Iya Vallecer

Phishay

Flexible learning is the most favorable means to continue education amid the ongoing
crisis. The various opportunities that these technologies have given to the learners are very
beneficial when it comes to providing materials that each of the learners can take advantage of
in terms of maximizing the potential of their academic outputs. As one of those learners, I may
say that I can utilize technology in a manner of being already familiar with the tool. I can
explore the web to feed my outputs with the most quality knowledge that I could get from
various e-learning websites such as online libraries or even online tutorials that can be seen
from the platform called YouTube or any other mainstream applications that most people know
of. Educators are now also gradually learning the technicalities of these technologies, wherein
they are now capable of using the different tools that are present in different online meeting
platforms, and also exploring other ways on how they could deliver their discussions as
interactive and creative as possible to further entice us, students, to the different academic
agenda that we will be having every class day. These technological perks made education
possible in this time of the pandemic, but if we look way beyond our initiative to continue
education, an interrogative remains. Is learning genuinely achieved?
The statement of our governing body for higher education in the possibility of a
permanent implementation of flexible learning among educational institutions may be deemed
as a rash decision for such a national-level implementation. This statement garnered divisive
views from the citizens, and the creation of a further division of people in this situation is not
really what we are aiming for. Flexible learning, in my opinion, is not a holistic and sustainable
solution to genuinely consider. Yes, it may be enough for our current situation, but it failed one
of the principles of education, and that is no one should be left behind. Needless to say, that
technology is an evolutionary tool that can make education possible anywhere and anytime,
but it should always be taken into account that not everybody has the same preferences and
privileges. Let us first focus on our different privileges. The topic of privileges is more than just
being financially capable of being involved in flexible learning. It is also about having the
privilege to have a suitable environment to take online classes, it is about having the privilege
of having mental support or just any friendly company that can provide a diversion that would
give a learner something to hold on to at times of being overwhelmed with academics, and it is
about garnering the privilege to have the mental capacity to tolerate mental fatigue because of
the various submissions that are meant to be an alternative task. Those are only a few of the
concerns regarding our differences when it comes to privileges. Now when it comes to the
different preferences of learners in terms of learning, let me cite the article that was given.
According to the article, various individuals are still against the idea of flexible learning, because
some still prefer being involved in an actual classroom. After all, that is where they excel. This
statement can be supported by the different factors that affect learning that includes
environmental, social, and physical factors that can only be fully recognized, addressed, and
accommodated in an actual classroom. Well, there are technological initiatives that adhere to
those concerns but it is quite evident that there are still a lot of people that still prefer the
traditional setting. These are only a few of the ongoing concerns that should always be taken
into account. This may be our only resort to continue education at this time of the pandemic,
but it can never guarantee a holistic learning experience. Flexible learning may be beneficial for
half of the population, but education is meant for everybody. Such implementations regarding
education should not only focus on the agenda of continuing it. The decisions should be molded
from the considerations of the different factors that affect learning and also the well-being of
who does the actual learning process.
Now, If I’m given the chance to take on the responsibility of heading the initiative to
continue education, the first thing that I’m going to do is to maintain the current flexible
learning approach, because this is the safest way on how we can relay different educational
agenda in this time of the pandemic. But I will make sure that everybody can be involved in this
kind of setting. We all know that funding plays a major role in the implementation of this online
setting, so the only key is to continuously communicate and demand support from the
government. It is also essential to hold various initiatives to take care of our educators’ and
learners’ mental health, such as the implementation of scheduled academic breaks, and also for
our beloved teachers, proper compensation is a must for their endless effort to maintain their
passion for teaching at the midst of an ongoing crisis. As an educational leader, being aware
that thanking these educational participants is not enough, because we are talking about lives
here. The least that we can do for these people is to provide proper service to them. It is about
opening ourselves to them, may it be their criticisms or praises. The divisiveness of the opinions
of people to the flexible learning should be taken into account, therefore any attempts to fully
implement it as a primary part of our educational system should be implemented gradually.
This is in recognition of the undeniable continuous involvement of evolutionary technology in
our everyday lives, and also adhering to the demands of the people to continuously advocate
for the traditional approaches to learning. Blended learning is another approach that will surely
be considered since it still encourages face-to-face classes and at the same time utilizing online
learning modalities. But this particular approach should still be studied and explored before
further implementations. With this, the utilization of flexible learning is still pivotal for the sake
of continuing education for the time being, but demanding a better treatment and
accommodation for our learners and educators should be done. It is important to take note
that we are not handling robots, we are dealing with people.