Smartbuilder!

Assalamualaikum and hi everyone! I'm back again with another post. Yes, it is week 9 already and alhamdulillah I am still going strong to face another busy week. Alright, for today's post, I am going to write something that I have never heard before - Smartbuilder. So, what is Smartbuilder actually?

Smart Builder is a software created to build and design interactive courseware offline. It is very entertaining and fun to use it when it had been done perfectly. The picture below shows how smartbuilder in the inside:

By using this kind of application helps both the teachers and the students to learn on how to make an offline, interactive courseware. Even though, the process to create it is very complicated for the first timer but with training and practice it can be done easily. Below is the example of interactive courseware I have mentioned about: 

So what do I like about Smartbuilder? I find it really awesome where you can design and edit a courseware of what you wanted it to be. You can choose any kinds of concept to make it interesting and appealing to the users. As for me and my group, we decided to make a courseware that teach the students about sounds of animals so we used animal and jungle as our concept. I really hope we can finish it on time and present it to people the 'awesomeness' of it. So, that's all for now. Bye~

Midterm

Well, hello there! Good evening. So here I am back with another post. As for today, it is a little different of what I usually post. We had completed our midterm for this subject. Alhamdulillah, I am really grateful because the questions that we did were quite easy and it was not that difficult as what as I expected. Maybe because our lecturer was kind enough to give us some topics of what will be in the test beforehand and thanks to that, I can answered the test comfortably. So that's it for now and I'm sorry it turns out to be a short post. I hope I can write more for upcoming weeks! Bye~

Poster Making!

     Hello everyone! Alright for today's post is all about poster making in this class. Our lecturer, Madam Azidatun briefed us with the introduction and also the explanation on how to make a poster by using canva.com. This is actually my first time in doing poster using this website and surprisingly it is easier and fun to do rather than using Photoshop.

     So here it is, my first attempt to do advertisement poster. This poster is actually dedicated to my Entrepreneurship subject in which I'm currently selling kek batik oreo as my product. Big thanks to our lecturer for guiding us to make poster in the class. I appreciate it a lot. Alright, that's all for today's post. See you again. Bye!

Podcast & Digital Storytelling!

     Assalamualaikum and hi everyone! I'm back with today's post in which this is my first work that i got assigned to. Before we get into the best part, let's start with the introduction of today's topic. So, what is podcast actually? A podcast is an:

• audio and/or video file
• ‘broadcast’ via the Internet 
• Can be downloaded to a computer or mobile device ( e.g. MP3 player)
• Term ‘podcast’ comes from iPod (Apple portable MP3 player) and ‘broadcast’

     There are 2 main uses of podcast, the first one is students can listen to existing podcasts and the second one is students can create their own podcasts. The usage of podcast is also for self study, listening in class or even encourage students to find a podcast that interest them and to listen to it regularly. Regarding this matter, our lecturer has assigned us with one assignment in which we have to make our own podcast and post it on our blog. Alright, enough with chitchats and here comes the best part! I have made my own podcast, titled "Princess Rose and The Golden Bird". I'm super glad I have finished it on time and also I hope you guys enjoy listen to it. Thank you 💘

Instructional Courseware Design

     Hello everyone! As for today's post, I am going to write about Instructional Courseware Design. About the topic, have you ever heard of it before? Honestly, i have never heard of it so I'm quite curious for this particular topic. So what it is about actually? Alright, instructional courseware design is about creating instructional experiences which make the acquisition of knowledge and skill more efficient and effective. In simpler words, you can create and design lesson to make it more interesting also appealing to others. You might include some theories such Mixes Behaviourist and Constructivist learning theory. In order to create such things, you must analyse learning needs and instructional design modals.

Example of Instructional Courseware Design; CD ROM

Learners need

• What the learner’s need to learn
• The gap between what the learners want to get out of education and the learner's current skill or knowledge
• needs analysis: syllabus, survey, free writing, public records

Learning outcomes

• What should the learners achieve throughout the lesson
• Gives an aim to the learning experience

Instructional Design (IDS)

• Creating materials and lessons to instruct learners
• it involves with creation of syllabus, planning of lesson, material selection and adaptation, planning of implementation and intervention

IDS in CALL

• you create computer courseware for learning
• Courseware acts as supplement/support to lesson and not as complete replacement
• even if you are a tutor, you also need to guide the students from time to time

ADDIE model

A framework for the development of IDS

          The ADDIE model is basically a generic, systematic, step-by-step framework used by instructional designers, developers and trainers to ensure course development and learning does not occur in a haphazard, unstructured way. It is designed to ensure:

1. learners will achieve the goals of the course,
2. allows for the evaluation of learner’s needs,
3. the design and development of training materials, and
4. evaluation of effectiveness of the training program using processes with specific, measurable outcomes.

