Topic 7 !! - Using Podcast and Digital Storytelling for Language Learning -

Hi there!


That was a long topic name, huh?
However, I kinda like this topic, because it is about using podcast.

What is podcast, again?
The term ‘podcast’ comes from 'iPod'  and ‘broadcast’.
You combine them together, walla! Podcast!
Usually, it is in audio form, with the format of (.mp3).
Easily downloaded from podcast sites, or you need to pay for some sites. Depend.

I remember using podcast once when I was like 17 or 18, because at that time smartphones started to 'enter' my school life so many of my classmates have one, and they downloaded podcast into their phone to be used as listening revision. Such hardworking friends  I got back then! Haha!

Of course, when I started to enter Diploma life, everything will require you to have listening test, again, you need podcast. Even MUET! They actually used something like podcast for the listening test. 

So, you can see that podcast gives you 2 options; whether you want to use it as revision for listening skills, OR!
You can create a podcast yourself to enhance your speaking skill. << ececechhhh LOL!

Want to start a podcast? VERY EASY!!
First, record your voice using a recording tool/your smartphone/online voice recorder.

Second, edit your recording using Audacity/TwistedWave/AudioTrimmer/Windows Movie Maker/any audio editor.

Third, upload/post your podcast via YouTube, SoundCloud, iTunes or even your own blog!
(I'll upload mine later! I promise!)

• My podcast (coming soon)

Short Story 'It's Going To Rain' by Enid Blyton

So, that's all for now!
I'll post again!

Topic 6 !! - Instructional Design -

Hello everyone!
  
SELAMAT HARI RAYA AIDIL FITRI 2017/1438H!
I'm back! Hihihi!

Once again, NEW TOPIC!
Topic 6 is about instructional design.
....What is thatt?? << This was my thought too at first when my lecturer taught this.

Ok, Instructional Design is when you create instructional experiences which make the acquisition of
knowledge and skill more efficient, effective, and appealing.
Quite confusing, so I'll try to make it in my own sentence.

Instructional Design is basically when you want someone/students to learn a topic/syllabus based on what you have created before.
You can take it as like when you want to cook something, of course you're gonna need a recipe.
That recipe must contain all the ingredients, all the tools needed, and the method/ways to cook the dish.
Same with Instructional Design!
You need to know what you want to teach, who you are going to teach (target audience), what you need (materials) for the lesson, how you are going to teach the students (steps/ways).
SIMPLE!!
but, na-uh, not that simple~!

Luckily, I've learnt back in my Diploma years on how to make a Lesson Plan (LP), so it might not require that much hardship.

First, in order to create an Instructional Design, you need to know the model used.
We'll use
     ADDIE MODEL;
which stands for Analysis, Design, Development, Implementation, and Evaluation.

To create an instructional design, first and foremost!!
Know your target audience - the age, level of proficiency of the students, the needs
Know your method               - theory, teaching method
Know your objectives           - what to be achieved, what to be learnt
Know your steps                    - how to teach/deliver lesson, how to handle students


To understand more, you can watch this!

So I guess that's all for today!
Seriously, I had a hard time to start doing this instructional design later huhuhu
I'll try my best!
Bye!

Topic 5 !! - CMC -

Hey there~~
Haha, I finally change to a new type of greetings this time! 



Moving to a new topic, CMC!
Hm? Felt like I've seen this alphabets before...? Hmmmm...

YES!!

Back in entry for Topic 2, we met with guy, right?
CMC = Computer Mediated Communication !

'It is any form of communication or interaction between two or more people via separate computers through network connection.'

Basically!
It is what we use nowadays to communicate!
WhatsApp, WeChat, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Messenger, Yahoo, Gmail, anything!







Before in previous posts, I shared about the CMC used in CALL for language learning. And there is also Asynchronous and Synchronous types for CMC.

Back when CMC first started to be introduced as a new way to communicate, it only just for communication among family, friends, relatives or co-workers.
Nowadays!!
People/Universities are using CMC as a medium for unlimited learning.

With CMC, we have LDL (Long Distance Learning) and Collaborative Learning.

Long Distance Learning or LDL is something that we can achieve nowadays as you can learn whatever, wherever and whenever you want just by joining a class handled through video conferencing or E-tutoring.
Seriously! I never knew this kind of thing existed, and my lecturer introduced to us some sites that we can do such thing!


1. Massive Open Online Courses (http://mooc.org/)

   

2. Open Learning (https://www.openlearning.com/)

Collaborative Learning is something already existed, but it is getting more convenient and for sure, it gonna helps A LOT in studies!
Before we only have offline Microsoft Office, like Word, Excel, PowerPoint. Now, we can view and edit it ONLINE!! Isn't that amazing??

This was....!  

So, I hope this post gives you many many new information that even I just know from the class.
That's all for now, adios!  

