Forced E-Learning: Are we ready?

 

    The last entry post that I have for this blog was in 2015 and I talked about the future of education in the Philippines. Now, it's high time to talk revisit it and revive this outlet for my renewed sense of purpose in deepening the skills of educators around the country to embrace new approaches of pedagogy and andragogy. 

    The advent of COVID-19 pandemic caught everyone by surprise and within a matter of weeks, the education sector was forced to go online as schools grapple to close down along with every sector to follow lockdown protocols to flatten the curve of the pandemic. Never has it been that distance learning, online learning was seen in a different light, and this time, a necessity to adapt to the new normal. 

    Unfortunately, not all educators are ready and there was a sense of struggle in translating face to face learning to the web. Resistance was evident by late ed tech adopters and the champions seemed to take it as easy as pie. 

    There are several things to consider in the context of moving forward on what quality education is and how it's going to be delivered. All of these can be answered by proponents of online education. But factors are plenty to consider. One such is the institutional readiness of the education sector. The answer to this question would be sparse as only those who have adopted early when technology was introduced in schools were able to transition easily. Most schools are still in the dark on what to do and how to proceed. 

    Bottomline, not everyone is ready and this could be addressed by using the time while in quarantine to develop skills, learn, and unlearn concepts. Baby steps but consistent learning and adapting is the key. 

    Infrastructure and access is the next issue in terms of online learning. As absurd as it may seem, the varying accessibility of students and teachers has taken a toll on delivering quality education for all. The only answer to this is to pressure the government into strengthening these infrastructures, provide a robust competition in the market and enable choice for the consumers, the users, us, the educators and students who will benefit from it. 

    Lastly, the challenge of student engagement in the time where the homes are deemed not conducive for learning. It is more of a question for educators on how to keep their students engaged rather than following an almost obsolete routine of daily classroom discussions. However, a good and innovative educator does not rely on boring discussions alone. A COVID era educator must have a multitude of tricks up in her sleeve to keep her students actively participate in synchronous and asynchronous activities.

    Schools will be reopening soon and schools have revamped their protocols on infection control and social distancing measures. It might be that we have indeed arrived at the future of education where learning is done online most of the time and support face to face activities are kept to a minimum. 

    But the question of how ready we are? It's up to you, educators to level your p***y up!