TECHNOLOGY IS SUPPOSED TO MAKE OUR LIVES EASIER.
And NOT the other way around.
With that view in mind, evaluation of CALL coursewares, materials and websites should be a natural CALL-ing given that nothing and nobody is perfect. On one note, we are dealing with human aka the students as the end users to such products, and on the other, we must not let the producers and publishers to be 'syok sendiri' into thinking that theirs are the best. We all tend to have that feeling of self-fulfillment, and none judges us better than the outsiders.
For the second question, let's face it. All pen and paper make for a good clerk and even more wastes to the environment. But I believe that above all, the utmost ulterior benefit of using JCloze gives the students the benefit of the 'hands-on' experience of learning with the twofold motives of teaching English, as well as 'befriending' them to the Big T.
Another benefit would be in terms of being economical both in time and resources. Thus, instead of students having to go through a series of correction which would easily frustrate them with the tedious 'chores', technology through the use of PC can remove such frustration with its features with requires no 'rubber' eraser and all.
Embedding is also made possible with technology with the inclusion of hint. Surely that cannot be achieved smoothly through the conventional method, can it? I doubt it can.
All these cater to the element of interaction which is essential to everyone's need, albeit via a 'lifeless' form which is the computer. Technology does it all for them.
If it makes our lives easier, bingo! That's technology for you. ^__^
Wednesday, January 27, 2010
Wednesday, January 13, 2010
In Class Task 2
I decided to make an exercise on Drag and Drop.
The topic is Occupation and my grammar item of choice was the Transitive Verb.
The rationale behind my exercise is so that the students will know what a particular occupation does and thus hopefully, they will respect such job, such as TEACHER.
Thursday, January 7, 2010
The FIRST.
It has been a year since I was required to blog academically for evaluation purposes. While the activity may be simple as it is, I would try my best to blog to cater to the lecturer's preferences. So here's how it goes.
1) Please introduce yourself.
My name is Ahmad Irwan bin Abd Aziz but I don't usually go by that name. Lol. I was born on October the 15th, 1985 so you can pretty much do the maths on what my age is. But as far as dates count, I am still 24 years old. You might be wondering, why is my age not tally with the rest or most of the batch. As simple as it is, I used to take a Diploma in Business Studies (DBS) in UiTM Lendu, Alor Gajah from June 2003 - 2006 before I pursued my B.Ed. TESL. I've tried to change course to Pre TESL back then to no avail. So I waited, and it was worth the wait.
2) How would you rate yourself in terms of your computer skill and why?
This question is tricky. I wanted to say I am tech-savvy, but I'm not really that close to match the criteria of one. I do possess some decent basic computer skills, I think, such as restoring the system, if that counts. I can type pretty fast since I used to take the time to memorize the keys so the keys are pretty much at the back of my hand. If skills concern the administrative functions, then it would be so-so. I know, and I don't.
3) What computer software and hardware knowledge do you have?
This question is complicated, and not. I remembered the first time this machine called computer was brought into our living room. My curiosity was at its peak that I attempted to explore the computer with almost zero knowledge of the application and all. However hard it was, I considered myself lucky, since my sister used to take a Bachelor in I.T. in University Malaya. I remembered all the programming language books she used to bring back to home. I was curious about this C++ thingy but was never too interested to learn them.
To answer this question, I would say that other than the vital and most basic Microsoft Word, I know how to use Microsoft Front Page however limited it is. My early experience with the software dated back in my secondary years. I remembered wanting to have a website on my own so badly (and the Geocities thingy didn't really grow on me much) that I explored on creating one my own, despite never really finished one. I remembered playing with the programming language, adding up marquees, effects and forms into the process. It was fun and somewhat too much for it to be loaded considerably fast. Until this day, I find the form box to be tricky.
My experience with Microsoft Excel was majorly when we were taking the Principles of Testing and Evaluation (PTE) course. Having to insert and calculate all those figures, it would be ludicrous to not learn to use it, wouldn't it? Despite struggling here and there, that was the most hands-on experience I had had, and I gotta say I almost forget everything of them. Talk about Short Term Memory, LOL.
Having taking 2 courses in computers back in Diploma and 1 during my Degree in the first semester, I would say that all it takes would be some refreshing and probably even more learning. Even so, I never know how to use the Photoshop and Illustrator, although I had meddled with Macromedia Flash MX when I was attempting to create the web site, and found the experience to be amuzing.
