Going back to school this year can be considered as a ‘second episode’ for students across the country involved in ‘Teaching and Learning At Home’ (also known as Pengajaran dan Pembelajaran di Rumah or PdPR) as a result of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic threat which has compelled the government to re-enforce the Movement Control Order (MCO).
Much of the PdPR structure involves learning via various online methods. After more than a month of its implementation, we have heard multiple stories go viral about the experiences of teachers, students and parents getting accustomed to this new norm.
Some teachers lamented the less than encouraging ‘attendance’ of students and the ‘monitoring’ by parents when the teachers were performing their duties. Amongst the situations that grabbed everyone’s attention was the incident where a student mischievously shared an inappropriate video link during the PdPR period.
Based on such situations, one can only comprehend how a teacher’s task becomes increasingly challenging as they try to ensure that their focus is not disrupted, whilst providing them with the best learning experiences. Their primary concern would be on the preparation and effectiveness of PdPR for students who will be sitting for crucial examinations such as Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia (SPM) and Sijil Tinggi Persekolahan Malaysia (STPM).
As the conversation about the methods that can enable public school teachers to be more creative and responsive towards digital technology continues, Malaysia Digital Economy Corporation (MDEC) reached out to educators to help them with their teaching preparations.
This is part of MDEC’s #CikguJuaraDigital programme, which was launched in 2019. The initiative sought to find teachers who can be showcased as trendsetters or benchmark pertaining to educational technology in Malaysia.
One of the programme participants said that after undergoing the programme, he then enrolled in the TikTok workshop organized by MDEC and discovered that the use of the application had great potential to help students in their learning process.
Another educator who teaches the Science subject to Form Four and Five students at Sekolah Menengah Kebangsaan (SMK) Jerlun, Kedah said the method is very helpful because the video content has a shorter duration.
He noted that this also saves the students’ internet quota compared to the tele learning method which takes longer and results in higher data usage. Not all students subscribe to the internet plan on a monthly basis because some of them purchase the daily pass data packages, he said. He has amassed over 11,000 followers and uploaded almost 120 videos to date on the social media platform.
Explaining further, the educator said he started using the application in his teaching due to several factors. “I found that students were not interested in following PdPR due to the unconducive learning environment, which contributed to a decrease in their interest in their studies. Therefore, an immediate solution was required.”
MDEC, with the strong support of KKMM and the other ministries, will continue to drive forward the digital economy initiatives centred towards ensuring shared prosperity for the many and eventually envisioning Malaysia’s role as the heart of digital ASEAN.
The Chairman of MDEC stated that this initiative is focused on enabling digital adoption amongst our educators, which is a central part of MDEC’s three main strategic thrusts, including Empowering Malaysians with Digital Jobs ad Skills, enabling Digitally Powered Businesses and attracting Digital Investments.
To achieve its vision of enabling a people-first society, the agency continues to set the foundation for Malaysians to thrive in the Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR), further supporting the nation’s efforts to realise the Malaysia 5.0 vision, leading to shared prosperity for all.
Meanwhile, MDEC’s Vice President of Digital Skills and Digital Careers Division said that the MDEC-trained group of teachers have the resilience, creativity and technology sensitivity to ensure that their students are not left behind due to the uncertain situation faced by them currently.
