Improving Primary Education In Rural Areas Education Essay

Improving Primary Education In Rural Areas Education Essay There is no doubt that the need of improving the quality of primary schools particularly in rural areas is very urgent for government. One of the most promising solution is through utilization of Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs). In this paper we present our effort and work in improving the quality of primary school teachers and the students learning process so that improves the quality of primary education. This work is part of our research project undertaken in Keerom Regency, Papua Province that is funded by Directorate General for Highly Education Ministry of National Education. Keywords: rural digital learning, primary school, teachers quality, students learning process INTRODUCTION The problem of national education quality has gained much attention recently. A major weakness in rural primary schools is the lack of qualified teachers needed to deliver the lessons in a classroom, primarily in Math and Sciences. Field observations show that most primary school teachers have non-Math and Science background and they deliver these subjects in conventional ways. The result, students misunderstand many abstract concepts of Math and Sciences [1]. The need of improving the quality of education for primary schools is urgently required, particularly for those in rural areas. In our recent studies, one of the most effective approaches to address this issue is by utilizing Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs). Studies in [5] reveal that ICT is a key weapon in the war against world proverty in number critial areas including education, healtcare, government, trade, and small business support. Further, Teresa states that ICT-based solutions that work in develop countries cannot simply be transplanted to developing country environments. The solutions must be based on an understanding of local needs and conditions. Through funding grant from Directorate General for Highly Education Ministry of National Education, ITB Research Center on Information and Communication Technology conducts a research program to improve the quality of primary school teachers and improve the students learning process so that improves the quality of primary education, particularly for those in rural areas in Indonesia. In this paper, we report our effort and work on progress in designing and implementing ICT-based environment and learning process for primary schools in Keerom-Papua. In the next section, we provide the overview of related work. In section 3, we describe our work on designing and implementing ICT-based environment and learning process for primary schools in Keerom-Papua. Section 4 presents the challenges of deploying a digital learning system in rural area. Section 5 describes the conclusion of the research. RELATED WORK Our prior work in Research Center on Information and Communication Technology Bandung Institute of Technology suggest that ICTs plays important role as an alternative for delivering learning programs in primary schools such as through virtual class application. We hope that these programs can address some issues in rural areas including the disparity of high quality teacher distribution and the existence of many hard-to-reach geographical locations. Recent studies reveal that the use of ICTs will offer some benefit in improving the quality of primary education. ICT can broaden information access needed by teachers and students as foundation for developing knowledge-based community of teachers and students, ICT can improve the efficiency of learning process as well as improve the teachers and students skills, and ICT can maintain continuing and long life learning. Further, the use of ICTs for improving the teacherss quality and learning process is summarized as follows [1]: ICT for Teachers: developing teacher community network, learning resource repositories, and teaching best practices repositories. ICT for Class: creating virtual class that will help teacher delivering the lesson. ICT for Laboratory: consisting of virtual laboratory and sctructured computer lab. ICT for Students: creating a condusive environtment for students self-learning. ICT for Community: allowing the learning process to be delivered and conducted from anywhere and anytime (e.g. particularly from homes). Both of concepts of ICT for Teachers and ICT for Class have been implemented in a pilot project that was funded by ITB research grant [1]. The project involves two primary schools in Subang (representing rural primary school whose teachers have little knowledge about using computer), two primary school in Bandung (representing urban school whose teachers are computer literate) and one primary school in Cianjur (representing a sub-urban school with modest knowledge of computer usage). Learn from our own experiences, we bring that model to be implemented in Keerom-Papua. IMPLEMENTATION In this paper, we present our work last year in designing and implementing ICT-based environment and learning process for primary schools in Keerom-Papua. Actually, the system deployment consists of two main activities: i) deployment of digital learning infrastructure that is connecting all PC-based terminals and network devices through TCP/IP protocols and ii) deployment of digital learning programs that is providing several ICT-based learning applications and processes such as web-based teachers collaboration (ICT for Teachers) and virtual classroom (ICT for Class). WiFi-based Infrastructure The pilot project in Keerom-Papua involves three primary schools, as participants are SD Inpres I Arso 2, SD Inpres Arso 6, and SD Inpres Arso 7 and one secondary school as