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗴𝗿𝗮𝗺𝘀 𝗮𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗖𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗿𝗮𝗹 𝗢𝗳𝗳𝗶𝗰𝗲, 𝗥𝗲𝗴𝗶𝗼𝗻𝗮𝗹 𝗢𝗳𝗳𝗶𝗰𝗲𝘀, 𝗦𝗰𝗵𝗼𝗼𝗹𝘀 𝗗𝗶𝘃𝗶𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗢𝗳𝗳𝗶𝗰𝗲𝘀, 𝗼𝗿 𝘀𝗰𝗵𝗼𝗼𝗹𝘀, 𝘀𝘂𝗰𝗵 𝗮𝘀 𝗮 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗸 𝗶𝗺𝗺𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗴𝗿𝗮𝗺, 𝘁𝗲𝗮𝗰𝗵𝗲𝗿 𝘁𝗿𝗮𝗶𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴, 𝗮𝗰𝗾𝘂𝗶𝘀𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗼𝗿 𝘂𝘀𝗲 𝗼𝗳 𝗳𝗮𝗰𝗶𝗹𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗲𝘀, 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗱𝗼𝗻𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀. 𝗧𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗽𝗮𝗿𝘁𝗻𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗵𝗶𝗽 𝗽𝗹𝗮𝘆𝘀 𝗮 𝘃𝗶𝘁𝗮𝗹 𝗿𝗼𝗹𝗲 𝗶𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗲𝗳𝗳𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝗱𝗲𝗹𝗶𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘆 𝗼𝗳 𝗹𝗲𝗮𝗿𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗼 𝗶𝘁𝘀 𝗰𝗹𝗶𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗹𝗲 - 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗹𝗲𝗮𝗿𝗻𝗲𝗿𝘀. Through the School-Based Management (SBM) program, all schools are encouraged to collaborate with any group, individual, or entity in society even as it highlights the commendable record of school-community partnerships and the tight and diverse linkages among internal and external stakeholders. Since the 1970s, the principle of partnership has been a guiding concept for the quality of relationships desired by many Non-Governmental World Development Organizations (NGDO). It was a code word expressing humanitarian, moral, political, ideological, or spiritual solidarity between NGDOs that joined forces to pursue a common cause of social change (Fowler, 2000). In 2019, Hullana's study on DepEd-LGU Partnership: Its Effects on Quality of Basic Education in the Municipality of La Union revealed that the partnership is critical in implementing programs and projects that improve the quality of Basic Education. Moreover, the Brigada Eskwela Program and the Adopt-A-School Program emphasized the need for every school to establish networks outside of the school premises, motivating the entire community to prepare the school for the resumption of classes and find benefactors for the school. However, the prevailing threat of the pandemic made it difficult for every school to mobilize its personnel to seek out new partnerships or even sustain the existing ones, as many business enterprises and corporations felt the unprecedented economic burden and eventually closed shop. The limited access to public transportation and the constantly skyrocketing fuel prices also exacerbated the situation. In this context, this author initiated a partnership via the digital platform to benefit his school and other schools. The idea came from Schools Division Superintendent Marilou B. Dedumo, CESO V, through the Education Program Specialist in Social Mobilization Evangeline B. Razon, who provided encouragement to seek a partnership with the League of Corporate Foundations. Wasting no time, this author immediately sent letters and emails asking the organization for donations to prepare learners for the limited implementation of face-to-face classes. The materials asked included gadgets, printers, bond papers, and other items necessary for the blended modality, particularly in module printing and digital communications among teachers and learners. Bonifacio Arts Foundations provided an online account for 56 teachers and students in the Northwest Butuan District with a one-year subscription that gives free access to their learning materials, assessment tools, educational videos, and the like, which cost around P2,900 per account or approximately P162,400 in total. I am MAD (Making a Difference) gave a P10,000 donation, and the LBC Foundation sent a three-box parcel of facemasks and face shields worth P15,000. The most recent donations of eight printers, 400 reams of bond paper, and 34 bottles of ink costing approximately P200,000 were from the BPI Foundation and shared with other schools. Schools from the Northwest Butuan Districts were among the recipients, as was an IP school identified as an "Adopt-A-School" beneficiary under this author's proposed project. The schools that each received two units of 3 in 1 printer, 100 reams or 20 boxes of bond papers, and nine bottles of refill inks were: Doogan Integrated School, Jose T. Domingo Sr. Central Elementary School, Agusan Pequeño National High School, and Daan Taligaman Integrated School (IP School of Brgy. Bugsukan). Through the partnerships established via a digital platform, these educational materials provided tangible benefits for schools to continue providing excellent service to their clients. No doubt, technology is crucial in the entire educational systems and processes - from communications to training, from establishing partnerships to implementing programs, and so on. It can be "a curse or a blessing, depending on how we use it," as the saying goes. In our case, partnerships made possible through digital technology are a blessing, not a curse. 🅴🅽🅳