Figure 1: The teaching station that consists of the interactive white board, the projector and the teacher’s laptop

Transformasi SK Paya Bunga

Figure 2: Teacher using touchscreen technology

The teachers received technical training from Top IT as well as ongoing support in curriculum development and technology usage from JPN Terengganu. Each classroom teacher is also equipped with a Intel core2 duo laptop that they use for developing lessons, accessing informations and managing students activity. The subjects that use the technology in teaching include English, science, mathematics and pendidikan islam.

Problems faced

In the initial stage, there were several problems reported by the school. But through adjustive measures and deeper training from Top IT, these problems were resolved. The process of “virtual class” has been smooth eversince. The problems reported were mostly user problems that dealt with settings and application usage. After a more structured training given to teachers, the problems do not re-appear. Other problem was due to limitation, that was small screen of eBook causing smaller scale of the broadcasted teacher’s desktop. The only problem that required countermeasure was slow performance of the teachers’ laptop. The supplied teacher’s laptop did not have enough RAM for faster operation, causing system hang when there are too many processes running at a time. Problem was solved after replacing with more powerful RAM.

Result

After the initial stage, teachers quickly noticed the differences in students’ learning. Students and teachers were enthusiastic, finding that the environment made the teaching and learning easier and more fun.

Figure 3: Students with eBooks during class

The teachers also find that they manage to save time using existing content in ebook or projecting content on the smartboard rather than writing on the normal board. They also manage to present more contents during a subject period due to the use of interactive whiteboards. It is also noted, that the employment of new technology has created new self-development opportunities for teachers. Teachers reported that they improved their technology skills and felt that this project gave them motivation and deeper job satisifaction.

Figure 3: Broadcasting to students’ desktop

Students’ interest has also improved as a result of teachers using animated contents and simulation to present lessons and as a result they understand the content in more depth. Students have enhanced their skills such as team-work, problem-solving, public speaking and writing and are more motivated to complete their assignments. Students also reported that they learn how to organize their classroom digital on their eBooks and are happy with their lighter backpacks. All in all, PC-literacy among students have increased exponentially. Parents appreciate the program and its benefits for their children. They would like to see the project to extend to other classrooms.

Figure 4: Students’ motivation level has improved

The future

The system is a tool that provides unlimited potentials in education and learning activities with its flexibility and comprehensiveness. It is anticipated that there will be many innovation and new methods in education activities as the teachers and students are able to be more creative and innovative in these environment. With collaboration of official experts in the field, there is on-going development on educational contents and technology usage for this project.

Figure 5: “Virtual class” has unlimited potentials