ST. MARY’S COLLEGE OF TAGUM, INC.

Tagum City, Davao del Norte, Philippines

GRADUATE EDUCATION PROGRAM

Name: JEMUEL H. LUMINARIAS Section: TSci 106 SECTION B 1792

Professor: PRINCES LUISE DELA TINA, Ma.Ed

EMERGING AS TECHNOLOGICAL EXPERTS IN ONLINE DIGITAL TOOLS: A TEACHER

MUST-HAVE IN THE NEW NORMAL SETUP

The world has changed dramatically in the nearly two years since the COVID-19
pandemic. Businesses were closed, millions of workers lost their jobs, poverty and
inflation rates rose, millions became infected and died, and the deadly virus remained a
very dangerous threat. As a result, the Department of Education has adopted and
implemented a variety of strategies, techniques, and modalities to ensure learning while
also protecting each learner's wellness and safety. A paradigm shift from traditional
face-to-face instruction to virtual online teaching and learning. It has been the most
challenging part for the teachers, though it could be minimal for some digital natives but
could be wary among digital immigrant teachers. Aside from that, teaching evidence-
based topics like science can be difficult since certain lessons require hands-on activities
that can be done in the lab.

Science's hands-on, minds-on, and hearts-on approach encourages learners to

use their hands to explore, engage and actively participate in learning, analyze with their
minds, and invest with their hearts as they become more deeply immersed in their
learning process. As science teachers, we should also think beyond the box about what
are the best teaching techniques, methods, and strategies to use in a variety of settings
or modalities especially we are currently dealing with the pandemic. Since we are
already familiar with the teaching techniques used in science, such as lecture-discussion,
laboratory, problem-solving, observation, and project methods. Then it's up to us
teachers to decide which approaches and strategies are most suited to our learners. We
should also try to examine its benefits and limitations, particularly in terms of the
availability of resources to be utilized and the learners' safety, given that they would be
working alone and remotely.

Furthermore, using Online Digital tools would be quite beneficial in reaching

certain learning outcomes and competencies. Some programs may be used without an
internet connection if they have devices such as Android phones, laptops, or desktop
PCs. Microsoft Office, Prezi, Ptable, Facebook, Messenger, Kahoot, Ed Puzzle, Canva, and
scientific-related apps such as Phet, virtual sci-lab, Fly Lab, Pop Gen Fishpond, and MIT
courseware are a few examples of digital technologies that may help and as an aid in
teaching science classes remotely or virtually. Meanwhile, Learners who are less affluent
or who live in distant locations, on the other hand, will be able to learn by using self-
learning modules guided with weekly home learning plans, activity sheets, pre-recorded
video lessons, and listening to audio courses through their radio transistors. I am pretty
sure that there would be no learners left behind if these techniques are utilized.

We are set to start the new school year, or School Year 2021-2022, this
September. But there are still no face-to-face sessions, as mandated by the Department
of Education. The previous school year presented us with several obstacles, including
hardships and problems as we adjusted to a new teaching and learning process in a new
normal setup. We cannot claim to have implemented it flawlessly, but we did a good job
of educating and shaping our students. However, there is always room for
improvement. We must enhance our abilities to integrate new technology, particularly
new digital tools, into our classroom. We must continue to work harder to grow,
discover, improve, and become technological experts. We should have a positive
mindset and a desire to learn and improve, whether we are digital natives or digital
immigrants because learning never ends... Learning is a lifelong endeavor.