Final Entry

1. What do you like about blogging?
Blogging is an outlet where I can share my feelings, to write down what I went through and how I felt about those events. It is a means for me to reach out to people and tell them things that I wasn't able to face to face.

2.What you do not like about blogging?
The need to constantly update blogs is just a killjoy. Because I think that blogging is something you can only do when you have the time to spare. Only then can you give it 110%.

3.What have you gained from blogging e.g. Language skills, improved fluency, critical thinking, improved thought processes, technology skills etc. How?
I've learned how to express myself more precisely in blogging. Expressing yourself through speaking and writing are two very different things so definitely my language skills have improved. Critical thinking-wise yes also as I had to think about each week's lesson and reflect about what I could have done better or what kind of learning took place.

4.What do you like about this course?
I liked that it exposed me to many software as well as the tutorials. The tutorials were very precise and it made sure that every aspect of the software was covered.

5.What you do not like about this course?
It took a lot of time to finish the modules and assignments especially module 2. I understand that it encompassed all the aspects of photo-editing but it was just too thick! And the additional tutorials were not needed. Also, some of the tasks were mere repetition. And the printing costs me a bomb. In this age of technology, you could have asked us to hand in all assignments/modules to you on CD.

6.What have you learnt from this course?
I have learned that there are many software out there that I can use to create my own teaching aids and that I do not have to waste time looking for materials to suit my classes.

7.What have you learnt from this course that you did not expect to?
I did not expect to learn about so many different software and also the details on how to specifically use them.

8.What have u expected but do not learn from this course?
I thought this course was about the technical aspect of creating resources for the English Classroom such as what can be defined as a teaching aid. I did not expect to be actually in the process of creating the teaching aids.

9.Comments regarding modules:
1.Internet and computing skills

a.What do you like about this module?
I liked that it was simple, easy to do and I could finish it very fast

b.What do you not like about this module?
I did not like the downloading of the many software used during the tutorial as it slowed my computer down.

c.What do you like about the task given for this module?
It allowed us to exhibit our knowledge of the tutorials learned in the module

d.What do you not like about the task given for this module?
There is nothing specific that I didn't like about the tasks given for this module

e.What are the specific skills that you learn in this module?
I learnt how to upload files into an online data storage facility and how to use a software to share files with people.

f.How the skills learnt in this module can help in the making and choosing of teaching aids for the ELT classroom?
It can help tremendously because it can allow teachers to share materials and also to store the many different files online.


2.Photo Editing

a.What do you like about this module?
This module exposed me to the different skills needed to edit a photo

b.What do you not like about this module?
There were too many tutorial to be done in such a short time. The added tutorials were not welcomed.

c.What do you like about the task given for this module?
It allowed us to shoe our creative side.

d.What do you not like about the task given for this module?
It was very difficult and time consuming

e.What are the specific skills that you learn in this module?
How to change the background of a picture, how to cut an image out of a picture, how to add on layers to make adding on more items to the picture easier, how to make a beam, how to insert words into the pictures.

f.How the skills learnt in this module can help in the making and choosing of teaching aids for the ELT classroom?
I can make my own pictures so I don't have to waste time searching for a material that is suitable in my class. I can also edit the picture so that it can be very useful in my classes.


3.Audio Editing Skills

a.What do you like about this module?
I liked that there were very little tutorials to complete and each tutorial was very easy.

b.What do you not like about this module?
There is nothing specific I didn't like about this module

c.What do you like about the task given for this module?
The tasks for this module were not hard as I was already familiar with the fundamentals of audio-editing.

d.What do you not like about the task given for this module?
Using 'Audacity' to edit my audio files. Sometimes the software can be a bit tricky. This slowed down my work.

e.What are the specific skills that you learn in this module?
How to cut the audio file into shorter segments, how to change the pitch of the file, how to combine two songs into one, how to remove the background noises.

f.How the skills learnt in this module can help in the making and choosing of teaching aids for the ELT classroom?
Children are very receptive in their listening. Therefore, the skills from this module will play a huge part in the creating of suitable teaching aids for my pupils. Besides that, I can also create files to be used in a listening lesson.

