If you had the chance would you utilize ICT (CALL) in your teaching?
Of course I will. It is because I myself was bored with the traditional method that is chalk and talk. Why don’t we as a future educator create something new in teaching and learning approach like using ICT in classroom. Besides, what’s the purpose of technology if we do not use it?Eventhough I’m not that expert in technology, Iinsyaallah I will try to use it and learn it slowly.

How do you think it would help (or would not help) your students to learn English?
It helps a lot. They might be eager to learn this subject if they are exposed to device that they like.E.g:Computer. Teacher can do many things with ICT in classroom such as asking the students to browse for information through the net, exposed to listening and speaking activities, listen to songs in English, watch English movie and etc. These ways may be beneficial for the students as they are learning a subject with a different approach used where it can motivate them to learn this subject. Besides, students can depend on many sources unlike traditional method that is they can only use textbook and rely on teacher.

What do you think are the advantages and disadvantages of implementing CALL in the Malaysian schools?
Implementing CALL in classroom might encourage independent learning where the students can study on their own with only a little guidance from the teacher. It will likely diminish the usual norm where slow learners might not be able to catch up teacher’s lesson. Using CALL, students can hear the lesson again and again or find information that he or she does not clear view on. In addition, it also teaches the students on the use of technology and how it helps them in their education. Other than that, for those who came from poor family and could not afford a computer at home, this is the opportunity for them to explore the world and exposed them to technology that never been used before. Student will learn to know the world and expand their knowledge about everything that never know before. However, there are also cons when implementing CALL in Malaysian classroom. Not each schools can afford to provide technology in schools. Teacher’s role as a guidance, giving information to students might be forgotten little by little. Even, if CALL has not been implemented yet, students still do not have respect towards teacher eventhough teacher gives them knowledge, what is going to happen if the students depend more on the computer rather than the teacher? Besides that, implementing CALL in classroom might bring problem to teacher that do not know how to use technology especially the senior teacher that much more older than new teacher . They are surely comfortable with the method that they have used since many years before and it might be difficult for them to apply technology in language classroom. Financial limitation

What are the barriers in implementing CALL in the Malaysian classroom?
Not all teachers able to use technology in language classroom. They need to learn and undergone training before they able to implement technology in language classroom. Financial limitation is also a barrier to implement it in every schools in Malaysia.

lesson plan

TRADITIONAL COSTUMES IN MALAYSIA


Level : Form 2

Time : 30 minutes

Aims : To practice reading skills ( skimming and scanning )
To apply reading comprehension skill by finding answers for crossword puzzle

Technical Requirements : One computer per group of 2 students, with an internet connection, a Web browser.

Websites: http://www.relc.org.sg/RSIP/rsip04/Malaysia/malaysia.htm
Preparation :
1. Locate sites on traditional costumes in Malaysia
2. Prepare a worksheet based on the article on the web
Procedure :
1. Teacher begins the lesson by asking students a few traditional clothes that they know. Teacher writes down their answers on the board.
2. After that, teacher continues the lesson by telling the pupils that they are going to read a passage on traditional costumes in Malaysia.
3. Teacher instructed students to open the website given. After they have opened it, some students are appointed to read aloud the article. The others will listen while some of their friends are reading. Teacher will explain any difficult words they come across in the article to the students.
4. When finish reading the article, teacher will distribute a worksheet prepared to all groups that consist of two students per group.
5. Teacher gives instruction on how to solve the crossword puzzle and asks them to work with pairs to complete the task.
6. Students are given some times to complete the task.
7. When they are done with that, teacher picked a few students to tell their answers to the whole class.
8. Teacher discusses the answers together with students.
9. Lastly, teacher emphasizes on moral values of the lesson that it is important to know and have love towards traditional costumes of their own country.

Follow up activity:
Students are instructed to find pictures of traditional costumes in Malaysia and paste it in their books.

lesson plan

mahatma gandhi

Gandhi was born in Porbandar, India, on October 2nd 1869. His father died when he was still a teenager. At the age of 13 he married Kasturba Gandhi who was three years younger and the marriage lasts for 62 years until her death in 1944.

As a young man Gandhi left India to study law in London. Then he spent two decades working in South Africa securing rights for Indian expatriates. It was during this time that his political reform through non-violence which he called Satyagraha was born. This movement meant resistance of tyranny through mass civil disobedience, firmly founded upon ahimsa, total non violence, which led India to independence and inspired movements for civil rights and freedom across the world. This way, when he returned to India, Mohandas Gandhi emerged as a political and religious leader in the fight for independence from Great Britain and was accorded the country's Father of the Nation. India freed itself from Britain on August 15th, 1947. Five months later, on January 25th, 1948 Gandhi was shot by a conservative Hindu.

