NELSON MANDELA
Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela was born in Transkei, South Africa on July 18, 1918. His father was Chief Henry Mandela of the Tembu Tribe. Mandela himself was educated at University College of Fort Hare and the University of Witwatersrand and qualified in law in 1942. He joined the African National Congress in 1944 and was engaged in resistance against the ruling National Party's apartheid policies after 1948. He went on trial for treason in 1956-1961 and was acquitted in 1961.After the banning of the ANC in 1960, Nelson Mandela argued for the setting up of a military wing within the ANC. In June 1961, the ANC executive considered his proposal on the use of violent tactics and agreed that those members who wished to involve themselves in Mandela's campaign would not be stopped from doing so by the ANC. This led to the formation of Umkhonto we Sizwe. Mandela was arrested in 1962 and sentenced to five years' imprisonment with hard labour. In 1963, when many fellow leaders of the ANC and the Umkhonto we Sizwe were arrested, Mandela was brought to stand trial with them for plotting to overthrow the government by violence. His statement from the dock received considerable international publicity. On June 12, 1964, eight of the accused, including Mandela, were sentenced to life imprisonment. From 1964 to 1982, he was incarcerated at Robben Island Prison, off Cape Town; thereafter, he was at Pollsmoor Prison, nearby on the mainland.During his years in prison, Nelson Mandela's reputation grew steadily. He was widely accepted as the most significant black leader in South Africa and became a potent symbol of resistance as the anti-apartheid movement gathered strength. He consistently refused to compromise his political position to obtain his freedom.
Nelson Mandela was released on February 11, 1990. After his release, he plunged himself wholeheartedly into his life's work, striving to attain the goals he and others had set out almost four decades earlier. In 1991, at the first national conference of the ANC held inside South Africa after the organization had been banned in 1960, Mandela was elected President of the ANC while his lifelong friend and colleague, Oliver Tambo, became the organisation's National Chairperson.
Sunday, September 13, 2009
Friday, September 11, 2009
ASSIGNMENT 3 WWW LESSON PLAN
HOW HOT AIR BALLOON WORKS
Level: Form 2 (Intermediate - Advance)
Time: 80 minutes
Aims:
To gain more knowledge about how hot air balloon works, to discover the meaning of words by using contextual clues and to write a dialogue using adjectives.
Technical requirements:
One computer per group of 3 students with an Internet connection and a web browser
Websites:
http://science.howstuffworks.com/hot-air-balloon.htm
http://www.orlandoballoonrides.com/
Preparation:
Locate sites offering information about hot air balloon.
Prepare worksheet based on the information acquired.
Check suitable and interesting videos on hot air balloon and make sure that the videos are accessible and can be played properly before the class starts.
Procedure:
1. Teacher displays pictures of hot air balloon and asks students whether they knew what those pictures are about and have they ever involved in an activity like hot air balloon ride.
2. Then, teacher will ask students how it is possible that a balloon can fly. Students are encouraged to provide responses based on their schemata in science subject or simply give logical responses.
3. To further test the students' knowledge in the subject matter, teacher will ask the students fto do the first task which is a quiz on how hot air balloon works in the worksheet. When they are done, teacher tells them that the answers are available online and they can check the answer from the chosen website.
4. Teacher will send the students to the first website that had been chosen and asks them to read an introductory article about how hot air balloon work. Then, students will be instructed to click the video icon at top right corner of the website which sums up how hot air balloon works. By this time, students should be able to check their answers and also take note of any difficult vocabulary.
5. Teacher will select some students to give their answers for task. Selected students will have to provide evidence that supports their answer from the article. Then, students need to jot down their score at the space provided in the worksheet.
6. Teacher will ask the students for any words that they do not understand from the text. Teacher will guide the students to discover the meaning of the word(s) by making use of the contextual clues in the sentence.
7. When the students are done, teacher will ask them to browse the second website. Students will then click at the cool video icon and will be able to watch the video of people traveling in the hot air balloon. (Students from each group will be assigned to watch different video so that there will be a variety of situations to be covered).
8. Next, teacher will ask students to imagine that they are the persons in the video that they had watched.
9. Students will need to come up with a dialogue about the conversation that they had during the hot air balloon ride. Students are asked to use as many adjectives as possible when writing the dialogue for example to describe the sights that they can see, how they feel when they are traveling high in the air and so forth. Students are allowed to be as creative as possible in writing the dialogue.
