THE ADVANTAGES OF GURU PINTAR ONLINE (GPO) IN ENHANCING THE PROFESSIONAL COMPETENCE OF EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATORS

Abstract

The open and distance education system is highly dependent on the use of information and communication technologies to facilitate student participation in teaching and learning activities. Smart Online Teacher or Guru Pintar Online (GPO) is a portal developed by Open University on its official website. This article provides an analysis and implications of GPO websites for the professional development of early childhood teachers, as well as a summary of the best websites for the development of teacher competence in the distance education system. Survey-based qualitative research methodologies. In the environment of the Faculty of Education and Teacher Training at the Open University, 1,502 teachers of early childhood education participated in this study. The research examines how teachers use GPO websites to enhance their teaching abilities by analyzing video lessons in learning laboratories. In distance education, learning websites are required to assist teachers in developing competencies because the website has high expectations in learning GPO (99.9%), students (99.9%) believe that through GPO, advanced actions can be taken to support work and professionalism. Furthermore, GPO is viewed as a resource for students to work together if they encounter similar problems and share their experiences. In addition, students were observed to assess their comprehension of the information obtained from this website. 97% of respondents believe that pupils must first be prepared before participating in significant discussions. 98% said that in order to make the course materials simple to comprehend, they drew from sources other than the GPO. According to student responses, 99 percent of them felt that enhancing their professionalism as instructors was beneficial.  GPO can be utilized to facilitate the growth of early childhood educator competencies.