center of the community is SMAN Arso. Kantor Dinas Keerom is prepared for the future deployment. Table 1 shows the GPS-based survey from some locations. Table 1. The GPS-based survey Location Latitude Longitude Altitude Kantor Dinas Keerom S 2.91 E 140.77 69,1 m SD Inpres 1 Arso 2 S 2.91 E 140.75 57.3 m SMAN 1 Keerom S 2.87 E 140.74 43.1 m SD Inpres Arso 6 S 2.83 E 140.74 44.1 m SD Inpres Arso 7 S 2.77 E 140.76 35.0 m The deployment of digital learning infrastructure in Keeom-Papua is based on WiFi technology using star network topology [6]. The topology is one of the most common computer network topologies that are choosen because of the ability to isolate individual nodes in the maintenance and troubleshooting process. In that network, SMAN Arso acts as core node that is connected to SD Inpres I Arso 2, SD Inpres Arso 6, and SD Inpres Arso 7 directly using WiFi link as shown in Fig. 1. Figure 1. The mapping of some locations that will be networked in Keerom-Papua [Y] Considering several benefits, SMAN 1 Arso is choosen as a core network (see Fig. 2). SMAN 1 Arso lies in the middle of three primary school offering simplicity to implement star network with the school as the center of the network. This school has Internet connection to Jardiknas network provided by Ministry of National Education that will also provide Internet access for the participants. This school also has a computer teacher that is potentially grabbed as technical support for the sustainability operation of the digital learning infrastructure. Figure 2. The WiFi-based digital learning network using star topology in Keerom-Papua [3] The infrastructure is consisting of PC-based terminals and some network devices. In SMAN 1 Arso, we locate some devices such as a PC-based router, a digital learning server, a wireless access point, an IP Phone, and outdoor WiFi devices. In each primary school, we locate a virtual class box, a notebook, a wireless access point, an IP Phone, and WiFi devices. All of these devices are used to provide some digital learning services including web-based teachers collaboration and virtual classroom. Digital Learning Program From the five approaches of improving the quality of primary education, we have been implementing ICT for Teachers and ICT for Class. We will ellaborate each of these scenarios in the following section. The concept of ICT for Teachers relates to the use of ICT for providing electronic services to teachers and experts. It requires an Internet-based networking of teachers and experts so that allowing them to interact witch each other, to share learning resources and also teaching best practices [1]. This concept is being implemented in a pilot project undertaken in Keerom-Papua involving three primary schools (SD Inpres I Arso 2, SD Inpres Arso 6, and SD Inpres Arso 7) and one secondary school (SMAN 1 Arso) [7]. The participating schools are provided with PC/Laptop and software application as well as access to the Internet. With this infrastructure, a set of learning program are setup for teachers from participating schools. Similar to our pilot project in Bandung-Subang-Cianjur [1], among of them are chatting session in a certain time where all participating teachers interact with each other online as well as online discussion forum among teachers and experts (see Fig. 3). Figure 3. The WiFi-based digital learning network using star topology in Keerom-Papua The ICT for Class is implemented by providing a virtual classroom services for supporting distance learning. The main idea is that ICT will be used to allow a teacher help teaching a class in different school without having to physically attend to that school, for example using a recorded multimedia (offline mode) or through multimedia streaming on the Internet (online mode) [1]. Fig. 4 shows the diagram of online virtual classroom scheme through WiFi-based network in Keerom-Papua. In the online mode that uses teleconference and IP telephony system, a more interactive session can be conducted between students and remote teacher. Figure 4. Diagram of online virtual classroom scheme in Keerom-Papua [3] CHALLENGES The scenario for implementing ICTs in rural primary schools is difficult. Study by Misuraka show that there are a number of technological and human barries that treaten the utilization of ICTs, primarily in rural areas [4]. Our prior study also reveals that there are number barriers in the deployment of digital learning system in Keerom-Papua including the limitation of electricity availability, the bottleneck of WiFi-based intranet in several network paths, inflexibility of digital learning applications, and the human barriers in system operation and maintenance. In the future, some research activities will be conducted to address those issues. To overcome the human barriers, a combination of structured training and training-by-doing also will be conducted. CONCLUSION We have described our experiences last year in utilizing ICTs for improving the quality of primary school teachers and the students learning process so that improves the quality of primary education. A case study is undertaken in Keerom Regency, Papua Province. Today, the implementation of digital learning program is still in progress, particularly the implementation of ICT for Teachers and ICT for Class. Although the result of this research has not been conclusive yet, we believe that our research will be promising to address some quality issues of primary education, particularly in rural areas. ACKNOWLEDGMENT This research is partially supported by Directorate General for Highly Education Ministry of National Education and is conducted at Research Center on Information and Communication Technology, Bandung Institute of Technology.

