Tuesday 24 March 2009
BALI'S KECAK DANCE
Kecak (pronounced: /'ke.tʃak/, roughly "KEH-chahk", alternate spellings: Ketjak and Ketjack), a form of Balinese music drama, originated in the 1930s and is performed primarily by men. Also known as the Ramayana Monkey Chant, the piece, performed by a circle of 100 or more performers wearing checked cloth around their waists, percussively chanting "cak" and throwing up their arms, depicts a battle from the Ramayana where the monkey-like Vanara helped Prince Rama fight the evil King Ravana. However, Kecak has roots in sanghyang, a trance-inducing exorcism dance.[1]Kecak was originally a trance ritual accompanied by male chorus. German painter and musician Walter Spies became deeply interested in the ritual while living in Bali in the 1930s and worked to recreate it into a drama, based on the Hindu Ramayana and including dance, intended to be presented to Western tourist audiences. This transformation is an example of what James Clifford describes as part of the "modern art-culture system"[2] in which, "the West or the central power adopts, transforms, and consumes non-Western or peripheral cultural elements, while making 'art' which was once embedded in the culture as a while, into a separate entity."[3] Spies worked with Wayan Limbak and Limbak popularized the dance by traveling throughout the world with Balinese performance groups. These travels have helped to make the Kecak famous throughout the world.
Tuesday 10 March 2009
TASK 3: WWW LESSON PLAN
GUESS WHO
LEVEL : Form 2 (Beginner-Intermediate)
TIME : 40 minutes
AIMS : To familiarize students with adjectives and to practice writing using adjectives to describe people
TECHNICAL REQUIREMENTS:
One computer per group of 2 students, with an internet connection and a web browser.
Website: http://www.faceyourmanga.com/ / www.faceyourmanga.com/homepage.php?lang=eng
PREPARATION:
1. Locate the site
2. Check sites before lesson
PROCEDURE:
- Elicit from the students some adjectives of physical description and quality of a person. Write some examples on the board.
- Show students examples on ways to write a proper sentence using adjectives to describe people.
- Give the prepared worksheet to each pair of students and ask them to choose a person from the class.
- Tell students not to disclose to others the person they have chosen.
- Ask each pair of students to complete the worksheet by describing the person physically and writing 6 proper sentences using adjectives of quality about that person.
- Send students to the website chosen and demonstrate on how to create an image.
- Each pair has to exchange their worksheet with other pairs and they are required to guess who the person is by creating an image of the person using the avatar.
- While they do this, students should consider the 6 sentences being described about that person for clues.
- When all students have finished creating the images, they discuss the results among them.
- Ask for volunteers to present their work. Discuss and comment on students’ work.
FOLLOW-UP ACTIVITY:
- Ask the students to create their alter ego avatar (someone who is opposite from themselves).They are to create an imaginary profile of the character using appropriate adjectives (information regarding their job, personality, living circumstances, etc)
- The profile should be in an essay form of no less than 120 words.
- Ask them to email the image and the essay to you (the teacher).
Sunday 8 February 2009
Task 2: ESL Website Evaluation
1) What does the application attempt to “teach”?
The website attempts to teach the four basic components skills of English language; reading, writing, grammar and listening skills. As for reading, it teaches learners on vocabulary meaning and their reading comprehension by answering questions based on the text. The writing component however, focuses on variety types of essay where the application displays sample of students’ essays of different levels. By displaying the samples, it will help learners to get an overview of different writing techniques and ideas. In terms of grammar, it has easy and harder level for learners to learn and test their knowledge by trying out the quizzes. The listening component touches on pre-recorded speeches and comprehension questions to enhance listening skills. Although, the website provides activities for different levels of students, I think overall the lessons/activities are more catered to the beginner level.
2) What sorts of things is the application user expected to do with regards to learning the content?
Users are expected to know basic understanding of the language such as being able to read and understand the directions, and explanations in learning the content. The website provides interactive and activities from beginner to advanced level. Users are able to choose any of which of the four components to learn and also on the preferred level that they want to try out. Each component has different activities which mainly focus on exercises quizzes and worksheets. Accordingly, users are expected to answer true/false questions, multiple and fill in the blank questions. Once users are done with one particular lesson, users will be given marks according to their performance.
3) What sorts of computer skills is the application users expected to have in order to operate/access/use the application?
There are no specific computer skills required to operate this website. Only basic skills are needed such as knowing how to browse the internet and use the mouse in order to fully utilize the website. Basically, the website does not require users to be highly sophisticated or knowing any particular computer skills as the simplicity of the website is portrayed. So, having to acquire basic computer skills should be sufficient in operating the application.
