Magklase na kuno online? The Department of
Education announced May 5, 2020 that the new school year will open in August 24
this year as the country continues to contain the spread of the novel
coronavirus. Education Secretary Leonor Briones said school year 2020-2021 will
formally open on August 24, either through physical or virtual classes.
The Philippine Star
reported that DepEd is looking into implementing alternative delivery modes
such as online learning that do not require face-to-face interactions among
students and teachers.
Some of the divisions
of the department are already conducting capacity building on virtual learning
and how to use online media platforms to be used by teachers and learners when
schools are going to open. These online platforms can be considered as ideal
since the students and teachers can interact without the physical presence
hence the social distancing scheme can be followed well.
By studying online, students
choose their own learning environment that works best for their needs: be it
the bedroom, the study, listening to the instructor’s lecture podcast as the
learner runs on the treadmill. Taking an online course also means that the
learner don’t have to commute to class, which means less time spent on the public
utility transports and more study time sitting on the couch (Heap, 2017).
Online modes of study
have been found to be equivalent to on-campus environments with respect to key
outcomes such as student academic performance (Magagula and Ngwenya, 2004;
McPhee and Söderström, 2012) and student satisfaction (Palmer, 2012).
This is the
foundation of the so-called online platforms. The idea can be very ideal. But
does idealism true to all?
Idealism is the
metaphysical and epistemological doctrine that ideas or thoughts make up
fundamental reality. Essentially it is any philosophy which argues that the
only thing actually knowable is consciousness whereas we never can be sure that
matter or anything in the outside world really exists thus the only the real
things are mental entities not physical things which exist only in the sense
that they are perceived.
In reality, internet
connection and gadgets such as laptops, computers and mobile phones remain
unreachable luxuries for many learners. “There are students without access to
technology that’s why we’re preparing our printed instructional packets or
self-learning kits,” DepEd Undersecretary Diosdado San Antonio said.
REALISM IS THE
REFINEMENT OF OUR COMMON ACCEPTANCE OF THE WORLD AS BEING JUST WHAT IT APPEARS
TO BE. Realism is interested in objects and facts. In general, realists believe
in the independent existence of the experiential universe.
Being a realist, one
can ask these questions: What will happen to the poor learners who do not have
gadgets? If we consider the online platform as the sole learning avenue, will
the internet signal of TELCOs become strong enough to accommodate the millions
who will be using it? Free internet cards will be provided?
Rachel Tustin, PhD
mentions that the digital divide refers to the inequality in access to
technology that exists between communities due to regional and demographic
differences, particularly socio-economic groups. One of our goals as teachers
is to help bridge the digital divide so that students can acquire the
technological skills they will need to be successful as adults. While some
students are considered digital natives, having grown up immersed in
technology, other students, for a variety of reasons, have not reached this
level of technological skill.
In most cases, we may
have students whose only exposure to technology is at school, and many students
probably fall somewhere in between. The digital divide refers to the inequality
in access to technology that exists between communities due to regional and
demographic differences, particularly socio-economic groups.
That is the first
reality that we need to face: how do we bridge the digital divide and how do we
train both the teachers and learners to become at ease with digital learning?
Printed instructional
packets or self-learning kits are the best things to prepare as the school year
is going to be kicked-off on August. These things are viable in the sense that
it won’t leave any learner behind.
The problem comes
when the validity of these materials will also be questioned and fall to become
another set of exercises in futility. Still, the need to be realistic must
prevail especially that we are now going to segue to the so-called new normal.
No comments:
Post a Comment