Technological Changes due to the Pandemic
The Covid-19 pandemic has brought about a lot of changes in the United States. Students and non-essential workers are working from home as schools and companies have temporarily shut down due to safety concerns.
Platforms like Webex and zoom gained popularity for their group video call and screen sharing-friendly interface. Several companies and schools started using these platforms to hold business meetings, lectures, club meetings, and other events. Zoom requires installation, enabling access to the microphone and camera. Other resources that Zoom provides that can further enhance user experience are screen sharing, controlling other people’s screens, virtual whiteboard, granting hosts the ability to mute all participants, breakout rooms, and more. To utilize and maximize the benefits of these platforms having basic technological skills is crucial. While the younger generation is adjusting and enjoying these benefits many professors and teachers who have below-average to no computer skills are struggling to navigate the basic functions of these facilities. Even though the goal is to return to how things were during pre-COVID 19, these conferencing platforms have opened a new path for easy and interactive communication between groups of people with their extraordinary features, meaning they are here to stay for a long time. This all virtual shift is bringing out people’s abilities to interact with technology and the ones who are slow are lagging compared to their colleagues.
Even before the pandemic, having technological skills no matter what area of work you choose to go into was a desirable skill and in some cases required. The Couriers article “Computer skills a must in today’s workforce” states that “The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics found in 2012 that more than half of jobs required some kind of technology skills. By 2020, that number is forecast to reach 77 percent” (The Courier, 2017).
I believe that it is crucial to bring into the awareness that many elderly people and people with low technological skills are having a difficult time either finding jobs or maintaining jobs during this in-person to virtual setting change.
A few questions that need to be further researched are:
- How are parents managing their jobs along with monitoring their children’s education?
- What are the future technological trends?
- What is the future of remote jobs and learning?
Citations:
- Computer skills a must in today’s workforce. (2017, June 01). Retrieved October 19, 2020, from https://wcfcourier.com/computer-skills-a-must-in-todays-workforce/article_df9f77ca-e91c-5bc8-a7a3-f4d319c8df74.html
