Frances Anne B.

Blancaflor October 2, 2022

1 522000007@ntc.edu.ph Sir Dagame O. Bohol

ADVANCED INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY

Task #1 Reflective Insights from Reading Materials

Everyone has been content with the schooling they have been receiving over the past few years.
Before the Covid-19 outbreak, some teachers and students settled to their old practices for managing
the classroom and following certain curricula. The epidemic that occurred in 2020 has had a significant
influence on our lives. It had altered our way of life and mentality in unforeseen ways. This virus had
an impact on everything, particularly our educational system. Everyone was forced to step outside their
comfort zone by the new normal in education. Students and teachers were pushed to adapt to the
changes offered by this set up by the new normal education's various modalities. Even during times of
crisis, education must continue, and it is at this point that we realize the true worth of technology.

For several reasons, teachers employed virtually little technology in the classroom in the past
years. First, some teachers, particularly seasoned ones, have little to no experience with technology.
Furthermore, the school lacks financing for the platforms and technologies utilized for instruction.
Also, others may like to stick to traditional teaching methods. However, as we were acquainted with
the new normal, we realized that technology is now an essential component of educating the students.
The usage of technology removes barriers in education (The Readiness of Filipino and Foreign
Students in the New Normal, page 6.) Because even if you are not currently studying or involved in
the education community, many articles, films, etc., may be downloaded right to your phone, making
the learning process both conveniently accessible and mobile. Education is becoming more flexible
and accessible because of technological advancements.

As an educator, the use of technology both within and outside of the classroom has been
extremely beneficial. If some will ask me if I consider technology to be a friend or a foe, I will use the
tossing of a coin as an example to express my ideas on whether technology is a friend or a foe. The
coin has two sides, the head, and the tail. Tossing a coin has a 50% chance of landing heads up and a
50% chance of landing tails up. It simply implies that you will not receive a head every time you throw.
Just like in technology, the likelihood of it being a friend or foe to the user is determined by your
attitude toward it. Since I began teaching, technology has been my best friend; it is highly convenient
and provides a wide range of tactics that I can utilize in the classroom. Technology has not replaced
instructors; rather, it has assisted teachers in developing a collaborative support network. (After covid-
19, will Chinese education achieve artificial intelligence?, Jiang Xueqin) Especially with the new
normal set up in education, technology has been a fantastic friend to me in dealing with the Department
of Education's blended learning modality. However, in a few circumstances, technology may be a foe
in terms of students seeking bogus news and irrelevant ideas that may interfere with their academics.
 Frances Anne B. Blancaflor October 2, 2022
2 522000007@ntc.edu.ph Sir Dagame O. Bohol

ADVANCED INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY

Task #1 Reflective Insights from Reading Materials

In some circumstances, technology has been my foe, capturing my attention and time, particularly
when using some of the platforms that the internet has to offer.

We know that teaching requires talent. It is a synthesis of art and science. Teachers should
continue to try new things to keep students engaged, competitive, and interested in learning. We do
not limit or settle on a single strategy because both students and educators will follow even as
curriculum changes. This is where technology come into play, especially in the new normal. However,
not everyone is open to what technology has to offer because, like the blind men in the story "The
Blind Men and the Elephant," some of us appear to claim absolute truth based on our limited, subjective
experience while ignoring other people's limited, subjective experiences, which may be equally true.
Some of us may perceive technology as a distraction, not only for learners but also for us educators;
parents may see it as an additional expense that will lead to their child's addiction since that is all they
see, or as we would say, all they want to see about technology. “And so these men of Indostan, disputed
loud and long, each in his own opinion, exceeding stiff and strong, though each was partly in the right
and all were in the wrong” (The Blind Men and the Elephant, John Saxe) Not because of what we see
and feel about a particular subject should we reject to believe what may be the truth or the best. True,
technology can be a diversion or a foe, but it is not a terrible idea to grasp how beneficial it can be if
we know and openly comprehend how it can assist our children become competitive individuals not
only in class but also in the outside world. However, in order to make the most use of technology in
education, instructors, parents, and students must be familiar with its proper use and drawbacks. Both
sides of the coin must be understood.

Education Disrupted, Education Reimagined WISE eBook 2020, a good read that may help us
become aware of what our educational system is currently in need of following the COVID-19
problem. It has had a significant impact on our education as well as the economy. Our educational
system had to educate students even when they were not in the classroom. They offered the schools
with many methods and tactics to keep learners involved, and one thing that I can say rescued us is
digital learning, which is based on technology. With the pandemic wreaking havoc on most regions of
the globe, coronavirus altered the mode of delivery and how pupils are educated globally. The virus
has spread fast throughout Europe, Asia, the United States, and the Middle East, necessitating
immediate action to reduce its impacts in critical sectors such as education. Schools have embraced
online learning, using various channels to deliver knowledge to students studying from home. (Tam
and El-Azar, 2020). Education leaders, more than ever, must adapt to the rapid transformations
 Frances Anne B. Blancaflor October 2, 2022
3 522000007@ntc.edu.ph Sir Dagame O. Bohol

ADVANCED INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY

Task #1 Reflective Insights from Reading Materials

occurring in our institutions and schools. Flexible learning programs have been promoted based on the
capacity of the students and schools (Casal, 2020). It is necessary to acknowledge that unexpected
difficulties may arise that will have an impact on our educational system. The use of technology will
be a tool for us to innovate and harness the 21st century skills of both learners and educators. We also
need to train teachers in social and emotional learning so that they can respond to trauma, as well as
realign the school calendar to prepare students for an unpredictable future. There are numerous
evidences that technology is the future of education and the tool that will reshape and reimagine
education.

These circumstances, with all the potential remedies I've suggested, would be conceivable only
if we knew what our pupils needed. According to the article Restarting and Reinventing School by
Darling-Hammond, et al (2020), there are ten key factors to consider in restarting school in the new
normal, and we must consider every factor possible to ensure that every possible crisis that may occur
in restarting school has a solution that we may consider to be done. However, in order to rebuild and
restart our educational system, we must start with the individuals who will be affected by these
changes: the students. Knowing what we need to do requires understanding what pupils need.
Everything else will fall into place after that. We can narrow the digital divide or learning gaps by
understanding what students require. For example, if we determine that students require more time for
blended learning, we can proceed to increase blended learning. Furthermore, by analyzing the children,
we will be able to determine which areas of social and emotional development need to be prioritized
and go forward with revamping schools to foster greater relationships. We must not overlook the
demands of our educators, as everything we must do necessitates knowledge, abilities, and dedicated
teachers, as we are the school's basis. To make the revamping possible, we must secure sufficient
funding to cover all of the essential resources and professional trainings for our educators and learners.
If we are successful in implementing these important factors, we can now incorporate the remaining
factors, which are to establish community schools and wraparound supports, as well as to provide
expanded learning time.

This new normal has been extremely difficult for all of us, but with the assistance of technology
and our determined leaders and educators, we can make education more engaging and achievable in
the midst of a pandemic. We still have a lot to improve and more challenges to face, but if education
can remain steady. Everything is possible.