Wednesday, October 22, 2008
Final reflection
this last entry marks the end of this blog for this course. here i am going to share with my readers the insight of the course and my experience so far in blogging world.
i have been exposed to blogging life since 2008 started. i do have other blogs, one for other subject and the other two are for my personal blog which i share with my closed friends. there are many things i like about blogging, the reasons keep me updating my blog every now and then.
blogging is one way i express my personal thoughts. in the classroom, where the condition was not encouraging for me to express my view, i find it is difficult to speak my mind. the immediate responds or rather humiliation and critics from friends and lecturer made me feel threatened to voice my opinion. i do have some self-confidence and esteem, but a small discouraging moment can kill them. some friends were always condemning on certain things they didn't agree. i too, have things i dont like to be carried out this way or that way. but my conscience keep me controlled and nonchalant.i do feel what my friends feel, but unlike them, i was not as aggressive as one could think of. so here i come, i wrote what i feel, i wote what i think and it is open for anyone to interpret what i meant. i feel while blogging, i have the power to voice out anything i like. people who dont agree with my opinion, they can stop viewing my page. CHOICEs: that's what so great about doing blogs. one can write about anything on the Earth. different perspectives and points of views: i find those things are so magical and mesmerized. they inspired me. INSPIRATION is another thing i like about blogging. i used to read other people blogs, reading on ones' passion in life is a motivator for me to survive in this challenging days and keep aside all my problems.
while there are many other reasons why i like blogging, there are also shortcomings to it. i dont like my viewers left me an indecent comments about what i write. i used to receive one comment telling me off how i was so superficial in my writing and experiences. excuse me, everyone has their own way to write things they want to share with readers. and those uninvited readers, who are so narrow minded should not even flip through my entries. i write for myself, for others who will read it and reflect their own personal life. i dont write to satisfy everyone's need. im not a journalist or reporter. im writing on behalf of myself and I'm sharing it with the world. yes, blogging is about sharing.
blogging has taught me plenty of new things that i haven't discovered earlier. through blogging i developed interest in web designing. i learn the tutorial over the net. i used to host my own web in bravenet. com months ago. but it is now inactive and i believe that the web is not exist anymore. however, i learn a lot from web designing. HTML code, FTF code..they look so confusing but if you are familiar with them it is not as difficult as we thought. while blogging i also learn to improve my English. i used to be a poor English writer and running out of vocabs while writing in English. now i feel more confident to write in ENglish as i read lots of English-written blogs and materials over the net. i even have my own "Words" collection: contains lists of words or phrase that i "steal" from other writer when i meet new vocabs that i never use before. in that way, i learn to expand my horizon and able to be effective writer.
through blogging, i also learn to be more open minded to others' idea and personal views. i used to read one blog of a girl who told half of the people in this world that she doesn't like living in the suburban or village and live a traditional life. i was so angry at the beggining after i read her blog because i am one kampung girl and that city girl was over the head when she said how outdated living a kampung life style. but later, as i cooled down, i realized that i was reading her blog, i shouldn't judging what she wrote because she's there just like me: to share our experience in life. i was ashamed with myself at that moment.
now let's move on to PBEY3102 course. the semester is going to end soon. so far i have learned a lot from this course. other than blogging, i learned about technology in the classroom, types of materials, how to produce one and how to evaluate which material is effective compare to others. the question is "What i Like About This Course?"- many things i liked or started to like about this course. the TUTORIAL: even though at times the workloads burden us, in the end, we learned to realize how we come at it. we learned the steps to do the materials from the tutorials. we write them down, not for the sake of satisfying the lecturer, but for our own self. we had the chance to discover how we worked, sharing ideas through the usage of different softwares and programs and at the end we feel satisfied with our work, knowing we had given plenty of time to explore every learning tool that our lecturer had introduced to us.
as for the shortcomings, i dont like the portfolio thing. even though i admit having a portfolio will make our work more organized and is a way to assess our progress throughout the course, i think that the portfolio is just too much for us. we had already been given endless tasks during teaching and learning period and for the final assessment we need to compile everything that we have been produced so far. i wonder where the portfolio will end up soon..in the store room or in the dustbin?
when talking about expectation: i believe everyone would expect to learn more or less than what we have been taught in this course. i expected to learn about web designing (which has nothing got to do with teaching resources). but the i gained none info regarding this topic. instead, i was taught about other teaching resources that are very useful in the classroom such as the video editing, picture editing, gif pictures and software for children. i used to buy CD's for children, but never thought it is one of the teaching resources that need careful choices and planned to be used in the classroom. now i realized all this, thanks to the materials evaluation sheet.
