Freedom in a Simple Space: When a Screen Fosters Courage
The roar of vehicles on the streets of Tebing Tinggi often blends with the sound of tapping desks and whispers of curiosity in our classrooms. Every time I step inside, the sight is always the same: my students, a generation born amidst the encirclement of gadgets, are incredibly skilled at manipulating touchscreens for instant entertainment. On one hand, their digital proficiency is truly impressive. On the other hand, I realise there is an invisible barrier that is slowly distancing some of them from the reality of the life surrounding them.
As an Informatics teacher, that anxiety often manifests as a question: what is the purpose of children being so fluent in technology if those same fingers are not trained to use technology as a means of learning, collaborating, and solving real-world problems? For me, informatics education is not just about mastering digital devices, but also about fostering character, empathy, and a love for the environment in which they grow. Without that foundation, technological progress could actually cause the younger generation to lose their direction and identity.
One morning, before the lesson began, I posed a simple question to my Year VII students: “Children, who among you does not have a laptop or computer at home?”
The classroom suddenly fell silent. Students glanced at one another. Finally, a hand was slowly raised. Sitting before me was a quiet student—let us call him Ramah. His family’s economic limitations meant he had almost never touched a computer. Operating a mouse or typing on a keyboard was still foreign to him. Amidst his peers who were becoming familiar with the digital world, he often felt left behind and lacked confidence.
Shortly thereafter, our school received assistance in the form of Interactive Flat Panels (IFP) from the President of the Republic of Indonesia, as part of the government’s efforts to support technology-based learning transformation. The presence of this device brought a new spirit to the classroom. For some students, especially those who do not have access to computers at home, that interactive screen became their first opportunity to learn how to use technology directly.
That day, I invited the students to learn the basics of computers through interactive visual displays. They took turns touching the screen, attempting to recognise computer functions, arranging simple algorithmic steps, and completing computational thinking challenges in groups. No student was merely a spectator anymore. Everyone had the opportunity to try, discuss, and learn together.