10. Teacher will check the progress of each group and if time permits, teacher will asks the students to exchange their dialogue with other group. The other group will need to provide constructive feedback on their friends' dialogue. (The other group that receive the dialogue need to watch the video that the group had watched, example, group 2 exchange their dialogue with group 1 and group 2 will watch the video that had been assigned to group 1 before giving any comments on the dialogue written by group 1, vice versa.)
11. As a follow up activity, students need to write a short paragraph on how they will persuade their friends who had never travel by hot air balloon to do so.
BY:
LILIAN ANAK AMBIN
2005729968
U8C
Friday, August 28, 2009
article review assignment
ARTICLE REVIEW
a. Title: Collaborative Learning Via Email Discussion: Strategies for ESL Writing Classroom
b. Journal: The Internet TESL Journal, Vol. XIII, No. 3, March 2007
c. Author’s name: Noraien Mansor (Kolej Universiti Sains dan Teknologi Malaysia - KUSTEM)
http://iteslj.org/Techniques/Mansor-EmailDiscussion/
Summary of the article
The article is about the strategies of implementing email in ESL writing classroom. It centers on how email can be applied in a collaborative learning atmosphere by incorporating the stages of writing process approach and pair work activity. To ensure the success of this approach, both the learners and the teacher has important role to be played. Plus, the learning atmosphere or ambience, task structure and task content contribute to the positive implication of the learning approach. As technology becomes more significant and widely used in day to day life, it is indeed a wise move to incorporate its usage in the ESL classroom. There are convincing reasons why we should do so. Integrating email in the classroom is an excellent step to familiarize students with computer literacy. Next, there is a need to improve the teaching of writing as “ESL writers are known to face problems in developing their writing skills at university level” (Bacha, 2000). According to the author, students learning in institutions of higher learning using English as their medium of instruction, which may not be their native language, have been found to face problems mainly in writing. This leads them for being unable to cope with the institution’s literacy expectation. Thus, with new approaches in the teaching of writing, it is hoped to benefit students in their examinations, their own experience of learning and for future use. Specifically, research shows that email is a very useful vehicle for teaching English (Lee, 1998; Warschauer, 1995). Email can be used in teacher-student, student-student communication including formal and informal consultations, exchange of dialogue journals and writing conferencing (Belisle, 1996). The stages of process writing approach by White and Arndt’s (1991) is used with email in a collaborative learning atmosphere. The stages involved are generating ideas, focusing, structuring, drafting, reviewing and evaluating. Altogether, there are 6 proposed strategies for the implementation of email in the ESL writing classroom which are the teachers’ role and course framework, the learner’s role, the provision of the learning environment, inclusion of assessment and assessment method, task structure and task content.
There are practical implications of using email discussion in collaborative learning atmosphere to teach writing. Firstly, it will benefit the students a great deal especially for students who find it difficult to seek advice from a teacher because of their introversion or not having enough time. The benefits does not ends there as according to Belisle, 1996, studies found that students using email wrote more, asked more questions, used more language functions and adopted a more informal tone in their language. It allows the teacher to keep an eye on the process of the students’ writing which certainly saves class time. On the other hand, Warschauer (1995) states that email provides the students with superb opportunity for real and natural communication, and bring in opportunities for independent learning which is vital for ESL writing and at the same time, allows the students to communicate with no trouble at all with hundreds of other students. To me, this approach itself is fun as it goes beyond the traditional ESL classroom whereby most of the time, the teacher uses the traditional chalk and talk approach. Moreover, collaborative learning which is practiced allows students to interact with their peers and assists each other in their endeavour to come up with a brilliant piece of writing product based on the genres that they had been exposed to earlier on. Moreover, the email approach itself is something which students are very familiar with and teachers can take advantage of this by giving them assignment that is interesting and tailored with the students’ abilities and language proficiency. Teacher can track students’ progress conveniently and able to provide timely feedback simultaneously through email as well. In sum, emails make it possible for students to have diverse opportunities for communication and teamwork through collaboration making their learning process more enjoyable, meaningful and full of wonderful new experiences.