Comparison Between Two Poems Essay

The two poems, Plug In, Turn On, Look Out and Portrait of a Machine both talks about machines and they are related to our everyday lives. There are quite a few differences and similarities in the two poems, Plug In, Turn On, Look Out and Portrait of a Machine. To start off with, the poem Plug In, Turn On, Look Out is warning everyone about how the machines would take over the world and teaching all of us what we should do usually to prevent them taking over and hurting us. The poem picks out all those horrible facts of machines, but on the other hand, the poem Portrait of a Machine is praising how beautiful and fantastic machines are. Both poems has one voice in the poem, only one person is talking and their intended audience are both the world in general, although, the poem, Plug In, Turn On, Look Out also speaks directly to you whilst you are reading the poem. Both poems have two stanzas, enjambment was used in both and the vocabulary in both poems were carefully chosen, each word stringed together into a phrase would add more detail to the image constructed in our minds. There are also quite a few differences, Plug In, Turn On, Look Out is a free verse, when Portrait of a Machine is a sonnet. In the poem, Plug In, Turn On, Look Out, all three tenses are used, to give the feeling that the machines has already started taking over the world, but it has not ended yet. On the other hand, Portrait of a Machine only uses the present tense throughout the whole poem. For the poem, Plug In, Turn On, Look Out, a lot of techniques were used but for the poem, Portrait of a Machine, not many techniques were used. In Plug In, Turn On, Look Out, personification was used, for example. machines are on the march. It emphasises that the machines are coming to get you, by using the word march. Metaphors were effectively used, for example, it came at me, snarling through its thirty-four rotary teeth and flicking its flexy tail. Those both quotes are used to build up atmosphere and add to the image created in the readers mind. It also exaggerates the terrifying side of machines. Alliteration was used, for example, I turned the telly on tonight and it turned itself off  again and flicking its flexy tail. The repetition of t starting words in I turned the telly on tonight and it turned itself off again makes us think of the ticking sounds when switching on and off the telly, coming from the remote and telly. The repetition of f in flicking its flexy tail is to make us think of flipping noises of tails. The poem was quite imperative as well, having the phrases, Keep your electric lawnmower securely tethered and Cut down supplies of food to your refrigerator. It is ordering you to do it immediately in order for you to stay safe. But for the other poem, Portrait of a Machine, there are only a few techniques used. Sibilant was used; the s sound was exaggerated in hiss. There was also a standard sonnet rhyming scheme to it, abbabba cdcdcd. If you put all the rhyming words from abbabba, it would create the sounds of huge machines at work with rods plunging down. The poet in Plug In, Turn On, Look Out seems to be quite scared about machines taking over the world. But the poet in Portrait of a Machine seems sarcastic and seems to be making fun of the people who uses machines in their daily life. Both poems are written to warn the world that we are replying too much on machines and technology that it is taking over our lives and we are losing ourselves. These two poems have different ways of warning us, Plug In, Turn On, Look Out has a very explicit warning to us, telling us to be careful what they will do, but on the other hand, Portrait of a Machine has a very implicit warning to us, telling us how beautiful machines are, in the eyes of people who are living in the modern society, then reminding us about not to lose ourselves. I had totally different emotions and reactions to the two poems. After reading Plug In, Turn On, Look Out, I was amused and I thought it was very interesting because it seemed to entertain me more than warn me, due to the fact that I know machines will not literally take over the world, on the other hand, Portrait of a Machine made me think, it was very deep that I read it over a few times, before I got the real meaning and purpose of the poem. The effectiveness of Plug In, Turn On, Look Out was not that effective but, for Portrait of a Machine, it had a strong effect and it was so heavy, that I will respond and think about the poem after reading the poem. Bibliography, http://www.oldmonovians.com/text2/allpassverse1962.htm

Blood in Macbeth - 1411 Words

