TECHNOLOGIES AND TEACHERS AMID PANDEMIC DAISY B. BAAY

The presence of COVID-19 in the Philippines has created numerous unanticipated challenges for various sectors of our economy. Because of the suddenness, uncertainty, and volatility of COVID-19, the education system has been rushing to address the changing learning landscape. In a gleam, teachers were forced to choose between e-teaching and traditional teaching, highlighting a division: younger teachers embraced online technologies, while seasoned teachers focused on supplementing traditional activity sheets. Technologies filled the gap of human limitation promoting the world information technologies. We are now on the new normal conditions we are now facing new activities and even on how teaching and learning from schools. Torres (2022) believes that it was at this point that the Department of Education recognized the importance of schools adopting the idea of shifting from a teaching culture to a learning culture. With this in mind, desperate measures were implemented. Seeing how severe the limitations in the educational sector were, various institutions made an early call by encouraging educators to use remote learning technologies. When pandemic started it change a lot of things especially for teaching approach and strategies, It is no secret that our country's poor internet connectivity is the greatest threat to elearning. But even so, it is encouraging that an increasing number of internet service providers are offering cost-effective alternatives and special offers, particularly for teachers and students. Even the local government is supporting teachers and students by looking for more ways to provide free internet access to all. In my own experience, I wouldn’t deny that the abrupt shift to remote learning and working from home was indeed demoralizing and challenging for us as teachers. But despite these challenges, the Department of Education stands with us with the belief that learning does not have to stop; rather, it must evolve. And I’ve really felt their help and support mentioned above, even though some were effective and some were not. I still think that it is about time that we recognize their collective effort, the amount of willingness, and support to dive in and do whatever is needed to ensure quality education. And regardless of enduring many upheavals concerning the life-altering threat that COVID19 has brought, we remain resilient. And to be honest, "I have never been prouder to be a teacher at this desperate time because I am surrounded by so many passionate and dedicated teachers in the field" (Torres G., 2022).

-oOoTHE AUTHOR IS TEACHER I AT STA.ANA NATIONAL HIGH SCHOOL, SAN AGUSTIN, STA. ANA, PAMPANGA