HAAAA...I'M A DEAD DUCK!!!

3rd October...I was still not feeling weel with the bad chesty cough, flu and fevr..Everything was in a package right..hemmm with the 'great' condition of my body...I was so shocked whae I was told that we were going to have a QUIZZZZZZZ!!!!Prof was just smiling and telling us that the quiz was the last chance for us to find another 5 marks for the subject. What? 5 marks..?haaaaa this was something great!When I looked at the questions, I was just laughing and telling myself, hey dude you're dead!hahahahahaha Still, I forced my brain to recall all the acronyms and the worst part was recalling The Merril's Principle. Honestly, I have not been reading the class notes in the muced. Good!!! A lesson for me...

• Be prepared all the time!
• Be diligently reading all the notes!
• Be relax when you are given a SUPRISED test!
• Be COOL!
• Act as if you know all the facts...then it would be easier for you to go through all the questions!

Coming back to the self reflection(should I put it that way?) hemmm ya...we have come to the end of the course. It seems that many things that I learn throughout this course. Developing the SOFT SKILLS, developing the skills in dealing with the soft wares and the most important thing is the good job done by the prof and the tutors. A big thank you for being a great job!

SELAMAT HARI RAYA

MAAF ZAHIR BATIN

THE REAL DAY!!!

19 September...It was one of the greatest day in my life within these four years of studying... The presentation of the IWB projects from all the groups!! I was fascinated and started to enjoy the excitement when the first person, Teoh presented her project..It was a good job..I was wandering how much efforts had been put by her in producing the lesson. Emmm...I was just sitting at the back and started to crack my poor brains to think of what is necessary and unnecessary in producing a high quality standard or activities which integrate the use of IWB. Maybe I shall list them as below based on the comments given after each presentation.

' the necessary ones':-

1. suitable fonts size and colours
2. specific target group
3. appropriate pictures
4. the instructions of the activities
5. the use of authentic materials
6. the originality of ideas
7. the perfect choice of subject matter of the activities
8. bla bla and bla........

' the unnecessary ones':-

1. 'copy' the available ready materials in the market(internet I guess)
2. too many activities to be completed at one go ( perhaps students will get exhausted physically and mentally)
3. too much things in one slide (which made my eyes emmmm...I should not mention it)

YES...A big round of applause to all my coursemates..You guys really can make money after this..

Back to real business...What did I learn?Emmm there are many things that I learn from my mates' projects. I started to realize where MY CREATIVITY level stands. There are a lot of things which never come across to my mind. Thus, I take this opprtunity to learn something new and try to be more creative in preparing my activities for the young learners. A good thing when we have this kind of strategy I mean, having a presentation of the projects, we open the space to the others to voice out their opinion regarding the usefulness and the not so good comments of the activities presented. This is an avenue to let anyone like me to begin to reflect and improve the skill in dealing with the soft ware. So, in future, we can produce a high standard activities using the particular soft ware.

A SONG FOR MY BELOVED DADDY

"Perfect"

Hey dad look at me

Think back and talk to me

Did I grow up according to plan?

And do you think

I'm wasting my time doing things I wanna do?

But it hurts when you disapprove all along

And now I try hard to make it

I just want to make you proud

I'm never gonna be good enough for you

I can't pretend thatI'm alright

And you can't change me'

Cuz we lost it all

Nothing lasts forever

I'm sorry I can't be perfect

Now it's just too late and

We can't go back

I'm sorry I can't be perfect

I try not to think

About the pain I feel inside

Did you know you used to be my hero?

All the days you spent with me

Now seem so far away

And it feels like you don't care anymore

And now I try hard to make it

I just want to make you proud

I'm never gonna be good enough for you

I can't stand another fight

And nothing's alright

'Cuz we lost it all

Nothing lasts forever

I'm sorry I can't be perfect

Now it's just too late and

We can't go back

I'm sorry I can't be perfect

Nothing's gonna change

the things that you said

Nothing's gonna make this right again

Please don't turn your back

I can't believe it's hard

Just to talk to you

But you don't understand

'Cuz we lost it all

Nothing lasts forever

I'm sorry I can't be perfect

Now it's just too late and

We can't go back

I'm sorry I can't be perfect

'Cuz we lost it all

Nothing lasts forever

I'm sorry I can't be perfect

Now it's just too late and

We can't go back

I'm sorry I can't be perfect

I learn from my mistakes...I know what should I do...I realize how to be a good daughter..I just want to do the best for you dad...And I will always do my best in everything...No worries..I will never hurt you...I just want to be 'THE PERFECT PRINCESS OF YOURS'....

