Week 4 and Week 5 reflection

So this two week we were given one task if my memory serve me right. It was using the checklist given to us by our lecturer to do an evaluation of a textbook more specifically a chapter of the textbook well actually two chapter or three. My group we were given the Byrd checklist which sounds more like bird than Byrd right. Well that's just my own opinion. After we did our analysis and evaluation were to make a presentation slide about the problem we face during using the checklist and the solution we can use.

How it affects me?
Well at first it was hard and confusing reading Byrd's article since we never read anything related to checklist criterion and stuff like that. So there a lot of fuss on how we should do the presentation because no one really understand the article at first. As for me I thought the two checklist given inside the article were both Byrd's checklist but instead the first checklist was the original version from where the Byrd's checklist were modified and the second checklist was the real Byrd's checklist. That was my own mistake for not noticing. So just reading and understanding the article was confusing but with the help of my friend we manage to understand it. Then we use the checklist on two chapter of the textbook and we found it hard to do. Because the Byrd's checklist is only suitable for use if you want to make an evaluation of the textbook as a whole not chapter by chapter. So we conclude that the only way for us to make an evaluation of a chapter in a textbook is to use other checklist that specifically targets chapters of a textbook.

How does it affect my current level of knowledge?
I never knew that we(future teacher) need to make an evaluation and analysis of a textbook. It comes as a shock to me that we need to an evaluation of a textbook.  I always thought that textbook are there only for us to follow it and teach the students with it and now that  I know i'm going to need to make an evaluation in the near future I feel a little bit relieved that I have knowledge on checklist and how to use it as well as when and which one I need to use for my evaluation. So I guess i'm thankful my lecturer gave me this knowledge.

How can I use this knowledge to improve myself?
In textbook there are a lot of activity from different theme. From my experience as a student I found  that a teacher of mine when she uses the textbook to teach me it always follow the sequence in which it was already decided. Even when the activity does not suit our need or is not that good she still uses it. So for me, i'm thinking that isn't it better to use the textbook according to the suitability of the activity and not just following the sequence. Another point is that if the activity is not suitable then would it not be better to use a different activity. I doubt that she used a checklist to improve or modify the activity in the textbook because if she did then we wouldn't use the textbook in every single class.
If it were me it should be possible for me to make a new material which is suitable for them and although constant evaluation of textbook is somewhat not entirely possible nowadays at least the use of checklist should be implement so that I and other teachers can at least see the activity that can and cannot be use for class. As teacher we should and must modify the activity when the need of it rises.

week 7

Examples of Digital Language Learning Material

-          Facebook

-          Twitter

-          Blogger

-          Prezi

-          Wordpress

-          Tumblr

-          Youtube

-          Edmodo

-          Schoology

List down SLA theories and principles

-          Interactionist theory (Long, 1985; 1996)

-          Sociocultural theory

-          Communicative language teaching

-          Comprehensible Input theory (Swain, n.d.; Krashen, 1991)

-          Affective Domain (Krashen, 1991)

Criteria of technical usability:

-          Errors

(i)                  Less serious errors = affect the work of the user

(ii)                More serious errors = endanger the preservability of users’ outputs

-          Efficiency

·         Refers to how well experienced users can operate an application after they have mastered it.

-          Learnability

·         How long beginners’ use of a system before they learn the essential skills necessary to perform their tasks

-          Memorability

·         Ability of an occasional user who previously used the system to remember its operational system

Criteria of pedagogical usability

-          Feedback

(i)                  The system or learning material should provide the student with encouraging and immediate feedback è encouraging feedback increases learning motivation; immediate feedback helps the student understand problematic part in their learning

(ii)                Learning is based on the fact that mistakes are corrected immediately and progression cannot happen when corrections are not done.

-          Motivation

(i)                  Affects learning and makes people behave the way they do

(ii)                Motivation = the way to do things by reference to instincts, desires and reinforcement; support the direction on one’s general behavior

(iii)               Motivation affects alertness and vigor

-          Goal orientation

(i)                  When the goals of teacher, students and LM are closely aligned, best results are obtained

(ii)                Goals should be clear cut and able to motivate them to achieve them

(iii)               When the students themselves do not set their goals, their meaningfulness should be justified from the point of view of motivation

(iv)              Students should be able pursue their own interests in relation with learning goals

-          Learner control

(i)                  Learner’s memory should be pushed to the limit when learning a new topic

(ii)                Materials should be broken down to be learned into small meaningful units

-          Applicability

(i)                  The approach taken in learning material should correspond to the skills that the learner will later need in everyday and working life

(ii)                The skills or knowledge acquired should be able to be transferred to other contexts

(iii)               Learning something new can be accomplished effectively by relating it to practical tasks

(iv)              LM should be at appropriate level from the point of view of learner’s learning process

