Technology experts and officials from the Department of Education (DepEd) warned against the use of social media for the online learning of students amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
Teacher Robert Sapeco Jr. is preparing for the October 5 school opening.
Because he will hold online classes for his students, one of the platforms that he will use is a group chat on social media.
“‘Yong most popular sa mga bata, ‘yong Facebook Messenger… Google Meet. Doon namin sila talaga imi-meet,” Sapeco said.
According to the Department of Education (DepEd), there is no direct policy on the use of social media, especially for distance learning.
“Call na ‘yan ng mga teacher… China-challenge din natin ang mga kasamang guro na maging malikhain,” said Education Undersecretary Nepomuceno Malaluan.
However, DepEd also says that, if possible, teachers and students should not use social media in online learning.
“We may encounter several problems. May group cheat features na may adult content, and can elicit incorrect values to learners. Malingat lang ang teachers, baka iba’t iba na ang mapuntahan ng bata,” said Education Undersecretary Alain Pascua.
“We have to weigh these platforms and the learning methodologies. ‘Di dahil madaling gawin, doon tayo. Mapapahamak pa ang mga bata,” Pascua added.
Instead of social media, other online platforms are said to be more secure.
Tech experts warn against using social media for online learning
But according to technology expert Art Samaniego, even if online platforms are secure, scammers can still enter.
“Magkakaroon na ng ‘Zoom bombing’ — ito ang bagong term na na-coin, na sumikat ngayong pandemya,” said Samaniego.
“May nakakapasok sa meeting room na mga hindi imbitado. Puwedeng mangyari ito sa Zoom, MS Teams, and Google Classroom,” he explained.
If the parent is not watchful, the child could also enter the “dark web” part of the Internet, according to Samaniego.
“Nandito lahat [ng] mga kriminal, drug addict, sexual predator. Ito ang mga lugar kung saan makikita mo. Kikilabutan ka kung ano ang shine-share nilang pictures,” said Samaniego.
He also advised parents and other family members to pay close attention to young students at home.
He also said that this is the time when schools should strengthen their online security.