1. What do you like about blogging??
- I like blogging for two reasons. Firstly, it provides me with a room to share my feelings. Secondly, by blogging, I reflect upon my learning.
2 What do you don’t like about blogging?
- Frankly speaking, blogging via BlogSpot does not help me much compared to blogging via space in Windows Live. I feel that blogging should be used as a mean to encourage self and peer evaluation. Lecturer and friends should be exchanging opinion via blogs.
3. What have you gained from blogging?
- Via blogging, I learnt how to rationalize my learning.
4. How?
- After each class, I am supposed to write a blog in which I am supposed to reflect upon my learning. This helps me to think critically upon the lecturer’s instruction and advice besides my learning.
5. What do you like about this course?
- When I evaluate my progress for the past 14 weeks, I realise that I have learnt a lot... The content of the course is what I like the most in this course.
6. What you do not like about this course?
- Well, though I understand the rationale behind the heavy workload, at times I feel that it is really overwhelming. Even if I do a tutorial per day, it is impossible to finish all 96 within the 14 weeks. Added with the exercises and heavy workloads from other subjects, at times I feel like giving up. I also do not like the idea of wasting papers and ink to print assignments when it can be done through internet.
7. What have you learnt from this course?
- As a whole, I learnt all the skills listed in the modules, how to prepare teaching aids and how to plan a good lesson.
8. What have you learnt from this course that you did not expect to?
- Well, I came to this class with an empty mind. Hence, everything is an unexpected learning. But, it was an eye-opener for me to get to know about e-Book.
9. What you have expected but you do not learn from this course?
-I expect to learn on designing webpage through this course but I did not learn it.
10. If you can change anything about this course, state what it is and elaborate.
-As a conclusion, I would say that i would be glad if the course can be delivered through a more structured manner. For example, through Windows Live whereby blogging and course content can be delivered simultaneously.
Wednesday, November 11, 2009
Week 14
Symptoms that the digital future has arrived
What’s colorless, odorless and has been silently seeping into our child’s backpack, classroom, playroom and library?
Our child’s digital future. After 25 years of rosy predictions from experts, there are signs that the long-awaited tipping point for technology & learning has arrived. If you’re one of the many impatient people—like me— who have been waiting for that LED at the end of tunnel, I think that this time it is really happening. Here’s why.
• Batteries. For the first time, batteries are able to power a netbook through a six-hour school day on a single charge. They’re smaller, lighter and powerful; the heart and lungs of iPods, Nintendo DSis, toys and netbooks. See the Cinemin, on page 20 for example.
• LEDs. (Light Emitting Diods) are molded into your child’s shoes, and lighting the earrings on the new Dora Links doll.
• Wi-Fi. Thanks to eRate, most schools were wired years ago. Unfortunately the Internet never made it to the child’s desktop. There are signs this is starting to change. For the first time in her K-12 education, my daughter, a high school senior, is now encouraged to bring her laptop to school. And half of her teachers are using Moodle for assignments.
• The App store and Google Ads. Small publishers can make money from their interactive ideas, and reach their intended audience, sidestepping the retail bottleneck.
• Cloud computing. Google’s gmail, YouTube, Facebook and Flickr have earned the trust of the masses, including many of our children who are flocking to games like FarmVille (page 21).
• Flash 10. It used to be that online animation chugged. Not anymore. I just previewed a virtual world for children that is fast, responsive and -- for the first time— is in 3D.
• Kinesthetic (motion based) interfaces. The Wii was magic. This year, there’s more. Besides the Wii-Motionplus, there’s Microsoft’s Project Natal, which uses cameras to detect motion. Interface guru Jakob Nielson points out two motion-based Windows 7 features: "Snap" (the ability to resize open Windows) and "Shake" (grab a window, hold your mouse button and give it a shake to hide the windows behind it). Nielson writes, "Both may herald a renaissance for the gestural interaction styles."
• Multitouch. Apple's multitouch/accelerometer combination is "the perfect storm" for children's interactivity. Compare it to the DSi monotouch screen and you have "dumb touch" and "smart touch" from this point forward
• There’s a Wii in the Whitehouse. Barack Obama is the first president to type a book on a computer, use a Blackberry and post speeches on YouTube. Both of his daughters play video games. This could open the door for more research and policy related to interactive media.
