The Department of Education provided alternative learning delivery platforms to proceed with education in spite of the COVID-19 widespread. The education agency has launched an online platform named “DepEd Commons and Zzish” to help students in continuing their lessons. The online platform, which is accessible by public school teachers to support remote learning, offers online review materials and Open Educational Resources (OERs). In addition, teachers and students in high school are encouraged to make use of Google Classroom to interact with students. In this platform, teachers can post announcements and assignments that students can accomplish online. Likewise, as for the elementary and secondary division, teachers can make slideshows of their lessons and post them in Facebook groups and allow students to ask their questions and share insights through comments. Some have also given assignments via Facebook Messenger.
Similarly, higher education institutions are shifting to online classes to continue education amidst pandemic brought about by the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak. The Commission on Higher Education (CHED) issued guidelines in connection with the prevention of the COVID-19 among HEIs including the provision of distance learning for students. All HEIs are tasked to deploy available distance learning, e-learning, and other alternative modes of delivery in lieu of residential learning if they have resources to do so. For instance, in some schools and universities, some professors have opted for the following options on Facebook: live streamed lectures, audio lectures, video lectures of a power point, along with an audio track of a discussion. Meanwhile, schools are resorting to creative measures to keep classes running outside the classroom by means of online learning platforms such as google meet and zoom.
Conversely, while our educational institutions welcome online learning as an intervention during classes, this will only be effective when feasible. Many of our schools still do not have proper connectivity and access to Internet. As stated by Undersecretary Pascua, “In this extraordinary situation wherein one finds himself in, each must walk before he runs. Everyone should start somewhere and work his way towards the ideal where all teachers and learners in the country can access such resources.”
By: Ms. Johanna V. Consunji | Teacher III | Cataning Elementary School | Balanga City, Bataan