A SPECIAL DEDICATION FOR SOMEONE...

I see your smile

I know your mind

No words need be said

I understand.
Focused on each other

We listen and we care

Laughter ripples like water

Together, we are.
Others are here, yes,

And we value them, yes,

But a special bond remains,

A line between us two.
Each friendship is special

Each is unique

And so is ours

We know.
And then time begins to rolland rear

it’s ugly head

Change begins

Now a little less than before.
Slowly, surely,

Not knowing why

Faster, stronger, without care

Our world shifts and shimmers and splits.
Shattered shards cascade down

Spurred by angry, lashing words

Contorted faces, stone deaf ears

Outside the whirlwind,

We die inside.
The scars run deep

Jagged clefts in our souls

We have suceeded in hurting

And hurt ourselves.
So you move on

And I remain

We keep on living

Turn our faces apart.
Now

I glance across

At you from outside

Shaded eyes dry with tearsNew friends, new life.
Laughter, smiling (clenched teeth)

The flippant toss of the head

The enclosure surrounds youI cannot come near.
From behind my glass window

I know more than those withinI see the hurt in your eyes

I know the pain in your smile

I have been there before - I love you

Why do you pretend?
I hate to see your pain

And I cry inside

Tears deep within my soul

I cannot help you anymore.
What we had once

We can never have again.
The scars run deep,

But I still care.
You were my friend.

A poem that reminds me to someone who is closed to my heart.....

THE REFLECTION ON IWB LECTURE

I know that it is a little bit late to post this entry...It is due to many works need to be done and my poor time management ( honesty is the best policy )...But I still want to share how I view the use of IWB in classroom and the knowledge on how to 'touch' the software...

Here are some of the interesting activities which I feel the teachers out there can incorporate in the classroom with the help of SMART board:

• Story telling ( as what Sze Mei's did during the lecture...Can you recall?)
• Matching activities for teaching of vocabulary
• Video clips
• Games ( students play the game in which they use their knowledge regarding the lesson learnt and apply them during playing the games )

This is actually my first time ever in my life being exposed to this kind of technological advancement product as I come from a rural area. But no worries...since I have done the project successfully, molesting the software and create a very interesting activity...I feel that I can conquer this 'product'.

In my point of views, IWB offers a great deal for teachers out there to be more advanced in their teaching and provides a more memorable, enjoyable and real activities. These are some of the advantages of integrating this valuable 'product' in the classroom:

• colourful, animated images and real pictures help the students to grasp certain concepts taught faster and better. This is very relevant to teach vocabulary especially for visual learners.
• a new exposure to the students ( especially in rural if the facility is provided ) about the computer software.
• allows the teachers to elicit responses from the students easily during the activity. This may help the teachers to check how much the students have gained and learned from the activities.
• an integration of a new approach in teaching and learning makes the students enjoy the learning process optimally since they are curious about the ' product '. This leads them to get engaged and actively participate during the activities.

Another thing to consider is the precautions before any teachers want to explore this 'product' in the primary classroom. I would like to share a few since I have experienced creating activities for young learners once. Here are some of the precautions:

• check the learners prior knowledge since we are all aware that the learners need to have some of background knowledge before they are introduced to a new knowledge.
• clear instructions are vital since the leaners need to be clear of what they are expected to do during the activity
• appropriate fonts and pictures size so that everybody inside the room can see the board.
• 'LOCK' all the images so that they will not move here and there since the screen is very sensitive.
• provide answers so that the learners can check their answers and learn from their mistakes.

Now, this is the last part of this entry where I need to answer the 3 questions.

1) Do you understand the basic knowledge using Note book function in SMART board? If yes, which part do you understand most? If no, why did not understand?

The answer is YES. I manage to apply what Miss Fenny told us about the cloning, dragging, locking, capturing and etc in my project. I did face difficulties throughout the process but I did ask my mates to assist me.

2) Do you understand the basic knowledge to use gallery and attachment pictures in SMART board incorporate for teaching English vocabulary for Standard Four students?

YES. The pictures provided and browsed from the net are useful to teach vacabulary since the provide the real images and allow the students to memorize and understand the words easily. Besides, the students can check answers, spelling and surf the online dictionaries or thesaurus to look for the definitions.

That's all for now...Till then...