Now that the digital future has arrived, what does it mean? For one, there will be a lot more to review. It’s safe to say that 2010 will bring a surge in new children’s apps, sites, games and toys, and we’re ready to critique them. Enjoy the issue.
PS. Did you know that more kids watch online videos on YouTube.com than on Disney.com, Nick.com and CartoonNetwork.com, combined? Learn how to harness the power of YouTube for kids, in LittleClickers (p. 4)
hence, in this last blog, i would like to remind dear friends and myself that we need to update ourselves with these techological stuffs in order to cater our pupils' need.
What’s colorless, odorless and has been silently seeping into our child’s backpack, classroom, playroom and library?
Our child’s digital future. After 25 years of rosy predictions from experts, there are signs that the long-awaited tipping point for technology & learning has arrived. If you’re one of the many impatient people—like me— who have been waiting for that LED at the end of tunnel, I think that this time it is really happening. Here’s why.
• Batteries. For the first time, batteries are able to power a netbook through a six-hour school day on a single charge. They’re smaller, lighter and powerful; the heart and lungs of iPods, Nintendo DSis, toys and netbooks. See the Cinemin, on page 20 for example.
• LEDs. (Light Emitting Diods) are molded into your child’s shoes, and lighting the earrings on the new Dora Links doll.
• Wi-Fi. Thanks to eRate, most schools were wired years ago. Unfortunately the Internet never made it to the child’s desktop. There are signs this is starting to change. For the first time in her K-12 education, my daughter, a high school senior, is now encouraged to bring her laptop to school. And half of her teachers are using Moodle for assignments.
• The App store and Google Ads. Small publishers can make money from their interactive ideas, and reach their intended audience, sidestepping the retail bottleneck.
• Cloud computing. Google’s gmail, YouTube, Facebook and Flickr have earned the trust of the masses, including many of our children who are flocking to games like FarmVille (page 21).
• Flash 10. It used to be that online animation chugged. Not anymore. I just previewed a virtual world for children that is fast, responsive and -- for the first time— is in 3D.
• Kinesthetic (motion based) interfaces. The Wii was magic. This year, there’s more. Besides the Wii-Motionplus, there’s Microsoft’s Project Natal, which uses cameras to detect motion. Interface guru Jakob Nielson points out two motion-based Windows 7 features: "Snap" (the ability to resize open Windows) and "Shake" (grab a window, hold your mouse button and give it a shake to hide the windows behind it). Nielson writes, "Both may herald a renaissance for the gestural interaction styles."
• Multitouch. Apple's multitouch/accelerometer combination is "the perfect storm" for children's interactivity. Compare it to the DSi monotouch screen and you have "dumb touch" and "smart touch" from this point forward
• There’s a Wii in the Whitehouse. Barack Obama is the first president to type a book on a computer, use a Blackberry and post speeches on YouTube. Both of his daughters play video games. This could open the door for more research and policy related to interactive media.
Now that the digital future has arrived, what does it mean? For one, there will be a lot more to review. It’s safe to say that 2010 will bring a surge in new children’s apps, sites, games and toys, and we’re ready to critique them. Enjoy the issue.
PS. Did you know that more kids watch online videos on YouTube.com than on Disney.com, Nick.com and CartoonNetwork.com, combined? Learn how to harness the power of YouTube for kids, in LittleClickers (p. 4)
hence, in this last blog, i would like to remind dear friends and myself that we need to update ourselves with these techological stuffs in order to cater our pupils' need.
week 13
Assignment 4: Lesson plan. Developing fabulous teaching materials is not a credit to become a good teacher. Using those materials in the correct phase of teaching and learning is another skill a teacher should acquire. The fourth assignment not only provided me with the opportunity to develop teaching materials but also give me the opportunity to plan a lesson. Given the so called easiest skill, listening, I have to develop two lesson plans. My first lesson plan is on H1N1 and it intends to teach vocabulary such as cough, throw, sneeze, wash and wear. For this lesson plan, I intend to use a video and task sheets as below. 
The second lesson plan deals with ways to maintain fitness and it intends to teach vocabulary such as spin, jump, twist, flap and freeze. This lesson plan is founded on the total physical response approach. 
By doing this assignment, I have learnt many facts about being a teacher. Although it sounds simple, planning a lesson is not easy. Several factors such as learners, proficiency and teaching and learning theory need to be addressed while devising each step. I believe this experience will equip me to become a planner of teaching in future.
