Thursday, September 10, 2009

Task 3: Worksheet for Lesson Plan

INTERVIEW

This is an interview by a radio DJ, Jason from B’Z.fm and Elle from a famous all-girl rock band, ‘Milkyway’.

Jason: Hello, I’m Jason on-air for today’s interview with Elle from the famous rock band, ‘Milkyway’ here only on B’Z.fm! Okay, Elle, say ‘hello’ to your fans out there who’s listening right now…

Elle: Hello everyone!

Jason: So, Elle, how do you feel on your debut album success? ‘The Milkyway’, is it?

Elle: Yes it is. Well, I’m definitely happy with the fact that a lot of people are enjoying our songs.

Jason: It’s very rare to have a female rock band here in Malaysia. But, you guys manage to do it! Was it difficult to form a band with all-girl members?

Elle: Oh yeah… It was at first. Me and Jay were the ones who started the band. We both are vocalist and guitarist. Most of our songs were at first only available in acoustic version. But two years later, we found Omy as the drummer and Fly as the one who plays keyboard. One and a half years after that only we found Margerette as our lead guitarist. Then, were ready to make it big!

Jason: Wow, so the band was formed long ago! What kind of obstacles that you have to go through to make it big?

Elle: Well, of course mostly being rejected by a few recording companies. They were prejudice
towards all-girl bands and didn’t think that we’re up to it. They even said that our songs were boring! (Laughs together with Jason).

Jason: Considering the fact that you’re a success now, they must have got it wrong.

Elle: I guess so… (laughs again) However, we don’t gave up just like that and we decided to further with our dreams as we dare to fail and taste success later as we continuously tried to improve our music to make it better. And as the result, SONY found us to be rather talented and have us signed a trial contract of a year and we did so here we are now! Yeah!

Jason: Wow! Fantastically, you’ve made it, right? And even I, if I have to admit, myself am your fan! (Laughs)

Elle: Oh… Thanks… (Laughs too)

Jason: Okay, everything must’ve changed for you guys now since you’re rock stars…

Elle: Oh yeah, definitely… it’s hard to get out of the house and some fans who knew where we lived would swam outside the house and we’re putting more bodyguards now…

Jason: Whoa… that’ll mean less freedom for you guys…

Elle: Yes. Not only of the busy schedule, we also have to even deal with gossips. Gossips just spread around like virus. And people just making up stories about us. It’s the downside of being rock stars. Everybody knew you so have to be extra careful.

Jason: I do agree on that. But never mind them; most of fans would not even care of gossips.

Elle: Hope so… most of the gossips are lies anyway…

Jason: Yes… oh, unfortunately Elle, time is running out for us now. So, before we go, do you have anything to say to your fans?

Elle: Ok. For all of the ‘Milkyway’ fans out there, I’m here representing all of my band members to say a BIG thank you to you guys out there for all of your support and thus, realizing our dream. Don’t forget, if you dream of getting something in life, just simply don’t give up, give out your all and with bless from God and of your hard work, your dream will finally come true. So, good luck in realizing your dream!

Jason: That is very inspiring… Thank you, Elle for coming to our station today and so for you guys out there, coming up next is a song from ‘Milkyway’ entitled ‘Gone’… Enjoy the song! Roger and out…

Task 3: Lesson Plan

Topic: Dare to Dream Date: 10/09/09
Theme: Values and people Time: 7.30-8.40am
Language Skills: reading / writing Class: 4 Gamma

Learning Outcomes: At the end of the lesson, students should be able to;
• 2.1 (a) listening to spoken texts such as talks, speeches and viewing television
documentaries and multimedia
(ii) Reading silently and aloud with understanding a variety of texts
2.2 (a) skimming and scanning for specific information and ideas
(i) Identifying main ideas and jotting down key words and phrases.
• 2.3 (a) writing recounts, descriptions, explanations, speeches, reports, and articles
(iv) Expanding notes and outlines.
(viii) Applying process writing skills

Educational Emphases: Creative and Critical Thinking Skills, Multiple Intelligences: (Verbal Linguistic Skills)

Previous knowledge: Students already learnt on writing summary

Teaching Aids: Handouts, Whiteboard Markers, Mahjong Paper

References:
1. Lee, A., Roberts, L., and Chew, M. (2006). English Form 4. Selangor, Malaysia: Herald Printers.