Blood in Macbeth William Shakespeare wove many motifs like blood into his play Macbeth, written in 1606. These motifs serve to reveal many different aspects of the plot, characters, and themes. The Blood motif is often used throughout the play to symbolize guilt, or the lack of it. The two main characters, Macbeth and Lady Macbeth are driven by ambition to commit evil actions including murder. Lady Macbeth plots to have her husband murder king Duncan of Scotland, so that Macbeth can take the throne. But, with all the murder committed in the play comes blood, and furthermore the feeling of guilt eventually corrupts the characters. It is important to realize in Macbeth, blood is not just a fluid that circulates in the vascular system of humans, but is as well used to symbolize potential occurrences in the future and express a deeper meaning than what can be physically seen. In William Shakespeare’s Macbeth, the blood motif is used to symbolize the feeling of guilt as well as a dark time through out the play. In the beginning of Macbeth, a bloody battle between Scotland and Norway takes place. In such a quick manner blood is one of the first motifs mentioned in the play depicting the dark era of war. King Duncan of Scotland asks about a sergeant who then tells the story of Macbeths heroic victories over Macdonwald and the King of Norway. The sergeants telling of the story is in itself heroic because his loss of blood has made him weak. This story of the bloodshed and hisShow MoreRelatedMacbeth: Blood2368 Words   |  10 PagesTracing A Word: Blood Act 1 1.) A. Quotation and speaker: Lady Macbeth: Bring forth men-children only; For thy undaunted mettle should compose Nothing but males. Will it not be received, When we have markd with blood those sleepy two Of his own chamber and used their very daggers, That they have donet? (1.7.72-77) B. Paraphrase and clarification: Hopefully you will only have male children, For you should compose nothing that isn’t masculine. When we have marked the servantsRead MoreTheme Of Blood In Macbeth1200 Words   |  5 Pagespicture in Macbeth. Image patterns. Gender Inversion, fertility, sleep, sensory denial, all of these patterns are depicted in the Shakespeare’s unsurpassed Macbeth. However, there is one pattern that marks the mind more than the others. Blood. A pattern seen in multiple instances in the play, but has a deep-seated meaning with Macbeth and his troubles. Shakespeare uses blood as the main image in Macbeth to reveal the forever impending and mucilaginous power of self torturing guilt. Blood takes a malevolentRead MoreBlood Imagery in Macbeth857 Words   |  4 Pagesevident as the bloody hands of Macbeth and his obsession with them. Macbeth has killed King Duncan and doesn’t stop there, he kills the guards making Duncan’s sons flee. This gives Macbeth the throne. 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Macbeth contains a copious amount of blood imagery, but not all of the imagery has to mean anything, or have the same exact meaning. Blood is omnipresent literally and figuratively throughout the play. What does blood actually mean in Macbeth? Some say blood represents the Macbeths’ guilt, and some include greed. In Jesuss point of view, blood has a holy and sacred meaning of life, and further suppor t from Cliffnotes.com, â€Å"Blood itself — the color, the smellRead More Blood In Macbeth Essay1293 Words   |  6 Pages William Shakespeare’s play Macbeth is about a struggle for power in Scotland. Macbeth, the main character, gets prophecies from three witches about his future accomplishments that will come to him. One of his prophecies is that Macbeth will become king, Macbeth hearing this he becomes ambitious and later kills the current King Duncan, making himself the new king. A tragic ending comes to Macbeth when the people leave him and his world collapses around him. Blood is a recurring theme in this play;Read MoreSymbol of Blood in Macbeth828 Words   |  4 Pages† (I ii 7-10). When Macbeth says these words, it is when we begin to get the full picture of the play and how powerful the image of blood really is. Throughout the play the symbol of blood changes meaning. It starts with blood representing honour and pride for your country and develops into treason and treachery. At the end of the play we see it had blossomed into guilt. Blood is an essential part of life and the same is true in Macbeth. At the beginning of the play Macbeth by Shakespeare, thereRead MoreSymbolism Of Blood In Macbeth766 Words   |  4 PagesConsidered to be Shakespeare’s most bloody work, Macbeth portrays its plot perfectly: Macbeth’s bloody rise to power and his tragic downfall. Throughout the play, the symbolism of blood advances this plot. We are introduced to Macbeth as a brave soldier without flaw, but he soon becomes consumed with achieving his â€Å"fated† future. From the moment Macbeth murdered Duncan, the symbolism of blood represents throughout the play his conscience, his dynamic character change, and his and Lady Macbeth’s guiltRead MoreRole Of Blood In Macbeth1918 Words   |  8 Pages Blood in Macbeth Essay Blood was very evident throughout William Shakespeare’s Macbeth. Violence