if i can change anything about this course. it will be the scope of the tasks given to the students. the works should be organized and enough time is given to complete each. abolish portfolio work, instead, making sure all the students submit the tasks given on time in specific folder for each week. dont use ADEC website anymore because the moodle offer limited file sharing and storage, which had given all of us difficulties to upload the completed tasks. other than that i am satisfied with this course.
till we meet again. good luck for everyone
Tuesday, October 14, 2008
Facebook Classroom
the article entitled "The Facebook Classroom: 25 Facebook Apps That Are Perfect for Online Education by Susan Jacobs" caught my eyes.
i am one of Facebook user (now inactive) and im quite familiar with the Facebook abundant applications (one reason why i left it). but now when it comes to learning via Facebook Classroom, i find this idea is pretty awesome and something we should try on in our classroom. it doesn't only offer net-working activity but with the new applications, it is now suitable for the students to get in touch with their friends and teachers, having interactive learning experience by sending messages and learning. all are now can be done online if students have the facebook account, which is free.
so back to the latest applications under Facebook Classroom, i have a keen interest to discover more about those applications. since every applications need you to log in, im glad i still remember my password.
below are some of the newest applications offered under Facebook Classroom:
Books iRead:
Flashcards
Notely
SwapRoll
so i went to explore each one of them and here is my review:
Books iRead
the web suggested "Share the books you're reading, and see what others think of books with this application"
but in my opinion:
it is just another virtual book sharing application whereby one reads a book and then write some reviews on it, post it on the facebook. the benefit is not more than persuading you to read the book---which means you have to buy one if you want to read---
facebook doesn't provide the link where one can upload the copies of the book and made it available to be viewed page by page. of course they will go against the copyright if they did!
well, so far i never found a web that offer educational textbook or books that are free to read online..maybe one day in the future.
however it is a nice tool ( i can't say it is GReat!) since now everyone can search for their favourite book and ADD them in their chart or whatever stuff they call them and bragging about how many books they have read..this remind me of NILAM project back when i was in Secondary and primary school. hehe..
well, how much would you expect since it says "Sharing.."
Flashcards:
the web suggested: "With this application, you can create flash cards to help you study on Facebook"
in my opinion:
my first question once i entered the page: How do i use this?
i was stuck once i saw the box on the left..there is space where i can write something (discover this as i look around)..so is it just writing? flashcards need more than just letters..well..the third parties application (HTML editor) is not available..so basically your flashcard is just words written on the card..and to be flashed. huhu..
i looked at some of others' work and they confirmed my assumption. so basically the flashcards application is used to teach languages..indeed it is very useful but limited.
Notely
the web suggested: "Organize your school life with Notely, an app that helps you wrangle your calendar, notes, assignments, and more"
in my opinion:
as the web suggested: the application function as personal organizer where you can personalize your notes, arrange your items in the list-of-what-to-do, add date for events or tests, and follow up activities. so instead of having a personal organizer in the form of book (the paper and pen), now you are going to have an online personal organizer. isn't that marvelous?
pssst..i prefer my OneNote program where i can do lots of stuff there, not just the usual organizer!
SwapRoll:
the web suggested "Save money on textbooks by trading them with the Swap Roll application."
in my opinion:
ok..here is another virtual book swapping application where you can "pretend" to swap your text book with friends. or perhaps you are so rich you can buy the book from their owner or Amazon.com using your Visa credit card (which is quite unpractical for the students and if the person is somewhere far from our country).
i dont see the benefits of having this application...enlightened me pls...
in a nutshell: pretty said than done.
i am one of Facebook user (now inactive) and im quite familiar with the Facebook abundant applications (one reason why i left it). but now when it comes to learning via Facebook Classroom, i find this idea is pretty awesome and something we should try on in our classroom. it doesn't only offer net-working activity but with the new applications, it is now suitable for the students to get in touch with their friends and teachers, having interactive learning experience by sending messages and learning. all are now can be done online if students have the facebook account, which is free.
so back to the latest applications under Facebook Classroom, i have a keen interest to discover more about those applications. since every applications need you to log in, im glad i still remember my password.
below are some of the newest applications offered under Facebook Classroom:
Books iRead:
Flashcards
Notely
SwapRoll
so i went to explore each one of them and here is my review:
Books iRead
the web suggested "Share the books you're reading, and see what others think of books with this application"
but in my opinion:
it is just another virtual book sharing application whereby one reads a book and then write some reviews on it, post it on the facebook. the benefit is not more than persuading you to read the book---which means you have to buy one if you want to read---
facebook doesn't provide the link where one can upload the copies of the book and made it available to be viewed page by page. of course they will go against the copyright if they did!
well, so far i never found a web that offer educational textbook or books that are free to read online..maybe one day in the future.
however it is a nice tool ( i can't say it is GReat!) since now everyone can search for their favourite book and ADD them in their chart or whatever stuff they call them and bragging about how many books they have read..this remind me of NILAM project back when i was in Secondary and primary school. hehe..
well, how much would you expect since it says "Sharing.."