a. Title: Collaborative Learning Via Email Discussion: Strategies for ESL Writing Classroom
b. Journal: The Internet TESL Journal, Vol. XIII, No. 3, March 2007
c. Author’s name: Noraien Mansor (Kolej Universiti Sains dan Teknologi Malaysia - KUSTEM)
http://iteslj.org/Techniques/Mansor-EmailDiscussion/
Summary of the article
The article is about the strategies of implementing email in ESL writing classroom. It centers on how email can be applied in a collaborative learning atmosphere by incorporating the stages of writing process approach and pair work activity. To ensure the success of this approach, both the learners and the teacher has important role to be played. Plus, the learning atmosphere or ambience, task structure and task content contribute to the positive implication of the learning approach. As technology becomes more significant and widely used in day to day life, it is indeed a wise move to incorporate its usage in the ESL classroom. There are convincing reasons why we should do so. Integrating email in the classroom is an excellent step to familiarize students with computer literacy. Next, there is a need to improve the teaching of writing as “ESL writers are known to face problems in developing their writing skills at university level” (Bacha, 2000). According to the author, students learning in institutions of higher learning using English as their medium of instruction, which may not be their native language, have been found to face problems mainly in writing. This leads them for being unable to cope with the institution’s literacy expectation. Thus, with new approaches in the teaching of writing, it is hoped to benefit students in their examinations, their own experience of learning and for future use. Specifically, research shows that email is a very useful vehicle for teaching English (Lee, 1998; Warschauer, 1995). Email can be used in teacher-student, student-student communication including formal and informal consultations, exchange of dialogue journals and writing conferencing (Belisle, 1996). The stages of process writing approach by White and Arndt’s (1991) is used with email in a collaborative learning atmosphere. The stages involved are generating ideas, focusing, structuring, drafting, reviewing and evaluating. Altogether, there are 6 proposed strategies for the implementation of email in the ESL writing classroom which are the teachers’ role and course framework, the learner’s role, the provision of the learning environment, inclusion of assessment and assessment method, task structure and task content.
There are practical implications of using email discussion in collaborative learning atmosphere to teach writing. Firstly, it will benefit the students a great deal especially for students who find it difficult to seek advice from a teacher because of their introversion or not having enough time. The benefits does not ends there as according to Belisle, 1996, studies found that students using email wrote more, asked more questions, used more language functions and adopted a more informal tone in their language. It allows the teacher to keep an eye on the process of the students’ writing which certainly saves class time. On the other hand, Warschauer (1995) states that email provides the students with superb opportunity for real and natural communication, and bring in opportunities for independent learning which is vital for ESL writing and at the same time, allows the students to communicate with no trouble at all with hundreds of other students. To me, this approach itself is fun as it goes beyond the traditional ESL classroom whereby most of the time, the teacher uses the traditional chalk and talk approach. Moreover, collaborative learning which is practiced allows students to interact with their peers and assists each other in their endeavour to come up with a brilliant piece of writing product based on the genres that they had been exposed to earlier on. Moreover, the email approach itself is something which students are very familiar with and teachers can take advantage of this by giving them assignment that is interesting and tailored with the students’ abilities and language proficiency. Teacher can track students’ progress conveniently and able to provide timely feedback simultaneously through email as well. In sum, emails make it possible for students to have diverse opportunities for communication and teamwork through collaboration making their learning process more enjoyable, meaningful and full of wonderful new experiences.
Friday, August 7, 2009
assignment 1 - website evaluation
The ESL website which I had evaluated was http://a4esl.org/. This website was designed to cater for the needs of both English language learners as well as the English educators alike. There were a lot of interesting and fun activities in this website for the visitors to try out themselves.
Below are my answers for the questions that had been listed by the lecturer:
1. What does the application attempt to “teach”?
The application attempts to “teach” about the grammar area as well as the vocabulary area. This will certainly attract anyone who could be either an English teacher or learners who want to polish up their skills and knowledge which will lead them to be proficient users of English language. Reading skills as well as the listening skills are also incorporated in the website whereby learners can make use of the pod casts technology which is very appealing as the technology is uniquely integrated with the selected Youtube clips. The materials in the website are organized in such a way which I describe as very straightforward and lead them to be conveniently used as well as fully utilized by the users. The quizzes on grammar and vocabulary are divided into 3 categories which are easy, medium and difficult. The crossword puzzles exercises are divided into 2 categories which are easy and not so easy. What I like most about this website is it allows users to do their exercises in the bilingual Way which will certainly accommodate for the beginner level learners of the language whose proficiency is usually low. This feature will be very helpful for them, making their learning process better aided and less troublesome.
The learners can take up the quizzes which are available and choose freely from many of the options provided. The results of the quizzes can be checked on the spot which makes learners able to know how well they are performing within a blink of time.
