EDU4.0: Research, Teaching and Learning in the Fourth Industrial Revolution (FIRe) and OER

Our contemporary society forces everyone to undergo a GREAT REVOLUTION – A GREAT TRANSFORMATION that disrupts the daily routine of each individual in their respective fields of work. This is the challenge of successive technological innovations in the Fourth Industrial Revolution (FIRe). FIRe has brought us in a situation where technology is now a relevant part of our job and daily interaction with one another. Hence, every institution attempts to find a way on how they will take advantage of the benefits of incorporating technology in their line of work and services, instead of being stuck in a situation of hopelessness due to the problems and challenges that they encounter in adapting to the technological revolutions.

In the Educational Sector, it has been a great challenge for us on how we can implement these technological changes into our classroom in order to further improve the learning process of our students. Since the advent of information and digital age, educational experts and authorities have been trying to find a way to help in providing and suggesting methods and systems to the academic community in incorporating information and communication technologies in the daily practice of the teachers. However, doing this kind of change is not that easy. It will require a radical transformation from each aspect of the academic community to lead it in a successful state. Take for instance the context of the Philippine Education.

Philippine Educational system has been lagging behind from almost all of our neighboring countries. We have been utilizing the same educational facilities, materials, methods, and instructions for several decades already. It is just very ironic that we have been continuously using old decade educational system to prepare a generation of learners for the future challenges of the 21st century. It is a big question for us as educators on how sure are we in preparing the students to their respective fields of work if the system that we use cannot step up with the accelerated innovations of the 21st century.

By and large, the problem with the current context of the Philippine Educational System is an institutional and community problems that require collaborative efforts with all the stakeholders involved in order to address the challenges at hand. Educational policymakers, Academic heads and administrators, social non-government organizations, educators, parents/guardians and even students themselves must perform their responsibilities with all sense of accountability. We cannot expect students to perform in a level that they must fulfill in a 21st century learning environment if we can still observe the problems of students who are not able to obtain proper access to internet and technologies.

There is no question as regards to the availability of resources in the current learning environment that we have right now. As indicated by UNESCO, Open Educational Resources (OERs) provide educators and learners the access to enormous amount of information, knowledge, and skills that they can learn and utilize as they compete and collaborate in the 21st century society. These resources can be used to learn and apply the 21st century skills such as collaboration, communication, critical thinking, and information literacy among others. Definitely, OERs can be a big help in achieving a classroom where students can be actively engaged and be a lifelong learner. This is the aim of FIRe and the information and digital age – to produce student who are capable of navigating the skills of the 21st century society.

However, the basic requirements to access these OERs are internet and gadget that still now not all of the learners in the Philippines are capable of having them. Hence, how will they use the OERs? As we can see, a lot of our learners are members of the families living in the poverty line or even below the poverty line, especially in this time of pandemic. They would rather utilize the money for buying food and paying other necessities in their homes instead of using it for accessing internet and gadgets.

Generally speaking, everyone of us must carry out our social responsibility to address this societal problem. This is not just a problem of the Educational sector. This is a problem connected to a bigger picture and context. We cannot just say that it is the problem of the government since most of the students who cannot keep up with the demands of the 21st century society are students in the Public Schools. No, that is a big shame for us! We have to make sure that students in the Public School can also enjoy the privilege and benefits of the information and digital age. If internet and gadgets have become a necessity to access a quality education, then it is just right that we provide a way for them to walk right down the path of 21st century learning. As members of the previous generation, we need to ensure the capabilities of our current generation to accept the challenges of the 21st century and turn them into a beneficial learning experience that they can take advantage to build a better future.