Thailand Schools Now Using Multimedia to Bridge Education Gap

[Jonathan Fairfield]

Thailand Schools Now Using Multimedia to Bridge Education Gap

BANGKOK:-- YouTube and other multimedia platforms have the potential to educate students on a massive scale, and do so at little to no cost. Government schools and other institutions in Thailand have recognized that multimedia platforms like YouTube can help bridge the gap in education access.

YouTube channels like Ormschool and ChocChip Channel are using this global multimedia platform to teach students or provide them with edutainment programming. Ormschool, in particular, has more than 10,000 videos with over 10 million views. The channel’s aim is to provide high school students with educational information on a variety of subjects, including chemistry, math, physics, social studies, biology and language learning.

Read more: http://tech.thaivisa.com/thailand-schools-now-using-multimedia-bridge-education-gap/4005/

[NongKhaiKid]

I'm waiting for unis to offer degree courses in texting.

[dean008]

Its a start, but improving the quality of both Thai and Foreign teachers would be better.

[jaltsc]

"YouTube and other multimedia platforms have the potential to educate students on a massive scale..."

So did textbooks, films, recordings, etc. have the same potential. None of these will work as long as they are employed in an archaic educational system that values social status above scholarship.

Edited February 6, 2015 by jaltsc

[lemonjelly]

Thai students need to improve their English language skills in order to access the wider spectrum of educational information online. I suggest providing Thai subtitles to English spoken movies rather than the handful of voice over artists that we are now stuck with.

[NongKhaiKid]

"YouTube and other multimedia platforms have the potential to educate students on a massive scale..."

So did textbooks, films, recordings, etc. have the same potential. None of these will work as long as they are employed in an archaic educational system that values social status above scholarship.

Students watch a recording but it can't answer questions and the students can't turn to their teachers as asking a question is a major No No.

From my long gone days of teaching here the majority of Thai teachers I knew would simply put on the recording and when it was finished, lesson over.

[Ceruhe]

There is no "bridging the gap" in education at all currently, you can only make the gaps shorter, but not close them...unfortunately, this is a worldwide problem and unrelated to weapon dealings, murder, hate, making money and so forth, so that will be a problem for quite some more time.

I myself have picked up alot of educational channels on Youtube long ago, while obviously not tailored to a specific topic and therefore rather broad. I have found alot of interesting stuff so far that school hasn't even scratched the surface on to get me excited in any field, most impacting of them biology...god (haha...) how I hated it in school, but since Youtube, it's among my fav things now. After space and the universe that is hehe

Dare say, aside from reading/speaking/writing/basic math, there was nothing school did (much) better than Youtube for me as of now.

[zeichen]

Reducing class size to less than 30 ideally 20 has the greatest impact on education.

Brain scan studies show that there is less brain activity while watching TV than reading. So though multi-media may look like a fun choice for learning it really isn't. As a suppliment to a well designed lesson that scaffolds the lessons for differing skill sets and abilities and more interactive peer teaching is a proven method.

But like most departments of education in countries around the world, those that make the choices for education aren't teachers nor have they been in a classroom in years. California has an interesting rule where all principles and management in schools actually have to teach also. You cannot make effective decisions if you are not yourself judging the effectiveness.

[wow64]

Honestly in Thailand this is not a bad idea for the very young students.

My daughter has learnt more vocabulary from her iPad via YouTube then her teachers and that's at International School. She is 4 so it's not a bad educational tool.

Many times she comes up to me and says something that really suprised me. I ask where she learnt it?? Ipad.

[worgeordie]

Will they be streaming these programs to those tablets

they bought for the kids, from China,or will they all be

broken by now.

regards Worgeordie

[thesetat2013]

Out of the 10 mill viewers how many do you suppose are Thai? I have yet to see a Thai student use YouTube for anything other than music videos. I would love to see a student use the internet to actually learn something but unless you are hovering over them the chances of them actually watching what you want is slim to nil

[chainarong]

I suppose you don't have to be a smart arse to come to the conclusion that this style while it has some positives certainly doesn't replace the explanation of how did that equation arrive at that number , learning parrot fashion might sound attractive, it doesn't teach the student any understanding of how and why.

[AlQaholic]

Some gaps are just to large to bridge.....

[Crazy chef 1]

get rid of the non failure policy this would be a start...and take the corruption out of the education system...

[selftaopath]

GAP? What gap would that be? Is it the gap between instruction and learning?

[siampolee]

Mind you it does rather depend on where the school may be located and the quality and enthusiasm of the academic and administration staff.

No such person as ''a bad student'' but there are indeed a lot of teachers who cannot or will not reach the level needed to implement a more modern system in conjunction with the old traditional methods to achieve a good mix of educational input and a good final level result for the students.

https://fbcdn-sphotos-c-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-xfa1/v/t1.0-9/10801687_943274939035394_3610574513822092656_n.jpg?oh=3f953ecfd2144629295d44487a92e645&oe=555D6BF5&__gda__=1435900867_06dce4eba0c36801cf1f765dea6b494a

[Caveat Emptor]

Its a start, but improving the quality of both Thai and Foreign teachers would be better.

How many times have we heard this valid point being repeated ?

A one time neighbour of mine raised the issue of English language teaching with his son's school pointing out the boy spoke better English than the supposed teacher and was learning nothing. The director was unfazed and asked he tell the boy to sit quietly in that class as the lessons were not for him since he had 1 native speaking parent but for the Thai students who knew nothing.

Once again an example of an " English ' teacher passing on his poor standard which, depending on the students future education, might never be corrected.

How many may end up teaching themselves ?

[Jeremy50]

Mind you it does rather depend on where the school may be located and the quality and enthusiasm of the academic and administration staff.

No such person as ''a bad student'' but there are indeed a lot of teachers who cannot or will not reach the level needed to implement a more modern system in conjunction with the old traditional methods to achieve a good mix of educational input and a good final level result for the students.

https://fbcdn-sphotos-c-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-xfa1/v/t1.0-9/10801687_943274939035394_3610574513822092656_n.jpg?oh=3f953ecfd2144629295d44487a92e645&oe=555D6BF5&__gda__=1435900867_06dce4eba0c36801cf1f765dea6b494a

No such person as a 'bad student'. So - no such person as a bad person? Students must WANT to learn something, and want it bad. Teachers are there to encourage and facilitate that need. When it comes to learning a language, a student must be driven and highly motivated, willing to put in hours of practice a week. I have about 20 students like that. 200 that sit politely but learn little, and 200 who I dread even having to face for another minute. In our school many students do exactly as they want, and are noisy, lazy, disrespectful , arrogant, sexist, racist and often abusive.

[binjalin]

I see Thais daily studying their mobile phones oblivious to everything and everyone else so it must be true! even in cinemas there they are studying sooooooo hard and whilst driving too

[katana]

Honestly in Thailand this is not a bad idea for the very young students.

My daughter has learnt more vocabulary from her iPad via YouTube then her teachers and that's at International School. She is 4 so it's not a bad educational tool.

Many times she comes up to me and says something that really suprised me. I ask where she learnt it?? Ipad.

Ormschool. 50 free lessons Teaching English. A few mistakes, but the first few I looked at seemed quite good:

www.youtube.com/watch?v=y95Gl6sYZTs&list=PLF25FE9C8D1F2DE72