We have come to the end of the semester...can you believe it? Wow... I can say that this semester is like riding on a roller-coaster. This course has really exposed me to the world of science and technology. But what we actually learnt from this course is how to integrate technology in the lesson.
Blogging: The world has changed and so do our lifestyles. Paper and pen have been transformed to keyboard and monitor. and they can do more what paper and pen couldn't do. With the development of ICT, we can share our thoughts more easily as the internet connects us instantly to the people all over the world. I'm glad that we had made use blog as a platform or channel where lecturers and students can communicate with each other, pouring out our own thoughts. This is the time when we students can reflect on our own thoughts in depth.
Video: Nothing is more stimulating and catchy than to use video for teaching English. If not because of this assignment, I would never think of learning how to produce a video on my own. Thus, it was such a wonderful journey in producing the video and learning new skills. Even though there were many obstacles along the process, I should be proud of myself as I've never thought that I could produce a VIDEO!!
IWB: Put on your thinking cap!! Phew...I have designed many worksheets before, but this time it was little bit different as I have to design it using Smart Notebook software. The most challenging part was to be as creative as possible yet sensible to the lesson. Well, I tried to keep it simple because to me creativity means nothing if it couldn't achieve the objectives of the lesson. Most importantly, the Smartboard activities should be meant to smoothen the lesson and benefits my pupils.
Chat: Aha...this is what we like to do.. CHATTING! thanks to Prof and our tutors for letting us 'shaking our legs' after a long journey of hectic assignments. Unfortunately, not many of us really make use of this channel for the discussion session. We forgot the objective and most of us end up talking about our own things which were out of topic.
As this is my last blog, I would like to express my gratitude to Prof. Raja Maznah and the tutors for being very patient in guiding us throughout this course...
Not forgetting, my beloved coursemates who have come out with wonderful products and non-stop support...
With love, thousands of thanks again to everyone and hopefully we will be able to implement what we've learnt in this course in the future...:)
Monday, October 20, 2008
Wednesday, October 15, 2008
Facebook...
When we talk about community website such as Facebook, more or less we can guess what the site is all about. Like other community websites namely Friendster and MySpace, this site provides the opportunity for us to get to know more about our friends and even meeting new pals from all around the world. It is also the one of the means where our friends can keep in touch with us wherever they are. We can even make it like an online journal to jolt down and tell other people what's new in our lives, besides setting up topic for discussion in forum room. In addition, it is a way to draw ourselves closer to the people around us by sending winks or digital gifts to them. So many we can do with such website.
Thus, related to what I've said above, Facebook encourages social interaction in virtual world. As teachers, it is not impossible for us to utilise this facility to get to know about our pupils more personally. Here, teachers get to know in details what kind of problems their pupils are facing in particular subjects or even about their personal lives. Pupils will be more comfortable interacting with their teachers through this channel rather than expressing their feelings face to face. Furthermore, as teachers, it is important for us to know their pupils' peer group in order to understand their personalities. With this, it helps teachers to have a better class management so that teaching and learning in the classroom is more effective.
Thus, related to what I've said above, Facebook encourages social interaction in virtual world. As teachers, it is not impossible for us to utilise this facility to get to know about our pupils more personally. Here, teachers get to know in details what kind of problems their pupils are facing in particular subjects or even about their personal lives. Pupils will be more comfortable interacting with their teachers through this channel rather than expressing their feelings face to face. Furthermore, as teachers, it is important for us to know their pupils' peer group in order to understand their personalities. With this, it helps teachers to have a better class management so that teaching and learning in the classroom is more effective.
Thursday, September 11, 2008
What a relief...
YIPPIE HURRAY!! Finally, i get to finish up my third assignment for this course. It is a relief for me as these few weeks were quite hactic for me and my friends. It is not easy to come out with my own activities designed using Smart Notebook software as this is the first time I really explore it on my own. Thank God I get to learn how to use this software from my group members, well... teamwork is the best:)!! It took some time for me to think about the approptiate and creative interactive activities that I can create using this software...I admit that not much creativity I put into this assignment... anyway, I'm quite happy with what I can do with this innovative software.
