Pandemic—Unlocking technology to deliver education

 Sajad Ahmad

Pandemic has drastically affected every sector including educator sector, but fortunately Online-learning proves to be a lifeline amidst the chaos to prevent the loss of educational opportunities.

The COVID-19 crisis has pushed schooling onto remote platforms. Technology has stepped into breach and will serve as a promising tool in educating future generations. The educators grapple with the new ways of communicating with students away from classrooms. It is a good time to reflect on how these disruptive crisis can help define what learning should be like.

Online-learning is emerging as a life line amidst the chaos. Zoom-app, Google meet have proven to be the substantial tools amidst crisis. Due to this COVID-19, there was an overnight shift of normal classroom into e-classrooms and educators have shifted their pedagogical approach to tackle new condition & adapt to changing situations.

Social distancing is conscious increment in physical gap between people in order to curb dissemination of disease. The pandemic has forced global physical closure of all schools by pushing all institutions to migrate to online platforms. Online learning in it’s entirety is dependent on technological devices and internet, instructors and students with bad internet connections are liable to be denied access to online learning.

The COVID-19 pandemic has shaken the education sector and fear is likely to resonate across education sector globally. But online -learning has proven to be the lifeline of the education system.

The major part of world is on quarantine due to serious outbreak of this pandemic and many cities have turned into phantom cities and effects can be seen in schools, colleges and universities too. This pandemic has made institutions to go from offline mode to online mode of pedagogy. The crisis will make institutions to accept modern methodology. The catastrophe will show also lucrative side of online teaching and learning .With the help of online Teaching modes, large number of students are sermonized at any time.

Pandemic has drastically affected every sector including education sector. If school closures are extended for too long, there will not Only be a significant potential for loss of educational opportunities but also potential loss of human capital and diminished economic opportunities in long run. Fortunately, closing of schools didn’t entirely stop education, although it changed it. To reduce the impact of closures, schools have been looking for alternative ways to provide access to education. On the side of home schooling, students and children are using technology such as online/ video classes to disseminate the information.

Online teachings will promote self development and effective teachers are being able to realize it. The positive prospectus, however, outweigh the negative implications and we should be ready to acclimatize with the advancements.

A lot of issues are still attached to online-learning but we can’t ignore the perks of it in times of such crisis. Technology is proving to be a savior for education system.

(The author can be reached @ Sajadmsczoology@gmail com)