Handphone and Students Growing in the example of Covid- 19; Lesson from Indigenous People in Limbungan, Lombok Timur, Indonesia

Abstract

The pandemic has changed how students learn, including accepting technology in indigenous peoples' environments which is commonly unrevealed. This research discusses 1) how is students' literacy towards using smartphone technology in the context of learning before and after the pandemic in education units? 2) How do indigenous peoples understand modernization amid the substantial inheritance of ancestral traditions still practiced? Is it acceptance or rejection? To answer these research questions, ethnographic studies used Symbolic Interactionism analysis to observe changes in population behavior. There are two purposively selected sample groups; groups of students in indigenous environments, community leaders, and some randomly selected individual representations. Participatory observations, in-depth interviews, and related literature reviews were utilized to collect data supplemented by questionnaires disseminated through the help of google forms submitted to groups of students. The findings conclude that the Limbungan community is open to accepting technological media. Private television broadcasts after the fall of the new order regime contributed to campaigning for the importance of schools. This prompted the emergence of a wave of Limbungan people attending school. The pandemic has significantly improved digital literacy among indigenous peoples, even though most tribes in some areas have refused. School-age children are quite adaptive when using mobile phones to study during the pandemic. It can be said that indigenous groups in Indonesia do not always reject technology and the changes brought about in children's learning methods.