Web-Based Lesson Plan: WELCOME TO MALAYSIA!

Assalamualaikum and heeyyy~~

This is my web-based lesson plan on identifying main ideas, supporting details and constructing summary. Students are to differentiate main ideas and supporting details in an article about the melange of culture in Malaysia taken from a travel guide website and construct a summary based on the points identified.

*click on the picture to be directed to the website

Below are the links to the lesson plan, YouTube videos and also the Microsoft Word template worksheet:

Lesson Plan

Template
New Zealand Tourism Video
Malaysia Truly Asia

HYPERTEXT & HYPERMEDIA: Dolphins

DOLPHINS

Dolphins are regarded as the friendliest creatures in the sea and stories of them helping drowning sailors have been common since Roman times. The more we learn about dolphins, the more we realize that their society is more complex than people previously imagined. They look after other dolphins when they are ill, care for pregnant mothers and protect the weakest in the community, as we do. Some scientists have suggested that dolphins have a language but it is much more probable that they communicate with each other without needing words. Could any of these mammals be more intelligent than man? Certainly the most common argument in favor of man's superiority over them that we can kill them more easily than they can kill us is the least satisfactory. On the contrary, the more we discover about these remarkable creatures, the less we appear superior when we destroy them.

Title of article reviewed: The Use of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) in Teaching ESL Writing Skill

Journal: English Language Teaching; Vol. 6, No. 7; 2013

Authors:1. Melor Md Yunus, Norazah Nordin, Mohamed Amin Embi [Faculty of Education, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM)]

              2. Hadi Salehi, Zeinab Salehi [Faculty of Literature and Humanities, Najafabad Branch, Islamic Azad University, Najafabad, Isfahan, Iran]

Published by: Canadian Centre of Science and Education

The journal article entitled ‘The Use of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) in Teaching ESL Writing Skill’ is a research based study, purposely aimed to find out whether the incorporation of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) is useful in teaching writing skills in ESL classrooms in Malaysia. Along the research, the researchers also pointed out several advantages and disadvantages of integrating ICT in teaching ESL writing skills. All in all, the study was not only focusing on the level of efficiency when ICT is used in classroom setting to teach writing skills, but also to look up into the problems that may arise and how to deal with such matters. The researchers decided to do a qualitative survey in which, they interviewed English teachers from the selected secondary schools of five different regions in Malaysia. Interview was used as the medium of gathering information to gain insight from the respondents. From the interviews, the researchers were able to examine teachers’ perception and practice of using ICT in teaching writing skills in ESL classrooms. There were drafting stages involved in the process of constructing the interview questions. The first draft and the second draft were tallied with some relevant literature and commented by the experts in the field. Thus, to testify the validity of the interview questions, it was piloted to four English teachers to answer the research questions, which are: i) What are the advantages and disadvantages of using ICT in teaching writing skills in ESL classrooms? and, ii) How do Malaysian secondary school English teachers manage problems and plan activities involving ICT in teaching ESL writing skills? From the interview, two main findings were concluded which are the advantages and disadvantages of using ICT and ways to manage problems and activity planning involving ICT. The four samples responded that some of the advantages of using ICT in teaching writing skills are engaging students’ interest and attention in class, aiding students’ learning process, refining students’ vocabulary and stimulating meaningful learning. Meanwhile, some of the setbacks listed were difficulties in terms of classroom management, students’ focus might be distracted and the tendency of using abbreviation in their writing. Nonetheless, all these downsides may be prevented through teachers’ repetitive reminder and guidance along the lesson. The research also suggested that teachers are weak in managing their problems regarding the integration of ICT in teaching ESL writing skills. The study suggests that a teacher must be prepared with knowledge of handling the apparatus. The teacher must take charge of the lesson because most teachers turn to technicians or ask help from students when they face difficulties in handling the computers. Teacher’s creativity level must be amplified as they usually restricted to the lower level of exercises and commonly only involved the earlier stage of writing like the pre-stage. In conclusion, using ICT could help to meet the teachers’ teaching objectives as ICT aids the teaching process.

