Week thirteen – Children Software

             This week, Puan Foziah introduced us to another teaching instructional material which is children software. She mentioned about Freddie Fish and other examples. By just looking at the CD cover and the title, I assumed that this software is applicable to be applied in the ESL classroom.

According to Oxford Dictionary, software is a program and other operating information used by a computer. So, children software can be said as a program meant for children using a computer as a tool for teaching material. This software contains many purposes in order to teach English for children. For example, it can be only focus on grammar exercises, reading skill, vocabulary and so on. There is also game activity for them in order to acquire Englsih language.

I think that children software is interesting to be used in ESL classroom. The game and activity that contains in the software creates a new dimension in teaching field. In stead of only used chalk and talk and common task sheet, children software allows teacher and students to gain new knowledge using this software. For instance, the Freddie Fish software, it is a kind of problem solving activity. Children has to help Freddie to solve his problem where his school faced with problem as there is no students want to come to school. Freddie and his friend investigate this problem. Here, students will help them. Thus, it allows students to develop their cognitive skill. Moreover, it can attract pupils’ attention to learn English indirectly suit with their nature of learning which is they learn indirectly rather than directly. Games are the best tool as children like to play and more attracted to play game compared to other tool. 

week tweflth

On 7th of October lecture, it was a new week after we have a short break for Hari Raya Puasa celebration. The class started with discussion on our assignment. When she asked about it, I cannot answer it honestly I did not do anything during the Raya break. I wanted to spend my time to do at least 50% of the assignment. However, I was so busy preparing for Hari Raya. I had no choice to tell Puan Foziah that I still not working on anything on it. Suddenly, after we told her that our works are not reach 50%, she immediately told us to work on it now. Thanks a lot to her as she gave us opportunity to finish my assignment.
She also has came to me and asked me personally the progression of my assignment. After I told the truth, she gave me her opinion on how to design a good lesson plan. She also gave some tips which was I can integrate the skill with other skill. It is essential to integrate these skills because it can complement each other.

SALAM AIDILFITRI

salam to all. i take this oppurtunity to ask for forginess, divine blessings for you and halal for everything =). this poem has been taken from www.thesutras.org

The holy month of Ramadan
For all Muslims has begun.
Praising Allah through the day,
From dawn to dusk we fast and pray.
We pay zakah (charity) for those in need,
Trying hard to do good deeds.

When the sun has set, and day is done-
I’ll break this chain, but only one.
By the end of Ramadan, this whole chain will be all gone!
It’s time for Eid and lots of fun!!!

Week eleven - Analyzing research papers

        A week before Hari Raya Puasa. I cannot wait to going back. But, I must be patient since there was only one class for resources class. This week, we have a new task which is we have to analyze research papers that discuss/report on the research in using teaching aids in the classroom. This is a pair work task and my partner is Azliza.

 

          Researches are important in order to be black and white evidence. From research, we can see that everything that we want to say can be supported by research. So, it is essential to find prove that how important teaching aids to integrate in the ESL classroom. Puan Foziah has set up criteria that we need to find for our article. These guidelines help us in order to find a suitable article. She also has gave us some cites that can be visited and it makes our finding easier.

 

          Last week, Puan Foziah has gave us some notes that need to be presented this week. Our topic is “What do we want teaching materials for?”. So, as teacher we have to question ourselves, how the teaching aids will help us in our teaching and learning in the ESL classroom. We have to reflect what the roles of the teaching aids are. They are two roles of teaching aids which are DEFICIENCY and DIFFERENCE. Teaching materials are to save learners from teachers’ deficiency. It means that, teacher can use teaching aids as their supporters in their teaching and learning process. I found that as a teacher, we have to select appropriate material as well as creative enough to exploit them.

Week ten - submission of Assignment 2: Assessing and Manipulating videos for the ESL classroom

         Satisfied! Relief! Happy! Those words reflected my feelings as this week we have to submit our second assignment. We have to manipulate the Earth Song by Michael Jackson and then we have to find another video. This is the link for our second video. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YB55V2wpwYI&feature=related

You may visit this url as you can find that this video is interesting in order to be applied in the classroom.

