Short Paper

Information Communication and Technology (ICT)

for the Improvement of  Education in Indonesia

A. Introduction

We are living in the digital era. The use of technology can not be separated from our daily life.  The digital era has transformed the way we communicate, seek for information, learn something, etc. In education, the role of Information Communication and Technology (ICT) can not be omitted. According to a United Nation report (1999) ICT covers internet service provision, telecommunications equipment and services, information technology equipment and services, media and broadcasting, libraries and documentation centres, commercial information providers, network-based information services, and other related information and communication activities. So, ICT is not only refers to computers or computing related activities even though they play significant role in modern information management.

In educative process, the use of ICT has been devided into two categories. They are ICTs for education and ICTs in education education. In ICTs for education, the development of ICT is specified for teaching and learning process. On the other hand, in ICTs in education, general components of ICT are adopted in teaching learning process.  There are so many products of ICT that can be used for students and teachers. They are email, teleconferencing, audio conferencing, audiocassettes, CD ROMs, etc. They can improve the quality of teaching learning process. They can also change the conventional teaching which only relies on textbooks and teachers who give lectures and presentation in front of the class.

Being aware of the importance of ICT for education in Indonesia, the government put ICT in the curriculum 2013. According to permendikbud 65/2013 the implementation of curriculum 2013 should be supported by ICT as media to deliver knowledge for every single subject. After the implementation of curriculum 2013, ICT is no longer as a subject, but rather as medium of learning. The ICT as a compulsory high school subject was scrapped.

There are always good things and bad things for this decision. The integration of ICT in education is a good improvement for education in Indonesia. But, The bad thing is the students of Indonesia will only be consumer, not the creator of technology. Learning ICT a a subject is also important, so the students will be more active, knowledgeable, and be able to develop their skill to be more competitive. By learning ICT in systematic way, the students can improve their ability in technology and then they will be able to find resources for learning by their own.

However, there are still challenges and limitation for ICT ‘s implementation in developing country such as Indonesia. These challenges are limitation on cost, training for teachers, access provided, infrastructure, etc. It will be a big question whether Indonesia is ready or pretend to be ready for technology.

B. Objectives

This essay propose description about ICT In education in Indonesia to help teachers and students have better understanding about ICT for education. Besides, it aims to discuss about the implementation of ICT in Indonesia.

C. Review of Related Literature

1. The Development of ICT

Infoemation and communication technology (ICT) is a technological tools and resources that can be used to communicate and manage the information. According to UNESCO (2004) ICT is a technology which is used to communicate, create, manage, and distribute the information. In the aspect of information, ICT can be used as a tool to manipulate and manage the information. Then, in the aspect of communication, ICT can be used as a device to process and transfer the data.

2. The importance of ICT in education

ICT is essential in education. It plays important role to the improvement of teaching and learning process. It brings new insight for the students and teachers that learning can be meaningful and interesting

“ICT make natural tools in education because of the simple and fundamental fact that learning is largely based on dealing with information......................Even more importantly, ICT can be used for other types of information processing, previously marginal in the traditional school, but now becoming more and more essensial, like project planning, or the search for new information outside school textbooks, as well as in the processes of so-called creative writing (drawing, constructing).” (Somenov, 2005, p. 30)

ICT can become a facilitator for the knowledge and enhance the educational systems. It can reduce the isolation of knowledge. There will be open access to new knowledge by having ICT in education system. People from the poor countries can still have access for information and communication. “Using ICTs we can provide access to geographically distributed information sources and to remote sources of instruction, and even access digital libraries and knowledge networks” (Bracey, 2005). It is clear that by using ICT the quality of education will be higher because the students and the teachers are able to gain more knowledge not only from the books but also from many sources such as electronic library or websites.

Kozma (2008) in (Schuermann, 2009, hal. 14) has identified important reasons for investing in ICT for education.

-          To support economic growth mainly by developing human capital and increasing the productivity of the workforce.

-          To promote social development by sharing knowledge, fostering cultural creativity, increasing democratic participation, improving access to government services and enhancing social cohesion.

-          To advance educational reform, i.e. major curriculum revisions, shifts in pedagogy or assessment changes.

-          To support educational management and accountability, with an emphasis on computer-based testing and the use of digital data and management systems.