Overall, I would say that my skill is 'just nice' to survive, however gasping it may be.
As for the hardware, let's just say that I know what is what, and which is which. Especially in installing a desktop pc with the colored wires and all. Just the wires, not the inside part, of motherboard and all, mind you.
4) Have you ever experienced learning via the computer?
If learning online minus the conference thingy, I would say I have had some experience. Most of them revolve around self-learning, particularly on language. If learning is as broad as it is, I would say that I learn almost everyday via the computer, be it from blogs, websites or even chatrooms. Because if knowledge is the arrival of meaning, then I believe that I had arrived to the meanings from time to time.
5) Did you try to incorporate technology in your some of your lessons during your practicum? Was it a success or a failure? If you did not what was/were the reason(s)?
Sadly, I didn't try it due to the technologically-challenged of a school of the school. There was once where I decided to use the laptop to at least conduct a listening lesson based on song, but failed to do so since I did not have speakers and could borrow none from anyone. I was appalled, definitely but frustrated - not so much.
6) What is your opinion on the use of computer/technology in language teaching?
Well, I have mixed feeling on the use of the technology. For the pros, well it definitely facilitates the learning to be better and easier and more ease in the transition. A lot of things could also be done, given the ever-growing of the technology. The plus factor would be that it would be more fun than 'chalk and talk'.
For the cons, well first of all, we must be realistic that not all students have a computer in their home. Until we conduct consensus and find that proves to be otherwise, the feasibility is what worries me rather than the effectiveness. Unless the government is rich enough to allocate fundings for every student to have a computer (that's what they have been doing, although it is limited to schools), what can mere hours at school, with other things to be attended to, can do wonders to teaching?
With respect to language teaching, I would think that it would be mostly beneficial should it be implemented on a large scale. The popularity of the BESTA digital dictionary and such proves that the physical weight can be lifted off the students' shoulders and to focus on the weight of the definitions. E-books are also one of the greatest gift to reading and learning for people who are just too lazy to carry books around (or afraid to be labelled as geeks) and also contributes towards the conservation of the environment. Much resources are available and readily accessible, but like I said, unless every home has a computer, it would only bring about larger and larger digital divide.
7) What are your expectations from this course?
I would say that I am expecting to be more friendly with the computer. I have to admit that I am somehow a computer-phobic, especially for work purposes. I would rather use pen and paper to scribble on and whatnot, but I have to be realistic as well as we are living in the 21st centuries. To be more deliberate, I would say that I am expecting to learn and explore more of the machine and the seemingly vast and endless capabilities it can perform. On one note, I always wonder how a supercomputer works and to be able to see one would be a memorable event. I am expecting to learn the tips and tricks, especially channeled towards the learning and teaching as well as everything else where computer is concerned. But above all, I am expecting to be able to learn language myself with the assistance of the computer towards a richer and better learning before I shall be ready to impart the knowledge to others.
I guess that is all. I seek your forgiveness in advance should you find this entry to be overwhelmingly lengthy.
1) Please introduce yourself.
My name is Ahmad Irwan bin Abd Aziz but I don't usually go by that name. Lol. I was born on October the 15th, 1985 so you can pretty much do the maths on what my age is. But as far as dates count, I am still 24 years old. You might be wondering, why is my age not tally with the rest or most of the batch. As simple as it is, I used to take a Diploma in Business Studies (DBS) in UiTM Lendu, Alor Gajah from June 2003 - 2006 before I pursued my B.Ed. TESL. I've tried to change course to Pre TESL back then to no avail. So I waited, and it was worth the wait.
2) How would you rate yourself in terms of your computer skill and why?
This question is tricky. I wanted to say I am tech-savvy, but I'm not really that close to match the criteria of one. I do possess some decent basic computer skills, I think, such as restoring the system, if that counts. I can type pretty fast since I used to take the time to memorize the keys so the keys are pretty much at the back of my hand. If skills concern the administrative functions, then it would be so-so. I know, and I don't.
3) What computer software and hardware knowledge do you have?