2. What sorts of things is the application user expected to do with regards to learning the content?
Frankly speaking, the website is easily navigated and very user-friendly. There are no pop up advertisements which is quite irritating for the learners (especially me..). Learners do not have to register or sign up in order to access the materials in the website. The learning materials are in the form of interactive java script quizzes, flash quizzes and the html format. These different formats of quizzes may sound a bit ‘scary’ and alarming for those who are not familiar with them but, actually it is not that hard to be used. There are very clear instructions provided that guides the users so that they will not be totally lost in their pursuit of learning. All the learners need to do are ensure that they are on the right track, in other words, they are doing the proper exercises in line with their actual proficiency and skills in the language. By doing so, they will at least be feel discouraged and unmotivated if they do not perform that well in the quizzes. Thus, the learners’ ability to choose their own direction in their learning path is important so that they can enjoy their learning process better and feel more and more motivated to do so.
3. What sorts of computer skills is the application users expected to have in order to operate/access/use the application?
Learners have to be able to browse the website thoroughly in order to fully maximize the benefits of the website as a whole. There are quizzes in the form of interactive java script which is relatively very easy to use even for the first time user. To assist the learners, there will be an alert dialogue box that informs the learner if the answers that the learners give are wrong. Learners simply need to click the answers that they think are appropriate. That is the only very basic skill that they have to possess. Quizzes such as in the flash format even allow the users to use the computer keyboard by hitting the right key or simply type the right answer. Meanwhile, for the html version, learners just need to click in order to see the right answer. Learners need to figure out the correct answer before they click for the actual answer in order to really gain the most out of the materials. To me, this website is really wonderful as there is no need to install anything at all (less hassle which will be better for the users). Users who do not have the knowledge on how to use the pod casts technology will be guided step by step, so, there is really no need to worry at all. The learners just need to remain positive and optimistic that they can do the best in their learning. In sum of all these, the only skills required are really the basic ones which are browsing, clicking and typing where required.
4. While you are “playing”/ “accessing”/ “assessing” the application, does it remind you of anything you do in a classroom, or with a teacher, or with a fellow classmate, or in self-study?
In the past, I went to Sekolah Menengah Sains Kuching for my secondary school education. Although my school was in the Sekolah Bestari category, we only used the language lab for exercises that utilized Word program instead of using the Internet for learning which was totally none!!! This is very sad even when I recalled about this now. I was only taught about Internet and application like this website when I left school, precisely when I took the computer course which is my own initiative to upgrade my skills and knowledge in line with the demand of the modern era which requires individuals to be IT literate as far as possible. I also learnt a lot from my fellow course mates who shared some of the interesting ESL websites which they liked throughout my course of learning in the Uitm Section 17 Campus whereby some of the activities in those websites resembled what I had came across when I browsed this website of my choice such as the crossword puzzle quiz.
5. Can you pinpoint some of theories of language learning and/or teaching underlying the application?
The theory which I would say underlying this application is firstly, the Silent Way whereby the students do the learning part on their own without their teacher doing the explanation. This is what I call as a self discovery leaning where the students need to find out about a specific subject matter on their own. Students will have to attempt to answer the questions and they have to think before they choose an answer that they favours, then, they will be informed by the application whether they answered the questions right or wrong. All in all, it is a quest, a journey that they have to embark on their own.
Secondly, the websites incorporates the drilling learning where students are being drilled in a subject matter up to the point that they will be so much used to the subject matter. For example, if they learnt on preposition, the quizzes will be presented in a variety of different contexts. Yet, they aim to familiarize the students with as many ways as possible to the usage of the different type of preposition where appropriate.
Thirdly, the spatial intelligence whereby the students relate the crossword puzzle with the clues provided to fill in the spaces that have been prepared. Students will see through the images of the puzzle and make sense of it with the ideas in line with the clues to suitably fit in the blanks in the spaces. Here, the students are like engineers who are presented with a plan and they use their visualization together with what they can think of to better interpret what are given to them.
6. How well is the constructivist theory of learning applied to the chosen website(s)?
The constructivist theory states that people construct their own understanding and knowledge of the world through experiencing things and reflecting on those experiences. Constructivism involves active learning or learning by doing which is truly what the learners are doing when they embark on the variety of quizzes in this website. I would say that this website did apply constructivist theory whereby the students have the chance to truly experience the learning process on their own and most importantly at their own pace as each individual is unique learners which experiences learning differently from one another. The differing contexts as well as a rich variety of quizzes available enable the learners to experience learning in many ways which will further enrich their knowledge as their understanding in a subject matter is not so rigid and embedded/being too centralized in a single concept of understanding.