From Kozma opinion, it is stated that one of important reasons ICT has to be invested is ICT advances educational reform. It means that later in the future teaching and learning process will be more efective because ICT can help the education to be reformed by doing revision to the curriculum in order to be better or by changing the way to assess students according to students need.

3. The differences between conventional teaching and teachin using ICT

Here is a brief list of what teachers and learners do in the traditional classroom of the old school. (Somenov, 2005, p. 100)

·         Teachers speak, learners listen.

·         Teachers talk to learners, who listen to and supposedly perceive, understand and memorize what is said. Often, this is all that teachers do on a strictly formal, technical-operational plane.

·         Teachers write letters, numbers, words and phrases on the chalkboard to help students hold fcats in their short- and long-term memories.

·         Teachers paste (clip) to the chalkboard, or hang on the wall, posters with pre-written (printed) letters, words and numbers, and then point to them with their finger or a pointer while giving explications, explanations, and instructions.

In such classroom students are not required or expected to: (Somenov, 2005, p. 101)

·         Do anything besides follow a teacher’s presentations and instructions expressed in oral and written words (texts) until they can assimilate and reproduce verbally the knowledge and skills required

·         Draw in language or mathematics workbooks except perhaps for geometry, or drawing primitive diagrams for science (in most cases, learners are not taught to acquire drawing skills).

·         Manipulate or transform three-dimensional objects, other than, perhaps paper, scissors, glue, and pencils.

So, in the traditional classroom there is nothing interesting for the students because all of the activities are prescribed by teacher with little variation activities. Besides,there is no link between theory and practice which makes the learning becomes not relevant to the real life.

In contrast, ICT offer more active and creative learning. It contributes to the contructivist learning. The role of teacher will be limited. It is no longer teacher centered but it changes to students centered because the students have more responsibility in their learning. Gradually, the learning about computer will be learning with computer.

4. The advantages of ICT

ICT offers many advantages especially for education. In teaching and learning process, it cannot be avoided that some of students in one classroom are different in the style of learning or slow in learning something. ICT can help to facilitate them in teaching and learning process. As Somehow (2005) “ICT offer numerous advantages and provide opportunities for : facilitating learning for children who have different learning styles and abilities, including slow learners, the socially disadvantaged, the mentally and physically handicapped, the talented, and those living in remote rural areas” (p.161). Further he also states that ICT can make learning more effective, involve more senses in a multimedia context and more connections in a hypermedia context. In addition, it can provide a broader international context for approaching problems.

The advantages of ICT discussed above make the use of ICT in school become important. ICT is not only beneficial for teachers but also for learners. In teaching and learning process, ICT may change the interaction of teacher and students from teacher centered to students centered. The learning experience will be more interesting for the students. As a result the motivation of students to study will increase. If the students have motivation to study they will be more active in learning and more independent in finding resources for knowledge. At this point, the quality of education will be raised.

5. Challenge in the implementation of ICT in teaching learning

In implementing the use of ICT in Indonesia especially in the field of education, there are still many challenges that need to be solved.

a)      Teachers’ qualification in ICT

Teachers who have crucial role in the implementation of ICT at school need training. Not all teachers can use ICT well. Even though they have an access to technology in their school, they still need to learn and gain the learning experience about it. The teachers need training to use email, web-based discussion  forum, computer conferencing system, moodle to make them able to teach at distance through virtual learning. If they able to use them, they can create learning environment inclusive of the technology.

The training for the teachers is not simple as it takes years. According to (Marshall, 2003)the core of the teacher training program lasts for three years. In this training program, there are three strands involved: basic ICT skills workshops, in classroom session, and microcentre sessions. In ICT skill workshop the teacher will learn about basic software and educational software. It will be done in the first two years. During the three years of core training, there will be classroom session where there is collaboration working between teacher and students in the implementation of pedagogical activities supported by ICT. The third strand, microcentred session the facilitator and the students will have the meeting to reflect and design the relation to the integration of ICT in their teaching.

The process of teaching and learning can be changed to be better by helping the teacher to have different perspective and letting them into the knowledge about network. Training program is only the first part of learning. According to Jennifer James in (Bracey, 2005, hal. 23) there is ideational scaffolding about eight new skills that need to be taught by teachers: seeing with new eyes, recognizing the future, harnessing the power of myths and sybols, speeding up your response time, understanding the past to know the fututre, doing more with more or less, mastering new forms of intelligence, and profiting from diversity. All of those skills will lead to new kinds of teaching practice. Development using ICT can be a way among them to cahange the teaching and learning process to the better way.