Doing this assignment makes me think if most schools in Malaysia will be provided with this facility in 10 years time. It is quite difficult to predict as the cost to buy and locate it in every school is quite high. However, I try to look at it in a more positive way...nothing is impossible.
Back to my final production...hopefully, the activities that I produced using this software meet the requirements set by the lecturers.. It's such a wonderful experience to have the opportunity to learn how to use this software.. I believe that one day this software will be a must-have facility in schools.. :)
Doing this assignment makes me think if most schools in Malaysia will be provided with this facility in 10 years time. It is quite difficult to predict as the cost to buy and locate it in every school is quite high. However, I try to look at it in a more positive way...nothing is impossible.
Back to my final production...hopefully, the activities that I produced using this software meet the requirements set by the lecturers.. It's such a wonderful experience to have the opportunity to learn how to use this software.. I believe that one day this software will be a must-have facility in schools.. :)
Sunday, September 7, 2008
The future of technology in education
Computers, the Internet, distance learning, and other educational technologies are a fact of life. Traditional textbooks and worksheets—along with traditional learning environments—may soon go the way of slate tablets. Administrators, teachers, and parents who bury their heads in the sand hoping the technology "fad" will pass them by may be resisting because they see change as a threat or because they do not understand how technology can be integrated into the traditional educational system. Whatever the reason, the longer they delay, the more they are shortchanging children's futures. As research at the Center for Best Practices indicates, technology is an important equalizing tool for children with disabilities. It is an equally important tool for all children.
One thing is clear: the time has come for educators comfortable living with the Flintstones to accept the inevitable and "meet George Jetson!"
One thing is clear: the time has come for educators comfortable living with the Flintstones to accept the inevitable and "meet George Jetson!"
Friday, September 5, 2008
Try this...
I've come across the website http://www.askkids.com/. This website provides comprehensive information on how teachers can integrate technology in the classroom and how education can be linked to technology. There are different types of activities that teachers can use to make learning more memorable for the young learners. So, don't forget to visit this website to get more ideas about it...
Sunday, August 31, 2008
Rationale for using technology and multimedia in the classroom
We find ourselves today, in a classroom full of students as diverse as the world in which we live. Research on the human brain has shown that not all students learn by one particular strategy. Some students do well with the tried and true method of direct instruction, but the majority of students do not. To reach the most number of students, the teacher needs to create a variety of learning experiences. The first and most simplistic way is to use technology to supplement classroom instruction. Technology will help meet these demands is by allowing students to interact with information within a different medium. There are numerous multimedia programs designed to meet the special needs of diverse learners. For example, a student learning English as a second language would benefit from a computer program where they could learn the language at their own pace. They could spend as much time as needed on the computer, without feeling pressured to keep up with 30 other students. Another type of learner may memorize facts and details better if the information is presented in musical form. One can not expect all teachers to teach in this fashion, but a computer program or multimedia application may have the capabilities of doing so without taking additional time away from other students. By utilizing such programs, a single teacher can employ many more resources and methods within one classrooms, rather than teaching the information in one manner to all students.
Another valuable way technology should be used in the classroom is to teach students how to manage information. Our generation has commonly been referred to as living in the 'information society.' Never before in the history of the world have people had so much access to information. With the click of a mouse or even a remote control, one can know what is a happening anywhere in the world, at any given time. Our students must become information literate; our democratic society depends on this fact. Where better to teach our children these skills than in the classroom. By incorporating technology in the curriculum, students will become exposed to a variety of modes of communication - both as sender and receiver. A teacher may utilize the vast amount of information on the Internet to help students develop the skills necessary to determine a reliable source of information from an unreliable. Also, students will learn how to analyze and synthesize information gathered from a variety of resources and possibly develop a multi-media presentation to share their research with their classmates. Finally, students are also able to interact with people around the world, thanks to technology - whether it is an expert on a particular subject they are studying or other students researching a similar question. What ever the particular scenario may be, technology allows teachers to expand the four walls of the traditional classroom and explore the world in which we live.
