Week 5 : How technology affordances support learning?

Using technology, I can always being connected to people who live far from me. For example, I can get comments from my students, my colleagues even from my employer regarding this issue. I used WhatsApp, Facebook and email. See….how technology help us in the way it should be. I agree that technology play a big role to support our learning system. However, anything good will ruin and give a bad implication if there is no limitation and controller. 

Here are some of the comments from my students, teachers and my previous principal about how technology affordances support learning.

 

   

‘I think it was google that help most our studies. However just using technology won’t really help us remember. It is good in terms of getting information, for example write on an electronic pad as notebooks, unless they print it out, they won’t remember as it is stored and unseen. So, student probably do not appreciate the knowledge’. - Nurin Qistina, UTP student.

‘In my 3 years’ experience of teaching in one of the rural school in Malaysia, I found that my students are more interested to learn when I use video during the lesson. The usage of video not only motivates them to learn but also helps to explain concepts that are difficult to understand. My students can understand concepts at a much faster rates compared to when I explained to them verbally or with pictures. However, I also noticed that the use of too much video in a lesson could backfire. This has made my students to lost interest in reading storybooks, especially those with more written words than pictures. This has made the textbook underutilized. So, I reckon it should depend on the teacher when and where to use the technology.’ – Mokhsin Abdul Ghaffar, teacher at SK Batu Keling, Sarawak.

These are comments from teacher and principal that run a new program, Smart School which focusing in using technology in teaching and learning.

‘We are still at the beginning/planning stage and haven’t really gone into it. At the moment they are working on it. There’s a lot to be done on the teachers’ side and I don’t they are 100% ready for it. They are being sent for courses with Apple. I think the idea of using technology in the classroom is expensive as the gadget is costly. The equipment like iPad has to be made available for all students and teachers plus other things that goes with it.  – Rohani Hassan, Teacher at MRSM (Smart School).

‘I am totally agree with this issue. However, many factors need to be looked into especially we need a lot of preparation on teachers and administration part. We have to look readiness of teachers. We needed to train the teachers first (have been trained but not enough, it should be continuously) then encouraging them to try and be brave. Different student characteristics, including prior knowledge and skills, learning styles and motivation and the physical environment should be taken in account. We also have to look on the available access to information resources (problem is lacking of the availability to access ie Wi-Fi). The last and important thing is how the lesson is constructed structuring of the learning context and outcomes.’ – Wan Ainizah Ariffin, Principal MRSM (Smart School)

In conclusion, we cannot deny the importance of technology in meeting the needs of the present generation (Z-generation) to learn. They are born with iPad, tablet, iPhone, laptop and other gadget that we never imagine will be exist in the past 10 years. Even 3 or 4 years old children can learn from internet even they are not going to school or formal education yet. This generation, need to be active to learn something. They learn very fast and we have to use this ability to expand their potential, sharing their ideas and encourage learning process at any time. However, it must have a balance between technology and human touch. I will discuss more about our commitment in making our students' learning become more interactive using technology in MRSM system.