The second lesson plan deals with ways to maintain fitness and it intends to teach vocabulary such as spin, jump, twist, flap and freeze. This lesson plan is founded on the total physical response approach. 
By doing this assignment, I have learnt many facts about being a teacher. Although it sounds simple, planning a lesson is not easy. Several factors such as learners, proficiency and teaching and learning theory need to be addressed while devising each step. I believe this experience will equip me to become a planner of teaching in future.
week 12
Developing teaching materials for Year 4 pupils based on KBSR topics??? After scanning through the topics listed, I chose Story time, More Stories and Getting Connected as my topics. Then I started working on the E-Books assigned to me by my group members.
The first eBook has been produced using Microsoft Power-Point and some pictures which we have got through Google Image search engine and edited using FotoFX. This eBook is about a boy who went to beach without his mother’s knowledge to play soccer. While they were playing, one of the friends kicked the ball hard that it got into the sea. To show off, the boy went into the sea to get the ball and got into trouble which nearly make him loose his life . This eBook can be presented during while-reading stage after some of the important vocabulary, such as muttered, crept, spotted, tangled and exhausted are taught. Through this eBook, moral values such as being humble and being honest can be cultivated. Besides that, the main objective of using this eBook should be to cultivate reading habits. Humanist’s view on learning suggests that learning only take place if the learning environment is right and the learners are interested in learning. Since the setting of the story is familiar with Malaysia pupils and the characters are colourful and human characters, we believe pupils would be interested in reading and be able to comprehend this eBook.
The second eBook has been produced using Microsoft Power-Point and some pictures which we have got through Google Image search engine and edited using FotoFX. The story centres on animals in a jungle, Bako, who experiences the evolution of technology in their habitat. The postman team in the jungle were reluctant to accept this changes due to their fear of losing their jobs but the king insisted with his plan. He proposed a solution, which the team followed, and gained success from that only benefited the team but also the whole kingdom. This eBook is meant to be presented during while reading stage. Through this eBook, pupils are expected to gain some information on the latest technology which is keeping us, human being connected. Since the content of the lesson is heavy and can be quite boring, we have used animal characters, which we all know children would be interested in, to present it. Krashen in his Monitor Model 1982 via Affective Filter Hypothesis places a great emphasize on pupils’ emotion and suggest that correct choose of input would be able to lower the filter that prevents learning. Therefore, we hope through the use of animal characters and beautiful pictures, the content can be easily delivered to children.
The third is eBook would be appropriate to be used during while reading stage. This eBook has been produced using Microsoft Power-Point and pictures which we have developed in GoAnimate webpage and extracted using PhotoScape. The story depicts a lazy boy by the name Samuel who encounters an elf. The elf is supposed to help Samuel to do his homework. The elf did help but he also has turned Samuel into a hardworking boy till Samuel’s changes impressed his parents. Teacher and friends. Grabbed, granted, yelled, wrinkled and shrieked are some of the vocabulary that can be taught using this eBook. The teacher may want to use pictures to demonstrate the action words above in the pre-pre reading stage before she starts using this eBook so that children would be able to understand the words clearly as they appear in the context. We have used animated pictures in this eBook to accompany the text so that they help the children to imagine the abstract element in the story which is the Elf. Another reason behind the use of animated pictures is that they would attract and sustain pupils’ attention as they are colourful and captivating. We hope this feature added by the Comic Sans font and animation in presentation will lower pupils affective filter and support their learning.
Developing these e-books allowed me to have a taste of preparing teaching materials. I realised that ICT has made teacher’s life in this era of globalization easy by providing them with lots opportunities to develop great teaching resources. It just lies on the teacher’s effort and initiative to utilize these resources and make their classroom a better one or not.
The first eBook has been produced using Microsoft Power-Point and some pictures which we have got through Google Image search engine and edited using FotoFX. This eBook is about a boy who went to beach without his mother’s knowledge to play soccer. While they were playing, one of the friends kicked the ball hard that it got into the sea. To show off, the boy went into the sea to get the ball and got into trouble which nearly make him loose his life . This eBook can be presented during while-reading stage after some of the important vocabulary, such as muttered, crept, spotted, tangled and exhausted are taught. Through this eBook, moral values such as being humble and being honest can be cultivated. Besides that, the main objective of using this eBook should be to cultivate reading habits. Humanist’s view on learning suggests that learning only take place if the learning environment is right and the learners are interested in learning. Since the setting of the story is familiar with Malaysia pupils and the characters are colourful and human characters, we believe pupils would be interested in reading and be able to comprehend this eBook.