 

          In this assignment, we have to work as a pair work. My partner is Azliza Ramlee. This is our second time work as pair work as our first collaboration is on video edit task. I wanted to keep on work with her because she is good and she is the best partner ever. Thanks to you Azliza. Besides, she supported me while I am facing with difficulties through out finishing this assignment. I found that choosing the right partner is really important as we need to complement each other in order to produce quality of work. While dealing with this assignment, we discussed to divide the work. Azliza was taking the Earth song video while I took the second video. This is because the consideration of time consuming. However, even though we did not do the work together, we still discuss if anyone of us faced with problems while doing the assignment. From this assignment, I realized how cooperation is important.

 

          For second assignment, we have to manipulate and produce new materials in order to use in the ESL classroom. I decided to choose use pictures that have been extracted from the video to be the new developing material. This because it is suitable with my teaching point which is giving instructions. These pictures will help a teacher to give instruction to pupil. Yet, they are also will be used in the production stage. So, as a teacher, it is essential to produce and manipulate the materials as it is not a waste. Moreover, it shows our creativity as many things can be produced from a single video clip.

 

          For the task for this week, Puan Foziah has introduced on how to use Microsoft Publisher. We have to work in pair and my partner is Azliza. I am comfortable work with her and that is why I still want to work with her. We have to create pamphlet, business card, poster and book cover for this task. Puan Foziah has left some room for us to create any theme for our task. For second task, it is a group work. My group members are Azliza, Huda, Rimala and Safrina. Using Microsoft Publisher, we have to create a newsletter. We decided to create a newletter for Cooking club.

 

 

 

WEEK NINE

This week, Puan Foziah is back. For this week, I think she wants to talk a lot of things since she was absent last week. Yes, I am right. She has given us a deep explanation on our last assignment which is PORTFOLIO. All our works which has been done through out the whole semester must be handed in (compiled) as a portfolio. Let me recall back our task started with photo edit, audio edit, and video edit and so on. We must compile all the tasks as well as the tutorials. I would like to thank her because she gave us opportunity to compile all our works. It makes us appreciate our works as it has been compiled in one portfolio. Later on, I hope she will give us back this portfolio after she has marked it. This is because, all the works that she has given to us are beneficial and they are really suitable to be used while we go out for teaching. I like the idea to compile our work as teacher can assess students’ work from this portfolio. She can see the students’ progression and yet, she knows what can be improved from this portfolio. Personally, I think portfolio is black and white evidence on students’ work. So, if anyone wants to see our works, they can refer from this portfolio.

Other than that, all the works that has been done through out the whole semester plus the tutorials can make my work easier after I will be posted to primary school in the future. If I am forgetting on how to edit photo or etc, I just refer from my portfolio. It shows that how important and beneficial the portfolio is for me as I have a short term memory.


Last week, even though Puan Foziah was not entering the class, she has given some notes to be presented in this week. So, this week we have to present it. For my group, our topic was “Working with the coursebook”. We have to work in group of 5/6. This topic also has been shared with other 2 groups. This topic is long and we have to make it short. Puan Foziah wanted to train us to be a good presenter as a teacher we have to confident enough to be in front of the classroom. Yet, the notes that she has been given to us train us to analyze important ideas as well as guide us to explain what are they in the notes.

week eight

Today, we have to pass up our e-book. Overall, I am satisfied with our works as this is the first time we produced an e-book. We can get a new experience by using Microsoft Power Point (MPP). Before this, I just use MPP for helping me in my presentation. I did not know that we can create an e-book using MPP. Yet, until at the end of producing our e-book, I did not know that we have to save it as power point show file. After we have uploaded our e-book in the 4shared.com, we just realized it. Alhamdullillah, I learnt a useful knowledge from this task. So, immediately, we changed it and upload it again in the 4shared.com. Luckily, we still have time for it.

Puan Foziah did not enter class today. But, she has assigned two new tasks for us. The first one is “Devising resources for teaching the four skills language skills”. We have to devise an activity for speaking, listening, reading and writing skills. We have to be in group of four. These are my group members:

Muhammad Ridhuan Md Nor
Nur Habibi Ghazali
Rubinidevi

This is the first time I will work with them for this course. We have divided the four skills so that each one of us will take one skill. Since Puan Fozian did not enter the class, it was quite blurring because we did not what we have supposed to do. However, Izyan has helped us by explaining the task.

For this task, they are four main components that we have to consider before we design our task which are:
1.The materials must be based on specific CS
2.Descriptions on how to use it to teach the specific chosen skill.
3.The tutorial on how to make it
4.Rationale for producing the materials to teach selected skill

It is important to choose and design beneficial resources so that it can make our
teaching and learning process becomes meaningful. Besides,