4.Video Editing Skills

a.What do you like about this module?
I liked that it taught me how to make my own video and how to insert my own elements into the video.

b.What do you not like about this module?
It can be very time consuming sometimes

c.What do you like about the task given for this module?
It was easy because I am familiar with the concepts of video-editing

d.What do you not like about the task given for this module?
We had to complete the task in a very short amount of time.

e.What are the specific skills that you learn in this module?
How to insert audio into the video, how to insert animated words into the video, how to synchronize the song with the pictures and words.

f.How the skills learnt in this module can help in the making and choosing of teaching aids for the ELT classroom?
I can make my own videos instead of looking for one that is suitable. Besides that, I can also edit the videos I have to suit my pupils' needs.


5.Software for ELT

a.What do you like about this module?
I liked that it exposed me to the many software I can use in my classroom.

b.What do you not like about this module?
There is nothing specific I dislike about this module.

c.What do you like about the task given for this module?
It is simple and fun to do.

d.What do you not like about the task given for this module?
I had to create so many teaching aids for the lesson plan.

e.What are the specific skills that you learn in this module?
How to create many types of items as teaching aids such as banners, letterheads and claender.

f.How the skills learnt in this module can help in the making and choosing of teaching aids for the ELT classroom?
The skills learnt are priceless as I can now make practically any kind of teaching aids for my pupils. Personalizing it is the best a teacher can do for her pupils.

10.If you can change anything about this course, state what is and elaborate?
I would like all the coursework to be stated out and explained to us at the beginning of the course and in great detail. I did not fully understand the purpose of the modules. It was just given out. I couldn't see the rationale for it thus had a hard time comprehending the course's validity. Also, I would like for the course to be more organized.

On a scale of 1 – 10, please rate your computing and technological skills for both before and after undergoing the course.
Before: 3
After: 8

Week 14 - Last Day of Class

This is the last week of class, my friends but we still have not submitted certain tasks:
-Module 4
-Tasks 1-3

But no matter, I'm sure there will be time to finish and submit the work.

Throughout this semester, I have learnt lots from this course and my lovely lecturer, Pn. Foziah. It is not really not easy to teach almost 80 students on the intricacies of internet skills (Module 1), photo-editing (Module 2), audio-editing (Module 3), video-editing (Module 4) and software for ELT (Module 5). The skills learned will definitely help me out a mile when I start my teaching practice. It has ensured that I do not suffer the stress of finding the suitable materials for my students. It has equipped me with the knowledge and common sense to create my own teaching aids to provide a better teaching-learning experience for my students.




To all my friends, I wish you all Good Luck! in the Resources Exams this coming 1st of November. The battle is not won yet..And remember that we need to submit the blog posts, modules, and tasks from Module 5.




For the last time:
Cheerios~!

Week 13 - Submission is this Week's Theme

It's already the 13th week. Only one more week till the end of semester! Oh Yeah!




This week, we had to submit our Module 2, the lesson plans and the e-book. Looking back, I have learnt alot from these modules.

Wait a minute, I haven't told you about Module 4 yet. Oops~

In Module 4, we were exposed to:
- Any Video Converter
- BS Player
- Cyberlink PowerDVD
- FLV to AVI Converter
- Free Studio
- HJ-Split
- Image Grab
- Prism Video Converter
- Real Player
- Riva FLV Encoder
- SID Video Cutter & Splitter
- VCD Cutter
- Windows Media Player
- Online Downloader

These software definitely helped me in creating my e-book and video. There were different options for each software and this helped me choosing the right one for my video on 'Deforestation'.

These modules have taught me how to create my own pictures and videos so that I do not have to tirelessly search the internet for the right video to use in my classes. This will equal to more time saved!




This is the end product of my video..Enjoy!


Cheerios~

Week 12 - E-Books Part 2

We continued with the E-books this week. Pn. Foziah shared with us some of the e-books her previous students have made. I think she did this so that we could have a clearer picture of how to go about it. I have to admit too that I understood the concept of an e-book more after looking through the examples.