7. In 1980s and early 1990s, there was a major debate on whether the computer was “master” of or “slave” to the learning process (Higgins and Johns, 1984). In relation to your evaluation – was the computer a replacement for teachers, or merely an obedient servant to students?
In my opinion, the computer is NEVER a replacement for teachers or an obedient servant for the students as the computer is a tool that aids students’ learning. I guess it is more appropriate to call the computer as a tool which facilitates the students’ understanding in a subject matter, helping the students to enhance their comprehension about what the teacher is teaching about in an interactive way compare to the traditional style chalk and talk approach. A computer if it is used creatively with the integration of Internet can make students become more thrill and excited to learn as computer takes learning to a greater level which is in a virtual way where the students get to use videos, songs, games, quizzes, jokes, stories, idioms and so forth in their learning and integrate them in a specific focus in line with what the teachers want the students to be achieve in the end of the lesson. Thus, with reference to what I had stated just now, a computer cannot replace the teacher’s position. My other point is that a computer is a machine created by people like us and it is A MACHINE WITHOUT EMOTIONS! Students still need a teacher who will respond to them in a warm and responsive manner especially when they face any difficulties in the learning process.
On the other hand, a computer as stated above is not an obedient slave for the students; rather, it is a machine that obeys the students in line with what the students set out to do. For instance, if the students are doing an exercise online, the computer will only check the students’ answers when they hit the key or click the tab that will state ‘Check answers’. A machine needs someone real to operate them and the students are the ones in charge to do so. Thus, it is an obedient machine, but, it is still never a slave in any way whatsoever in the learning process.
8. Would you like to use the application yourself in your future work?
Yes? Give reasons:
No? Give reasons:
Yes…. This application is quite easy to be used, the quizzes are relevant for all levels of proficiency and students have the option to use bilingual languages which are really helpful when necessary especially when their proficiency levels are really low. Students can also read along while they are listening to the stories available in the website and at the same time, they will sharpen their reading and listening skills simultaneously. Furthermore, the students do not have to do a lot of typing at all which will be less burdensome on the students’ part.I will certainly use this website…
Suggestions/Recommendations.
I would say that perhaps, the website can open up a blog of its own or a forum so that the learners can better learn and share knowledge with one another. Having pictures along in the quizzes can aid students’ learning but, perhaps, the webpage developers can go beyond that by using real life videos which can be directly linked to the subject matter. The crossword puzzle quizzes can be further expanded to more than two categories. Perhaps, from the easy, medium, difficult and advanced level so that it can be more challenging for the students to try out. To make the website look more attractive, maybe, the person in charge of this website can include a special link for something like a daily reflective quote for the students to ponder on; humorous comic scripts, and even includes moving, real life images for the students to see to inject more excitement when the students are browsing the website. Thus, the website will be much livelier and ‘inviting’ for the visitors to enjoy… :)
Below are my answers for the questions that had been listed by the lecturer:
1. What does the application attempt to “teach”?
The application attempts to “teach” about the grammar area as well as the vocabulary area. This will certainly attract anyone who could be either an English teacher or learners who want to polish up their skills and knowledge which will lead them to be proficient users of English language. Reading skills as well as the listening skills are also incorporated in the website whereby learners can make use of the pod casts technology which is very appealing as the technology is uniquely integrated with the selected Youtube clips. The materials in the website are organized in such a way which I describe as very straightforward and lead them to be conveniently used as well as fully utilized by the users. The quizzes on grammar and vocabulary are divided into 3 categories which are easy, medium and difficult. The crossword puzzles exercises are divided into 2 categories which are easy and not so easy. What I like most about this website is it allows users to do their exercises in the bilingual Way which will certainly accommodate for the beginner level learners of the language whose proficiency is usually low. This feature will be very helpful for them, making their learning process better aided and less troublesome.
The learners can take up the quizzes which are available and choose freely from many of the options provided. The results of the quizzes can be checked on the spot which makes learners able to know how well they are performing within a blink of time.
