On ICT, Teaching and Technology

A few years back down the memory lane, let's see... I was in Form 1. That would be year 1998.



I started having my own hotmail address. It was "hyperyouth@hotmail.com". It died after a year, due to inactiveness (I forgot to login). Then I had a new one, hyperyouth_firepower@hotmail.com. It was due to attributed to "Team Hyperyouth Syndicate". Then I started MIRC. And moved on to the most popular IM at that time, ICQ by Miranda. Little by little, I went on to Napster, and I went on to many other programs the beatiful World Wide Web had to offer.

The very first online MMORPG (Massive Multiplayer Online Role Playing Game) that I tried was Utopia by SwerveGames. It still lives today. I play World of Warcraft now.



All of that in the year 1998. Imagine my joy of being an adolescent who was bestowed with these knowledge of the internet. Search engines were rudimentary, crude and direct to the point (look at Yahoo!) that it was basic, and no frills. To know a site search engine, it was like "godsent". To know the methods of searching through a search engine was to be an 'information angel'. You hoard the knowledge that you seek, and for once, you feel like you're ahead of your peers and time.



Until you suddenly realize, that the world wide web just made you look like a fool. But it was fun. I was able to get EVERYTHING (or almost) that I wanted to know.



While all these wonders took place, the only teacher that I knew that could rival my prowess and ability to use ICT was my father. Mr Yee Wai Chiong. He was the first of the 'non-malay' batch that entered UPSI. He was the first of the 'non-malay' batch that took up ICT (it was actually offered to him, really) in Education. And he graduated at late 1998. But that's not the point. Imagine his horror and surprise when he finds out that his own son was able to rival his abilities in using / implementing ICT, with exception of 3 programs (Database[the old DOS version], Adobe Photoshop and HTML programming). He still maintains that 'skill edge' in these 3 programs, but when it comes to broader application, I win. Hands down.



Now, at this moment, the situation is replicated, but not entirely. I am an English about-to-be teacher, and kids in schools (its a common thing to call even 17 year olds as 'kids') are going to be as good as I am, or even better. I am outclassed in almost all basics. Image / Video / Media manipulation, CSS, HTML, Java, C++ and various other programming language, the knowledge of hardware, the knowledge and practical application of hardwares and softwares, etc. And the same anxiety that befell my father 10 years ago is now replicated in me. Am I "up to date" enough to convince the kids that I'm relevant to their education? (Or at least able to provide a sufficent, useful / meaningful input) Am I in a position to guide, fascilitate and assist their learning should they wish to adopt the usage of ICT tools and skills? Am I only going to be an insult to their intelligence?



Today business web standards are on web2.0 standards. Whereas in communications we're already way past 3G, going into 4G (and nations advanced as Korea and Japan are already gearing up for 5G), and it will be ongoing, not waiting to stop. Amazing future lies ahead. Take a breather, grab all you can, move on. Take a step.



When my old man studied ICT in Education back in 1998, to the teaching community it was a marvel, an unwarranted future. A risk. Today, the very same level of understanding of ICT (compared as for these 10 years) would be "rudimentary", "crude" and "fundamentally out of date". Today, it (refers to the ICT in general) is a generic skill that every individual who proclaims to be a teacher is a 'must have'. Without it, one is a fail. I do not intend to fail my students. Not as of now, not as of 20 years later. I intend to keep up, and I intend to stay 'in tune'.



Welcome to the reality of ICT.

If it seems like its too late, the ever golden proverb proves otherwise. "It is always never too late". Happy reading, and happy looking forward on the fun side of ICT.



Mucha Gracias.