I've said it before but I must stress that creating an e-book is not at all complicating or difficult. It is actually a fun process. :)

Pn. Foziah also reminded us that our e-books had to have:
• a theme
• a Setting (Time and Place)
• a plot that shows the conflict, climax and resolution
• characterization
• navigational tools to make sure the previous and the next slides can easily be opened
• Pictures must be clear cut and appealing to the young learners
• Sounds to accompany the E-Book reading and also a moral value.

Pn. Foziah then made her way around the class to check on the progress of our e-books. After consulting her, I had to do some changes to our e-book. I had to insert the names of each animal under the pictures and take care of my tenses in the e-book. Besides that, I had to write sentences out from the mind map used in the e-book so that the pupils could have a concrete view of how the sentences were made from the mind map.

All in all, my e-book was usable in the classroom.

Thank You Pn. Foziah for helping my partner and I in creating a better e-book.













Pn.Foziah later told us that in pairs, we are to create a video with the video editing skills learned in Module 4. Again, we were given some criteria when creating this video (theme, setting, etc).

My pair (Maher) and I decided that we would go for the theme 'Nature' and create a video on Deforestation. We also decided that we are to use pictures depicting deforestation, its causes and consequences.

Cheerios~

Week 11 - Of Photos and E-Books

This week we concentrated on the photo-editing task that we were given and also on an e-book we were to create.

Firstly, Pn. Foziah went around to check everyone's edited photos. To our horror, she rejected some of the photos and my friends had to do the task all over again. That was a wake up call. After lots of commenting, and re-editing, I managed to submit my before and after photos onto Photobucket. Everyone was required to do the same. We received the login ID as well as the password to the account. In Photobucket, we could see everyone else's work and some of them were really good.

Oh and another thing, our edited photos must have a theme (such as friendship, honesty, trust) and a copyright (our name or signature and the date).

In my opinion, I think Pn. Foziah stressed alot on our edited pictures as she wanted out pictures to come out and tell a story just like the saying, 'Pictures paint a thousand words'. Besides that, editing the photos will only make people more interested in them.

Next, Pn. Foziah introduced us to the e-book. An e-book is created through the Power Point software and includes sounds, animations and a storyline.

In pairs, we had to create an e-book that has pictures, animations, audio files and also a storyboard (theme, setting, characterization, etc).

Creating an e-book will be a fun process because I don't think that it will be that boring or taxing. It will definitely be fun inserting all the animations and pictures inside, looking for more ways to make the story interesting for children.

Cheerios~

*An Afternote*
My e-book is entitled "Jazzy's Trip to the Zoo" and after countless trial and errors, I managed to edit my photos to my best ability.

Week 10 - Audio Editing Madness!

We focused on completing the 3 tasks given to us for Module 3 - Audio Editing. Pn. Foziah went around the class to listen to everyone's audio files and gave comments on it.

First Task:
We had to create a ring tone from a song. I chose the song 'I Know You Want Me' by Pitbull. I liked the beginning of the song and that was the ring tome I created.
Pn. Foziah's comment: The chorus of a song is usually the best for creating a ring tone. This is because the chorus usually is the part of the song where the beat is more catchy and most people remember the chorus of the song better than the beginning.

I understood where she was coming from so I created a new ring tone based on the chorus of the song.

Second Task:
We had to merge two songs into one. Now, I thought that this was going to be tough but I think the tutorials on 'Audacity' helped me out a little. The songs I merged together were Rihanna's 'Umbrella' and Charlotte Church's 'Crazy Chick'.
Pn. Foziah's comments: The merging of the song is alright but I needed to ensure that the fading in and out as the file moves to the second song is smooth so as to not disrupt the flow of the song. My audio file was choppy as it transitioned into the second song

Third Task:
We were given the song 'Dua Insan' by Siti Nurhaliza and M. Nasir. Using 'Audacity', we had to remove all the background noises and clapping sounds to produce an audio file that only had the song.
Pn. Foziah's comments: This song was very choppy as I did not use the 'Fade In' and 'Fade Out' options so the song started and ended abruptly.