2nd STAGE OF IWB PROJECT

Haaa...I was wrong...the submission date is not 5 September but on the 12 September. Now, I'm working hard to get things done...my back aching problem is back after it flies to another place for quite sometime. It is not that easy to deal with the soft ware since there are many questions have been puzzling my brain. Is it interactive enough for the students? Or is it really worth to use the acticities inside the classroom? Or is it suitable for the particular learning outcome that i have chosen? Or is it succint enough to cater for different types of students in the classroom? Or is it still need to be improvised? Can you see how difficult it is? But, never mind..I still have more than 10 hours to finalize everything. I'm doing good as the 70% of the project is completed. The most important thing that I need to bear in mind is that the activities that I have created are completely perfect with the integration of the smart board software. Alright...back to the real business now...To authentic educators....I'll give my part to be uploaded tomorrow ya...

FIRST STAGE OF IWB PROJECT

Ermmm...actually I was suprised when I was told that the submission of the project is on 5 September..hahahaha it seems that I did not really paying attention when the discussion about the project being discussed in the class...Maybe I was to tired on that day...The date is just around the corner. Thus, I informed my other group members to divide the projects into individual work since everyone is going back for the MERDEKA holiday. AUTHENTIC EDUCATORS...Let's start the project now!!!! We come into consensus to create 3 English lessons and 2 Mathematics lessons. Eryanti, Nadiah and me will do the English lessons while Hanna and Akma will do the Mathematics lessons. And as usual...I feel relieved because I am given the English lesson. To be honest...I still think that I'm not really 'PROFESSIONAL' in preparing a Mathematics lesson. But no worries...I'm still learning to do my best for my minor course throughout my journey in becoming a GREAT teacher! sounds familiar? hemm...For my project, I start to find the images needed for the lesson today. I plan to create a lesson which allows the children to learn the process of making a sandwich. This may help the children to learn about vocabulary related to processess and let them to have fun in the lesson. But, I still need to explore the CS further because I might be blessed to come up with other creative ideas tonight...To my group members, as we have promised, I'll show my lesson this coming Monday. Till then...

DISC BY PN. NAZIRAH

DESIGNING FOR INTERACTION AND STUDENTS COLLABORATION ( DISC) PRESENTED BY PN. NAZIRAH

The session was very fantastic. All of us were given a chance to design a POSTER. I did not let this golden opportunity go because this is a new exposure to me. I was amazed by the samples shown by Pn. Nazirah which were created by the primary school children. Let’s answer some of the questions posted in the moodle regarding the session.
1.Did you face any problem during the session?
No.
2. What do you think about the instruction given during the session?
The instruction was very clear since I knew what was expected fro us at the end of the session.
3. What improvement can you suggest?
Maybe open the opportunity for us to explore some of the amazing and interesting pictures which we can browse from other sources such as websites rather that limiting the choice of the pictures which can be opted to be used in the poster. After all, we are learning to establish our creativity in this session right? Or, let’s be positive…the limit source of pictures and templates in designing the poster might teach us in becoming very creative to use the limited source in doing anything.
4. How would you carry out the design session with primary level students?
The design session can be carried out with the primary level students. Teacher can divide student into a few groups if the number of students is big. This will help the teachers to monitor the activity easily and assist them whenever they need the help.
Second, Teacher may group the students according to their level of skills in using computer. The advanced group may be grouped together and allow them to do the design on their own with frequent monitoring from the teacher or facilitator. This means that, they can explore all the templates and pictures available from the internet to be used in designing their poster. Meanwhile, the low group may need to be exposed about the basic skill in using power point presentation first. Besides, teacher can provide pictures, templates and samples of the posters so that they will not be lost during the session. It is also possible to group the students with mix ability since the advanced students may scaffold the low students.

CHAPTER 1-ICT AND THE LEARNING PRINCIPLES OF THE SCHOOL CURRICULUM

I’m back again…This is the session where I want to share what I have learned during Miss Chin’s lecture. The input that I manage to process is very useful for me as I’m ‘crawling’ on my journey in becoming a GREAT teacher.

Basically, the general ideas regarding the lecture can be shown as below:
Learning about ICT- Teacher and students develop skills in the potential uses of ICT to support learning.
Learning with ICT- Teacher and students use ICT resources to support the classroom curriculum.
Learning through ICT- Teacher and students use ICT to transform the process of teaching and learning in new ways.

Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) offer a range of educational tools and resources for teacher and students in extending their learning environment. The use of ICT has a great potential to transform classroom teaching and learning into more meaningful process when it is in line with the curriculum. There are a number of specific aims for ICT use as I list them below:

-to enable the child to use a range of ICT tools in a relevant curriculum context.
-to enable the child to develop and use ICT in the attainment of curriculum learning objectives.
-to foster the child’s confidence in his or her use of ICT, through enjoyable learning.
-to develop the child’s understanding and practice of the safe use of ICT
-to enable the child to use ICT to support his or her learning effectively and creatively.

Now, here it comes the fruitful discussion of the role of ICT in supporting the learning principles and how the ICT tools can help to support every dimension of the child’s development in the learning process. I’m so sorry because I will not discuss all the learning principles as stated in the notes. I only select three principles which I find the most appealing to me.
Firstly, I always believe that the child’s knowledge and experience are very important for the teachers to know since they are the base for the teachers to start the instruction. The children use their previous knowledge and experience, relate them to the new information then, construct the new knowledge. This is actually the practice of the constructivism theory. As teachers, we need to be aware of the children’s existing knowledge as it is the starting point for them to grasp the new knowledge. This can be supported by embedding the use of ICT in the learning activities. For instance, internet resources where the children can choose the appropriate sites to answer complex questions such as in the Web Quest. Besides, the combined range of ICT tools enables the teacher and the children to maintain a useful record of each child’s journey from the unknown to the known in the form of electronic portfolio.
Secondly, I feel that that every single individual in this world has their own space in creativity. In one of the learning principle which is the aesthetic dimension of the child needs to be developed by the teachers. Valuing the children’s creative response and expression of their own knowledge and experience is an important of the Primary School Curriculum. ICT provides a room to develop children’s creativity by offering a variety of content-free software tools such as multimedia and art design software. The presentation of their works allows the children to establish their own creative product and ideas. Besides, the activity will boost their confidence in presenting their work and feel good about them.
The third principle that really appeals me is the child as an active agent in his or her own learning. In developing the children’s progress, teacher needs to promote active learning among the children. This means that the child finds, manage, evaluate and use information retrieved from the websites suggested by the teachers. The active involvement in the learning process will somehow teach the children to decide at numerous junctures in the learning experience. It is very important to expose the children regarding decision making so that in the future they will become a better person.
In line with the National Philosophy of Education, the integration of ICT in our curriculum manages the teacher to produce a holistic product in the future. It is just the matter of the teacher or the ‘system’. Just a point to ponder on…..

POWER POINT PRESENTATION

SIMPLICITY…Yes, that is the keyword when we talk about power point presentation. I actually quote it from Ms Ng who shared her bright ideas about power point presentation. The session was very effective in which me, myself has gained a lot of input regarding the topic. Alright., it’s time now to discuss the usefulness of the power point to teachers in the teaching and learning process.
The use of power point presentation is very good in introducing a new strategy for teaching and learning activities. But, bear in mind that there are a few important points that need to be taken into consideration. I shall list them as below:

-Teacher must be a GOOD PRESENTER.
-the SLIDES must be SIMPLE with minimum use of words but maximum ‘talking’ from the teacher.
-MINIMAL use of ‘DISTRACTIONS’.
-Appropriate choice of FONTS, COLOURS and LAYOUTS.

Teacher must be a good presenter in the sense that they must have the eye contact with the students so that the teacher knows whether the students understand her explanations or not. The appropriate uses of verbal and non verbal gestures are also very important in conveying the message of the presentation.
Besides that, what I mean by simple but maximum ‘talking’ from the teacher is the input being visualised in the slides. Lengthy sentences in the slides will only cause confusion to the students. They will be busy reading the points instead of listening to the teacher’s explanations. To avoid this, teacher can put only the keywords of the topic in he slides.
Next point that needs to be considered is the ‘distractions’. What I call ‘distractions’ is the massive use of unnecessary pictures in one slides. Yes, it is true that the saying says that picture paints thousand of words. But, in this case, it will only distract the attention of the students.
The appropriate use of fonts, colours and layouts are also vital. The fonts should be large enough to be seen from the back. A good choice of colours also plays a ole here. Can you imagine how it feels when looking at the slides with pink layouts and the fonts are yellow?
Oppss… not to forget..I shall include the advantages of the use of power point present station in the teaching and learning activities. First, it supports the teaching and learning activities varying the teaching strategies so that the students be more interested. Besides, it introduces the use of technology at a very early stage of the student’s life. We should also see the drawbacks of the use of power point presentation in the classroom. he school may lack the facility in providing the projectors in order for the teacher to integrate the use of power point presentation. In addition, the teachers themselves may face difficulties in handling the gadget as well as the programme.
To encapsulate, the onus is on the teachers whether they really want to use it for the student’s betterment or they just follow the trend. Till then…

second technology class

“Pictures serve as a catalyst in children learning process"


