The impact of digital tools on the education process in times of pandemic in Ecuador

Abstract

In the context presented by COVID 19, given the closure of educational centers worldwide, the frequent and varied use of technological tools in the classroom has been evidenced, which requires an analysis of the impact of its application in the educational context. For this reason, it has been raised as an objective of this study to know the influence that technology has had on the educational process. To this end, an issue that generates great interest in the current educational scenario was addressed: digital tools applied within the current situation experienced in the pandemic; which is eminent because through its use you can continue with the teaching/learning process between teacher and student in difficult times such as those that society in general is currently experiencing. This in turn is quickly shaping what education will look like and how it will be delivered in the coming years. With the advanced pace of educational technology in the world of information and communication technologies, essential enablers have been detected. These currently help institutions to find opportunities and broader solutions in education and have demanded of teachers a rapid adaptation to digital work tools that were not usual in their daily work; that had to learn to work cooperatively by sharing knowledge about the use of tools, impressions, doubts, resources, among other elements within their daily work. The proposed methodology is positivist, with a quantitative approach and confirmatory type because it required a previous explanation or a series of assumptions or hypotheses. The sample was made up of 250 teachers from the Sierra educational system in Ecuador. The survey technique was applied and a questionnaire was applied as an instrument, with an overall score in the dimensions of perception on the impact of ICT in education. In this dimension they were asked about their perception of various aspects related to the teaching-learning process, by means of a five-point Likert scale and the use of inferential probabilistic statistics by the causal study of variables to determine the digital tools used in the educational field during the time of pandemic in Ecuador. As a result, it was obtained that the communication tools used were Microsoft Teams and gamification kahoot and quizziz. The hypothesis that allowed knowing about the use and use of information and communication technologies in virtual contexts was validated, which although they were forced due to the new reality that the pandemic has generated, caused a positive impact within the Ecuadorian educational process.