2. What sorts of things is the application user expected to do with regards to learning the content?
Frankly speaking, the website is easily navigated and very user-friendly. There are no pop up advertisements which is quite irritating for the learners (especially me..). Learners do not have to register or sign up in order to access the materials in the website. The learning materials are in the form of interactive java script quizzes, flash quizzes and the html format. These different formats of quizzes may sound a bit ‘scary’ and alarming for those who are not familiar with them but, actually it is not that hard to be used. There are very clear instructions provided that guides the users so that they will not be totally lost in their pursuit of learning. All the learners need to do are ensure that they are on the right track, in other words, they are doing the proper exercises in line with their actual proficiency and skills in the language. By doing so, they will at least be feel discouraged and unmotivated if they do not perform that well in the quizzes. Thus, the learners’ ability to choose their own direction in their learning path is important so that they can enjoy their learning process better and feel more and more motivated to do so.
3. What sorts of computer skills is the application users expected to have in order to operate/access/use the application?
Learners have to be able to browse the website thoroughly in order to fully maximize the benefits of the website as a whole. There are quizzes in the form of interactive java script which is relatively very easy to use even for the first time user. To assist the learners, there will be an alert dialogue box that informs the learner if the answers that the learners give are wrong. Learners simply need to click the answers that they think are appropriate. That is the only very basic skill that they have to possess. Quizzes such as in the flash format even allow the users to use the computer keyboard by hitting the right key or simply type the right answer. Meanwhile, for the html version, learners just need to click in order to see the right answer. Learners need to figure out the correct answer before they click for the actual answer in order to really gain the most out of the materials. To me, this website is really wonderful as there is no need to install anything at all (less hassle which will be better for the users). Users who do not have the knowledge on how to use the pod casts technology will be guided step by step, so, there is really no need to worry at all. The learners just need to remain positive and optimistic that they can do the best in their learning. In sum of all these, the only skills required are really the basic ones which are browsing, clicking and typing where required.
4. While you are “playing”/ “accessing”/ “assessing” the application, does it remind you of anything you do in a classroom, or with a teacher, or with a fellow classmate, or in self-study?
In the past, I went to Sekolah Menengah Sains Kuching for my secondary school education. Although my school was in the Sekolah Bestari category, we only used the language lab for exercises that utilized Word program instead of using the Internet for learning which was totally none!!! This is very sad even when I recalled about this now. I was only taught about Internet and application like this website when I left school, precisely when I took the computer course which is my own initiative to upgrade my skills and knowledge in line with the demand of the modern era which requires individuals to be IT literate as far as possible. I also learnt a lot from my fellow course mates who shared some of the interesting ESL websites which they liked throughout my course of learning in the Uitm Section 17 Campus whereby some of the activities in those websites resembled what I had came across when I browsed this website of my choice such as the crossword puzzle quiz.
5. Can you pinpoint some of theories of language learning and/or teaching underlying the application?
The theory which I would say underlying this application is firstly, the Silent Way whereby the students do the learning part on their own without their teacher doing the explanation. This is what I call as a self discovery leaning where the students need to find out about a specific subject matter on their own. Students will have to attempt to answer the questions and they have to think before they choose an answer that they favours, then, they will be informed by the application whether they answered the questions right or wrong. All in all, it is a quest, a journey that they have to embark on their own.
Secondly, the websites incorporates the drilling learning where students are being drilled in a subject matter up to the point that they will be so much used to the subject matter. For example, if they learnt on preposition, the quizzes will be presented in a variety of different contexts. Yet, they aim to familiarize the students with as many ways as possible to the usage of the different type of preposition where appropriate.
Thirdly, the spatial intelligence whereby the students relate the crossword puzzle with the clues provided to fill in the spaces that have been prepared. Students will see through the images of the puzzle and make sense of it with the ideas in line with the clues to suitably fit in the blanks in the spaces. Here, the students are like engineers who are presented with a plan and they use their visualization together with what they can think of to better interpret what are given to them.
6. How well is the constructivist theory of learning applied to the chosen website(s)?
The constructivist theory states that people construct their own understanding and knowledge of the world through experiencing things and reflecting on those experiences. Constructivism involves active learning or learning by doing which is truly what the learners are doing when they embark on the variety of quizzes in this website. I would say that this website did apply constructivist theory whereby the students have the chance to truly experience the learning process on their own and most importantly at their own pace as each individual is unique learners which experiences learning differently from one another. The differing contexts as well as a rich variety of quizzes available enable the learners to experience learning in many ways which will further enrich their knowledge as their understanding in a subject matter is not so rigid and embedded/being too centralized in a single concept of understanding.
