Education is one of the most important institutions of social reproduction, providing both the processes of socialization and the formation of the professional competence of society members. Education as an institution is not static. It changes under the infl uence of various social factors, and, in particular, it is transformed depending on what social demands are. The author, on the basis of the systematic approach, believes that positive transformations in the conditions for the implementation of educational activities initiate the development, not only of the institution of education, but also indirectly aff ect the entire society. In this context, signifi cant social transformations are accompanied by changes in the characteristics of educational activities. The article raises the question of what kind of transformations take place in connection with the development of information technology. The prospects associated with the modern development of information technologies are assessed, as well as the problems and risks associated with the introduction of information and communication technologies in the educational process. In particular, the positive results of the impact of technological progress on the capabilities of teachers, include the increase in the availability of materials, the improvement of illustrative methods, and the simplifi cation of communication channels. The negative consequences shows how easy it is for contemporary students to bypass the forms of monitoring the performance of tasks, which, in turn, aff ects the quality of mastering competencies. Also, the author takes into account the fact that technical progress after the second half of the 20th century is signifi cantly ahead of the needs for the transformation of the education system. The article discusses the experience of using distant forms of educational activity during the pandemic and evaluates the positive and negative aspects of distant education.