     Basically, this topic is all about creating and designing lesson to construct those learners in more effective and easier way. An instructional courseware design therefore is a unique tool - a medium to facilitate optimum knowledge transfer for a particular subject. It makes the online medium effective in meeting learners’ needs and helps learners make efficient use of the resources. Alright, that's all for now. See you again at another time. Bye!

Search Engines & CMC

Search Engines

    Hello everyone! So i'm back with another post. As for today's topic as what you have seen above, you might be familiar with this when I mention Google, Bing or Yahoo. Yes, this is a web tool that allows users to enter keywords and find info on websites that contained its database. Each own search engine has its own databese.

One of the examples of search engine, Bing

     In addition, there are 4 types of search engine that we must know. They are listed below:

1) Database: it is a storage where all indexed webpages are stored

2) Web crawlers/spiders: "crawls" all over to find and compile indexes of webpages

3) User interface: a user-friendly application/site/page where users may input query and search results are presented

4) Information retrieval system: a system used to match the user's query to indexed webpages found in the database

Specialized search engine

- search engine that is tailored to search for a specific area

- eg: Google Scholar

Meta search engine

- search engine that matches the user's query to multiple search engines

- eg: Metacrawler, Savvysearch

Surface, Deep and Dark Webs

CMC

So, what is CMC actually? CMC stands for Computer Mediated Communication, is any form of communication or interaction between two or more people via separate computers through network connection. For example, like Twitter, Facebook or WhatsApp. It started in the late 1190s with the introduction of Communivatice CALL. In addition, this program is implemented for long distance teaching or learning.

a) Asynchronous CMC

• Communication is not synchronised
• messages are not exchanged or replied to immediately
• eg: emails, internet forums, most social media used this

b) Synchronous CMC

• Communication is rather synchronised
• messages are faster can be exchanged and replied to
• eg: internet chatrooms, video/audio conferencing

c) CMC and Long-distance learning

• allows teacher and learner to interact without being in the same location
• eg: Skype

d) Collaborative learning

• Computer-Supported Collaborative Learning
• can help enhance peer interactions and group works
• eg: Google Docs, Google Drive

e) Authentic Communication

• CMC offers learners easy access and opportunity to communicate with other learners

     Alright, that is all for today's class. I've got to learn many things regarding the search engine itself and other webs that I have never heard before which is totally cool! I can't wait for the next class with the new topic and lectures. Bye for now, untill we meet again. Annyeong!

Call?.....CALL!

     Hi, everyone! Back with today's topic which is Introduction to CALL. So what is CALL actually? Is it the one when you're calling people with your phone? Uh-oh no, CALL stands for Computer Assisted Language Learning that defines as an approach to language teaching and learning in which the computer is used as an aid to the presentation and assessment of material to be learned. However, this program is rarely used nowadays because now we have Internet and use it every single day.

     Software used in a CALL environment can be designed specifically for foreign/second language learning or adapted for this purpose. For example, most language textbook publishers offer educational software (CD-ROMS) of some sort, whether it is meant to support a paper textbook or to stand alone for self-study. In addition, our lecturer also explained about the progression of CALL in the class. There are 3 types of the theories that being implemented; behavioral CALL, communicative CALL, and integrated CALL. So, what are these actually? 

1) Behavioral CALL 

- The first phase of CALL, conceived in the 1950s and implemented in the 1960s and '70s, was based on the then-dominant behaviorist theories of learning

- Computers did not get bored or impatient with learners and it could present material to the student as his/her own pace and even adapt the drills to the level of the student.

- Can provide immediate feedback 

- Efficient record keeping

2) Communicative CALL

- The second phase of CALL was based on the communicative approach to teaching which became prominent in the 1970s and 80s.

- The focus is on using the language rather than analysis of the language and perfect grammar. It also allowed for originality and flexibility in student output of language.

- Greater student involvement

3) Integrated CALL

- Starting from the 1990’s, tries to address these criticisms by integrating the teaching of language skills into tasks or projects to provide direction and coherence.

     Many educators (Jonassen 1996, Salaberry 1999, Rost 2002 in Lai 2006) indicate that the current computer technology has many advantages for second language learning. From here, we know that CALL programmers can provide student ways to learn English through computer games, animated graphics, and problem-solving techniques which can make drills more interesting. Not only that, they can decide on their own which skills to develop and which course to use, as well as the speed and level by their own needs. Alright, that's all for today's topic. See you at another time fellas! Annyeong!