Workshop held to familiarise longhouse folk with ICT
SIBU: Longhouse folk in Bawang Assan were recently introduced to information and communication technology ( ICT) as part of a move to bridge the digital divide between urban and rural communities.
A two- day workshop was held at Rumah Jimbun in Bawang Assan through a collaboration with the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission ( MCMC) as part of the MCMC Society Initiative, myMaker and University College of Technology Sarawak ( UCTS).
It was conducted for the Bawang Assan longhouse community as well as to highlight the Bawang Assan 1Malaysia Internet Centre ( PI1M).
The workshop aimed to promote ICT to the community, and also to familiarise the community with ICT.
In a press release yesterday, UCTS said it was part of the workshop’s strategy to encourage the community to fully utilise the Bawang Assan PI1M.
Twenty- five residents of nine longhouses – Rumah Michael Ancho, Rumah Peter Tinggom, Rumah Abell Mang, Rumah Rose, Rumah Dennis Ansam, Rumah Jimbun, Rumah Thomas, Rumah Anthony and Rumah Stanley Jawa – took part.
Managers and assistant managers from the nearby PI1M were also present at the workshop.
The programme was divided into three parts, including utilising available resources from Bawang Assan PI1M and UCTS.
There was also a drone programme conducted by myMaker, the 3D printing programme, and also Internet of Things ( IoT) awareness programme through the utilisation of the Raspberry Pi.
MCMC, myMaker and UCTS are likely to return to the longhouse to conduct an advanced workshop based on the focus groups created by the Bawang Assan community.
One of these groups wanted to use the Raspberry Pi to create some sensors that could be planted into Lebaan River to track fishes.
The workshop had the support of MCMC digital lifestyle and society department director John Tay, MCMC Sibu deputy director Sarani Kanaidi, myMaker Association president and drone trainer Johnson Lam, Bawang Assan PI1M manager Leslie Kharna Janting, Bawang Assan Homestay Association president Macathy Gindau, UCTS School of Computing dean Dr Bakri Madon, associate professor and network computing department head Dr Sim Yee Wai, trainer Gary Loh, and student volunteers from the UCTS Dayak Youth Club.