THE IMPLEMENTATION OF BLENDED LEARNING IN TEACHING AND LEARNING PROCESS IN MR.RUDI’S ICT CLASS

Blended learning nowadays becomes a hot topic in college students who conduct education program as an effective and efficient approach that can be used in teaching and learning process. Some of classes in English department have tried implementing that approach. It exposes curiosity whether blended learning is effective or not and whether that classes really accomplish blended learning conditions or not.

We conduct observation in Mr.Rudi’s ICT class to sharpen our curiosity and enhance our knowledge in blended learning. We have hypothesis that Mr.Rudi’s ICT class conduct blended learning. We used interview as the way to help us collect the data. We had 5 informants; they are Izhaty Khairina Devi, Arienadia Nijma, Muhammad Ramadhani, Ryan Biantoro, and Ahmad Zunas.

Here are the instruments and the result about our research.

The Instruments are:

1.     Based on your opinion, what is blended learning?

2.    What class are you taking that conduct blended learning?

3.    What do you do in class?

4.    Do you think that class conduct blended learning?

5.    What are the advantages taking the class that implementing blended learning?

6.    What are the disadvantages taking the class that implementing blended learning?

The results of the interview:

They are asked about what is blended learning. All of them have some perspective that blended learning is the combination between face to face classes with online classes, there is another condition though. They join Mr.Rudi Hartono class in ICT. They told us that in their ICT class, they use website and blog to support their teaching and learning process. Mr.Rudi used e-teachinweb.blogspot.com to attach the materials and some web link that will be used for the meeting. To submit the assignment Mr.Rudi asks students to use personal blog and other activities such as Mid-term or pop quiz, they use edmodo.com and adobe flash as a media. Muhammad Ramadhani said that in his opinion Mr.Rudi class do not really conduct blended learning in his classes. ICT class only takes advantages of media online to make their learning and teaching process is easier. Their ICT class does not accomplish blended learning conditions. They use internet only for media, there is no interaction process on it. The utilizing of internet gives them some advantages and disadvantages. Internet facilitates their learning and teaching process easily. Ahmad Zunas said it is paperless because they do not need to bring book to the class and hand in thick papers to the teacher. They can do it online which is cheaper and efficient. However, online system also bring disadvantages side. Ryan said that on one hand paperless is really useful but the habit of bringing book in the class make him feel difficult take his laptop everywhere. Beside it is heavy, another subject still use book as a media though. Devi agreed with that, she also added that when we use internet sometime we get difficulty to get the signal, it makes the connection bad and the process of taking material is hard. It makes the face to face class not effective and efficient. Arienadia told us that beside MR.Rudi upload the material in his website, He also opens website in face to face class. It makes face to face class not effective because they should wait for the loading of the website. Furthermore, bringing laptop to the class make student not focus on the study, we do not know whether they really open the material or doing other things. 

Explanations   

After we did the interview, we will prove our hypothesis that Mr.Rudi’s ICT class conduct blended learning with comparing between our results of observation and the theory of blended learning.

      According to University of Welverhampton (2010), Blended learning is an approach to learning and teaching which combine and aligns learning undertaken in face to face sessions with learning opportunities created online. Based on this definition, Mr. Rudi’s class have used both of face to face and online class however the online class do not represent the goal of blended learning. The online class is just for a media to share the material from the teacher to the students and collect the students’ assignments. There is no interaction process between the teacher and the students. In blended learning, online class should be a mediator between teacher and students. There should be interaction between students and teacher such giving feedback of students assignment, comment about the materials, asking questions or etc. In other word blended learning bring face to face classes to online classes in some way but different condition and situation. 

Here are some advantages and disadvantages of blended learning in Mr. Rudi’s class.

a.   The advantages

Based on the data, the advantages of the blanded learning in Mr. Rudi’s class are:

1.   Accessibility and flexibility. The students can access their material in learning and teaching process easily. The course enriches learning experience with the availability of resources and multimedia. It can be used wherever students are, in the class, boarding house, cafe, or home, and the other part it is on-line.

2.  Make the students are more familiar with the technology. It means that the using of the teachnology can make the students’ critical thinking and ability are developing in the using of technology. It serves productive environment too.

3.  It provides effective learning experience. It is able to form a bridge between face-to-face and on-line learning. For example, the using of internet. It can be used as a media to share the material from the teacher to the students and collect the students’ assignments.

4.  It is spending efficiency. It is paperless because they do not need to bring book to the class and hand in thick papers to the teacher. They can do it online which is cheaper and efficient.

a.   The disadvantages

1.   There are no interaction process in the class between the teacher and the students. The using of the media only use to share the material from the teacher to the students and collect the students’ assignments. So, the materials do not deliver clearly enough.

2.  It is not consistent in using on-line teaching and learning, because it is still use some books as a media.

3.  It is not practicality. The students have to bring their laptop or notebook everywhere when their face the class.

4.  There is not a good connection for the students to access or connect with the internet. The wi-fi signals in the campus does not support the teaching and learning process. It makes the process of taking material is more difficult. It makes the face to face class not effective and efficient.

5.  Bringing laptop to the class make student not focus on the study, we do not know whether they really open the material or doing other things.

Based on the advantages and disadvantages above, Internet eases the teaching and learning process, it also gives some obstacles to students and teacher, though. The usage of internet as a media has crucial role in teaching learning process, misapplication of internet will impact the bad things in classes. We agree with one of our friends Dian Nirwana in presentation session about blended learning, she said that “Better system should be compared with better attitude”.

We can conclude that Mr. Rudi’s class does not really conduct blended learning in his ICT class. It is because the class only takes the advantages of media online to make their learning and teaching process are easier. Internet is just for a media to share the material from the teacher to the students and collect the students’ assignments. There is no interaction process between the teacher and the students. It is better if give more interaction in online classes to strengthen students and teacher understanding, prepare what the class will do carefully so that it will not obstruct face to face class, waste of time waiting for buffering, and make sure all of students to ready for the classes.