Finally, according to Bloom's Taxonomy, as children move through the hierarchy of learning, their studies should progressively move towards developing higher level thinking skills. Technology can facilitate this process when integrated within the existing curriculum. Gone are the days of spending hours mulling through over a dozen hard-copy books looking for information for a research project. With technology, students can shift their focus from acquiring information to the task at hand - synthesis, analysis and presentation of information. To guarantee that technology is being used appropriately to develop higher level thinking skills, the teacher must develop curriculum to do so. For example, both roles of the teacher and student have changed dramatically over the last 20 years. In the traditional model of education, the teacher was responsible for disseminating information to students. The students' primary responsibility was to consume and retain as many of the facts and figures as they could. The most successful students were those who could memorize and regurgitate information in a variety of format - writing papers, oral reports and tests. However, we have recently discovered that these types of skills do not always prepare our students for their professional lives. For a student to be successful in today's job market, they must be able to assess and analyze information, not merely memorize. Businesses are looking for independent thinkers, not mindless robots. As instructors, we must realize this fact and adjust our curriculum accordingly - and one way of implementing this change is through the use of technology.
In conclusion, technology and multimedia applications should be an integral part of the learning environment. Our students are immersed in a daily life full of computers and other technological advances. The schools of America should reflect this change in the classroom. Integration of technology does not mean placing a computer in the corner of the classroom and leaving it un-touched throughout the semester. Technology must be incorporated in all aspects of the curriculum. To do anything less would be a disservice to our students.
Another valuable way technology should be used in the classroom is to teach students how to manage information. Our generation has commonly been referred to as living in the 'information society.' Never before in the history of the world have people had so much access to information. With the click of a mouse or even a remote control, one can know what is a happening anywhere in the world, at any given time. Our students must become information literate; our democratic society depends on this fact. Where better to teach our children these skills than in the classroom. By incorporating technology in the curriculum, students will become exposed to a variety of modes of communication - both as sender and receiver. A teacher may utilize the vast amount of information on the Internet to help students develop the skills necessary to determine a reliable source of information from an unreliable. Also, students will learn how to analyze and synthesize information gathered from a variety of resources and possibly develop a multi-media presentation to share their research with their classmates. Finally, students are also able to interact with people around the world, thanks to technology - whether it is an expert on a particular subject they are studying or other students researching a similar question. What ever the particular scenario may be, technology allows teachers to expand the four walls of the traditional classroom and explore the world in which we live.
Finally, according to Bloom's Taxonomy, as children move through the hierarchy of learning, their studies should progressively move towards developing higher level thinking skills. Technology can facilitate this process when integrated within the existing curriculum. Gone are the days of spending hours mulling through over a dozen hard-copy books looking for information for a research project. With technology, students can shift their focus from acquiring information to the task at hand - synthesis, analysis and presentation of information. To guarantee that technology is being used appropriately to develop higher level thinking skills, the teacher must develop curriculum to do so. For example, both roles of the teacher and student have changed dramatically over the last 20 years. In the traditional model of education, the teacher was responsible for disseminating information to students. The students' primary responsibility was to consume and retain as many of the facts and figures as they could. The most successful students were those who could memorize and regurgitate information in a variety of format - writing papers, oral reports and tests. However, we have recently discovered that these types of skills do not always prepare our students for their professional lives. For a student to be successful in today's job market, they must be able to assess and analyze information, not merely memorize. Businesses are looking for independent thinkers, not mindless robots. As instructors, we must realize this fact and adjust our curriculum accordingly - and one way of implementing this change is through the use of technology.
In conclusion, technology and multimedia applications should be an integral part of the learning environment. Our students are immersed in a daily life full of computers and other technological advances. The schools of America should reflect this change in the classroom. Integration of technology does not mean placing a computer in the corner of the classroom and leaving it un-touched throughout the semester. Technology must be incorporated in all aspects of the curriculum. To do anything less would be a disservice to our students.
Saturday, August 30, 2008
The results...
