Cikgu Fadzli Ishak, a Frog Teacher Award winner, believes that teaching with technology is an opportunity for teachers to be creative and innovative. He talks about how FrogPlay made learning fun and simple for students and how teachers were drawn to the easy-to-use technology. All of which eventually brought SK Taman Bukit Indah to the second place World Winner in the FrogPlay World Championship 2018.
“I have always been using technology in my daily life, and when I was introduced to the Frog VLE, it made me realise that technology in education is something so beneficial for teachers and students. That realisation sparked my motivation and dedication to be an advocate of technology,” said Cikgu Fadzli.
Since 2014, Cikgu Fadzli has used the Frog VLE platform for teaching and learning. He was determined to educate his students about the uses of technology in education despite having constraints. But that changed when FrogPlay was launched in 2017.
“It became easier for me to not only get my students started with edutech, but also to introduce the concept of edutech to teachers who were still opposed to the idea,” he shared.
“FrogPlay is fun and simple. Students enjoyed it very much because of the gamification, and teachers were drawn to the ready-made quizzes available on the application. When the FrogPlay World Championship was announced in 2018, it was a big motivation for the entire school to use FrogPlay. Students were consistently completing quizzes and playing games, while teachers started sharing and creating more quizzes for students to do. A direct effect of that is that our students’ results have improved, and teachers finally understood the benefits of teaching through technology."
”SK Taman Bukit Indah was the second place World Winner in the FrogPlay World Championship 2018, beating more than 7,000 schools from 15 countries across the world! Since then, doors of endless possibilities were opened for the school. “A few months later after the Championship, SK Taman Bukit Indah was selected to be a Microsoft Showcase School. Our Frog VLE usage and performance played an integral part during the selection because it was part of the assessment rubric given by Bahagian Sumber dan Teknologi Pendidikan (BSTP),” said the Gamechanger in Edutech.
Students were introduced to a new variety of Microsoft tools and applications, in which all were integrated through the Frog VLE.
“All my students are already well-versed with digital tools and applications because they started with the Frog VLE. So, it’s actually very easy for me to introduce new tools and applications for them to try out. Apart from Microsoft, I’ve also introduced coding through Hour of Code to my students that I’ve integrated into the Frog VLE,” said Cikgu Fadzli.
The Frog Teacher Award winner also shared that teaching with technology is an opportunity for teachers to be creative and innovative.
“A teacher doesn’t have to constantly spoon-feed students with information for the purpose of passing exams. That shouldn’t be what education is about. With so many digital tools and applications available, teachers can make teaching and learning an exciting experience.”
Cikgu Fadzli gave an example of how he used Minecraft for classroom projects.
“Through Minecraft, I asked my students to create their vision of a sustainable school. Not only did I introduce them to a new method and tool to create something, I also gave them an opportunity to be as creative and innovative as they want to be.”
This is what technology sparks in students, enabling them to build cognitive skills and have an avenue to channel their creative energy.
The edutech advocate challenged himself to be a Science teacher and shared that he received a helping hand from Frog Boost, an application in the Frog VLE that provided teachers and students unlimited access to ready-to-use lessons that are aligned to the Malaysian curriculum.
“Frog Boost is great. Topic notes and exercises are already prepared according to the syllabus. All I need to do is just click and teach. It’s also very helpful in facilitating independent learning amongst my students and I’ve always encouraged my students to take charge of their own learning journey.”
Since 2017, Cikgu Fadzli has been an active advocate of technology by constantly sharing with teachers and parents. He also started a professional learning network where teachers who were utilising the Frog VLE in teaching and learning could share and exchange best practices with one another.
“I was encouraged by Cikgu Mohd Fadzil Abdul Hanid to start sharing my best practices and experiences to build awareness on 21st century education. So, I started to organize workshops and sharing sessions on how to use the Frog VLE alongside other digital tools and applications for teaching and learning. I also actively share edutech tips and information on my social media platforms,” he said.
Terima kasih, Cikgu, for creating awareness on 21st century education and for advocating the use of technology in teaching and learning. We wish you all the best in all your national and international education exploits!