caused blood to drip from the fingers of characters and stain them for the rest of their life. Blood meant various things in the play but it was certainly seen, literally and mentally. Hallucinations were commonly experienced in the play and added to things such as the plot and character development. Blood in Macbeth is more important when it is imagined by characters but is not actually there becauseRead MoreMacbeth Blood Essay2596 Words   |  11 Pagesitself heroic, because his loss of blood has made him weak. Thus his blood and his heroism seem to enhance the picture of Macbeth as a hero. As Lady Macbeth plans to kill King Duncan, she calls upon the spirits of murder to make thick my blood; stop up the access and passage to remorse. Thin blood was considered wholesome, and it was thought that poison made blood thick. Lady Macbeth wants to poison her own soul, so that she can kill without remorse. Macbeth says this is a sorry sight, looking

Using Steal or Steel, Commonly Confused Words

The words steal and steel are  homophones: they sound alike but have different meanings. Definitions The verb steal means to take someone elses property without right or permission. Steal also means  to come or go secretly, without being noticed. As both a noun and an adjective, steel refers to a hard alloy of iron and carbon. Used figuratively, steel means hard, strong, and tough. As a verb, steel means to strengthen. Examples The number one rule of thieves is that nothing is too small to steal.(Jimmy Breslin)He was too shiftless to go out  and look for another job; he didnt have the initiative to steal, and after she had told him three or four times to do a thing, he did it; but he never told her about a sick cow until it was too late to call the veterinarian, and if her barn had caught on fire he would have called his wife to see the flames before he began to put them out.(Flannery OConnor, Greenleaf. The Kenyon Review, 1957)As I lay on my bed for hours, watching darkness  steal into the  room, I let my thoughts wander uninterrupted: the days ahead, places I had traveled, people I had known.(Susan Allen Toth,  Leaning Into the Wind: A Memoir of Midwest Weather. University of Minnesota Press, 2003)Blues singer Brownie McGhee played with a steel pick on a steel guitar.His hair fell down in black curls, and my head was covered with black steel wool.(May Angelou,  I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings. R andom House, 1969)Curling his hands into fists, Luca tried to  steel himself  for a fight, but already he knew it was pointless. Rifle or not, Stang was a giant of a man and Luca wouldnt stand a chance in a fistfight.(Patrick Woodhead, Beneath the Ice. Random House, 2015) Idiom Alerts The expression steal away means to move quietly and secretly.The prime minister of Bayern, the kingdom on the other side of the mountains, had been visiting at the time, and all wary-eyed parties were so busy entertaining road-weary dignitaries that Ani had been able to  steal away to  the stables a few times to bring to pass a childhood wish.(Shannon Hale, The Goose Girl.  Bloomsbury, 2003)The expressions  steal the show  and  steal the spotlight  both mean to be the center of attention at an event.People in Hollywood always said, Never act with kids or animals. Theyre impossible to work with, and then they look so cute onscreen that they  steal the show.(Arnold Schwarzenegger, Total Recall. Simon Schuster, 2012) Practice Exercises (a) The gym was hung with orange and black crepe paper in honor of Halloween, and the pennants of all the competing schools were fastened to the walls, and a twelve-piece band pumped away blissfully on the years sad tunes — Heartaches, Near You, Thats My Desire. A great cloud of balloons gathered in the _____ girders was released. There was pink punch, and a local girl sang.(John Updike, Flight.  The Early Stories: 1953-1975. Alfred A. Knopf, 2003) (b) She liked to drag her fingers along the chain-link fences we passed, and to stop at Maverick Market to buy Diet Cokes and _____ candy bars. I waited outside, worrying shed get caught.(Bret Anthony Johnston, Soldier of Fortune. Glimmer Train, Winter 2011) Answers to Practice Exercises (a) The gym was hung with orange and black crepe paper in honor of Halloween, and the pennants of all the competing schools were fastened to the walls, and a twelve-piece band pumped away blissfully on the years sad tunes — Heartaches, Near You, Thats My Desire. A great cloud of balloons gathered in the steel girders was released. There was pink punch, and a local girl sang.(John Updike, Flight.  The Early Stories: 1953-1975. Alfred A. Knopf, 2003) (b) She liked to drag her fingers along the chain-link fences we passed, and to stop at Maverick Market to buy Diet Cokes and steal  candy  bars. I waited outside, worrying shed get caught.(Bret Anthony Johnston, Soldier of Fortune.  Glimmer Train, Winter 2011)