It has been quite some time i did not review my blog. It's time to be active again!!!:) Let me drop some words about our assignment in producing a video clip that is to be used in ESL classroom. I couldn't deny that although the process of making it was tough (for someone like me who is a little bit far behind in computer field), still it leaves a good experience for me in disclosing my ability and creativity. I have to admit that working at the last minute is not the right way to produce a quality product. It took me some time to come out with the concept based on the topic that i chose. I tried to browse on the internet to look out some examples so that I could get some ideas on how to produce my video. There are some good videos that I found from the website like YouTube and MSN. They are very entertaining and simple but yet effective. I also downloaded some songs and images that are related to my topic, 'COLOURS'.
After getting some ideas and materials needed, I started to scatch out the storyboard for the video clip by considering the target group and also objectives to be achieved. Several times I had to redo it in order to get the best one. This process taught me to be patient as I had to crack my head and come out with my own original ideas. Another challenging part is to learn to use Windows Movie Maker and other editing softwares. I managed to try out those softwares and program on my own. I began to develop confidence in myself as I moved from one stage to another. No matter how hard it is, nothing is impossible to achieve as long as we believe and put on efforts in what we are doing. Support from group members is important as well. My group members kept on sharing their ideas throughout the process and this was an advantage for me to improve on my video. Starting from zero, this project gave me the opportunity to build up the knowledge and skills in applying the latest technology for the use in ESL classroom. As I learnt how to exploit different kinds of softwares and skills, things became easier for me and more ideas came in. As I mentioned earlier, time factor is very important, thus, we need to plan right from the beginning so that the work that we produce is more than satisfactory level. Personally, I wish I had outlined my schedule in a more organised manner. I could not turn back time but I can overcome this problem in me.
Finally, I managed to come out with a video clip that is ready to be used for teaching in the classroom. I can say that I am satisfied with my work but still can be improved. I need to acquire more skills in exploiting more softwares so that I can produce a variety of teaching tools for my pupils in the future. The decision to upload all the videos produced by the students in YouTube is exciting and in a way everyone is contributing their work for the benefits of others.
Videos are effective stimulus to get pupils attentions and interests. This is because videos are colourful, entertaining and more lively compared to other types of teaching tools. Even though technology in computer is very influential in educational field today, we must always keep in mind that it could only assist us in teaching and learning, not to take the role of a teacher as the educator. The technology that we utilise should be practical and appropriate, so that they are useful for the young learners. Thus, we should not take it for granted to make teaching and learnining easier, but we should apply it to make teaching-learning more effective.
After getting some ideas and materials needed, I started to scatch out the storyboard for the video clip by considering the target group and also objectives to be achieved. Several times I had to redo it in order to get the best one. This process taught me to be patient as I had to crack my head and come out with my own original ideas. Another challenging part is to learn to use Windows Movie Maker and other editing softwares. I managed to try out those softwares and program on my own. I began to develop confidence in myself as I moved from one stage to another. No matter how hard it is, nothing is impossible to achieve as long as we believe and put on efforts in what we are doing. Support from group members is important as well. My group members kept on sharing their ideas throughout the process and this was an advantage for me to improve on my video. Starting from zero, this project gave me the opportunity to build up the knowledge and skills in applying the latest technology for the use in ESL classroom. As I learnt how to exploit different kinds of softwares and skills, things became easier for me and more ideas came in. As I mentioned earlier, time factor is very important, thus, we need to plan right from the beginning so that the work that we produce is more than satisfactory level. Personally, I wish I had outlined my schedule in a more organised manner. I could not turn back time but I can overcome this problem in me.
Finally, I managed to come out with a video clip that is ready to be used for teaching in the classroom. I can say that I am satisfied with my work but still can be improved. I need to acquire more skills in exploiting more softwares so that I can produce a variety of teaching tools for my pupils in the future. The decision to upload all the videos produced by the students in YouTube is exciting and in a way everyone is contributing their work for the benefits of others.
Videos are effective stimulus to get pupils attentions and interests. This is because videos are colourful, entertaining and more lively compared to other types of teaching tools. Even though technology in computer is very influential in educational field today, we must always keep in mind that it could only assist us in teaching and learning, not to take the role of a teacher as the educator. The technology that we utilise should be practical and appropriate, so that they are useful for the young learners. Thus, we should not take it for granted to make teaching and learnining easier, but we should apply it to make teaching-learning more effective.
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