Information and Communication Technology Adoption in the Challenging Environments: Accounts of Teachers in Off-Grid Areas

This study explored the narratives of teachers in challenging environment as they adopted information and communication technology (ICT) in their teaching and in learning how to develop in their craft in San Isidro District, Davao Oriental. There were ten (10) public elementary school teachers who participated in the study. This study made use of a phenomenological approach to extract the ideas of the participants. The virtual in-depth- interview was employed to gather some information as regards to their respective stories as they handled the sports activities during the non-face to face classes during the pandemic. Using the thematic analysis, the following themes emerged: the experiences of the teachers delved in the limited impact on quality of pedagogical instructions, negative perceptions of experiences and learning, and constraints in technology-related resources. The coping mechanism of the teachers were: refreshing and rejuvenating teaching skills, opportunity for retooling and reskilling, and appreciation of its accessibility, affordability, and flexibility. The insights drawn from the findings of the study were: Plan programs fit to non-face- to- face activities and less submission of video clips due to lack of gadgets and internet connectivity. They may continuously be creative in the utilization of the ICT in various classroom activities. The teachers may also be very vigilant in finding solutions to their problems and even seek information and clarifications to unburden themselves.