7. In 1980s and early 1990s, there was a major debate on whether the computer was “master” of or “slave” to the learning process (Higgins and Johns, 1984). In relation to your evaluation – was the computer a replacement for teachers, or merely an obedient servant to students?
In my opinion, the computer is NEVER a replacement for teachers or an obedient servant for the students as the computer is a tool that aids students’ learning. I guess it is more appropriate to call the computer as a tool which facilitates the students’ understanding in a subject matter, helping the students to enhance their comprehension about what the teacher is teaching about in an interactive way compare to the traditional style chalk and talk approach. A computer if it is used creatively with the integration of Internet can make students become more thrill and excited to learn as computer takes learning to a greater level which is in a virtual way where the students get to use videos, songs, games, quizzes, jokes, stories, idioms and so forth in their learning and integrate them in a specific focus in line with what the teachers want the students to be achieve in the end of the lesson. Thus, with reference to what I had stated just now, a computer cannot replace the teacher’s position. My other point is that a computer is a machine created by people like us and it is A MACHINE WITHOUT EMOTIONS! Students still need a teacher who will respond to them in a warm and responsive manner especially when they face any difficulties in the learning process.
On the other hand, a computer as stated above is not an obedient slave for the students; rather, it is a machine that obeys the students in line with what the students set out to do. For instance, if the students are doing an exercise online, the computer will only check the students’ answers when they hit the key or click the tab that will state ‘Check answers’. A machine needs someone real to operate them and the students are the ones in charge to do so. Thus, it is an obedient machine, but, it is still never a slave in any way whatsoever in the learning process.
8. Would you like to use the application yourself in your future work?
Yes? Give reasons:
No? Give reasons:
Yes…. This application is quite easy to be used, the quizzes are relevant for all levels of proficiency and students have the option to use bilingual languages which are really helpful when necessary especially when their proficiency levels are really low. Students can also read along while they are listening to the stories available in the website and at the same time, they will sharpen their reading and listening skills simultaneously. Furthermore, the students do not have to do a lot of typing at all which will be less burdensome on the students’ part.I will certainly use this website…
Suggestions/Recommendations.
I would say that perhaps, the website can open up a blog of its own or a forum so that the learners can better learn and share knowledge with one another. Having pictures along in the quizzes can aid students’ learning but, perhaps, the webpage developers can go beyond that by using real life videos which can be directly linked to the subject matter. The crossword puzzle quizzes can be further expanded to more than two categories. Perhaps, from the easy, medium, difficult and advanced level so that it can be more challenging for the students to try out. To make the website look more attractive, maybe, the person in charge of this website can include a special link for something like a daily reflective quote for the students to ponder on; humorous comic scripts, and even includes moving, real life images for the students to see to inject more excitement when the students are browsing the website. Thus, the website will be much livelier and ‘inviting’ for the visitors to enjoy… :)
Sunday, July 12, 2009
myself - lilian anak ambin
My name is Lilian.
In terms of my skills and knowledge in computers, I will state the following statements:
1) i knew pretty well how to use some computer software like Word and PowerPoint. Honestly, I am not that 'advanced' technologically.... so, I have to learn more and more...
2) I knew what CPU means but setting it up and the process that goes on while it is being utilized is not something I am familiar with..
3) Usually, I use the Internet to look for the information that I need to do my assignment. Other than that, I usually go online to download my favourite songs, reading online newspapers, watching the videos on Youtube and sending emails to my friends.
4)I did not use the computer at all during practicum as the facilities there were not functioning that well especially in the English Room and the APD Room...
5) I did participate in online learning activities such as by using the i-learn learning portal..
In terms of my skills and knowledge in computers, I will state the following statements:
1) i knew pretty well how to use some computer software like Word and PowerPoint. Honestly, I am not that 'advanced' technologically.... so, I have to learn more and more...
2) I knew what CPU means but setting it up and the process that goes on while it is being utilized is not something I am familiar with..
3) Usually, I use the Internet to look for the information that I need to do my assignment. Other than that, I usually go online to download my favourite songs, reading online newspapers, watching the videos on Youtube and sending emails to my friends.
4)I did not use the computer at all during practicum as the facilities there were not functioning that well especially in the English Room and the APD Room...
5) I did participate in online learning activities such as by using the i-learn learning portal..
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