4) While you are “playing”/”accessing”/”assessing” the application, does it remind you of anything you do in a classroom, or with a teacher, or with a fellow classmate, or in self-study?
Yes it does remind me of something when I was learning English back in high school. At one time, we were brought to the computer to lab and the teacher asked us to try out some of the activities and games in the provided courseware. I remember when learning listening skills, the activities were very interesting and motivating to learn. The ‘self-tutoring’ speech practices got my attention and interest because we could read aloud and compare our speeches with pre-recorded voices of the native speakers. In view of that, I think learners would be highly motivated when they learn English interactively and fun.
5) Can you pinpoint some theories of language learning and/or teaching underlying the application?
The Monitor hypothesis explains the relationship between acquisition and learning and defines the influence of the latter on the former. This theory focuses on the learning system performs the role of the 'monitor' or the 'editor'.
The 'monitor' acts in a planning, editing and correcting function when three specific conditions are met: that is, the second language learner has sufficient time at his/her disposal, he/she focuses on form or thinks about correctness, and he/she knows the rule. Accordingly, some of the lessons in the application require users to perform the role as explained. For instance, in the grammar component one of the lessons require users to select the correct sentence structure of the grammar being taught. In order to choose the correct answer, the user would have to monitor, edit and think about the correctness.
6) How well is the constructivist theory of learning applied to the chosen website (s)?
Vigotsky’s constructivist theory suggests that one’s development depends on interaction with people and the tools that the culture provides to help form their own view of the world. In view of that, I think the theory is well applied in this website where students/users here are left independently by themselves to learn. They are allowed to choose what to do first and which is best for them in order to learn. Therefore, they are not forced but they have the control to engage themselves in the lesson which suits them.
7) In 1980s and early 1990s, there was a major debate on ‘whether the computer was a “master” of or “slave” to the leaning process (Higgins and Johns, 1984). In relation to your evaluation- was the computer a replacement for teachers, or merely an obedient servant to students?
I think that computers are more like a servant to both teachers and students as nowadays computers have become a popular accessory in teaching and learning. Moreover, students are becoming more computer savvy. Accordingly, I would say students nowadays have misused it specifically when they go online and surf the internet. The risk of plagiarism is always there. In view of that, this would lead to not having relying on teachers as the master in the learning process and thus, computer will be a replacement for teachers. However, teachers should not be disregard completely in the teaching and learning process as they are the ones who are able to portray themselves as good role models to students. Not to mention, they are able to provide knowledge in ethics and culture unlike computers which are not built to do so.
8) Would you like to you use the application yourself in your future work?
Yes, I would use this application for my future work specifically as a centre of teaching. The application is good way to teach beginner level especially, as usually these learners need fun and interesting ways of learning English as learning language is usually perceived as a boring subject. Therefore, the application is the best way to replace the conventional way teaching and learning. More over, the application is actually catering more to the beginner level of students although there are different levels to be engaged in.
9) Suggestions/Recommendations.
Overall, I would suggest that English teachers should recommend this website to students as a revision. The activities and lessons would be reliable to all levels of students. It is motivating and fun for the beginner students and it also acts as a revision to the intermediate and advanced level students.
As for the website itself, all in all is quite interactive. However, I personally think that the writing component should be provided with exercises and activities related to writing skills, instead of only displaying sample of students’ writing. This is to enable learners to possess writing skills and be able to brainstorm ideas.
The website attempts to teach the four basic components skills of English language; reading, writing, grammar and listening skills. As for reading, it teaches learners on vocabulary meaning and their reading comprehension by answering questions based on the text. The writing component however, focuses on variety types of essay where the application displays sample of students’ essays of different levels. By displaying the samples, it will help learners to get an overview of different writing techniques and ideas. In terms of grammar, it has easy and harder level for learners to learn and test their knowledge by trying out the quizzes. The listening component touches on pre-recorded speeches and comprehension questions to enhance listening skills. Although, the website provides activities for different levels of students, I think overall the lessons/activities are more catered to the beginner level.
2) What sorts of things is the application user expected to do with regards to learning the content?
Users are expected to know basic understanding of the language such as being able to read and understand the directions, and explanations in learning the content. The website provides interactive and activities from beginner to advanced level. Users are able to choose any of which of the four components to learn and also on the preferred level that they want to try out. Each component has different activities which mainly focus on exercises quizzes and worksheets. Accordingly, users are expected to answer true/false questions, multiple and fill in the blank questions. Once users are done with one particular lesson, users will be given marks according to their performance.