-          Added value

(i)                  Induce creativity in learners when using DLLM

(ii)                Other kind of added value: adaptability to individual needs, number of flexible options, learning is controlled and initiated by learners, interesting contents, development of communication, active participation of students

-          Learner activity

(i)                  Learners’ independent activity may increase when a teacher stays in background; a facilitator

(ii)                Learning materials can support learner’s activities by being interesting and based on real life

-          Cooperative/collaborative learning

(i)                  Studying with others to achieve common learning goal

(ii)                Instead of just acquiring personal knowledge, learners construct knowledge as members of community in practice

-          Valuation of previous knowledge

(i)                  Previous knowledge from the learners are assumed to be possessing some skills that previously been presented

(ii)                LM that respects learner’s previous knowledge takes account in differences of skills and knowledge in learners and encourages them to take advantage of it in learning.

-          Flexibility

(i)                  Learner’s learning differences should be taken into account.

(ii)                Information gained in pre-test can be used to provide learners with different routes or methods of studies.

Rough outline of DLLM

- using prezi as a platform to develop the DLLM
-includes 6 activity; each according to the levels or bands according to the School-Based
Assessment (SBA) that the MOE developed
-Using a chapter from the English Form 2 textbook; making sure the chapter is interesting and
relatable to the students thus relevant to be used in their everyday and working life
-Each activities are different from each other; might include one language skills. might be more than
one (e.g. reading and writing in on activity)
-Might be focusing on linguistic, thematic or both types of content
-Each activity is a prgression of the previous one; the first activity (band 1), increasing with each
activity progress
-Making sure the materials follow the criteria of technical of technical and pedagogical usability  

Virtual Design

a) Harmony
 - the manner elements of a display interact together in a pleasing manner.
-it pulls the pieces of visual image together.
-can be achieved through repetition and rhythm, where rhythm is the flow decipted in a visual and
helps direct eye movement.
-to ensure harmony 3x3 grid must be used.
-rhythm should either be a clockwise or counter clockwise.

b) Balance and Symmetry
-we can bring balance to the elements of different sizes by either moving them closer of farther from
the centre of the page.
-symmetry is when one half of a visual display is a mirror image of the other half.
-types of symmetry: horizontal, approximate horizontal, radial and asymmetry.


c) Emphasis
-create dominance and focus in their work.
-it emphasize colour, value, shapes or other design elements to achieve dominance. For example
"facebook" page used dark colour as their background and the symbol "f" for "facebook" in light
colour.

d) Alignment
-Alignment of elements within a screen is important part of organizing and grouping.
-should visually maximize differences between text, label and pictures.

e) Unity
-relationsjip among visual elements that helps all elements to work together.
-gives a sense of closure or oneness to a visual image.
-can be achieved through use of similar shapes, common pattern or use of a common background.


REFLECTION

Ok so I know a little about using a Digital Language Learning Material (DLLM) but I know some of them because I use them almost every single day if I do say so myself. Although I use them sometimes I wonder if I can really use it as part of  my teaching material one day. Right now i'm starting to doubt my ability to teach student in the future. But on the bright side I learn a very interesting DLLM which is known as Bitstrips and this is thanks to Stennia for showing me it. Its kind of like a meme but you can make one yourself from the background to the people face which can be match to someone else face. Since they can find a DLLM which is different than what most of us know I currently trying to find other DLLM which can be use as future teaching material.  

Thanks to this assignment that we did I have to say that I do not know how to use most of the DLLM that currently known to me. Right now i'm starting to learn how to use "edmodo" and "prezi". "Prezi" is harder to use but with time I think I can master using it which will be very helpful for me in the future when I start teaching. 

Week 3 Reflection or was it week 2

Material Development

For this week’s blog entry, we are asked to post a reflection regarding our previous assignments. Three questions are given as our guideline in writing our reflection. The questions are as follows:

1)      How does it affect me as pre-service teacher?

2)      How does it affect my current level of knowledge?

3)      How can I use that knowledge to improve myself?

Reflection

Firstly, when I was a student I sometimes thought that learning everything from a graphic novel would be the awesomes thing to do. But that would be impossible because if it possible then someone would have done it. The material though did interest me a lot. Well maybe not all of them but some of it. I mean how did the teacher makes them and why some of the material is good but other are not so good.  After watching the Jeremy Short video, I understand that some of the materials are not target to my needs instead it was for my other classmate.

Secondly, it really affects my current level of knowledge because in each passing week there is assignment and in these assignments is where the chance for me to gain more knowledge comes. I really like being exposed to the principles of behind material development because it will really help me for other assignment not just in the near future but also when I have become a full teacher. 

Lastly, with this knowledge I have gained a better understanding of how to make a material for my future learner. With this new found knowledge I really starting to think that I want to experiment in making my material so that I would be able to grasp the technical side of making a material. Success or not in making material the experience in making it would be very valuable.