BALIKPAPAN ICT-BASED ACTIVE LEARNING LINGKAGE (BALIBALING)

As an Indonesian Educator and alumnus of The US Department of State Educators Exchange Program 2006 & 2009, I have always been dreaming about promoting every single aspect of life belongs to Indonesia and United States of America to those who have not had first-hand experience on them. I am, therefore, planning to launch a virtual forum which I refer it as BALIKPAPAN ICT-BASED ACTIVE LEARNING LINGKAGE (BALIBALING) in the near time. BALIBALING is an ICT-Based education and exchange forum where teachers and students in Balikpapan can VIRTUALLY share and exchange information about cultures, customs, politics, life stiles, arts, history, education, technology as well as teaching and learning materials with other teachers and students in Amherst [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amherst_Massachusetts/ or  http://www.amherstma.gov/] , USA. In order to be able to actively participate in this forum, each member or participant has to possess good command of English and computer literacy. Thus, possessing good English communication skill is applied as one of initial requirements to be member or participant of such a forum. For this reason, I have decided to establish two supporting programs for those who are interested in joining it. The two programs are carrying out WORKSHOPS ON ICT-BASED ACTIVE LAERNING AND TEACHING (1) and conducting VIRTUAL TEACHERS & STUDENTS EXCHANGE PROGRAM (2). The establishment of BALIBALING and its two supporting programs are to be included in my collaborative post-action project which is entitled DEVELOPING AND EMPOWERING ICT-BASED ACTIVE LEARNING LINGKAGES AMONG TEACHERS-STUDENTS IN BALIKPAPAN AND TEACHERS-STUDENTS IN AMHERST, UNITED STATES OF AMERICA. The final goal of this project is that to help its participants have better learning & teaching skills using ICT and promote mutual understanding about Indonesia and United States of America among them. This project will last from November 2010 until October 2011.
 There will be two groups of teachers-students expected to participate in this project; teachers-students reside in Balikpapan, Indonesia and those living in Amherst, USA. Through VIRTUAL TEACHERS & STUDENTS EXCHANGE PROGRAMS (VTSEP), those two groups will interactively share and discuss about particular topics ranging from cultures, customs, politics, life styles, arts, history, education, technology as well as teaching and learning materials one to another. Besides that, they will also participate in some workshops on ICT-Based Active Learning and Teaching (IBALT). This program is compulsory especially for those who have not had adequate skills in joining the VTSEP.


To reach the final goal of this project, all primary program activities are designed in order to lead each participant to study best practices of using ICT and using them for better learning and teaching while promoting self awareness about country’s heritages belong to both sides. All program activities and time frames of the project are outlined as follows;


A. NOVEMBER – DECEMBER 2010: PRELEMINARY PREPARATION

1. Proposal Finalization.

2. Making project exposures and publications.

3. Founding and declaring the foundation of BALIKPAPAN ICT-BASED ACTIVE LEARNING LINGKAGE (BALIBALING).

4. Making preliminary contacts with teachers and students in Amherst, USA.

5. Proposing the project to the US Department of State for program financing support.


B. JANUARY-FEBRUARY 2011: WORKSHOPS ON ICT-BASED ACTIVE LEARNING AND TEACHING.

1. BASIC PROGRAM: Using Word processing, Spread Sheet, Internet and Electronic Mails [E-mails].

2. INTERMEDIATE PROGRAM: Using Power Point, Front Page, Intranet [LAN], E-mailing Group and Weblog.

3. ADVANCED PROGRAM: Using Pinnacle, Photoshop and making simple website to design and publish on and off-line learning and teaching materials.


C. MARCH-SEPTEMBER 2010: CONDUCTING VIRTUAL TEACHERS & STUDENTS EXCHANGE PROGRAM (VTSEP).

1. Preliminary Activities:

• Making further contacts with American teachers and students both individually and organizationally.

• Setting up an agreement of collaboration to establish and empower VTSEP.


2. Main Activities:

• Introduction: Sharing pictures of exchange program participants, school activities, cultural events and interesting objects.

• Cross Culture Understanding: Exchanging Cultural values, customs and life styles of people living in both countries; Indonesia and America.

• Discussing about American and Indonesian education systems in general.

• Discussing about schooling systems; facilities, teachers, students, curriculum, school regulations, dressing codes, tuition fee, examinations, extracurricular activities, parents’ involvement in school funding, teachers’ salary, teachers’ associations or federations, students’ union, etc.

• Sharing ideas about general issues commonly discussed by people in both country; Indonesia and America, and

• Other Free-Topic Discussions.


C. OCTOBER 2010: PROJECT EVALUATION

1. Surveying project outcomes, and

2. Asking for Feedbacks from participants for project improvement.


At present I am still working on completing proposal [guidelines] of the project. If any of you find it interesting and have ideas to make it better, please feel free to write me back. Your ideas are highly appreciated. For Staff Member of Civic Initiative, would you please do me a favor to let teachers and students in Amherst and around know this project ? I’ve also made initial contacts through emails and let American teachers, students and interested parties we have worked with in the Civic Initiative program know about it.


Any ideas and comments shall be addressed to www.civicinitiative.blogspot.com. If anybody has not had access or think it’s not a good idea to sent them to the link, please feel free to do so to the following email addresses; syamsul_etc@yahoo.com or szarnuji@yahoo.com. Thank you for your help and kind attention. I’m looking forward to hearing from and working with you soon !


Regards,






Syamsul Aematis Zarnuji

The 2006 & 2009 US Department of State Program Alumnus.


Office :
SMK Negeri 1 Balikpapan, Jl. Marsma R. Iswahyudi No. 1 Sepinggan Balikpapan, Kalimantan Timur, Indonesia 76115


Telephone : +62 542 761 941


Facsimile : +62 542 761 985


E-mail : pubaffairs.smkn1bpn@yahoo.com

Website : http://www.smkn1-bpn.sch.id/