Technology Integration: Student's Wellbeing Through Advisory Programs Post Covid-19 Pandemic

Dr. Emanuel T. Vincent, Principal Consultant at Pinkgrape Consulting (PGC)

Without question, the pandemic rattled primary and secondary education. Although in-person instruction is essential, the pandemic forced school closures, mandates by the local Ministry of Education (MoE), and interpretation in providing a coherent strategic response to meet the needs of stakeholders made traditional instruction impossible. The addition of synchronous and asynchronous learning complicated instructional design and infrastructure since many institutions needed more time to address their technological realities and the finances required to handle the demands and stressors accompanying the pandemic. Compounding the problem were testing requirements, work-from-home (WFH) requirements, online learning infrastructure weaknesses, teacher inexperience, information gaps, home environment complexity, & unequal learning outcomes. 

Although schools with advisory programs covered topics around wellness, the catastrophe left in the wake of Covid depleted resources and forced institutions in the hope of staying solvent to seek program continuity online without a cohesive strategy. As schools return to in-person learning, the realities remain. Schools must seize the technological momentum gained during the pandemic to innovate wellness practices in addressing primary and secondary students' academic and cognitive needs. Integrating wellbeing as a complement to the core curriculum through advisories will enable the student to process personal stressors accompanied by Covid and provide an opportunity for them to gain growth strategies through weekly advisories centered on essential everyday challenges.

Technology Integration and Differentiated, Strategy for Primary and Secondary Students

As primary and secondary institutions take stock of how to move forward, considerations need to include differentiated strategies in assessing and satisfying students' academic and social-emotional needs while building and maintaining an inclusive setting. Digital technology during the pandemic has spurred countless innovations (Zoom, Google Meet, WebEx, etc.) to ensure connectivity with the world outside our windows. The addition of synchronous and asynchronous learning has allowed students the flexibility of meandering the complexities of varying learning designs in meeting prescribed mandates during covid. School counselors must be adaptable in understanding factors associated with using technology to complement the core curriculum, ensure minimal breaks in service, and maximize support. The knowledge and skills of school counselors in continuing to engage social media as a medium for counseling services must apply (Willow et al., 2018). The success of cyber counseling is measured by client satisfaction (Zainudin & Yusop, 2018). Technological competence can be very important for distance counseling practitioners (Woo et al., 2020). With this increase in digital literacy & the varying student needs after the pandemic for the efficacy of in-person advisory, providing tele-counseling to students should be a staple.

Acquiring a comprehensive picture of pupil participation during the pandemic will set the baseline of inquiry accompanied by a thorough strategy devised around data examining past and present approaches. Classroom norms and expectations must be investigated in concert with the school's present reality and technology readiness strategy. Since students participated in online instruction during the pandemic, schools should have a graduate synchronous and asynchronous media (WhatsApp, Facebook, Instagram, Media Zoom, Webex, Google Meetings, and Hangouts) and professional development strategy for integrating interactive technology (Nearpod, Pear Deck, and Flipgrid) and social media platforms. These accessories should complement the core curriculum while tackling mental health, misinformation, educational inequalities, and coping strategy problems (Pragholapati, 2020). The role of the counselor is essential in understanding the complexities of unraveling the rise of youth mental health challenges and student crises.