Topic 4 !! - Search Engines & Online Databases -

Greetings to all! << Ok, you must feel annoyed by now, right? I'll try to change it later.



Move on with the new topic, Topic 4! We learnt about search engines.

Search Engines is a web tool that allows users to enter keywords and find information on websites contained in its database, in a simple way, your daily routine of typing in keyword(s) at this white square with 'Google' or 'Yahoo' or whatever you usually used to search for anything you want.

                

In each search engines, they have their own databases. The more databases a search engine have, the more faster and a lot of choices based on the keywords that you can choose.

        

There are also specific search engines that are designed to search for related topic/keywords.
I'm very sure you know the most common one, Google Scholar!

well, I also just know ONLY this! Haha, poor me! 

I learnt more new specialized search engines, such as

Pipl.com

Artcyclopedia.com

There is also 'Meta Search Engines' , if you want to search something from many search engines.
We have;

Metacrawler.com

Dogpile.com

Savvysearch.com

Of course, there a lot more search engines you can found. I had a lot of fun looking through this new sites I encountered! You can try it too!

The most interesting part that I learnt from this topic was the Deep Web and Dark Web. All the things we went through from the top of this post is just a Surface Web, where it is very basic and easily reachable.

But for Deep Web and Dark Web, it is where all important and confidential thingy that not everyone can look through it. Usually, only hackers or those specialized in this kind of network know how to go into this kind of web. (Don't do it if you don't know!!)
It also called as 'Onion Sites'. I searched for the meaning behind the naming,

'Such addresses are not actual DNS names, and the .onion TLD is not in the Internet DNS root, but with the appropriate proxy software installed, Internet programs such as web browsers can access sites with .onion addresse by sending the request through the network of Tor servers.'

I also asked my lecturer why is it called that way, and apparently the graph(?) for such sites are shaped like onion, so....'Onion Sites'..... 
well....I searched for some pictures, but nope, I couldn't find any.

This is the last picture before I end this post for today...

TOR sites search engines

So that's it!
That was very interesting and tiring topic! LOL!
See you later! 

Topic 3 !! - Evolution of CALL -

Greetings to all !
  

Here I am, once again, reflecting on this week's topic for ESP6013.

So, let's start!

Topic 3 is related to the previous topic, about CALL.
Last post, I just shared about what is CALL, so this time it is about how this CALL revolve into something more...useful to be used in learning language. That is quite confusing isn't it?

Well, before CALL is more on the types and where people can get CALL in daily lives, but in this topic, CALL progressed into something more practical. There are 3 types of progression based on CALL, which are Behaviouristic CALL, Communicative CALL, and Integrated CALL.

Behaviouristic CALL is widely used to train something (usually it's animal huhu), also called as 'drilling' or 'repetition', where you'll do the same thing over, over, over and over again until you remember it.
Just like training a dog! Wuff Wuff!
 


Next, we have Communicatice CALL, where it trains more on the language rather than something in grammar. So if the software is more on pronounciation, that is all you get to do. You listen and practice on how to pronounce vowels and all phonetics stuff.

Lastly, we have Integrated CALL. This is the most recent, and I'm sure even all the readers have used this kind of CALL before. You use something to learn language, and it included all media we have; like audio, video, animation, graphics, text, EVERYTHING! If you still remember about the CMC I shared about last time, that's also a part of Integrated CALL. You can have video, pictures, gif, text moving here and there,that way is more fun, right? Hehee ;)

I also learnt in my class that for you to learn any language in this technologucal era, nothing is impossible!! You have a lot of choices you can choose from; from traditional way to the modern way, just choose it! And never give up!

So, that's all for now!
See again later! 

Topic 2!! - Introduction to CALL -

Greetings to all !

In this post, I will share my reflection on this week's topic.

This week was about CALL, an abbreviation for Computer Assisted Language Learning.

CALL is famously used in language learning by implementing technology in it.

There are 4 programs under CALL, which are;

1) CALL-Specific Software

2) Generic Software

3) Web-based Learning Programs

4) CMC

CALL-Specific Software usually found in textbook in CD form. Oh how I love that kind of software!!

Generic Software; general applications that commonly used by all computer users - but can act as a tool for language learning too! Very simple example; Microsoft Office!! 

Web-Based Learning Program is applications/stuff that could be found in internet, and also can act as a tool for language learning. You know, wikipedia, blogspot, magazine and news website, online journal. Sooo many of them out there!

      

Lastly, CMC - also know as Computer Mediated Communication. This one is the most popular and could be say as the most used application! Whatsapp, Messenger, WeChat, any kind of instant messaging nowadays are synchronous type of CMC, while Email, Discussion/Message boards are the examples of asynchronous CMC.

I also learnt that computer actually have the role of being a tutor, a tool and a medium for students to be able to learn more on language. 

That's all for now!

To be continued later, so.......!

See ya!