Technology: Changing the classroom setting

Jaimie F. Castillo

LEARNING used to take place inside the four corners of a classroom. For so long, we have gotten used to sending our kids to school. For decades, the education of children happened in educational institutions.

COVID-19 has changed all that.

Now, education will take place inside learners’ homes, with the aid of technology under the Department of Education’s blended learning approach. Because of the health crisis the country is facing, there will be no face-to-face classes until a vaccine has been developed.

The DepEd had no other recourse other than to implement blended learning to continue the education of millions of learners nationwide. Other than online learning, there are two other modes of learning: modular and TV- or radio-based.

We have the advent of technology to thank, because now, students can access sites in the internet to aid them in their studies, specifically the DepEd Commons. We have to admit that technology has been creating new challenges and many new opportunities for educational institutions, especially now that we are in a pandemic.

According to an article I read, “technology is changing the dynamics of education, especially the relationship between teachers and students.” Gone are the days when learners were passive learners, just sitting and listening as their teacher discussed a lesson. Now, they can be interactive participants in an online setting.

Back then, mobile devices like smart phones, tablets and even laptops were merely “substitutes” or “support” for the more conventional tools like handouts, books, paper and pens. These days, these gadgets are helping transform how instruction and learning actually take place.

Blended learning will change the role of the educator to become more of a facilitator and coach. They should be able to manage online learning and other activities because we are now living in a technology-driven world – and because the pandemic calls for these changes to an educator’s role.

Students, on the other hand, will be given more flexibility, because of internet accessibility. Learning materials can be accessed online, and students may be able to study and complete classwork as their schedule permits, at an assigned deadline.

Truly, technology has opened many doors – doors that teachers and learners need at this time.

The author is Teacher

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III at Angeles Elementary School, Angeles City