This question is complicated, and not. I remembered the first time this machine called computer was brought into our living room. My curiosity was at its peak that I attempted to explore the computer with almost zero knowledge of the application and all. However hard it was, I considered myself lucky, since my sister used to take a Bachelor in I.T. in University Malaya. I remembered all the programming language books she used to bring back to home. I was curious about this C++ thingy but was never too interested to learn them.
To answer this question, I would say that other than the vital and most basic Microsoft Word, I know how to use Microsoft Front Page however limited it is. My early experience with the software dated back in my secondary years. I remembered wanting to have a website on my own so badly (and the Geocities thingy didn't really grow on me much) that I explored on creating one my own, despite never really finished one. I remembered playing with the programming language, adding up marquees, effects and forms into the process. It was fun and somewhat too much for it to be loaded considerably fast. Until this day, I find the form box to be tricky.
My experience with Microsoft Excel was majorly when we were taking the Principles of Testing and Evaluation (PTE) course. Having to insert and calculate all those figures, it would be ludicrous to not learn to use it, wouldn't it? Despite struggling here and there, that was the most hands-on experience I had had, and I gotta say I almost forget everything of them. Talk about Short Term Memory, LOL.
Having taking 2 courses in computers back in Diploma and 1 during my Degree in the first semester, I would say that all it takes would be some refreshing and probably even more learning. Even so, I never know how to use the Photoshop and Illustrator, although I had meddled with Macromedia Flash MX when I was attempting to create the web site, and found the experience to be amuzing.
Overall, I would say that my skill is 'just nice' to survive, however gasping it may be.
As for the hardware, let's just say that I know what is what, and which is which. Especially in installing a desktop pc with the colored wires and all. Just the wires, not the inside part, of motherboard and all, mind you.
4) Have you ever experienced learning via the computer?
If learning online minus the conference thingy, I would say I have had some experience. Most of them revolve around self-learning, particularly on language. If learning is as broad as it is, I would say that I learn almost everyday via the computer, be it from blogs, websites or even chatrooms. Because if knowledge is the arrival of meaning, then I believe that I had arrived to the meanings from time to time.
5) Did you try to incorporate technology in your some of your lessons during your practicum? Was it a success or a failure? If you did not what was/were the reason(s)?
Sadly, I didn't try it due to the technologically-challenged of a school of the school. There was once where I decided to use the laptop to at least conduct a listening lesson based on song, but failed to do so since I did not have speakers and could borrow none from anyone. I was appalled, definitely but frustrated - not so much.
6) What is your opinion on the use of computer/technology in language teaching?
Well, I have mixed feeling on the use of the technology. For the pros, well it definitely facilitates the learning to be better and easier and more ease in the transition. A lot of things could also be done, given the ever-growing of the technology. The plus factor would be that it would be more fun than 'chalk and talk'.
For the cons, well first of all, we must be realistic that not all students have a computer in their home. Until we conduct consensus and find that proves to be otherwise, the feasibility is what worries me rather than the effectiveness. Unless the government is rich enough to allocate fundings for every student to have a computer (that's what they have been doing, although it is limited to schools), what can mere hours at school, with other things to be attended to, can do wonders to teaching?
With respect to language teaching, I would think that it would be mostly beneficial should it be implemented on a large scale. The popularity of the BESTA digital dictionary and such proves that the physical weight can be lifted off the students' shoulders and to focus on the weight of the definitions. E-books are also one of the greatest gift to reading and learning for people who are just too lazy to carry books around (or afraid to be labelled as geeks) and also contributes towards the conservation of the environment. Much resources are available and readily accessible, but like I said, unless every home has a computer, it would only bring about larger and larger digital divide.
7) What are your expectations from this course?
I would say that I am expecting to be more friendly with the computer. I have to admit that I am somehow a computer-phobic, especially for work purposes. I would rather use pen and paper to scribble on and whatnot, but I have to be realistic as well as we are living in the 21st centuries. To be more deliberate, I would say that I am expecting to learn and explore more of the machine and the seemingly vast and endless capabilities it can perform. On one note, I always wonder how a supercomputer works and to be able to see one would be a memorable event. I am expecting to learn the tips and tricks, especially channeled towards the learning and teaching as well as everything else where computer is concerned. But above all, I am expecting to be able to learn language myself with the assistance of the computer towards a richer and better learning before I shall be ready to impart the knowledge to others.
I guess that is all. I seek your forgiveness in advance should you find this entry to be overwhelmingly lengthy.
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