            As I was reading the research article, I was really fascinated with the topic being focused because it is simple and common yet a serious issue among English teachers nowadays. Putting aside the ESL writing skills, as I believe that the problem arise will be the same when it comes to handling ICT in teaching language. The amount of knowledge hold by teachers these days regarding ICT is rather questionable. The students are getting more and more visual as technology revolve rapidly around them. They are easily intrigued by videos and graphic image rather than the conventional way of teaching; explaining and elaborating. They preferred to be exemplified or demonstrate in order to get better understanding. Thus, teachers must also keep up with this vast movement of technology so that they could have good rapport with students while teaching. That is why teachers today have to fulfill an online examination regarding ICT knowledge and it is compulsory for them to at least past the test. This is one of the Ministry’s ways of educating teachers to be holistic. In my opinion, the research was well supported, but in terms of the execution, it can be improved. The researches decided to interview four English teachers of the same school, thus limiting the kind of responses that thy received. Different school background have different teachers’ perception and students’ attitude. However, I do understand of the limitations of the feedback as the research was just a pilot interview to testify the validity of the questionnaires. A variety of responses could be gained if the researchers choose to pilot the interview at two different school involving rural and urban areas. I also believe that asking trainee teachers or fresh graduates will give some kind of a fresh air towards the issue. These young people are in the same generation with the students and probably a bit more advanced in terms of ICT knowledge.

The research somehow gives implications and ideas to teachers, especially English teachers on managing lesson with the incorporation of ICT. The study focused on teaching writing skills. Generally, all English teachers would benefit from the research by knowing the dos and don’ts when they want to include ICT in their writing lesson. At least, now the teachers will realize that ICT can be really helpful in finding various sources and information on topics to be written. Teachers gain some fresh ideas on planning writing activities and how to cope with the problems. Students on the other hand, will enjoy the learning environment as they were given the opportunity to do something that they are interested at. In terms of incorporating ICT, it is regarded not as a conservative technique, but a brand new creative way of teaching which the researcher deduced as one which could activate active learning among the students. Even though several disadvantages were listed, those setbacks can easily controlled by the teacher’s role. ICT can be a tool to boost students’ potential and interaction; however, it must not be used excessively because the teachers should take charge of the class, not the technology.

Melor Md Yunus, Norazah Nordin, Mohamed Amin Embi, Hadi Sallehi, Zainab Salehi. "The Use of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) in Teaching ESL Writing Skill." English Language Teaching 6.7 (2013).

JCross

Assalamualaikum and heyy...~~

This is something new that we learned using the HOT POTATOES software. JCROSS!! My favorite so far. I constructed a JCROSS regarding the type of footwear and...it seems like it's very hard that most of my friends couldn't complete it....Hahahaha click below to try my JCROSS ^_^

Jcross Type of Footwear

In-class Task 2: Excel worksheet & JCloze

Assalamualaikum and heyyy...~~

I have to admit that my Microsoft Excel knowledge is very limited. I mean VERY limited. I have no idea on how to handle most of the features in Excel until recently in last Wednesday's class. As I learned more and more about Excel the other day, I realized that we could do so many things using Excel other than making an attendance sheet. We could even construct sets of interactive questions! Come one....in my 23 years of living, I got to know that only today...shame on me! But, hey! At least now I know something new! =)

Then, moving on to JCloze of Hot Potatoes. This software really excites me! There's so many things that we can do! It's a very useful software especially for language teachers to construct interesting learning materials. We have control of the content, format and input that we want to teach. Honestly, I think if I happened to find this software during my practicum weeks, I would have done this a lot with my students. It's practical, easy to handle and collaborative.

Here are my sample of exercises created by EXCEL and JCLOZE.

Kindly download the file if you want to use them for future reference =)

EXCEL WORKSHEET

JCLOZE 

ESL Web Review: Road To Grammar

The world is on our fingertips. With today’s vast development of technology, everything can be found in the internet. Why resort for bad things when we can find good things on the internet, right? One of the many good things that can be found in the internet is websites for language learning. There might be thousands, no, perhaps millions of ESL websites that can be constructive for teaching English both for students and teachers. One of the websites is ‘Road To Grammar’.

(1)

   Basically, the website is focusing on grammar learning. However, there are also other themes such as tenses and vocabulary. The website is designed and focused for the aftermath. The students are tested based on their schemata and what they have learned earlier. Nevertheless, there are modules provided as reference if we would like to refresh our knowledge. The website provides quite a number of exercises covering various grammar rules such as adjectives, prepositions, adverbs and pronouns. The exercises are quite interactive I must say.  Visitors will know whether their answer is right or wrong right after they click their answer. At the end of the exercise, the total mark is shown and if we are not satisfied with the marks, we can always retake the exercise. It promotes drilling techniques, in a way; it provokes the visitors to strive better, hence understanding the concept of a particular grammar rule that they are focusing. Plus, the set of question is jumbled up every time we redo the exercise; therefore it prevents the visitors from memorizing the answers.