CALL/CALLT WEBSITE(S) EVALUATION

Website address: http://www.starfall.com/

Name: Nur Marini bt Mohd Zain

U8A

1. Who are the users the website is targeting?

The targeted users for this website are students, parents and teachers. It focuses on first grade students, pre-kindergarten, kindergarten and second grade students. It is also suitable for home schooling children. Children will use this website in order to learn reading. This website has been used by teacher to make their classrooms more enjoyable and inculcate the love of reading and writing among students. Besides, parents can also be the target user where they can expose their children to reading and writing through this website as preparation for school and encouragement for their children in learning. This website likes an educational alternative to other entertainment choices for children.

2. What sorts of things are the application users expected to do with regards to learning and using ( or even manipulating ) the content?

The application users need to apply reading, speaking, listening and writing skills like read short story, read the instructions, pronounce words or alphabet like learning ABCs, writing skills like remember the correct spelling of a word being pronounced by the speaker and match with the correct alphabet and also learn on pronunciation. Children need to learn on phonics by recognizing the relationship between letters and sounds. Next, children start learning to read by hearing to vowel sound. They listen, manipulate, read and master the sound spelling through variety of books and games before moving on. After that, children expand their reading vocabulary and comprehension through a variety of genres and topics. Finish with that, now children will read to learn. These vocabulary-controlled stories introduce children to words they will frequently encounter in reading. Selections read in their entirety model the qualities of fluent reading: intonation, expression, inflection and rate. Children can explore every word by clicking on it and it will read aloud. In this way, the child's speaking, reading, and writing vocabulary can grow alongside his curiosity.

3. What sorts of computer skills are the application users expected to have in order to operate/access/use the application?

Since this is a website for young children, it does not demand much. They only need to know the basic knowledge of surfing the net, basic computer skills like click on the arrow by using the mouse pad. In learning the writing vocabulary, children do not have to write anything but only drag the words with suitable answers. They also need to understand the instructions and able to listen carefully.

4. While you are playing/assessing/accessing the website, does it remind you of anything you do ( or have done ) in a classroom, or with a teacher, or with a fellow classmate, or in self study?

Yes, it reminds me of my old primary school days as I could not remember my kindergarten days. In school, teacher teaches me ABCs by using pictorial ABCs on blackboard and we sang it together. We learn new words through new pictures like a stand for ABCs, A for aunty, B for ball, C for chicken and so on and so forth. When it comes to learn verb like action, we are required to show the action. Examples, ran, jump, brush your teeth, sleep and etc. It matches one of the exercises in this website where the users need to find hidden words and put it to complete a sentence. When they match the word, they will be shown pictures of the action through pictures or animation. When looking at one exercise in this website on parts of your body, the user is given option to choose picture of their hairs, whether it is curly, straight, black, blonde, colour of their face and etc. Children are given the opportunity to create their own one. Those in my school days, I learn words by colouring the pictures in my book and write down the spelling of the word three times. The users also expose to the spelling and pronunciation of the word through clicking it on the word and it will be read aloud, but back during my times, teacher writes down the words on the board and she models the read aloud the spelling and asks us together to spell it aloud. It is quite the same actually but at that time it is more teacher centered and traditional ways. Likewise in nowadays we use technology which makes learning more fun and attractive where the students learn independently can explore themselves.

5. What setting will the website best used in: independent study lab with no teacher available, lab associated with a class, a teacher-led class with one or a few computers?

The website will be best used in independent study lab with no teacher available. It is because the children can understand the instruction and play on their own. This program does not use complex instruction and does not demand much computer skills. Besides, using computers independently, they might have the freedom to explore the fun games and exercise provided in the website. It indirectly leads to self directed learning where the children can learn pronouncing alphabet, words through the website on their own, memorize correct spelling, read short story and etc. In addition, this website is suitable for home schooling where the children can learn on their own without teacher. If the children learn at home, parents might show them how to operate it first and leave their children alone to explore the activities in the program and it goes the same for teachers. Teachers can just act as facilitator when the children need them to ask anything or facing problems.

6. Can you pinpoint some theories of language learning and/or teaching underlying the application?

According to theory of language acquisition, the way babies learn to talk is by hearing words over and over until they figure out from the context what the words mean. Human beings are born with the capacity for speech. If human babies of normal hearing and adequate mentality are exposed to speech, they learn to talk. By the time children are five or six years old, they have mastered the sounds of their language and the basic rules for combining these sounds into the words and sentence pattern of their language. Therefore, this website is suitable for children because they can learn pronunciation through listening all those words and alphabets. According to constructivist learning theory, since all sensory input is organized by the person receiving the stimuli, it cannot always be directly transferred from the teacher to the student. This means that a teacher cannot pour information into a student's brain and always expect them to process it and apply it correctly later. For example, think of a time when you were taught something in a lecture type class. Then contrast that against a time when you had to prepare to teach someone else something. You will probably agree that you learned the material better when you were preparing to teach the material. This is because you constructed the knowledge for yourself. Therefore, through this website they learn based on their experiences. According to National Institute of Child Health and Human Development have demonstrated to a high degree of scientific confidence that to read well, people must understand which letters and letter combinations represent what sounds. In other words, phonics. Phonics is certainly not the only thing people need to become good readers. They need to be able to hear the differences between words such as "shark" and "shock," and the similarities between words such as "bring" and "sing." They need sophisticated vocabularies. They need to know the magic and wonder of a good story. In other words, they need lots of reading experiences.

