Almost the end of the semester....

I has almost come to the end of the semester where we'll need to sit for our final 'quiz' very soon... Throughout the year, i learn and manage to master the skills of using the SMARTBOARD and also developing teaching materials out of it. I think my pupils will love me a lot as I believe that i can make my lessons more interesting. Of course, i'll still need to ensure that I am good and professional enough to teach the kids...

Technology... My perspective towards this term was very narrow that I can only relate it to gadgets such as computer, LCD projectors and IWB in classrooms. But, now I realize that there are a lot of things that I can do with technology in the classroom. Not only that teacher can exchange and share knowledge, lesson plans, exam paper and also materials on the net, even pupils are able to have the acess to more information, study notes and exam paper of different states in Malaysia. I recently learnt from a friend of mine that we can actually download trial exam paper and also forecast papers from the internet. For SPM or PMR pupils, the internet might be a good place to go to learn more and see how well you do.

The study life now is indeed very different from before where put teacher need to bring in picture cards and those sitting behind can never see those pictures clearly (though i had never had this problem due to my height, and I am always sitted in front of the class). Pictures, notes, reading text can all be clerly projected on the screen.

Those days when we were still doing our revision on the inch thick books, lucky kids nowaday have access to the internet, online education programme such as Score-A which is also recognized by the ministry of education to publish past year government exam papers. No more thick book, and shelf fuul of excersize books that can never be finished. Just a few clicks on the mouse and keyboard, there goes their revision. Good isn't it?

The use of technology is getting wider each day. Teachers in school should keep themselves updated with the latest technology and also source of knowledge to help their pupils learn more in class. The saying 'Don't teach your children what is taught yesterday but teach then the future' is suitable to describe the use of technology in classrooms. Not to forget that teachers must make sure that they are prepared for the lessons and equipe themselves with the knowledge that they need.

An online article by Prof Raja Maznah

I had come across this article by Prof Raja Maznah in Malaysia Online Journal Of Instructional Technology entitled Deployment Of ICT: A Case For The Interactive Whiteboard. Would like to share this with all my coursemates as i think it would be helpful for us in doing our course on technologies especially when we need to work on our assignments on SMARTBOARD.

The link to the article : http://pppjj.usm.my/mojit/articles/pdf/0406/09-Raja-Maznah_UM-final.pdf

Enjoy reading it!!

P/S : Sharing is caring... =)

Contributions Of Technologies

I am sure you can understand what I intend to say in the title of this post... Yes!!! You are right... Thanks to the modern technology, we can keep on touch with people who are far away from us.

With technology, I can keep in touch with my parents who are far away at Penang. Imagine if its 20 years back, without handphones, I'll need to carry a huge box of coins hunting for a public phone on the street. I wont be able to call them late at night as it is not that save to move around PJ late at night.

With these inventions, I can keep in touch with friends who are far away, upload and share photos, blogs via Friendster and Facebook. By doing this, they don't seems to be that far away from me. Just a click on the keyboard and I can see how is life getting on over that side of Malaysia or even over seas!!

I do hope that one day all these technology can reach all schools in Malaysia including those in the rural areas. Smartboard, a very good tool to assist teaching and learning but till now there are still some of the rural areas in Malaysia that do not have this kind of facilities... Every children in Malaysia should have a equal opportunity to be exposed to the same teaching and learning materials and tools to ensure the effectiveness of their learning.

BRING SMARTBOARD TO RURAL AREAS IN MALAYSIA!!!

Still Trying Hard...

I am still trying very hard to cope with the different style of teaching and learning in UM especially courses that involves ICT skill such as technology and resources.

Checked on ADEC again few days ago and was surprised to see that we were required to upload a post test for the SMARTboard training session and a review on our video assignment... Sad to tell, i miss both the deadlines... Sorry to the person in-charge of this...

Maybe I am just bad in coping with new things, but I hope i can get use to checking the webpage as often as possible and the new style of learning. Pray for me that i will cope with all this and be the first to update info on ADEC next time before the semester end.

Learning is a life long learning process... See, now I am learning to do everything online and try my best to be techno savvy!!!

Wish me luck!!!

My video is on youtube!!

Finally, after working so hard ( or laughing so hard) on my video, I get to see it on youtube. This is my first video in my life that was made by myself and uploaded onto youtube!!!! Excitement are unable to be described with words.

Watched the video with a couple of my coursemates and nobody recognize the main character of my video!!! A success for me cos i am not suppose not embarrass anybody with my assignment.

No comments yet so far... I still i hope to get some comment on how to improve on my video because this is only my first time doing something as such...

Sharing is caring... Do care for me n share some ideas with me that can help me do better...

I love the bear in my video!!! EXTREMELY CUTE!!!

Still not done with my video assignment!!!! HELP!

Arghh!!!

Help me!!! My assignment is still not done yet....

So know i realize how important is it to be techno savvy. I suffered while trying to work my assignment out on windows media maker. Though i know what software is Window Media Maker is all about but still I don not have enough experiences on how to make a very good video out of it.

By now i can only tell that i am done with my recording of my video. Thanks to my dear senior for willing to appear silly in my video but i am still having doubts whether to hand in this version of my video that is half way done. I still feel that I might ruin my dear senior's life by getting this video uploaded onto youtube. How? Still i had a great time recording the clips with my temporary roommate Connie and my senior. The atmosphere was filled with laughter until all of us were so tired after I had got all my clips done. THANKS to both of you, Con and Jarrod!!! Love you guys a lot!!!

Windows Movie Maker, a very unstable software as i need to safe the project after every changes that i had made. My laptop goes 'not responding' almost after every changes i had done to it. I can hardly remember whether this is the 10th or 20 th time redoing the whole thing. Sob...