I thank Pn. Foziah for commenting on my work as she helped me ensure that I did the best I could for the task.

On a last note, we had to hand in our Module 3 at the end of the class together with our edited tasks.

Cheerios~

Week 9 - Module 2

This week, we received our module 2 even though Pn. Foziah was not around. This time around, the module was on Photo Editing Skills.

Soliloquy: Ohmaigod! this module is too thick! How can we finish it in the given time. Now module 1 was still bearable but this will be impossible!

Everyone was shocked to see how thick Module 2 was. This will definitely take up alot of our time. After browsing through it, we realized that most of the units were tutorials on Adobe Photoshop CS3.

Why do we need so many units on photo editing alone? Isn't it such an easy thing to do. I really thought Pn. Foziah was exaggerating on the tutorials she wanted us to complete.

But I know that she is doing this for us, so that we will be equipped with all the knowledge a teacher should have especially in this new-age world. Imagine the embarrassment I could go through if my pupils pointed out my mistakes when handling these software.

The module will teach us on how to remove certain images from a picture or even change the background of the picture altogether. This skill is definitely welcomed by me because most pictures are not suitable to be used in the classroom. By learning how to edit photos, I will be able to extract images that are deemed suitable or remove any unwanted images from the picture.

This module is looking fun already :)

Besides Adobe Photoshop CS3, the other software we were introduced to are:


• Adobe Photoshop













• ACDsee













• iPhoto












• Microsoft Paint













• Photbucket













• PhotoScape













• Triscape FXfoto













Oh and did I mention that the assignements that we were to submit after the Hari Raya Holidays have been postponed as Pn. Foziah was kind enough to give us more time to complete it :)

Cheerios~

Week 8 - Bye Module 1..er, hello Module 3?

This week, we had to submit Module 1. Lo, and behold, its next kin, Module 3 then appeared into our lives. *Sigh*

The good news is that it is not as thick as Module 1 and we could complete it during the holidays so it was not going to be so taxing like when we had to complete Module 1.

Module 3 is all about audio-editing and the main software that was to be used is 'Audacity'



'Audacity' is a free software downloadable from CNET.com and it has a myriad of options for editing your audio files. I am not familiar with this software so it took me awhile to get used to it and the different options available.

Let me backtrack a little here~~

Basically, Module 3 is about:
1) Changing the speed, pitch cut and joining audio files for better quality audio files.
2) Decreasing and increasing the music tempo.
3) Removing noise from the audio file, upgrading the quality of audio files.
4) Converting and encoding audio files
5) Changing the type of audio files from wav to mp3
6) Creating a minus one.
7) Combining two songs
8) Editing music and sound
9) Saving and uploading

After completing the module, there were 2 assignments that we needed to complete:
1) Collection of technological and non-technological teaching aids.
2) Compiling a 1-one hour lesson plan and 3-half hour lesson plans on the skills of listening, speaking, reading and writing in groups of 5. My group members are:


Maher


Sabrina


Adhwa


Dominic

Cheerios~

Week 7 - Bring it on Module 1!

I've said it before and I'll say it again..

~2 weeks is definitely not enough time to complete Module 1!~

So Pn. Foziah gave us the lesson today to complete our Module 1.

Can you imagine the 30-something of us frantically typing, printscreen-ing and saving our work?

It was eerily quiet in the class that day (well, that's an understatement but we were all trying our best to complete the module)

It was so kind of Pn. Foziah to take the trouble to look at our work as some of us were having trouble going through the software and she was ever ready to give us a hand.

I realized one thing: Some of the software I have never heard of (Zamzar, Abclit). So in a way, this module has opened my eyes to the fact that I can use other software to carry out my work and not just the normal ones we use everyday. There are more variety and many options to choose from.

At the end of the day, Pn. Foziah told us that we are to go to her office on Thursday to collect Module 3 which was on audio-editing.
*FAINTED*

Cheerios~

Week 6 - Here comes Module 1

Earlier in the course Pn. Foziah told us that we will be given 5 modules to complete. Basically, these modules are to teach us skills in creating all sorts of files, such as videos, audios, pictures and also internet skills.