Flashcards:
the web suggested: "With this application, you can create flash cards to help you study on Facebook"
in my opinion:
my first question once i entered the page: How do i use this?
i was stuck once i saw the box on the left..there is space where i can write something (discover this as i look around)..so is it just writing? flashcards need more than just letters..well..the third parties application (HTML editor) is not available..so basically your flashcard is just words written on the card..and to be flashed. huhu..
i looked at some of others' work and they confirmed my assumption. so basically the flashcards application is used to teach languages..indeed it is very useful but limited.
Notely
the web suggested: "Organize your school life with Notely, an app that helps you wrangle your calendar, notes, assignments, and more"
in my opinion:
as the web suggested: the application function as personal organizer where you can personalize your notes, arrange your items in the list-of-what-to-do, add date for events or tests, and follow up activities. so instead of having a personal organizer in the form of book (the paper and pen), now you are going to have an online personal organizer. isn't that marvelous?
pssst..i prefer my OneNote program where i can do lots of stuff there, not just the usual organizer!
SwapRoll:
the web suggested "Save money on textbooks by trading them with the Swap Roll application."
in my opinion:
ok..here is another virtual book swapping application where you can "pretend" to swap your text book with friends. or perhaps you are so rich you can buy the book from their owner or Amazon.com using your Visa credit card (which is quite unpractical for the students and if the person is somewhere far from our country).
i dont see the benefits of having this application...enlightened me pls...
in a nutshell: pretty said than done.
Tuesday, September 23, 2008
Researching..reflecting week
today we just got another task: doing an analysis of a research report. well, used to encounter and work with this kind of task before..and here it comes again. time to read, time to put that long lost thinking cap back in action, time to crack your mind and juggle between raya celebration and doing assignment. well, that is life. if im not a student, then it would be so awkward doing all this stuff. but the problem is I AM A STUDENT..and that's the problem hehe..been too lazy lately..
so today we had another boring presentation session; kudos to those presenters who make their presentation lively and fun enough..but majority: just read from the slides..yes..reading session..why dont just give me the slides and i'll read it at home eh? just wasting my time..well, honestly i had not been listening to much of them..and friends i guess did the same..except those flattery ones..of course,,such hypocrite brats. i dont mind at all..mind your own business then.
so back to our newest task: this time it is getting serious, and deeper. im afraid i'll get lost along the way..well..hate it! hate to be lagged behind others who are and quicker and smarter than me. luckily, whatever we need to do and are required of us is listed down ( clearly) in the task question paper..so i'd better hury up and read it in ADEC forum...
basicly we need to find an article and read it and carried out some kind of deep analysis by taking out all the information from that research paper and then....(lost my words)...em..emm.. ok..better read the instruction better this time around hehe..
Friday, September 19, 2008
tHE designer part II
last Tuesday we were given a task to explore Microsoft Publisher, and to come up with our own design of name card, pamphlet, poster, book cover and a newsletter. i like this session best as we were given ample of time to work on the task on our own.
this is the second time im using Microsotf Publisher. the first one was during the IPIK-time where we were asked to come up with our own brochure for explaining our assigned topic. i learned a lot from previous experience, and this time didn't face problems when the lecturer asked us to do this activity.
i dont know about others, but i really enjoy the session. my partner and i, we planned to come up with this funky ideas as a group. we each take a role:- im the Divorce Planner: my job is to advice on unhappily married people to opt for a divorce scheme that my company offers, and to help them throughout court sessions and procedures. while my partner: Syaza:- she's a marriage counselor, her job is to advice couples on how they could rebuild their marriage and solve their problems.
i'd like this made-belief play come to real action:- to see how many "customers" we get. we had a competitive hours while carrying out this task, like we were those people in real life. and it made both of us enjoy the task, it also help us brushed aside the stress and burden of our assignments.
being imaginative and living in your own imaginative world is not a sin: if you get inspired from your dream, why not bring it in the real life and enjoy it. who knows what could come out from just a simple childish dream..i think people nowadays have forgotten how to live a simple life and laugh at jokes. why we take it so seriously? we are so selfish...i wonder how today's people were brought up by their parents.
so back on our task, so far my partner and i managed to complete the partner task. the newsletter task, since we haven't discuss about the materials to be put inside, we still far left behind to complete it. i wonder if other groups (it is to be done in group of 5@6) have started working on it.
any idea??