But once again, the effort to give training to teachers will meet other challenges such as cost, access, and language

b)      Access

The quality and the quantity of infrastructures in Indonesia are still in poor condition. It gives the effect in gettting the access to information especially for those who live in remote area. The schools in remote area even have difficulty to get the electricity facility. It will be more difficult for them to have access on internet. If it is compared to the schools in town, they can get access to the internet easier. However, their access to the internet is still limited only during IT lesson in the computer lab.

c)      Cost

The hardware, software and maintenance for the ICT are expensive. They are still unafforable for most of the schools in Indonesia. Besides, “ICT hardware and software were initially designed and developed for non-educational purposes, and are thus poorly fitted physically for ordinary classrooms” (Somenov, 2005, p. 186). Without maintenance support and inadequate software, the computers available will not work sufficiently. It means that access to technology plays important role for the students’ experience.

ICT in education cost a lot of money. It require large capital investment. For developing country such as Indonesia which has unstable economic, it will be difficult to balance the goal of ICT for education with economic condition realities.

D. Analysis

In curriculum 2013, ICT is no longer as subject but it becomes a tool of learning. This newest curriculum removes the subject of IT in Junior high school and senior high school and in vocational school. For this decision, it becomes controversial. In one side, there is improvement in education of Indonesia because there is integration of technology in every subject of school. On another side there is deterioration since ICT is the skill that becomes the key of the future but the students cannot learn about it in systematic way. There are steps to be competence in ICT skill. First, the students have to learn about it. Next, they will learn it. Last, they will learn with it. After they can learn with ICT, the students will be independent and lifelong learner as they can decide what they want to learn and how to find the information about it.

If ICT is integrated to the education of Indonesia, it will bring much improvement in the face of Indonesia education. It will help the teachers and the students in teaching learning process as they are led to the real life context learning. Besides, it will make the students to get open access on new information and knowledge. They will not left behind from students in others country because they can have the same sources for being knowledgeable about anything in the world.

The problem is not in how great technology we have but how skillful we use technology. Even though we have great technology but can not use it, it will be useless. So, that issue become the problem in Indonesia education where ICT as subject is terminate since curriculum 2013 is implemented. ICT is only become tool in learning. If the use of ICT in Indonesia school can be balance as subject and as tool in learning, it will be better for the future of Indonesian students. They can learn about ICT in ICT subject and then they can apply it as tool in another subject.

In the era of globalization, it cannot be omitted that ICT is important in any field, especially education. It is great to see that the government aware about it and has a good will to make education in Indonesia  literate in technology by implementing curriculum 2013. Years after that, what is the achievement got from its implementation? It is still far from what we expected. It should make the government reflect to what is achieved now. Are we ready for technology integration at school while the infrastructure is not. Plan without action is nothing. If the government cannot provide the fund for good infrastructue and ICT implementation, the condition of our education will stay or maybe be deteriorate.

E. Summary and Reccomendation

ICT plays an important role in education. It has the potential to improve the quality of teaching learning process. It facilitate the absorption of knowledge and bring the opportunity to enhance educational system. Indonesia as developed country try to implement this ICT in schools. But there is limitation in doing this as the teacher lack of training and the equipment is expensive.

There are several reccomendation that can be given relate to the advancement of ICT in Indonesia education face, they are:

1.      The teachers should get training about ICT because the role of teacher in the ICT implementation is vital.

2.      The availability of facility at school should be accommodated.

3.      The government should be more serious in manage the infrastructure especially for the remote areas.

Bibliography

Bracey, B. &. (2005). Harnessing the Potential of ICT for Education: A Multistakeholder Approach. New York: The United Nations Information and Communication Technologies Task Force.

Marshall, G. &. (2003). Learning in School, Home and Community: ICT for Early and Elementary Education. New York: Springer.

Schuermann, F. &. (2009). Assessing the effects of ICT in education: Indicators, criteria, and benchmarks for international comparisons. France: European Union.

Somenov, A. (2005). Information and Communication Technologies in Schools. France: UNESCO.