Today, we were given Module 1. Looking through it, this module was all about Computing and Internet Skills.
Soliloquy: HAH! She expects us to complete such a THICK module in 2 weeks? Ohmaigod!*Fainted*

Pn. Foziah's instruction were very easy, though. We were to:
1. Look at the steps for each unit
2. Copy the steps into a new Power Point Presentation file
3. Go through the steps
4. Print Screen the process onto your ppt file
5. Repeat this for the entire module

Module 1 is basically about:
1) Web Search
2) Downloading (software, video from Internet, PDF documents)
3) Uploading
4) Encoding
5) Storing
6) Scanning
7) Burning
8) Sending e-mail
9) Compressing files
10) File conversion
(PDF to Microsoft Office Word, PDF to Microsoft Office Power Point, Microsoft Office Word to PDF, Microsoft Office Power Point to PDF, Word to Acrobat Reader, Adobe reader manual, Zamzar Manual and Abclit)

It's simple really. It's more of like a copy-paste procedure. And I think that the knowledge gained from this module will be the size of a mountain, so to speak hehe..



Cheerios~

*An Afternote*
By completing this module, I actually gained lots of knowledge on the most basic computing skills using any resources from the internet. I can download practically any kind of files from softwares such as BitTorrent and also 4shared.com.
Soliloquy: This will definitely make life much easier for me in the future when I start teaching

Week 5 - Where are you my partner?

Today we finally got ourselves involved in the making of technological and non-technological teaching aids. We were to work in pairs and our partner was to be someone from the opposite sex..

Naturally, my partner was Maher :)


sorry partner had to take your facebook dp :P

We had to create teaching aids for a unit each from the Level 1(Year 1,2 and 3)syllabus of the English Subject in Primary Schools. Our units are as follows:
1) Year 1 - 'Today Is'
2) Year 2 - 'The Animal World'
3) Year 3 - 'Before and Now'

We were to compile our created teaching aids into a table format which was given through e-mail by our leader.

I thought that the table helped us tremendously in organizing out work and also in allowing us to see the concept of our work.

Soliloquy: What! We have to hand this in on Friday?! No, there won't be enough time with all the other work we have...oh well..

As tired as Maher and I were, we managed to finish the work up and handed it in to Pn. Foziah..We gave our best for this task and we hope that she recognizes our work.

Cheerios~

Week 4 - *Phone Beeps*= No class?

As I was still deep in slumber, my trusty phone managed a beep.

Slowly I rose from the maze of my pillows and blankets and grabbed my phone from the side table
Soliloquy: Aiyooo...don't tell me it's Digi or some random number sending me spam.

But it was a message from Dominic---> "Resources class is canceled."

Why I didn't know but it sure was a relief. At least I could get 3 more hours of sleep..zzzzz~~~

Later, I was told that Pn. Foziah was not feeling very well and that the class will be replaced.

Get well soon Pn. Foziah :)




Cheerios~

Week 3 - say what?

This week was all about how children learn a language. We were divided into 6 groups and each group had to present on the subtopics in the first chapter of Susan Halliwell's Teaching English in the Primary Classroom Together with Dominic, Emma, Fiza, Nazrul and Sabrina, we were to present 1.1 - Children's ability to grasp meaning.

Basically this subtopic explains to us that children do not use words to first learn a language. Rather, they make use of intonations, gestures, facial expressions, actions and circumstances to help tell them what the said utterances might mean. This is how they start to understand the language.
Soliloquy: AHA! Now I know why children always say "yes" to me when I ask them
if they understand something when they do not..they were just responding to my gestures and intonations.

So what do we do with this, shall I say 'skill'? Well, we nurture it and never ever ever discourage it or undermine its importance in the child's language development. Think about it. Even we adults, when learning a new language, tend to go for people's gestures, intonations and facial expressions to guide us in understanding them if we did not understand what they were speaking. If we need these skills, then so do the children.