Any how, i had great fun with the process of making this video 'English with Prof. Sio-- Fruits'(video name not confirmed yet)... Those who watch the 'making of' of this video will surely laugh until you get stomach ache... HAHAHA!!!

A stressful assignment done with lots of joy and laughter... Loving it!

LAPTOP!!! not only for assignments but leisure....

This week, we started off with our assignment. Looks like most of us are still blur about what do we need to do for our very fist assignment of the course -- a video!!!

Oh my god! A VIDEO?! I had never come across anything like this and how am I suppose to get this assignment done? Fortunately, our lecturer are kind enough to give us a brief description on what is expected for the assignment.

Finally, my mates and I manage to understand what and how to get the video for the assignment done. I always thought that i can handle and operate things related to IT well. Now, I realise that I still have a lot of things to learn such as all the different softwares and websites to get information.

As a whole, the 2nd lecture had not only help me on my assignment, it also increased my knowledge on many other functions of the PC in front of me....

Computers.... Not only for doing assignment, watching DVDs and chatting and checking E-mails.
Its also for us learn more on what others share online (thanks to my coursemates that post info and sharing ways to get our assignment done), I had also find a new hobby in me, making videos of my family, and photo editing.

After this session of lecture and working on the assignment, I am confident that i can make a very good video for my cousin's wedding which is on May next year...

Technology at Pasar Malam

13-July-2008
A beautiful evening where the rain had just stopped, very cooling and nice outside the house. Just the right day for a Pasar Malam trip at SS2.

Wondering what has Pasar Malam got to do with technology?

Bak, Eliana, Jarrod, Woo and me....The "forever pasar malam" gang who are all busy coping with new study life had found our new way to realise stress... FOOD!!!

We were at this place ( heard that it serves very good desserts), having creamy peanut dessert and when it was time to pay, I settle the bill and otherw will need to pay me back (as usual)... As for me, i told Bak 'wait till i get back I'll count and let you know how much do u have to pay me....Don't make my life miserable needing to count in the middle of Pasar Malam!'

We tend to forget that we are living in the technology era, even if we do not bring a calculater out, we still have this application on our cellphones.

Pasar Malam mathematic problem settled, by the help of technology!! Loving it!!

Next Generation Learning? Yes! IT

When people start to talk about learning through technology or the word 'IT', the first idea that will cross their mind is 'yeah... I know how to use a computer, so I am an IT person'.... The term technology cover a lot of things such as digital cameras, bluetooth, handphones, internet, SMARTBOARD, computers and many more... Ask yourself how many techno gadgets out there in the market that you are familiar with...

Yet we see that many are still struggling out there even to type a short simple letter using MS words and end up grumbling 'what am I doing with this stupid mechine'? I know that it is not that nice to say so but this happens to my mothers friend which is also a teacher herself. She struggled while facing a computer and took her hours to type a letter. Finally, she gave up and spent a few hundred ringgit getting herself a new typewritter. No laughing.... This is a true story.

Other than that, our government spend millions to equiped school and education institutes with technology gadgets that can assist teacher in their teaching but sad to say, computer labs are left empth for the whole day. I went for my School Based Experience on May this year at Sekolah Kebangsaan Taman Midah, happily i found that they have a very nicely equiped computer lab which is air-conditioned. Wow! The lab is the only place with air-cond plus the high speed internet access there it is just like a heaven for us. Until one day, chatting with a young teacher, En Farhan, we found that there are teachers in the school who are against the idea of En Farhan bringing his class to the lab for usual classes! I thought she might be a senior in that school and was surprised to find out that she is a young KPLI graduate teacher which means she holds a degree cert with her!!!!

On the other hand, in higher institution, students are sent for SMARTBOARD training courses and were encouraged to use smartboard for presentations which is a good thing that keeps students up to date with the latest technology. Guess what happen to the pathetic SMARTBOARD in the Seminar Room.... Left there to collect dust? No.....WORST... Some lecturers used it as a whiteboard and left permenent marks on it. Poor SMARTBOARD.... Only if the SMARTBOARD can talk...

From these situations, we can see how important is it to keep ourselves updated with the latest technology. It is also a common scenario to see school children bring cell phones that are much more sophisticated than teachers. No to say that we need to spend to keep updated but to make an effort to find out what is the latest technologies and to learn more about them.

After going through my School Based Ecperience, i learn that children nowadays who can have broadband internet access and high tech gadgets at home find it very boring when their teacher are stil using the traditional teaching method. They all responded very actively when i had my classes done using LCD to project photos and bring them to the computer lab. Pupils that I had interview says that they love it when teacher trainees take over their classes because these teacher trainees will make an effort to make sure that they use different technologies and tools to make the lesson interesting unlike the permenent teachers in school. I am happy that they love our lessons.

Technologies helps. I am not sure about others but definitely me. I can ensure that pupils can read words that are projected on the screen clearly because i know that i have bad hand writting. I can show them beautiful photos for English writing classes, such as making sentences. Traditionally, pupils are only given black and white pictures to write sentences. I myself faced problem when doing this exercise where i couldn't identify whether the picture was about a dog or a cat. No more doubts, no more unclear handwritting on the blackboard, no more poisonous chalk to breath in... Technologies do help! Agree? I think most people do.

So people out there, do not hesitate. Keep yourself updated because we are moving into the techology era.

Welcome!

Hello to everybody!

This is not only my first post on the blog and also my first post for this year. Thanks to my technology lecturer, I now got the opportunity to really work seriously on a blog. it seemed to me like an interesting assignment rather than tons of lesson plans that need to be done. Maybe it is because blogging is something new to me.

This will be somewhere I share with others about my experiences with technology, lectures and also what i learn about technology. Hope everyone can spend a minute or two to leave me comment and related links to help improve myself.

Thank you!!