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Digital books in 'the jungle': One teacher’s journey
Digital books make reading fun and interesting for students at schools that have limited access to books in the country’s remote corners, like Malinau in North Kalimantan.
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Engaging learning: Paulina (left) encourages her students to participate actively as she leads her third-grade class in reading from a digital book, projected onto the classroom's wall. (Courtesy of Erix Hutasoit/-)
M
alinau regency borders Malaysia at the northernmost tip of Kalimantan. About 15 minutes’ walk from the town center is SDN 2 West Malinau elementary school.
The school's rendered brick buildings, painted green and white, are arranged neatly in a U shape. Four grades still use the old stilted timber classrooms.
The environment is pleasant, lush and green with a grassy lawn and huge overhanging trees. This is the land of the Dayak people.
Paulina teaches grade 3. Her classroom is lively. The combination of worn wooden walls and floors makes the room seem cooler as the sun rises. The white paint has begun to peel, but the room is colorful, its walls filled with literacy posters, children’s stories and students’ written compositions.
The students remove their shoes before entering the room. Most wear socks to keep their feet warm. Paulina tells them she plans to read a story from a digital book.
Squealing with delight, the children scramble to sit on floor mats while Paulina sets up her electronic device. The bright image of Red Kites, a children’s book, soon lights up the wall. For the next 15 minutes, the children are entranced as Paulina reads and engages them with the story, stirring their imagination and asking them questions that encourage critical thinking.