The second eBook has been produced using Microsoft Power-Point and some pictures which we have got through Google Image search engine and edited using FotoFX. The story centres on animals in a jungle, Bako, who experiences the evolution of technology in their habitat. The postman team in the jungle were reluctant to accept this changes due to their fear of losing their jobs but the king insisted with his plan. He proposed a solution, which the team followed, and gained success from that only benefited the team but also the whole kingdom. This eBook is meant to be presented during while reading stage. Through this eBook, pupils are expected to gain some information on the latest technology which is keeping us, human being connected. Since the content of the lesson is heavy and can be quite boring, we have used animal characters, which we all know children would be interested in, to present it. Krashen in his Monitor Model 1982 via Affective Filter Hypothesis places a great emphasize on pupils’ emotion and suggest that correct choose of input would be able to lower the filter that prevents learning. Therefore, we hope through the use of animal characters and beautiful pictures, the content can be easily delivered to children.
The third is eBook would be appropriate to be used during while reading stage. This eBook has been produced using Microsoft Power-Point and pictures which we have developed in GoAnimate webpage and extracted using PhotoScape. The story depicts a lazy boy by the name Samuel who encounters an elf. The elf is supposed to help Samuel to do his homework. The elf did help but he also has turned Samuel into a hardworking boy till Samuel’s changes impressed his parents. Teacher and friends. Grabbed, granted, yelled, wrinkled and shrieked are some of the vocabulary that can be taught using this eBook. The teacher may want to use pictures to demonstrate the action words above in the pre-pre reading stage before she starts using this eBook so that children would be able to understand the words clearly as they appear in the context. We have used animated pictures in this eBook to accompany the text so that they help the children to imagine the abstract element in the story which is the Elf. Another reason behind the use of animated pictures is that they would attract and sustain pupils’ attention as they are colourful and captivating. We hope this feature added by the Comic Sans font and animation in presentation will lower pupils affective filter and support their learning.
Developing these e-books allowed me to have a taste of preparing teaching materials. I realised that ICT has made teacher’s life in this era of globalization easy by providing them with lots opportunities to develop great teaching resources. It just lies on the teacher’s effort and initiative to utilize these resources and make their classroom a better one or not.
week 11
Though we planned well, but not everything we planned works. After searching for the casts for almost one and half week, we gave up. So, we switched to the only alternative we had which is GoAnimate. 
After completing the animations through various steps that includes few above, we recorded our video using Camtasia software. 
Then, using moviemaker, we inserted an audio as background music to make the vedio more interesting.
At last, we managed to produce the video below.
By producing this video, I personally improved in using window movie maker. I would say it is a new venture in my learning because this is my first experience. Through many trial and errors, I learnt how to use windows movie maker effectively. After completing the animations through various steps that includes few above, we recorded our video using Camtasia software. Then, using moviemaker, we inserted an audio as background music to make the vedio more interesting. At last, we managed to produce the video below. By producing this video, I personally improved in using window movie maker. I would say it is a new venture in my learning because this is my first experience. Through many trial and errors, I learnt how to use windows movie maker effectively.
After completing the animations through various steps that includes few above, we recorded our video using Camtasia software. 
Then, using moviemaker, we inserted an audio as background music to make the vedio more interesting.
At last, we managed to produce the video below.
By producing this video, I personally improved in using window movie maker. I would say it is a new venture in my learning because this is my first experience. Through many trial and errors, I learnt how to use windows movie maker effectively. After completing the animations through various steps that includes few above, we recorded our video using Camtasia software. Then, using moviemaker, we inserted an audio as background music to make the vedio more interesting. At last, we managed to produce the video below. By producing this video, I personally improved in using window movie maker. I would say it is a new venture in my learning because this is my first experience. Through many trial and errors, I learnt how to use windows movie maker effectively.
Wednesday, September 23, 2009
week 10
Hi!!! As I promised, here is the story entitled ‘Triple Filter’. It is moral story founded on the theme on friendship. This is the way we would like to present our story.
Scene 1
"Sam, do you know what I just heard about your friend?"
(A static photo flashback)
Scene 2.
