Saturday, November 22, 2008

Internet and Education

The onset of the new millennium and reformation promises new hope for accelerated development of Indonesia's education sector. The key factors contributing to this new hope are moves towards decentralization, school based management, empowerment of schools and communities to influence school outcomes, and the unification of objectives and goals by all sectors.
In the past very efficient and effective communication systems were established to disseminate information to all sectors of the education community. The decentralization of education will necessitate a new paradigm and role for the educational administration. A major component of this new role will be the efficient monitoring, identification of needs, and affective deployment of human and other resources to meet those needs. By in large the problems in education are mainly systemic and currently the full potential of the human resources in all sectors are not being utilized. Most of the research and development initiatives during this new interim period should be directed towards developing communication systems that empower the various education sectors to contribute to the development and future directions of education in Indonesia.


Communication Systems
The emphasis upon maximizing human resources in all sectors implies that we will need highly effective communication systems. If we are going to be responsive to needs then the initial focus should be more upon the reception of information rather than upon dissemination of information. This almost implies a reversal of roles compared to the previous role of communication for educational administration.
Research* into school development has clearly indicated that one of the most effective ways in which schools self-develop is through the sharing of information and ideas. One of the major contributors to the professional and personal development of the principals in schools modeling successful change has been the open and supportive communication achieved by means of regular principal forums. By collectively addressing issues among peers affective, realizable solutions have been achieved. The invitation of input and direct contributions from the other stakeholders; students, parents, and community members also provided a wealth of information and improved community support for school development. If the primary objective is the maximization of educational human resources it is imperative that we greatly improve the communication channels between all sectors of the education community and stakeholders. Therefore the initial thrust for improved communication should also focus upon shared communication and increased opportunities for contributions from all sectors.
The responsibility of schools entering this new era of globalization should be to prepare students for all the new challenges that are rapidly changing our society. The ability to speak a foreign language and computer literacy are currently the two most common criteria required from people wishing to enter the workforce in Indonesia (and globally). As only about 20-30% of senior secondary school graduates nationally continue on to formal tertiary education, and with computers now infiltrating every aspect of human life it places a high burden of responsibility upon our education system to improve the development of our students' language and computer literacy (See Introduction - Computers).
Given the high priority for establishing computer facilities within all Indonesian schools and the large distances between provincial schools in Indonesia it appears logical that one of the better options for improving communications between the schools, Kanwils, Kandeps, and the National Ministry of Education would be the utilization of the Internet. Some schools are already taking the initiative to establish facilities themselves. Based upon these existing moves, and given that the development itself is consistent with the learning needs of our students, the Internet as strategy for consideration as a communication medium is very valid.
The Internet and teaching and learning
The wealth of information now available on the Internet has already surpassed the expectations and even the imagination of the systems early inventers. The Internet was originally created as a military defence system to decentralize and distribute control so as to eliminate the risk of total failure, as could be the case if a centralized system's main computer was destroyed.
The Internet decentralizes and empowers. By using the Internet we can access almost unlimited and rapidly expanding sources of information. We can communicate individually or on mass to practically anywhere in the world within seconds. We can publish information that can be accessed from anywhere in the world instantly. We can communicate real time through telephone and video processing units. We can "chat" through a wide range of free chat networks ie. mIRC.
For teachers the Internet offers opportunities to obtain:
Professional Development
(a) Increased knowledge
(b) Collegial/ peer development (sharing of resources)
(c) Collaboration with overseas teachers
(d) Opportunities to publish directly
(e) Maintain regular communication
(f) Participate in forums with colleagues both locally and Internationally
Teaching materials resources
(a) Access sample lesson plans and new methodologies
(b) Raw and developed materials suitable for all subject areas
(c) Publish and share resources
A high popularity/ high interest strategy for improving student focused learning.
For students the Internet offers opportunities for:
Individualized Self-paced Learning
(a). Increased knowledge
(b). Interactive learning
(c). Development of research skills
Personal Enrichment
(a) Improved communication with other students
(b) Enhanced awareness of global issues
While the Internet has the potential to deliver these benefits to both teachers and students the use of the Internet in the classroom must be highly structured with very clearly defined learning objectives. Student activities also have to be carefully monitored.
Why?
As was stated earlier the Internet contains a wealth of information and resources however it also contains a wealth of useless time-wasting activities that students can very easily be distracted by. While participation in these activities during their own time may benefit their general knowledge or develop other skills, time in the classroom must remain focused upon the objectives of the lesson. Effective Lesson planning for using the Internet will require some new skills and a high level of teacher activity in order to be time-effective.
One of the potential advantages for both administrators and schools from the Internet may be the simplification of reporting and school data collection via forms that can be directly sent to single or multiple destinations.
Teachers, especially language and social studies teachers, will be able to download current news and current affairs articles that can be used in the classroom the same day. All teachers can use the Internet for both personal and professional development through regional and worldwide collaboration.
What equipment do you need to purchase?
The author recommends the purchase of only one computer with an internal modem and CD ROM drive initially. This computer should be located in the school library where it can be accessed by all staff and students and monitored by the librarian. The librarian should also be trained in routine maintenance and care of the computer and be authorized to schedule access to the computer via a booking system.
COST: Between Rp3,000,000. - 5,000,000. depending upon the exchange rate.