What really opened my mind and cemented this school of thought in my mind was when one of the other groups ahowed a video of how the early developmental stages of a child's language development. that really showed the third subtopic - Children's capacity for indirect learning

In a way, this lesson has taught me one of the fundamentals of language development in children. It might not have been about creating resources for english language learners, however it does teach us on the prerequisites needed to create resources that cater to children's learning abilities.

Cheerios~

Week 2 - How I wish more classes were like this

So this week's class was quite fun actually. I (being the technology klutz that I sometimes am), learnt some useful things today.

First of all, Mdm Foziah talked to us about something called 'Touch Typing'.
Soliloquy: What the heck is that?
Seems that it's a skill that you learn that helps you to type much, MUCH faster!! Besides saving lots of time, people who have mastered this do not have to keep looking on the keyboard to find the letters they want to type. It's as though you're thinking the words onto the screen! Fuh!
The general rule is that your left index finger had to be on the letter 'F' and your right index finger on the letter 'G'. In this position only are your hands in the correct position for typing and your fingers able to reach every button on the keyboard.

You can check out these websites to know more and practice your touch typing :-)
http://www.sense-lang.org/typing/
http://10-fast-fingers.com

This is my result. Not bad for a first timer eh?
46 words

Typing Test
That's One new thing I learnt today. And believe me, the more you do the test, the more practice you get, thus the faster you type.

Next, we were given the liberty to create and decorate our own blog (which, if you remember, Mdm Foziah asked us to do last week).
Since I already have a blog, I already knew the basics like how to start and decorate my blog. I had fun searching for new templates and beautiful themes. In the end, I thought the one I have now looks the best. But don't be shocked to see it totally different because I have the tendency to do that. I call it redecorating. !
An expert as I am, there are still certain elements that I need to master to make my blog perfect.

All good things come to an end. Mdm Foziah had a good way of snapping us out of our reverie. By telling us about our first assignment (double GASP!) I would like to tell you EXACTLY what it is but I seem to have misplaced the file somewhere.I know that it has something to do with collecting teaching aids and materials. Oh no, this is not me procrastinating or forgetting about the assignment. You'll see it up here soon enough.

Cheerios~

Week 1 - How was class?

Hey guys..

We had our first resources class today. Frankly speaking, I did not know what to expect. Would our lecturer be fierce? Soft-spoken? shy? (hehe..) But I think Mdm Foziah was the one who was surprised. It seems we could be heard from the 5th floor :-S ("err, is that even possible? Maybe, considering that there were about 75 of us crowded in the small waiting area!")!
Soliloquy: Hmm.. she looks very fierce. Aiyo, please don't let her treat us
like kids. I have had enough of that at the other side.

My lecturer, Mdm Foziah, is a nice person (:-D). I could see that she was very open-minded and could put herself in our shoes so she understood what we liked and disliked. However, being the lot that we are, we didn't respond to her on certain occasions and this got her a little but overwhelmed. (Not to worry Mdm, it time you will see that we are actually the most boisterous lot you have seen).

For this first lesson, it was sort of an introductory lesson as Mdm Foziah did not want to bombard our brains with all sorts of stuff. She too was tired as she had just finished a project which she had been workin on for some time. She briefed us about what the course was going to be about and talked to us about how she wanted the class to be. Gentle but strict, that Mdm Foziah.

We were let off early but we had to get some things done:
1) To install Photoshop CS3 into out lappies
2) To get ourselves an 8gb pendrive to store all our documents
3) To create a blog where we could talk about our experiences in the course.

I'm glad that whatever doubts I had were vanquished (so to speak hehe..). This course would be one filled with fun and exploration. Even my lecturer was not the grumpy and fierce kind. I thought that this was just one of thosw courses that taught you how to MAKE or FIND resources for the classroom. I'm happy it's not!

Cheerios~

Hi Everyone!

Name: Vanessa Tan Yi Yen
Matric Num: PEH080072

First up, let me tell you that this blog is mainly for me to talk about using and developing different resources to teach English in the classroom.

It's also where I reflect on the lessons; about what I like about the lessons and what improvements or suggestions I have regarding the lesson.

I know the blog doesn't look that much now, but give it time. I'm sure it will look amazing with time.

Cheerios~