"Hold on a minute," Sam replied. "Before telling me anything I'd
like you to pass a little test.
It's called the Triple Filter Test."
"Triple filter?"
(A static image of big question mark)
Scene 3.
"That's right," Sam continued. "Before you talk to me about my
friend, it might be a good idea to take a moment and filter what you're
going to say. The first filter is Truth. Have you made absolutely sure
that what you are about to tell me is true?"
"No," the man said, "actually I just heard about it and..."
"All right," said Sam. "So you don't really know if it's true or
not.
(A slide with the word “truth”)
Scene 4.
Now let's try the second filter, the filter of Goodness. Is what
you are about to tell me about my friend something good?"
"No, on the contrary..."
"So," Sam continued, "you want to tell me something bad about him,
but you're not certain it's true.
(A slide with the word “goodness”)
Scene 5.
You may still pass the test though,
because there's one filter left: the filter of Usefulness. Is what you
want to tell me about my friend going to be useful to me?"
(A slide with the word “usefulness”)
Scene 6
"No, not really."
"Well," concluded Sam, "if what you want to tell me is neither
true nor good nor even useful, why tell it to me at all?"
(A slide on moral of the story)
This is the story we have chosen and the way we have planned it to be recorded.
“Good business leaders create a vision, articulate the vision, passionately own the vision, and relentlessly drive it to completion.”
Jack Welch quotes
Since we wanted to become a good video maker in UMLand, we have followed the first two steps in the quote, which we embrace as our guide for this ‘project’. Hopefully, we can go through the next two successfully especially the video shooting stage which consists of choosing the casts, finding the props and editing the recording.
Monday, September 14, 2009
week 9
One of the topic which captured my eyes’ attention when I first saw Proforma was video editing. At last, today we arrived at the “Land of UMwood”.
The lecture started with an exposure to different types of videos and suggestions on software that can be used for this topic. After a review on senior’s assignments, we were asked to come up with a 5 minutes video proposal. After squeezing our brain, we came up with the idea of producing an animated video. The story line...
Scene 1: A five years old girl called the operator
Scene 2: The girl asks for heaven’s number
Operator gets shocked and asks why
Girl answers that her grandmother told her that her mother went to heaven
and she wants to talk to her mother because she is having a terrible
stomach ache
Scene 3: Operator asks for apology and tells that she does not have
Scene 4: The girl walks to her father’s room and tells the father
The father reflects upon his act that not only leads to HIV transmission to
him, his wife and child but also his wife’s death
Scene 5: The father ask for apology from the girl and give her medicine
Scene 6: Question the audience
After checking the availability of setting and characters in Goanimate website,
with full of confidence, we presented our proposal.:( It was rejected due to several factors. Firstly, the use of heaven concept is not appropriate. Secondly, negative matters should not be exemplified to children although the moral message is there. Lastly, the mood of the video is too gloomy for children. This incident, personally have taught me to be more careful in my planning of content of video as my target audience are children.
Then, we started working on a new story which we called ‘Triple filter’. Want to know what is it about? Wait for my next blog...Till then, take care.
The lecture started with an exposure to different types of videos and suggestions on software that can be used for this topic. After a review on senior’s assignments, we were asked to come up with a 5 minutes video proposal. After squeezing our brain, we came up with the idea of producing an animated video. The story line...
Scene 1: A five years old girl called the operator
Scene 2: The girl asks for heaven’s number
Operator gets shocked and asks why
Girl answers that her grandmother told her that her mother went to heaven
and she wants to talk to her mother because she is having a terrible
stomach ache
Scene 3: Operator asks for apology and tells that she does not have
Scene 4: The girl walks to her father’s room and tells the father
The father reflects upon his act that not only leads to HIV transmission to
him, his wife and child but also his wife’s death
Scene 5: The father ask for apology from the girl and give her medicine
Scene 6: Question the audience
After checking the availability of setting and characters in Goanimate website,
with full of confidence, we presented our proposal.:( It was rejected due to several factors. Firstly, the use of heaven concept is not appropriate. Secondly, negative matters should not be exemplified to children although the moral message is there. Lastly, the mood of the video is too gloomy for children. This incident, personally have taught me to be more careful in my planning of content of video as my target audience are children.Then, we started working on a new story which we called ‘Triple filter’. Want to know what is it about? Wait for my next blog...Till then, take care.
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