If the school already has a computer laboratory then an external modem can be purchased quite cheaply to allow access to the Internet from the computer laboratory, as required. The external modem could also be available for departmental use.
What else do you need?
You will definitely need an Internet Service Provider (ISP). This is a company that provides your connection to the Internet through your telephone line. The author recommends that schools initially open a "student account" until they know how much time per month they will require. Try to register with a USER NAME associated with your school i.e "SMK3Palu" because this will probably become your e-mail address also (see below). There is a list of Internet Service Providers in the index of this homepage.
COST: Between Rp50,OOO.00 and Rp100,000.00 per month + Small SetUp Fee.
E-Mail Accounts
Usually your ISP provides you with at least one e-mail account and this will use your "user name" (i.e. from above SMK3Palu@Sulawesi.Net). This e-mail can be used for official school use.
Student E-Mail Accounts
The author recommends that students open personal e-mail accounts at http://mail.yahoo.com , http://www.hotmail.com , or one of the many other free e-mail providers. These e-mail accounts are preferable rather than a service provider account because they can be used permanently. It is also a good idea for schools to have an alternative e-mail address in case they change service providers. I would recommend a free POP account because they allow you to POP your mail, forward your mail, or read it from the Internet site (most flexible).
Homepages and Domain Names
There are many free homepage providers (Check the EducationWebsites list).
Domain Names are not very important unless you are a commercial organization or business. Unless the domain name is easy to remember like "Pendidikan.Net" then the advantages are not really clear. If you create a homepage at FreeWebsites.Com you may have an address (or URL) like http://www.FreeWebsites.Com/~SMK3Palu. If you go to the homepage links at SLTA.Net or SLTP.Net you will find that many of the school homepages are located on free sites like this. The main advantages of the free sites are that there are no maintenance costs and they are independent of whatever ISP you may choose.
If the usage of the Internet in your school is high you may find that you need to install another telephone line. Many students in the cities use Internet Cafe's after school. Some have Internet facilities at home (not many). However, if you find that students want to use the Internet after school then you may want to implement some kind of cost recovery charging system (don't forget to include maintenance, replacement, and staff costs).
Telepone Costs
Often when teachers or Principals are asked "Does your school have Internet?" the answer is "Not yet, the telephone costs would be too expensive."
If your school could communicate with all other schools in Indonesia, as well as the local and central education authorities by using the telephone for just five minutes per day or less would you still think it was expensive?. As an example, I download e-mail from many websites (about 70) every morning and I only need less than five minutes (<5 menit). How can this be? I use Post Office Protocol (POP) mail. All schools can use POP mail free like this which is available at several providers (See EducationWebsites.Net List). Mail is POP'ed from the host straight to my e-mail browser. When all the mail has been received the Internet is disconnected.
The mail is read OFF-LINE (not connected to the Internet) and no further costs are incurred (free). This mail can be printed or copied (block and copy) to Word, Wordpad, or Notepad so that it can be taken from the computer (on a diskette).
But how do we send or reply to mail?
Basically the same way:
• 1. We write the letter in Word, Notepad or Wordpad.
• 2. If we are using Netscape we open the browser and clik "mail", or if we are using Internet Explorer "open Microsoft Outlook".
• 3. Open "New Msg" in Netscape or "New" in Microsoft Outlook.
• 4. Fill-in the e-mail address, subject, and letter contents.
• 5. If you want to send more than one letter (e-mail) repeat steps 3 & 4 until all letters have been written.
• 6. Once you have finished then you connect to the Internet.
• 7. Click "Send" on all the written letters individually (you dont have to wait before clicking the next).
• 8. If you are using Microsoft Outlook you will have to click "Send/Receive" afterwards.
• 9. Wait until all the mail has been sent (usually very quickly).
• 10. If you are using Microsoft Outlook you will automaticaly recieve any new letters that have been sent to you. If you are using Netscape it's best to check whether you have any new mail by clicking "Get Msg".
• Disconnect from the Internet.
If you use this system your telephone costs will be minimal as the process only requires connecting to the Internet for a vey short time each morning. During that time you can send mail that you have prepared the day before and receive your new incoming mail.
What about Searching the Internet?
Quite honestly, if students use the Internet during lesson time the teacher must be very experienced at utilizing the students' time effectively in order to achieve any quality learning. Maybe the Internet could be used in this way after teachers themselves have acquired sufficient experience with the Internet as a medium. I have used the Internet for teaching however the learning objectives and student activities must be clearly explained and effective monitoring must be maintained.
Teachers can also find themselves wasting a great deal of time and money on the Internet if we don't establish a good system right from the beginning. Rather than having teachers searching for similar information individually we should establish an information centre which locates sites that are of quality and relevant to teachers' needs. If we had such a centre teachers could forward an enquiry to them by e-mail and receive appropriate URLs (Universal Resource Locator - homepage address). One person at the centre would do the searching (more efficient) and the information could be placed on "links pages" which other teachers could then check before sending an enquiry.
As has been often stated, all students in Indonesia should be experienced with both computers and the Internet. Most of the learning about the Internet and how to create homepages can be taught on a computer without connecting it to the Internet. If we are planning to commence computer skills classes the cost of some connection time to the Internet could be included into the students fees (sharing). It's probably more effective for the students to get to know the Internet while they are within the school and extend these skills themselves at local Internet Cafes after school. At many schools that do not yet have Internet facilities the students have been using the Internet for some time and are quite experienced. This experience could be utilized for helping teachers and librarians who want to learn about the Internet. With this new technology we should begin to utilize all the school's human resources.
Conclusion:
If we intend to teach the most important issues are good planning and strategies. It's the same with the Internet. If we want to create an effective and efficient communication system, and improve student learning of computer technology good planning (programs), and the best of strategies within the capabilities of the school must be established. If we follow the principles laid out in the "Sources of Funding" document we can achieve ongoing improvement to the quality of learning in our schools through a program of self-development.


Phillip Rekdale

Admin@EducationDbase.ComAdmin@EducationDbase.Com


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