 I like the interface of the website. It is simple and easy to handle, yet very interactive and cute in a way. The color scheme chosen as the theme of the website is very soft, not so striking that can distract our focus and attention. There are also minimal usages of words in which, I believe the developer wanted to focus on the exercises and games provided. The tabs available for every different section are separated clearly on top of the website and once we clicked the tab, we will be redirected to the desired page.  It is not merely prepared for language students, but also for language teachers whom are looking for material and ideas for their teaching. Other than that, it also provides interactive games that have different level of difficulties and visitors can play the games according to their desired proficiency. It is a very fun and interactive website for Grammar learning. It is not boring and cliché like other grammar websites always did, for example, this one. Try comparing ‘Road To Grammar’ and the website highlighted above and tell me which one would you choose based on the interactivity of exercises. I am disappointed that I did not discover the website way earlier.

(2) 

   To access the website, visitors are not required to do anything. No registration, no membership, no payment needed. It is a free website that enables the visitors to test their grammar knowledge and enjoying the interactive quizzes and exercises or trying the language games that are linked in the website.  What’s more interesting is that we are allowed to download some materials provided in the websites. There are materials for the usage of teachers and also the students. Sharing is caring. I think that is the motto of this website.

(3)

This website does remind me with a lot of things I did in classroom either as a learner or as a teacher.  As a learner, I got to recall everything that I gain regarding grammar during my whole life experience. I got to challenge myself and see where I am standing at in terms of my grammar knowledge, especially the basics one. It also reminisce my teaching practicum period in which I did incorporate online quizzes like the website did in my teaching and I remember how the students really eager to do the exercises. I am just quite disappointed that I did not discover this website earlier to share it with my students. It is fascinating how grammar is interpreted as ‘fun’ in the websites, whereas in real life, students keep on telling me that mastering grammar rules are like watching horror movie that they cannot escape. I definitely will promote this website later in when I become a real teacher.

(4)

This website presents learners with several things that I think is not feasible in classroom setting with the usage of textbooks/workbooks. Like I mentioned earlier, the website is very interactive. A workbook will NEVER be able to give the learners immediate feedback like “EXCELLENT!” or “TRY AGAIN” right after you finish answering the questions. A book will NEVER have the ability to award you with stars once you manage to answer perfectly. Yes, most workbooks come with an answer scheme for all the questions, but it does not tell the learners the correct answers right away. They will have to flip several pages to have a look at the correct answers; not like the website where the correct answers were listed right after when you answer the question wrongly. This kind of interactivity between the learners and the website makes huge differences in teaching and learning process. Learners will be more motivated to learn and they will find it easier as they live in the digital world where everything requires visual assistance in order to increase understanding. I did not say workbooks are boring and irrelevant, but we need to move along with the massive development of the technology and exploit as many terrific things that internet and computers can provide us for the betterment of language teaching and learning.

(5)

 I did not really focus on the teaching theories at first because I was too preoccupied with the quizzes. However, as I browse through again and again, I realized that the website is based on two mixed theories which are inductive approach and deductive approach. I want to pinpoint drilling too; because the questions are repetitive, but I do not see much of a drilling method being highlighted in the website. An inductive approach starts with some explicit examples from which a rule is inferred. The examples are presented at the beginning then generalizing rules from the given samples. The website prepares modules on learning the grammar rules; however the learners may answer the exercises first without referring to the modules given and discover the rules themselves.  Thus, it is inductive approach. It can be the other way around. Learners may refer to the module first and start answering the exercises later. That is when deductive approach takes place. It starts with the presentation of a rule and is followed by examples in which the rule is applied.

I would love to incorporate another theory which is extrinsic motivation. For each correct answer, learners are told “CORRECT” and sometimes stars are given. It may look common, but those little things could boost the students’ motivation to always do well and wanting to perform. Thus, I believe extrinsic motivation is also one of the theories considered while developing the website.