Teaching Procedure:

Guide= Teaching Activity (1) Learning Activity (2)

Set Induction
(5 min)
1. Teacher recaps the previous lesson on writing summary and indicates their mistakes in writing the summary. Teacher then tells them of what they are going to learn on the day.
2. Students listen and understand.


Activity 1
(20 min)
1. Teacher gives them URL to a YouTube website about a video on an interview of a radio DJ to a famous singer.
2. Students watch the video, and understand.


Activity 2
(10 min)
1. Teacher makes sure they truly understand the interview. Teacher then asks them about their ambition (dream job) and what kind of problems do they think they will face when they got it.
2. Students understand and give feedbacks.


Activity 3
(20 min)
1. Teacher tells them to write an interview assuming they are being interview about their dream job (pretending as if they are already working as what they had dreamt to be) by using the Microsof Word from their computer.
2. Students write their interview using the Microsoft Word.


Conclusion
(5 min)
1. Teacher concludes the lesson and tells the students to email their work to the teacher’s mail. Teacher also tells them of the follow-up activity.
2. Students listen and email their summary

Note to self: From 1 hour and 10 minutes, 10 minutes have been deducted

Follow-up Activity: Students are required to find out about adverbs of degree and interrogative pronouns.

Self-Evaluation:



Supervisor’s Comments:

Wednesday, September 2, 2009

Hypertext Activity


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.

Friday, August 28, 2009

Task 2: TSL 641 Article Review

THE ARTICLE:

Title of the article: TOWARDS AN EFFECTIVE USE OF AUDIO CONFERENCING IN DISTANCE LANGUAGE COURSES.

Journal: Language Learning & Technology - Vol. 8, No. 1, January 2004, pp. 66-82
Authors and background: Regine Hampel and Mirjam Hauck (The Open University, United
Kingdom)
i. Dr. Regine Hampel joined the Open University in 2000. She is a lecturer in German in the Faculty of Education and Language Studies' Department of Languages. Her current research focuses on theoretical and practical issues around online tuition and the use of technologies such as audio-graphic conferencing or Instant Messaging in language courses.
ii. Mirjam Hauck is a German lecturer in the Department of Languages at the Open University in the UK. She joined the university in 1996 and has been involved in research into online applications for Second Language Acquisition such as audio-graphic conferencing and Instant Messaging tools since 1997. Her current research focuses on the relevance of meta-cognitive knowledge acquisition and self-management strategies instruction in virtual language learning spaces.

SUMMARY:

Lyceum is an Internet-based audio-graphics conferencing tool had been used for online tutorials for language courses since February 2002 at the Open University. It is a necessity to deal with the challenge of students spread over the United Kingdom and around Western Europe by using Internet-based, real-time audio conferencing. It is thus turn into a revolution in the distance learning and teaching of languages. The research is based on the first Open University course ever to deliver tutorials online and also by looking at the challenges of implementing it. Firstly, the article looked at the pedagogical rationale behind the virtual learning and teaching environment. After that, the article looked at the process of development and implementation of online tuition in terms of activity design, tutor training, and student support. To gather information and data, a lot of methodological tools such as logbooks, questionnaires, and observations were used. The findings of this paper stress on the difficulty of management and instruction structure which contributes to the effective use of online tuition via audio conferencing systems in distance learning.

The aims of the research: to see the effectiveness of using audio conferencing in distance learning and also the challenges.

The methodology: It is a qualitative and also quantitative research. Testing of Lyceum was carried out online with a cohort of 15 volunteers in four 75- minute sessions: an induction into the software, a set of two tutorials, and a debriefing session. The authors acted as tutors and as online observers. Students used their own computers at home and connected to the conference via a modem. Some of those 15 students also agreed to come to campus for the testing of the Web site, and they were observed face to face.

The subject/sample: Students

The findings of the research: The findings show that in general, the participants were able to use the website successfully to understand the task they had been set. However, some specific issues emerged concerning navigation and the format and nature of the Lyceum tutorial such as preparation and contribution by participants. Students also expressed concern about preparing for Lyceum activities by using Web material.

