KUCHING – Institut Pendidikan Guru Kampus Tun Abdul Razak (IPGK TAR) in collaboration with Swinburne Sarawak through its School of Design and Arts recently hosted a virtual webinar for digital educators seeking to upskill their technological expertise.
The webinar titled ‘Using technology effectively for online teaching and learning’ aimed to guide academics with a host of new digital and pedagogical skills needed to ensure high quality digital education and how to develop them within institutions. By exploring available free platforms, tools, and applications, the webinar focused on solving problems that educators may encounter in online teaching for effective online learning outcomes.
The session was hosted and moderated by Dr. Melinda Kong, a senior lecturer and teacher trainer from Swinburne, and conducted by Dr. Ho Theen Theen, a senior academic lecturer at IPGK TAR with more than 20 years of experience in teaching as well as training pre-service and in-service teachers in Teaching English as a Second Language (TESL) and post-secondary English Language proficiency.
With a focus on solving problems that educators may encounter in online teaching, Dr Ho explored available free platforms, tools, and applications for effective e-learning outcomes with the participants during the session.
Among the tips shared by Dr Ho included basic training of Pear Deck, an interactive presentation tool used to actively engage students in individual and social learning using Google Slides. According to Dr Ho, the educational web-based application is an effective technique to make slide-based lectures more interactive and less one-sided or teacher-centred.
Meanwhile, to address unmotivated learners who do not respond well to asynchronous learning styles, Dr Ho proposed the utilisation of Edpuzzle. She shared how this teaching tool which can be integrated into a learning management system (LMS) is useful for creating unskippable videos with built-in assessments.
Instead of purchasing costly video editing software or being confined to videos which are not geared for local context, Dr Ho advocated the use of the free Microsoft Video Editor tool as an alternative for educators to produce custom teaching and learning videos.
Attended by educators of various levels including primary and secondary schools, as well as higher institutions from both rural and urban settings, the participants hailed from countries such as Malaysia, Japan, Pakistan, and Kenya.
Interested members of the public keen to watch the recording of the webinar can visit Swinburne’s Facebook page at bit.ly/3c9vxv0.
Swinburne Sarawak offers a two-year Master of Arts TESOL (Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages) programme designed for English teachers who are seeking to enhance their qualifications with a quality higher degree, or degree holders who plan to make a career change to the exciting world of English language teaching.
The MA (TESOL) programme offers three exit points with certification, namely a Graduate Certificate of Arts (TESOL) after one semester of studies; a Graduate Diploma of Arts (TESOL) after one year or; the MA (TESOL) course upon completion.
A range of financial aid and bursaries are available, including The Brooke Trust Education Bursary worth 50% of the tuition fees; a 20% bursary award to all Sarawak Teachers’ Union members and immediate family members; and a 15% discount off the tuition fee for Swinburne alumni.
Further details on Swinburne’s MA (TESOL) programme can be found at swinburne.edu.my/apply-now/matesol/.
For more information about Swinburne, visit its website www.swinburne.edu.my, Facebook page (@swinburnesarawak), Instagram (@swinburnesarawak), Twitter page (@Swinburne_Swk) or YouTube channel (Swinburne Sarawak).