(6)

‘Road To Grammar’ has a great potential in terms of language learning. Its simple features, practicality, interactivity and authenticity of exercises are the main points of the website. The examples used are close related to everyday situation, easy to understand and most importantly intrigues the learners’ world knowledge. The modules provided are colorful and easy to understand. The fact that I also allow the visitors to download materials for both teachers and students is a great explanation of why this website is kind of cool. As a language learner, I enjoyed the interactivity of the website very much especially their language games; the FLUENT and WORD STRIP game. I believe with some alteration towards the graphic and the interface, it can be the next big thing as a medium for teaching grammar.

(7)

I would highly recommend this website to all language learners of different proficiency level. It is suitable for primary, secondary, even university level students. It has great vibe and collaborative; it is practical for teachers and students; it is generous as it allows you to download materials and it covers quite a wide range of grammar rules. It might not be perfect or holistic, but it is a good website for learning grammar. The downsides can be improved through time, but the fundamentals are there. For now, it is good enough and I would integrate this website in my future language lesson.

In-Class Task

Assalamualaikum and heeeyyyy...~~

Today we learned about the features of Microsoft Words and how we can utilize them in language lesson during our CALL class. I went home and prepared an electronic worksheet, an easy one I might add for the usage of Standard 3/4 regarding sequence connectors. I used to to do this when I was having my part-time job as tuition teacher to primary school students. Below is the link to my exercise =)

Practice 1: Sequence Connectors

Heyyyy~~!! ^_^

Assalamualaikum and heeyyyy~~

1. My name according to my IC is Mohamad Haziq Bin Mohd Ridzuan. People call me Haziq, but some of my friends call me HR (that's the initial of my name which is Haziq Ridzuan). I came from the land of Selangor paddy field, Tanjong Karang. I am not yet 23 years old as my birthday is at the end of the year. So yeah, I'm still 22. I enjoy drawing, cooking, singing, watching movies and listening to music during my free hours. I am also the class representative for the group ED2208A.

2. I would rank myself as 5/10 when it comes to my computer skills. I am not an expert but I do know how to handle the basic things. I think my knowledge is average. It's not like I am illiterate or something, but I could say that my current knowledge is letting me survive in today's digital world.

3. Computer software.....hmmm I guess I'm quite good with Microsoft Office. I can handle all their software quite well (except for Excel). Other than that, I'm quite comfortable handling Audacity, Photoshop, Power sound editor and flash (just to name a few). As for hardware, I am familiar with the components and parts of the computers, but I don't know how to operate them. I mean if you ask me to repair a computer, then I am very extremely 100% sure that I couldn't do it.

4. I have NEVER took any online courses except when I accessing my Student Portal. Other than that, I did not have any experience learning through online formally. I did browse the websites (sometimes) but have never interested to try.

5. Yes I did integrate technology in my lessons during my practicum weeks and it's a total success, I could say. I attached videos and exercises from ESL websites and asked them to complete the task using the computer in class. I even did a task in which I asked them to submit their work to my email.

6. Technology can be very helpful if incorporated in language teaching. Students nowadays are very visual, thus it's easier for them learning via the incorporation of technology. I remembered explaining a topic to them and they couldn't grasp the message that I wanted to express. However, when I showed them the videos and examples from several websites references, they started to get a clearer vision. Plus, they have access to technology all the time, so why not incorporate them? =)

7. My expectation for this course is basically the same as other computer integrated course. Maybe, we'll learn more about how and why should we use technology in teaching language. I think we will be able to be more comfortable working with computer software at the end of this course. It's for our own good to prepare ourselves as future educators.

8. I choose a topic that I think is my niche area for my AE. It is "The Incorporation of Drama Techniques in Increasing Motivation and Reducing Anxiety among ESL learners". I like drama and performing arts and I think it is a great tool to teach English. My supervisor is Madam Roslind Xavier and I am very glad to have her because she is also the core person with experience in teaching drama. So far I'm glad to say that I'm on track. I have been seeing her for several times to consult and discuss the content of my research. For now, I just have to alter my questionnaire survey questions and I can proceed with my sample subjects later on. Time planning is very crucial in completing AE, so I decided to make full use of the weekends specially for AE. Other assignments must be done during the weekdays because I don't want to mix my focus towards AE. I hope (really hope) that I could abide the deadlines given, submit my AE on time and grad with first class honor (God willing).