The major ideas the author is trying to get across:
a) The challenges of implementing online tuition.
b) pedagogical rationale underpinning the virtual learning and teaching environment
c) the process of development and implementation of online tuition in terms of activity design, tutor training, and student support

COMMENTS:

I do feel that this research is interesting. I think that it’ll be wonderful to really use audio conferencing teaching and learning this is especially can be done when it involves distance learning so that the teaching and learning can be done at home and students don’t have to come to class in order to hear lectures and etc. because students are human and going to class is a problem since there might be many obstacle involving coming to class. For example like when it’s raining or the students might get involved in accidents. By having audio conference, students doesn’t have to leave their home and put themselves at risk of the dangers from the outside world and they won’t be missing lectures since it all can be done online. However, the downside of having such online distance learning is students might lose most of their interpersonal skills because they will hardly interact with other human especially with lecturers or teachers. It could also be a problem if the internet experiencing problems or something since it is not really reliable. And the electricity might also get cut down and the internet cannot get through. So, if the audio conference is going to be implemented, such factors need to be considered beforehand.
The research is conducted quite well since the materials used for the research is a good one that is by using Lyceum. However, in my opinion they should put forward more respondents for their testing so that it can be proved further more
As for the implications of the research in our Malaysian context, I think that if audio conference is going to possibly be implemented in Malaysia, it won’t be appropriate for students in school because of the age factors; they thus be needing more nurture and teaching from teachers. However, it can be implemented in higher education because the students can be more reliable in becoming independent learners.


REFERENCE

1. http://llt.msu.edu/vol8num1/hampel/default.html

Friday, August 7, 2009

ESL WEBSITE EVALUATION

1. What does the application attempt to “teach”?

The application is attempting to teach English by providing all sorts of activities for teachers to use in their teaching and also for students to try for themselves as well. There’s a link provided for teachers (iteslj.org/t/)which includes ongoing projects that teachers can use or contribute to. Online textbooks are also provided here. There’s another link for students (http://a4esl.org/) where thousands of activities provided there for ESL students to help them study English.

2. What sorts of things is the application user expected to do with regards to learning the content?

The things that the students do is to simply answers the activities provided in the web to improve their English. For example from the link (http://iteslj.org/v/ei/) from the webpage, ‘Vocabulary Quizes Using Images’. There are lots of links regarding nouns, verbs, and adjectives in this link and the students can pick either one to answer regarding to which part of vocabulary that they would like to improve. For example, Nouns: Clothes and Accessories (http://iteslj.org/v/ei/clothes.html), we must first click on the ‘start’ button at the page. And then, the web will provide pictures for the students and the students will pick the correct answer. if the correct answer were given, the page will show “CORRECT” sign for the students and if it’s wrong, the page will show “WRONG” and gave the correct answer for the students to view and for all the wrong answers, the web will automatically repeat the question with tiny remark on top of the questions ‘try this one again’. There are also ‘restart’ button to do the quiz all over again and also ‘about’ button for further information.

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

The skills that the users need will only be the basic skills of using a computer and internet. They will definitely need to have internet access to use the web in their learning. And then, by clicking on the link to the webpage, they can immediately start using the application.

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?

No. When I was young, my teachers in school do not use computers or the internet in their teaching thus, I never experience using it at all before. But, I do answers these quizzes for self-studies before.

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

I think it can be related to cognitive and constructivism theories of language learning. Cognitive theories includes ‘role of mistake’. In the web, it does help the students when they make mistakes. Meanwhile, constructive theory can be applied since it is an independent learning process.

6. How well is the constructivist theory of learning applied to the chosen website?

The constructivist theory of learning applied to the website is very well because the student in involving themselves in independent learning and the students is building themselves in what they had already learn. With their existing knowledge in English, they apply the knowledge by using the application and therefore gather new knowledge themselves through the process.

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?

I would be one to say that the computer could never be a replacement for teachers. They can be of help to teachers in the teaching but it could never be able to replace teachers because having a teacher is a necessity. Teachers are human beings and therefore, they can understand students better and motivates them. A computer is indeed an obedient servant to students. We use them to do our assignments and any spelling errors will be checked by them and get corrected. That’s all that they do. And they can even gave us access to the internet in order for us to gain more information in any matters we’re of interest at.

8. Would you like to use the application yourself in your future work?

Yes. I’ll definitely use the application in the future because as a future teacher, I think that it’ll be beneficial for my students if I use this application. However, several factors might intrude my intention since in schools nowadays, not all of them had enough access to the internet or even provided with computers in classrooms. So, it will be a difficulty to inculcate such learning. Nevertheless, I can still use the web as guidance in my teaching and also a source for me to improve myself with my English.

Suggestions / Recommendations: I think however, the instruction should be clearer. In some of the activities provided, I don’t quite understand what it wanted me to answer at first.