YOGYAKARTA – The Center for Pancasila Studies UGM pioneered the development of learning community portal for Civics Education (PKn) at schools by the name of Pancasila online in order to facilitate teachers to optimize learning which is more innovative and creative in cyber world by using IT. The portal at www.e-pancasila.web.id can be accessed by students and teachers for easy learning of civics at school.
“We invite teachers and students learning civics and other subjects to join in the portal, we’re convinced that this e-learning media will be very useful,” Heri Santoso, M.Hum said as initiator who was met after the launching of Pancasila online.
To introduce and disseminate this learning model, the launching was followed by training and and coaching, Learning Innovation in PKn Using IT for Teachers of PKn in Yogyakarta. The training was followed by teachers from highschools in Yogyakarta, including SMAN 1 Wates, SMAN 1 Godean, SMA Prambanan, SMA 1 Bantul, SMA 1 Banguntapan, SMA Muh 2 Yogyakarta, SMA Budi Mulia, SMK 1 Bantul, SMAN 1 Piyungan, SMK Piri 1 Yogyakarta, and SMAN 10 Yogyakarta.
Heri hoped that the Pancasila online portal can help the duty of teachers in teaching the subject at school. It is because the research done by researchers from the Center in 2010 on 8 highschools in one of regencies in Yogyakarta showed that some teaching was still conventional and had not optimized more innovative and creative learning, “Research showed that some teachers still have problems in using IT and learning media,” he said.
One of the operators of the online portal, Moh. Rifai, said that the Pancasila online portal was made with the 4 M principle, (mudah, murah, manfaat, dan menyenangkan, or easy, cheap, useful and interesting). It is equipped with modul and interesting features. Teachers and students may exchange data in doc, xls, ppt, jpg, mp3, mpg, and even chatting is enabled. In the future video conference feature will be developed.
What’s more interesting is that teachers can give a quizz and students can set up a community forum between teachers and students through online discussion. “To become teachers and students of this community is quite easy, doing free registration. This is all a contribution from the Center to the community,” he said.
Suradal (46), teacher from SMKN 1 Bantul, said that the learning of civics subject get less attention from most of students. Apart from the conventional method, students are more focused on subjects tested at National Exams such as English, Indonesian and Maths. “Civics is not tested at National Exam, so students are more interested in learning subjects that are tested there,” he said.
Similar views were shared by Yulianto (30). The teacher from SMA Budi Mulia said that the subject is less interesting for students. It actually teaches about personality and nationalism for young generation. “I hope the use of IT will encourage teachers to get students to learn civics,” he said