Sesi ini lebih berbentuk pentaloka daripada seminar. Kita bekerjasama untuk membuka dan membahas beberapa isu yang perlu dibahas supaya teknologi pendidikan dapat sebagai ilmu yang mendukung pembelajaran, bukan hanya mimpi.
Catatan: Rencana asli untuk sesi ini (sebelum jumlah pembicara dikonfirmasikan adalah 2-3 jam, akhir menjadi 1+ jam), termasuk kegiatan praktikal di mana peserta-peserta mendalami prioritisation isu-isu pembelajaran dan menganalisa contoh-contoh pembelajaran yang kita ingin menyampaikan sampai memilih teknologi-teknologi yang cocok (kalau perlu teknologi) supaya kita dapat mencapaikan KBM yang bermutu.
Latar Belakang
Sudah banyak sekali retorika mengenai pentingnya teknologi dalam peran pembelajaran (teknologi pendidikan). Disebut retorika karena biasanya tidak ada bukti yang ditunjukkan.
Apa itu Teknologi Pendidikan "Educational Technology"?
"Educational technology is most simply and comfortably defined as an array of tools that might prove helpful in advancing student learning." Ref: Educational Technology Beberapa macam alat yang mungkin dapat membantu.
Apakah, benar machine (komputer) dapat mengajar lebih baik daripada manusia?
Membaca "Pengumuman Multimedia Terbukti Tingkatkan Nilai Siswa"
Artikel ini membuktikan apa sebetulnya?
- Barangkali hanya kekurangan metode pengajaran dan dedikasi dosen, bukan?
Sebaliknya ada banyak orang yang sangat ragu-ragu mengenai aplikasi teknologi dalam pendidikan:
"Those who place their faith in technology to solve the problems of education should look more deeply into the needs of children. The renewal of education requires personal attention to students from good teachers and active parents, strongly supported by their communities. It requires commitment to developmentally appropriate education and attention to the full range of children's real low-tech needs - physical, emotional, and social, as well as cognitive."
Maupun: "Computers pose serious health hazards to children. The risks include repetitive stress injuries, eyestrain, obesity, social isolation, and, for some, long-term physical, emotional, or intellectual developmental damage. Our children, the Surgeon General warns, are the most sedentary generation ever. Will they thrive spending even more time staring at screens?" Ref: Fool's Gold
Apakah kita perlu teknologi canggih untuk belejar / mengajar?
Sebetulnya tidak, kecuali kalau kita belajar atau mengajar teknologinya, misalnya kelas Ilmu Komputer dan Teknologi Informasi Komunikasi (TIK).
Kita hanya perlu tanya "Apakah orang-orang tidak dapat belajar sebelum ada teknologi modern?"
Tetapi teknologi dapat membantu pelajar belajar kan?
Membaca: "Technology in our classrooms"
Saran-Saran Kami Ditulis Di Bawah:
There are two main issues that I believe need expanding upon before attempting to compare needs within the two countries (USA & Indonesia):
1. The basic requirements for achieving quality teaching, standards of classrooms and basic education facilities in Indonesia need to be achieved before we can legitimately begin to compare the role and relevance of education technology in the two countries.
Basic issues including collapsing buildings and leaking rooves really need to be addressed before we can even contemplate placing computers in the classrooms. 30,000 districts in Indonesia still do not have electricity. Ref: http://teknologipendidikan.com/ims.html
2. The use of the Internet for the vast majority of Indonesian students whose English language skills are very low is highly questionable. The use of the Internet as a learning tool can not validly be compared to that in English-speaking countries. There is very litle educational material on the Web in Indonesian, and the low standard of much of the material that is available raises many serious questions about quality learning issues and the effective use of student time.
There is no question that all students need to learn about computers and information technology (IT). IT and foreign language skills are rapidly becoming pre-requisites for any meaningful employment prospects. IT has entered all aspects of the workplace here in Indonesia as it has in the rest of the world.
However, the prioritization of education technology ahead of other basic education needs in public (state) schools is highly questionable and only promises to elevate many current equity issues.
RE: 'One should not forget that only five years ago, Prof. Larry Cuban of Stanford University found that only 1 in 10 teachers were using computers in the classroom (in the U.S.). Now, computers are an integral part of teachers' daily activities.'
One should also not forget that whether there has been improvement (or otherwise) to the quality of education in American schools is an issue that is constantly being debated. We need concrete evidence that education quality is improved before we commit our limited financial resources here in Indonesia.
The primary question that needs to be asked, and is frequently overlooked is 'do we need education technology to achieve quality teaching/learning?'
There is much rhetorical evidence to support this claim and it is usually associated with improved student motivation stimulated by the utilization of the technologies.
However, as I found in some minor research in Australia back in 1996, students also quickly become bored with extended exposure to e-Learning materials and there are some other basic factors that are not addressed by technology as a learning medium.
Ask youself if you have ever been bored by the frequent use of programs like powerpoint which is often associated with low learner participation in the learning process. Do many technologies used by teachers actually result in a more passive and less effective learning environment?
Even the Overhead Projector which has been with us for decades, because of poor planning and low quality materials often only serves to impede the education process. How effective will use of higher level technologies really be in our schools?
RE: 'develop a benchmark of an appropriate level of technology use in schools, for example by evaluating a U.S. example'
Surely appropriate levels of education technology should reflect the actual needs of teachers here, not what some individual or institution has decided is necessary in their situation (in a far-away country).
We need to continually reflect upon the basic question 'do we need education technology to achieve quality teaching/learning?'. For instance, one technology that is often most effective is the use of large sheets of paper which engages the learners in the learning proces both physically and mentally (see above).
Ask yourself (and other experienced teachers) Do I need technology to teach this? If so, what technolgy is most appropriate? This is the basic principle that underpins Education Technology as a Science.
Phillip Rekdale
1 September, 2008
"I am agree on all points you mentioned. Indeed, I can answer "No" without any hesitation to your basic question 'do we need education technology to achieve quality teaching/learning?'" (Totok Amin Soefijanto, 31-8-2008)
Mr. Totok Amin Soefijanto is Deputy Rector (Vice-Chancellor) for Academics and Research at Paramadina University, Jakarta. He earned his Ed.D in educational media and technology at Boston University.