Sunday, September 14, 2008
Developing Materials
the second assignment was done on saturday. that leaves me with just enough time to work on my other assignments. this assignment which initially seemed to be hard to handle really challenge my creativity. we were given a video and need to use the available resources from that video to create our teaching aids. i've never done this tasks before. usually we just take a video and edit it wherever possible so that it suits young learner. but to extract all the possible materials from that video and reuse it to create another teaching aids: wow! that's totally new to me. and i found it difficult at first to gather ideas and to start essemble back the materials to make one teaching aid. but finally i made it. and it was worthy because now i learn that there are so much teachers can do to adapt a material to suit the young learners.
i find e-book is very useful and mostly the effective teaching aids to be produced. since Power point allows animation, gif pictures replace the old still pictures, and the animation is made possible here. almost all items in the slides can be animated. and with added program like my Capture Wiz Pro: e-book is possibly turn up into a video like teaching aid. that would be a level up from what im currectly doing..
but to finish the tasks earlier make me breathe at ease..and still, i have enough time to edit my work before i submit it to the lecturer
i find e-book is very useful and mostly the effective teaching aids to be produced. since Power point allows animation, gif pictures replace the old still pictures, and the animation is made possible here. almost all items in the slides can be animated. and with added program like my Capture Wiz Pro: e-book is possibly turn up into a video like teaching aid. that would be a level up from what im currectly doing..
but to finish the tasks earlier make me breathe at ease..and still, i have enough time to edit my work before i submit it to the lecturer
Tuesday, September 9, 2008
Working Without a Coursebook
we had just presented the reading materials given by our lecturer..my friend and i were assigned to present a topic on "Working without a coursework". i was quite nervous as this is the first time for me to step up in the front to present the topic (for this semester..) i have been very quiet and dull when the semester started on 7th June..and finally there is a room for me to show my true colour..i found presenting to my friends quite annoying because majority of them were tired after several couples had presented earlier..so when it was time for us to present: (we were the last one!) everyone was busily doing their own stuff..that's common i guess. i didn't pay attention either but was slightly disappointed: that's all.
under my topic: i discussed about "Deciding How Frequent And How Long Language Lessons Should Be". i read the Power Point slides and the notes given it for couple of times and by the time i presented it: i was quite sure that i understood what i was talking about. the subtopic is mainly about how teacher should get on their work: dividing the 2 hours given time to teach language wisely to suit the need of the children. i just learned that if teachers don't have that syllabus or CS in hand, they could actually divide the 2 hours into 2 one hour lesson or 4 half and hour lessons. there would be however the PROS and CONS to this practice.
i find this pieces of information really useful and practical..again: it depends on teachers themselves to consider it. having short language lesson will make children feel less bored. but what i am concern about is whether we as teachers one day could actually sort all things into that short lesson while ensuring that the children are engaged in meaningful contact hour.
when talking about this concern: i remembered my past experienced in SK Sri Suria for the School Based Experience last semester. we were given a double period lesson to teach language. unfortunately, because the school practises a mini assembly after each recess hour, we were left with almost 35 minutes to carry out the lesson. we tried to squeeze the planned activities into that 35 minutes, but as we are inexperienced in handling the real bunchful of children, we didn't manage to carry out the complete lesson. the Post stage was made short and we didn't even manage to carry out the Closure stage.
we learn a lot from our experience and will not stop from learning..
we learn a lot from our experience and will not stop from learning..
Tuesday, September 2, 2008
Finally..
we already uploaded our e book task in 4shared.com. finally we can start working on our next assignment which is due on 9th September. this time around i didn't have problem with the uploading process..but i wasn't quite satisfied with my e-book. i think i could do more than what i had produced and submitted.
the narration thing: i just learned that Power Point 2007 has this feature to record our own narration for every slides. i just discovered that this feature is useful for me since i dont have any recording devices at hand ( my phone has poor quality when it comes to recording voice). so i just reset the setting for narration, increase its file quality and start recording my own narration.
it did work well..except for the annoying sound while the slides move to another slides..and poor me because of the last minute work, i didn't have enough time to edit the narration one by one (there are about 20 narrations with each narration takes only 3-8 seconds).
but for the portfolio, i find this could be further improved. there are plenty of time for me to improve my work and hopefully i manage to do that.
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