PdPR or home based learning was established during pandemic Covid 19 to keep students and educators from being contacted with the spreader virus. All around the world, schools, universities and colleges are using online education from home to keep their studies going. Classes and examinations are conducted online according to scheduled hours so the students will not be miss an education. Although online studies seem to solve the problem of education during social distancing, parents are worried about the use of gadgets will distract the students from actually learning in their online classes. It is important that PdPR to be interesting, interactive and provide the information needed as it should be.
Imagine staying online for hours with PDF text or textbooks and listening to lectures explain each information with limited interaction that can easily make students bored. How to keep online classes fun from miles distance?
Bring the amusement into studies
Edutainment, educational entertainment has been part of studies method since the existent of technologies. Edutainment from before such as museum visits and science shows proved this method can pique interest in students to learn better. Edutainment is to educate and bring amusement in studies for students to have an effective way of absorbing information. Online studies are known to have limited interaction between students and educators but edutainment can help students to explore, manipulate information through screen and intrigue focal point of interest in learning. Edutainment embedded into gaming, software, video presentation and educational show.
Types of edutainment
Gamification or game based learning can be a big help to lower students’ stress levels that will lead them to be more receptive in learning. With audio and visual help, the interaction between student and screen can develop or enhance some major skills such as innovation, creativity, critical thinking, problem solving and project management skills. Gamification is suitable for all education but higher educational students tend to absorbed more knowledge with technologies. There are Kahoot quizzes that word widely use and particularly famous in Malaysia other than Quizzes, Blackboard Learn or learning application from Frog Play by YTL Foundation.
Educations show, part of edutainment on television such as DidikTV launched by the Ministry of Education Malaysia for primary and secondary schools is a channel (sometimes portal) to provide additional information. Such channels can entertain students in learning the subject they learn in classes with more animation visuals and audio. Educational shows can help develop more intellectually in children better. Documentaries are more suitable for aged up students and have a similar benefit. The narration and explanation in documentaries along with motion pictures of material is an aid to understand the material that is been studied.
Future edutainment
Technologies that bring infinite benefit into edutainment including portable online education, boundless information resource, and spark an imagination although not all students have equal access to technologies or the internet. Furthermore, reliance on technologies nowadays can diminish personal human connectivity among society. Hopefully, in the future edutainment are equal for all students for better learning chances and strengthen the social connection.
