From Chasm of Digital Education to Digital Education Independence

KOMPAS/DIDIE SW

.

Have you ever imagined, when studying the basic laws of physics at school, that Newton himself was standing in the classroom? He is the genius who was reportedly inspired to study the laws of gravity by the shock of being hit by an apple falling from a tree he had been sitting under.

While Newton’s physical presence is obviously impossible now, it is no longer impossible to attend lectures of famous figures or outstanding schools cheaply, anytime and anywhere. All you need is two things: Access to Youtube and a comprehension of the teaching language, most often English.

Students of computer science, for example, are fortunate enough to be able to easily listen to some of the leading computer science figures, such as Grady Booch or Martin Fowler, in various seminars about their thoughts on software engineering. Or they can follow the latest scientific discussions at Google Academy or the GOTO Conference and various software seminars around the world. Or, if interested in Alexander Osterwalder’s business model canvas, you can watch the master himself explain its development – via Youtube.

What is interesting about this phenomenon is that we can learn directly from the inventors/experts, without time and space constraints – which was impossible before the creation of the Internet. If you feel you do not understand something, you can pause and replay at will. For today’s students who are familiar with this, it may not sound all the revolutionary. However, if we go back to the 1970s, when high school students outside Java studied physics by having access only to the book Energi Gelombang dan Medan (Wave Energy and Landscape) from the government, which was hard to understand, inequality in education was palpable, because students in the big cities often had more competent mathematics or physics teachers than their counterparts in remote areas of the country, such as in Muaro Bungo, Jambi or some village in Papua.

Khan Academy

Bill Gates wrote on his Facebook account that the lessons from the Khan Academy were great. His children liked them. Furthermore, he argued that Sal Khan was one of the most exciting innovators in technology and lecturing, the inventor of a movement.

Another thing that amazed Bill Gates is that Khan began to do that with simple facilities and based on the noble intention to spread education. He talks about the availability of free lessons that can be accessed through Youtube. His mission is completely noble: to provide world-class education, free of charge, to anyone, anywhere. The lessons provided, which include biology, chemistry, physics, history, economics, finance, grammar and more, have been translated into various languages and are accessed by about 15 million people every month. If you try to learn algebra or math again by visiting the site, you might say the same thing: "If only there had been something like this during my high school time."

Khan Academy, which is available on Youtube, is a real example of the availability of high-quality learning material (world class) that can be accessed by anyone, anytime, anywhere. Imagine how powerful this statement is. High-quality learning materials, which are accessible to our children in remote areas, are no longer an impossible dream if we compare it to the conventional alternative of providing teachers and support facilities in remote areas.

Code.org

Thanks to the Internet, the dissemination of information no longer follows Newton\'s law. Information no longer needs to be gleaned from books, magazines or newspapers that must first be printed, then distributed to the recipients in cities and villages. With the power of the Internet, the dissemination of information takes place at the speed of electronic signals. What we write in WhatsApp from Bandung, for example, can be sent to all members of chat almost instantaneously, even though they may be in Russia or Canada, and at a surprisingly low cost. In a matter of just a tap on your smartphone, information gets to the end of the world in seconds.

With all their impacts, good and bad, messaging apps and other rapidly growing applications have shaped our modern world. Many experts argue that the ability of a nation to advance and compete is very much determined by the mastery of information and communication technology (ICT).

ICT is considered a determining factor for a nation to advance parallel to other developed nations. Code.org, initiated by Ali Partovi and supported by many world leaders, has an excellent vision: It provides a free tool for anyone in the world to learn programming with high-quality material, even from an early age. Constructions in algorithm programming for solving a problem can be learned from early age on in a playful way and are considered an important part to complement a child\'s basic education, in addition to common conventional matters, such as numeracy.

For example, the Information System Students Association of Telkom University in Bandung uses materials from Code.org to instill awareness of algorithm programming in elementary school or madrasah students in and around Bandung. Their dream is that, someday, more Indonesian children can work as creators rather than just users of applications. With limited funds, the students are in high spirits, using public transportation, even their personal allowance, to become teaching assistants, providing snacks, certificates and other logistical necessities and in the process enjoy the excitement of children learning to program while playing. The milestone the students want to achieve is that at least 1,000 children understand the basics of algorithm programming.

It is also true, apparently, that this fast development of computer technology shocks many parties that are not ready for the impacts it may have. From the above description it is clear that there is a great deal of high-quality knowledge on the Internet, provided by people with noble ambitions who transcend the barriers of race, religion, state and whatever other barriers we like to erect. They only intend to spread useful knowledge to mankind: whoever, wherever and whatever the color of their skin.

It is only understandable for Indonesia to take advantage of extraordinary things provided free of charge, for the maximum benefit of education in Indonesia. There are three conditions to this: Internet access, possession of gadgets and a comprehension of English.

The cost of these three things is still much lower than that of educating the teachers needed and providing the necessary facilities to guarantee equal access to education for children in remote areas. With regard to the English language, we need to criticize the achievements of our school system. The main emphasis of learning English should be the mastery of vocabulary, listening and reading, which will open the door to the knowledge horizon. Grammar and language structure should be only the second priority.

Translating or adding subtitles to qualified Youtube material, if carried out systematically and on a massive scale by the Education and Culture Ministry with the support of other institutions, will accelerate the achievement of equality in digital education throughout the Indonesian archipelago cheaply and effectively.

Ahmad Musnansyah, Lecturer at Telkom University, Bandung; Alumnus of the Bandung Institute of Technology (ITB) and New Mexico State University, USA