Technology: a boon or a bane to education?

By Joshua Corcuera

Without doubt, technology is quite advanced nowadays. We can talk to our family and friends wherever they are with our phones, and we can share news on social media, for instance. And with the pandemic causing face-to-face classes to be temporarily stopped, students can learn using technology now. But it is worth asking: does technology really help the youth as far as their education is concerned?

To me, someone who is somehow gifted with having the gadgets needed to take online classes, technology helped me in mastering past lessons and in having a grasp of new lessons. It is essential to note, however, that I am taking accountancy—a degree program that does not require laboratory units.

When COVID-19 reached Philippine shores last January 2020, the pandemic afflicted our country so badly with over 45,000 lives lost as of November 2021. More than 2.8 million got sick with this contagious illness as of writing and strict lockdowns meant a rise in joblessness. In recent weeks, fortunately, things are getting a little bit better—at least here in Metro Manila.

By the time the first COVID-19 case was reported in the Philippines, people were alarmed yet no lockdown was imposed. A travel ban was reportedly implemented by that time but only for a certain province in China, if my memory serves me right, and not for all foreign trips. In February, things were calm. Then came March, COVID-19 cases increased consistently. For one week, there were no classes; then, it was extended into a month; until ultimately, we ended the semester at home.

By the following semester, my university chose to have online classes to which I am privileged to take. I remember that, due to uncertainties and financial difficulties, many students opt to stop temporarily from studying, from realizing their plans in life. Yet, there I was, taking online classes. The first semester of online classes was not easy, quite the opposite really. The time allotted to synchronous meetings were limited and many faculty members were struggling with using technology as well. The transition phase was difficult even for privileged students like me. Worse, I remember a report during the second half of 2020 wherein a student died in a vehicular accident after fulfilling academic tasks.

From there, I realized that technology could help things keep on moving forward, but not everyone is privileged to have access to such—and that is a huge problem when we talk of education for all. If before online classes, access to books and classrooms was the problem; then now, access to technology is the worry.

But there is another worry among the academe, the information available online. Sure, there are several reliable pages online where one can study topics accurately. There are many online references wherein information is backed up by verifiable sources and expert opinion. But there are also unreliable ones. I remember a clip in TikTok claiming that Rizal did not really die from his execution and managed to escape and become a priest.

What is worrisome from here is that (1) disinformation is being created and (2) thousands actually believe in these preposterous things. Albeit social media sites are improving their fact-checking capabilities, much more effort is required. Otherwise, the youth can be poisoned with information that is false and proven by experts to be contrary to the truth. And with this, a chaotic society may emerge—something all of us do not like to happen, right?

So, is technology beneficial or not to learning? There is no straight answer, because it really depends on how we use it. Based on what I see, sadly, many believe in questionable information online—something which educators must change soon.