Week 5 : Successful use of technology that enhance teaching or learning

In my country, government had started to implement the technology in education system seriously when ‘Sekolah Bestari’ been introduced on 1999 as one of the project that listed in the MSC (Multimedia Super Corridor), launched on August 1996.These school had been provided with some technology devices such as computers and other new technology to give the opportunity to all students explore the use of technology. It gave a chance to them to enhance their abilities and knowledge to be meaningful and relate it with the reality of life. Now more schools had been provided with smart boards, IPads, video theatre and many more in order to satisfy young generation needs to enhance their learning process. Most higher education institutions have already provide their students with e-learning and video conference to give more experience for their learning process. For example, Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM) through Centre For Development of Academic Excellence (CDAE) had introduced Open Educational Resources (OER) to enhance teaching and learning in the institutions.

C.-H. Lai, J.-C. Yang, F.-C. Chen, C.-W. Ho & T.-W. Chan (2007) had done a research on the impact of mobile technology to students learning process. They used PDA in a group of students and proved that technology help to increased level of new knowledge creation, an enhanced awareness of learning in context and enriched conceptualization of knowledge through experience. They make this research based on some literature such as Dewey’s (1938) that said ‘learning by doing’ theory emphasizes the value of action while learning. They also refer to Liang (2005) which found that mobile technologies provide instant learning guidance and feedback and use new interfaces for diverse learning approaches. 

Arshad (2005) through his research on the use of technology in learning language found that the sense of sight is the largest percentage than through other means, 83 percent of all the senses used. Students just able to get about 11 percent of the information if teachers only using lecturing technique. This proved that, technology helps to stimulate all senses of the students, especially the sense of sight where the effect is higher in the learning process over other senses.

In other research about the effectiveness of learning process using video conferencing technology conducted in Malaysia found that 60% of students agreed that the use of media is not only to attract students to teaching and learning process better, but help to improve students' understanding and facilitate teachers to deliver lessons. (Halili, et al. 2011).

Technology also give a positive impact to teachers as well. It provides authoring and monitoring interfaces where teachers can design prompts and learning materials. Teachers also can monitoring the level of students’ understanding also provide instantly assist specific students who encounter learning difficulties. 

Although studies show that the rise of the cognitive aspects of the use of information technology in teaching and learning, some difficulties as well as problems such as the inefficient integration of information technology is still exist in school. The most influences on developing ICT in school education is the pedagogical decision-making of the teachers. ( Law,et al. ,2011). So teachers should be the first person we have to focus on before we let them go the classroom. We have to provide trainings for them as to make them completely ready enough to step in their class with all technologies provided.

E-education is one of the main project that on the progress this year to enhance students learning and teachers sharing activities. Through this projects, teachers will get a special training on how to develop an interactive teaching and learning activities. They also will be taught and encourage to compile and sharing their techniques and knowledge to the other teacher all over the country using this system (E-education). We hope that through this project, give more chance to our students to develop their abilities and potential and being capable using technology to solve problems and develop new product services and knowledge as technology innovation had a big impact to increased productivity and knowledge economy. 

Reference :

1.      Arshad, Mahzan (2005). Penggunaan Teknologi dalam pendidikan literasi Bahasa Melayu. https://www.academia.edu/3486875/PENGGUNAAN_TEKNOLOGI_DALAM_PENDIDIKAN_LITERASI_BAHASA_MELAYU 

2.      C.-H. Lai,J.-C. Yang, F.-C. Chen, C.-W. Ho & T.-W. Chan (2007). Affordances of mobile technologies for experiential learning: the interplay of technology and pedagogical practices. http://www.myrakhattab.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/03/Mobile-Technologies-Article.pdf

3.     Halili , Siti Hajar, Sulaiman, Shukri & Rashid, Mohd Razha Abd. (2011).The Effectiveness of Learning Process Using Video Conferencing Technology. http://www.ukm.my/jurfpend/jurnal%202012/JP36(1)%20Chap%206new.pdf

4.    Law, Nancy, Yuen, Allan, Fox, Robert (2011). Educational Innovations Beyond Technology: Nurturing Leadership and Establishing Learning Organization. London. Springer.