VOL. 001 NO. 1 | Saturday, February 27, 2021 | The exponent of New Normal Education Since 2020 P 00.

0.00 in UDM

Technology has become

the key to a new world of
education. Online learn-
ing has become one of
the most popular ways of Synchronous classes are classes con-
gaining access to an edu- ducted in real-time and during this
cation during this pan- time, a lot of problems arise. Sadly,
demic. Although online most of these problems are technical.
learning may be the best While online learning is only one option
option we have for now, for distance learning, data shows that
still you can’t help but not all households in the Philippines
wonder how everyone is have access to the internet.
adjusting and coping with
the problems that arise “ We are all in this together; we
while attending online are all fighting the same fight”
classes, especially during
synchronous classes.
Page 2 Volume 001 | Issue No. 1

Citing data from the National Telecommunications Commission, DepEd

said that as of December 2019, 67% of the Philippine population have ac-
cess to the internet. If we can all still remember, there are numerous social media
posts have gone viral, showing Filipino students climbing trees, or even mountains,
just to get a good internet signal for their classes. This outraged both netizens and
student groups that called out educational institutions for prioritizing academic out-
put over student welfare.
Not every school is as lucky and as
ready. And not every student have
the so called “privileged” to be so
comfortable in studying in online
class most especially during this chal-
lenging time. Most of the schools in
the Philippines, especially those locat-
ed in rural communities, were taken
by surprise by these online classes
and remote learning. Other private
organizations have gathered together
to donate gadgets and bond papers to
print modules for use of the schools
and individual students. Others rely
on government support. While prob-
lems with gadget provision and inter-
net access is an expected problem,
one struggle that is present on the
sidelines of this situation is the psy-
chological struggle of both teachers
and students.
Page 3 Volume 001 | Issue No. 1

Another issue regarding to online class dur-

ing this pandemic and one of the most im-
portant and direct contrast with traditional
education, is having no set times for classes
and no assign physical place to go. This
means that if the student is not well disci-
pline and can managed time in a reasona-
ble manner, he or she might not be able to
cope with the work. The problem may arise
when the students’ technological capabili-
ties or training might not be enough to do
what’s expected. Or in the other hand, if
the student’s equipment does not meet the
technological requirements need it; it will

Truth be told, our country is an internet-challenged

country. A problem that had caused delays imple-
menting remote learning in general. Although internet
plans exist; they are not, however, created equal. As most classes are conducted through video con-
ferences, most platforms need an updated system to work efficiently. We can’t deny that most of
the students needed an upgrade not only of the system; but of the device. Sadly, it is a luxury that
turned into a necessity that everyone could not just easily afford. Not at this time where most jobs
are hanging by a thread.
Another problem that students face in this time of pandemic, the short attention span. This
problem may not be technical; but a problem that remains universal. It takes self-discipline to be
attentive and focused in a regular classroom setting. With online class, it takes will power to stay
awake and focused. Due to the lack of interaction during online class, we tend to get distracted eas-
ily on our smartphones, our pets or even on our deliveries rather than the ongoing class lessons.
One drawback of online learning is the possibility of students not being able to connect or relate to
their classmates, unlike in the classroom where students may ask their peers or teachers for imme-
diate clarifications. This may cause stress and other mental problems among the isolated students.
Another setback among students is that they may lose interest in the subject matter and thus be-
come less effective learners. At times, it is also hard to obtain immediate feedback or other related
concerns from teachers due to the asynchronicity.
Page 4 Volume 001 | Issue No. 1

Rapid advances in information and

communications technology in the
digital age have brought about sig-
nificant changes in the practice of
distance education worldwide. Edu-
cational institutions worldwide need
to adapt to the barriers brought by
the pandemic by transitioning to
online platforms as an alternative
place for learning. Some claim
online learning is an indispensable
alternative to making up for the lost
presence in physical classrooms,
while others struggle as they adjust
to the digital environment. Here, we
list down the advantages and disad-
vantages of each learning style.

But it’s no doubt that not only the students

experience those mentioned common issues
and problems, teachers also suffer. Teachers
in remote and hybrid environments also re-
ported more challenges than those in solely
face-to-face instruction. Online teachers
were more likely to say that they needed
guidance on how best to support students
with severe disabilities, English-language
learners, and students experiencing home-
lessness or poverty.

These days online teaching is not a new con-

cept, but it is in its trial and error phase.
Most of the teachers are teaching online for
the first time during this COVID-19 pandem-
ic. They are facing many challenges. In ab-
sence of guidance, resources and solutions,
they usually tend to give up. They assume
that online teaching is the worst and boring
method of teaching. It is same with the stu-
dents, as they also get bored.
Page 5 Volume 001 | Issue No. 1

Teachers are also facing difficulty to know if every student has acquired the knowledge or the student
is properly getting the knowledge. Online teaching for teachers during Covid 19 has become a tough
task demanding a higher degree of patience than they had ever exhibited before. We all know that
not all teachers are technologically literate, some of them are still on the process of learning how to
use the computers and other devices in online platform, and it makes it hard for them to teach stu-
dents comfortably, because
they were so used to be in tra-
ditional teaching. Modular
learning is the "backbone" of
the DepEd's distance learning
program as access to technolo-
gy remains a problem for most
students. Other modes of learn-
ing such as online, and TV and
radio broadcasts would supple-
ment the modules.
While schools have a budget al-
location for the shift to distance
learning filed under school
maintenance and other oper-
ating expenses (MOOE), teach-
ers said this budget can be easily depleted due to the sheer number of modules that need to be print-
ed. Teachers' anxieties over the issue which only worsened when DepEd said it has no budget allotted
for the treatment of teachers who contract COVID-19. We all know that teachers still reporting in
school and risking their lives.
Page 6 Volume 001 | Issue No. 1

No country in the world was prepared for

this unprecedented pandemic. But educa-
tion – a constitutional right of every Filipino
– should be made accessible to all under
any circumstance. Online remote learning is
undeniably difficult both for the teachers
and the students. For older teachers, they
need to learn the technology fast. For some
students, they need to understand the les-
son and be more diligent in their individual
studying schedules to get the most of the
subjects. But in any new, difficult situation, I
learned that the best thing to deal with it is
to be compassionate and understanding with the other parties. School administration should be
thinking of the welfare of the teachers and the students. Teachers should think of the students and
whether they’re already bombarding them with information. In the same way, students must not
expect too much from teachers as long as the teachers provide them the lessons, activities, and as-
sistance they need from time to time.

Online learning and teaching are just a few things we decided on amid this pandemic that we were-
n’t actually ready for. We are Filipinos. We were told we are resilient so we face challenges bravely
even if we don’t deserve it or even if we could have had it better.

SHANE O. ALBA | BSED MAJOR IN ENGLISH | | 09186467899 | Shanealba7@gmail.com