7. How well the Vygotsky’s constructivist theory of learning and Gardner’s Multiple Intelligence theory applied to the chosen website?

According to Vygotsky, children are getting ready to read from the moment of birth, long before we initiate formal instruction. Children develop literate behavior in a context that is social, interactive and holistic. Their learning is mediated by an adult or more knowledgeable peer. Thus parents or other caregivers are their children's first teachers who provide a language-rich world, dialogue with their children, engage in language play, draw attention to the print (signs) that is all around us, accept children's writing as intents to mean and foster reading success through sharing storybooks and nurturing a love of reading. The school needs to emulate this ideal home environment. Thus, for me this chosen website directs to active learning, and children centered. Students learn and explore on their own independently. Maybe their parents can help them by becoming the facilitator at home while they playing the website. It leads to knowledge construction where the children learn based on their experiences, mental structures and beliefs that are used to interpret objects and events. Through this website, children explore with all the sounds the words produced, match the correct spelling of word that they hear, they create their own self through pictures provided and many more. Children use their thinking skills, listening, speaking, reading, and writing skills. Apart from that, they become active learners where they interact with the computers, read out sentences, match correct spelling of a word and etc. They also develop plans for their learning where they can choose what to study first and later, at what time and how. They also deal with authentic activities. They learn based on their experiences rather than just absorb things from teacher. Referring to Gardner Multiple Intelligence Theory, this website uses four of nine multiple intelligence theory that are verbal/linguistic, visual/spatial, bodily/kinesthetic and also musical/rhythmic intelligence. involves sensitivity to spoken and written language, the ability to learn languages, and the capacity to use language to accomplish certain goals. This intelligence includes the ability to effectively use language to express oneself rhetorically or poetically, and language as a means to remember information. In this website, children learn the language through phonemic awareness, systematic phonic, vocabulary. Children read aloud story on their own after they learn to pronounce those sentences by clicking on the word first. Instead, children are exposed to variable speech sounds in the website like short vowel, long vowel and etc. Children learn through animation or exposure to pictures that is very colourful and attractive for them to learn. Kinesthetic learners will love using American Sign Language to demonstrate their letter knowledge. Children exposed to music in this website.

8. 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 – is the computer a replacement for teachers, or merely and obedient servant to students?

For me, I think that computer is a replacement for teachers. It is because through computers we can learn a lot of new things like learning English through websites and etc. Students can do exercises on computer and will be given explanation when they give incorrect answers sometimes. There is also tutorial on computer that can replace teacher’s explanations to students. Although we go to class and listen to teacher, it does not mean that we can absorb everything we hear. Thus, through computers we can learn at our own pace and level compared in class and can repeating what parts that we don’t understand. Through computers, students will be self directed learner where they can study in advance and independently.

9. Would you like to use the website yourself in the future work?

Yes, I will use the website in the future because for me it is a very good website in teaching preschool children on reading, writing vocabulary, speaking, pronunciation, listening and etc. This website is really attractive and creates fun for children to learn English. It is very colourful, full of animation, pictures, games and activities that children would love to play with. Besides, it provides good sound system and easy instruction for children to follow. It is really suitable for children at early age to learn pronunciation of words in correct articulation. It also encourages them to love reading with the inserted short stories with pictures on the website like folk tales, comics, fiction and non fiction and etc. Really love it! Hehe..Moreover, it is suitable for beginner learner, easy to use and children can learn new vocabulary. It also attaches word list in exercise given that makes children easy to make reference.

10. Suggestions/Recommendations

This website is good in teaching and learning process especially in reading. I think I myself will use this website to expose my own children to have the basic in reading, writing, spelling and listening. They might be attracted to learn when they hear sound while learning. My recommendation is that, more activities should be inserted into this website and includes more songs that might lead to children interest. They can also games like crossword puzzle and etc. Put drills and practice in the website for children to do. Teachers should give some thoughts and more ideas on creating more activities for children in this website. They can share and exchange ideas through this website like what parents can do. They can submit email to the website. I hate waiting until the word being pronounced. Why don’t just click on it and the sound of the words appear immediately. Other than that, I think that the author should expand the information or knowledge of the website to higher primary and secondary school also. As for secondary, the author can use good and fun writing and reading comprehension approach for them as same like they have created good reading approach for kids.

sad

Feeling sad because my parents are not here. They are on a vacation at Indon without bringing me together..what can I do??can’t wait to pick them up on Saturday. mak abah..miss u both..

"watch now"