18 July 2007, was the second class of technology subject. We were divided into a few groups. Each group was given a topic to present. My group was selected to present aboutcam compact digital camera. We came into a consensus to narrow down the scope to the usage of this gadget in the classroom activities.
There are a few usages of digital camera in the classroom. The most important point that we brought up was the digital cameras cater for multi dimensional learning. It is acknowledged that we have various types of learners in a classroom such as auditory learner, kinesthetic learner and visual learner. They need different appropriate techniques in learning process in order for them to learn better.
Digital camera is very significant for visual learners as they need visual support to grasp a concept. With digital camera, teachers can take pictures and use them in their teaching and learning activities. They will be more interested and engaged in the learning process since the pictures are used to scaffold their ability in understanding certain concepts. In addition, the authenticity of the materials also assists the students’ learning process since the pictures are all taken from real life situations.
Furthermore, students’ writing skill also can be developed by using the pictures taken with digital camera. It helps the students to write better since they can generate more ideas by looking at the pictures. Besides, their writing also is not limited to a particular idea only when writing any topics. The assistance of the visual support also helps the students to be more creative in their writing.
Well, the use of digital camera does help the teachers a lot. But, there are still a lot of questions have been puzzling my mind. I am wandering whether the teachers out there are willing to spend their own budget to buy the digital camera if they are asked to use it in the classroom. Or, are the schools and administrations agreed to spend some budget to buy the digital camera for each teacher for classroom activities?
Yes, the teachers may probable have no problem in buying their own digital camera for the teaching activities. But, how far is the exploration of the pictures taken with the digital camera being explored in the classroom? Is it just to fulfill the trend or the teacher is just trying to vary his or her creativity in selecting teaching materials?
All the questions can be answered by the teachers themselves. It is their onus to think and reflect the advantage of using the gadget in the teaching and learning activities. The school administration may prepare a schedule in letting the entire teacher in that particular school to have the chance to use the camera if there is one camera only. Till the next episode…

MY FIRST CLASS OF TECHNOLOGY

11 July 2007, I entered a technology class. The first thing that came across to my mind was, I’m going to be a dead duck!. Technological advancements like computer gadgets and softwares were aliens to me. I wondered how I am going to cope with this subject. The moment Prof. Dr Maznah started the lesson; I began to realize that all the butterflies in my stomach were gone.
I learnt that the use of technology in education is very important. Last time, teachers used chalk and blackboard in the classroom. Nowadays, with the help of technology, teachers have transformed their traditional role which is a provider to a facilitator. The learning process has become learner centric rather that teacher centric. Teacher only provide guidance and the students explore, experiment and learn on their own.
As a future teacher, I strongly agree that the usage of technology in the classroom is very beneficial. First, it allows a room for a teacher to be more creative in exploring their teaching materials which suit the needs of their students. Second, the lesson conducted will be more interesting and meaningful since the traditional way of ‘ chalk and talk’ is not a priority now. Third, the introduction of technology at a very early stage of schooling prepares the students to face the new trend of world which is IT savvy society.
During the discussion of ICT scenario, I started to question many things. How the senior teachers are going to cope with the pressure of this new style of teaching? It is a burden for them since they were not really exposed during their training. Another question is, Is it the government who will be allocating a great budget to train these teachers? If the answer is yes, will they apply the knowledge When they are back to school?Or, the courses organized to train them only serve for certification purpose? And, the most important thing is, are the technology facilities well equipped in all schools?
Deep inside my heart, I feel those questions remain unanswered if the teachers keep questioning without taking any initiatives. I personally feel that the teachers must be well equipped with the knowledge and use it wisely in the school. It is going to be a waste if the knowledge gained is only intended for certificates and increment of salary. The students need the teachers to assist them in achieving the greatest success in their life.
After the lesson ended, I took a deep breath and made promise to myself. This is my great chance to develop myself in dealing with technological stuffs in order to prepare for the future. Till the next class….