REQUIRING MORE TEACHERS
ON EDUCATIONAL TECHNOLOGIES IN GLOBAL ERA[1]
Tri Wintolo Apoko[2]
At present, teachers have more important roles for facilitating the teaching and learning process conducted in class. This could be said as a consequence of the rapid development in technology. When teachers are left behind from the information and communication technology (ICT), mainly in educational area, it is a pity for them as they are the persons who convey the messages to students with interaction mode. The messages delivered to students should be something new, innovative, and more knowledgeable so as to create the prevailing of a pleasant, conducive atmosphere among them during the class.
As many roles are handled for teachers’ responsibility, understanding and applying for other more technologies in education is one of the responsibilities and becomes a must for them. At former times, teachers used simple visual media like charts, pictures, flashcards, slot boards, and other display boards as their technology to transfer knowledge. They used the media simply to make students able to boost better understanding to lessons and interested in them. In addition, it would encourage students’ participation and trainthem in efficient work and study habits.
However, technologies are developing, and then teachers need to study more aboutthem even though most teachers in Indonesia are still using kinds of simple media, even reluctant to use any media to teach as no appreciation is obtained from school. To be called professional, innovative, and creative teachers, they cannot avoid more modern media. Teachers are now faced with computers as they have become indispensable to science and engineering and are transforming education. Computers have been familiar with since they were introduced and applied many years ago (Richard Atkinson and Patrick Suppes launched a computer learning laboratory in 1963 at Stanford’s Institute). In contrast to teachers in Indonesia, it is likely that few teachers who are able to operate computers for their own material preparations – only leading schools and national-plus schools.
For that reason, it is time for all teachers to strive to implement, at least to understand more complex modern media. When schools are ready with fund to finance updated learning activities, the schools should apply for computer-based learning (CBL) or computer assisted language learning (CALL). For example, teachers will have much information and major applications related to conducting the CBL, such as drill-and-practice, tutorial, problem solving, simulation, inquiry, electronic performance support system, testing, and programming (Hackbarth, 1996).
One of the application categories is given as how it is exceptionally useful to do at one more complex learningtechnique using computer. At drill-and-practice level, teacher introduces new concepts and skills, and the computer gives practice in using them. A teacher of English, for instance, may spend one lesson explaining the use of simple present tense and for the next lesson may assign computerized practice in handling this tense. As a drill medium, the computer has some advantages over the ordinary teacher. It presentsquestions and appraises answers quickly and tirelessly, while allowing students to pace themselves.
Looking at how CBL works for learning activity, it will generate more challenging learning through materials and practice. Besides, it encourages students to study almost any time at convenient locations. For more intricate one, computers provide multimedia, interactive instruction, practice, and testing, in that way allowing teachers more time for personal forms of diagnosis and guidance. In line with interactive multimedia instruction (IMI) known as an ideal of pedagogy and introduced a long time ago, schools in Indonesia are pursuing this program so slowly. This could happen as government – the Ministry of National Education (Depdiknas RI) does not concern with instruction quality in the future. It does not try to socialize and implement the interactive learning environments at most schools in Jakarta, even in Jakarta and surroundings.
Depdiknas should be aware of the significance of educational technologies. To formulate lessons and materials to be interesting and make them interactive among students and teacher, it is urgent to apply the IMI. However, the predicament is how strong is the fund the government has to sponsor the model of IMI at each school? In fact, Indonesia’s economy is decreasing rapidly. Considering the realism, at least there are some points to have some solutions to overcome the problem so as to advance Indonesian instruction’s quality, they are:
Firstly, either government or schools may provide resources like books on educational technology, journals, internet at every school to be accessed by teachers. Secondly, government should hold some training on educational technology, mainly introducing interactive multimedia programs with teachers at all levels as the audience. Thirdly, teachers must keep up with teaching media at global era in order not to get behind from ICT – it will be embarrassing when students are more acquainted with ICT than teachers. And fourthly, to be professional and competent teachers, they should have lots of knowledge, not only their subject.
It is really hard to make the solutions above come true. It requires good cooperation and self-awareness among government and teachers towards the importance of educational technology at modern era. Conversely, this has to be done or teachers of Indonesia will be getting left behind from other countries, even Indonesia’s neighbors, such as Malaysia, Burma, Vietnam, Cambodia, and others.
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[1] This article is just supplementary ideas on the essentials of ICT application towards teachers to support a monthly-Lecturer Discussion
[2]The writer was a teacher of Elementary School, Junior High School, and VocationalHigh School in Jakarta. Now, he is a lecturer of teacher training at UHAMKA