3) What sorts of computer skills is the application users expected to have in order to operate/access/use the application?
There are no specific computer skills required to operate this website. Only basic skills are needed such as knowing how to browse the internet and use the mouse in order to fully utilize the website. Basically, the website does not require users to be highly sophisticated or knowing any particular computer skills as the simplicity of the website is portrayed. So, having to acquire basic computer skills should be sufficient in operating the application.
4) While you are “playing”/”accessing”/”assessing” the application, does it remind you of anything you do in a classroom, or with a teacher, or with a fellow classmate, or in self-study?
Yes it does remind me of something when I was learning English back in high school. At one time, we were brought to the computer to lab and the teacher asked us to try out some of the activities and games in the provided courseware. I remember when learning listening skills, the activities were very interesting and motivating to learn. The ‘self-tutoring’ speech practices got my attention and interest because we could read aloud and compare our speeches with pre-recorded voices of the native speakers. In view of that, I think learners would be highly motivated when they learn English interactively and fun.
5) Can you pinpoint some theories of language learning and/or teaching underlying the application?
The Monitor hypothesis explains the relationship between acquisition and learning and defines the influence of the latter on the former. This theory focuses on the learning system performs the role of the 'monitor' or the 'editor'.
The 'monitor' acts in a planning, editing and correcting function when three specific conditions are met: that is, the second language learner has sufficient time at his/her disposal, he/she focuses on form or thinks about correctness, and he/she knows the rule. Accordingly, some of the lessons in the application require users to perform the role as explained. For instance, in the grammar component one of the lessons require users to select the correct sentence structure of the grammar being taught. In order to choose the correct answer, the user would have to monitor, edit and think about the correctness.
6) How well is the constructivist theory of learning applied to the chosen website (s)?
Vigotsky’s constructivist theory suggests that one’s development depends on interaction with people and the tools that the culture provides to help form their own view of the world. In view of that, I think the theory is well applied in this website where students/users here are left independently by themselves to learn. They are allowed to choose what to do first and which is best for them in order to learn. Therefore, they are not forced but they have the control to engage themselves in the lesson which suits them.
7) In 1980s and early 1990s, there was a major debate on ‘whether the computer was a “master” of or “slave” to the leaning process (Higgins and Johns, 1984). In relation to your evaluation- was the computer a replacement for teachers, or merely an obedient servant to students?
I think that computers are more like a servant to both teachers and students as nowadays computers have become a popular accessory in teaching and learning. Moreover, students are becoming more computer savvy. Accordingly, I would say students nowadays have misused it specifically when they go online and surf the internet. The risk of plagiarism is always there. In view of that, this would lead to not having relying on teachers as the master in the learning process and thus, computer will be a replacement for teachers. However, teachers should not be disregard completely in the teaching and learning process as they are the ones who are able to portray themselves as good role models to students. Not to mention, they are able to provide knowledge in ethics and culture unlike computers which are not built to do so.
8) Would you like to you use the application yourself in your future work?
Yes, I would use this application for my future work specifically as a centre of teaching. The application is good way to teach beginner level especially, as usually these learners need fun and interesting ways of learning English as learning language is usually perceived as a boring subject. Therefore, the application is the best way to replace the conventional way teaching and learning. More over, the application is actually catering more to the beginner level of students although there are different levels to be engaged in.
9) Suggestions/Recommendations.
Overall, I would suggest that English teachers should recommend this website to students as a revision. The activities and lessons would be reliable to all levels of students. It is motivating and fun for the beginner students and it also acts as a revision to the intermediate and advanced level students.
As for the website itself, all in all is quite interactive. However, I personally think that the writing component should be provided with exercises and activities related to writing skills, instead of only displaying sample of students’ writing. This is to enable learners to possess writing skills and be able to brainstorm ideas.
Wednesday 7 January 2009
Wednesday 31 December 2008
Self Introduction
Hi hello,
i'm Ili Nadira Mohamed Zamani. People call me iLi.
I live in Petaling Jaya, Kampung Tunku ss1 to be exact.
This is my first ever in my life to have a blog. Honestly, if it's not because of this CALL course i don't think i would ever want to create one. I'm not really interested to have any as i dun like to share my personal thoughts with people. Not to mention, i'm not really good in software skills. Although i don't like to blog but that doesn't mean i'm not willing to try out and learn. Of course in a way i have to as this is a requirement in completing this course :P
Basically, these are the softwares that i would regularly use:
i'm Ili Nadira Mohamed Zamani. People call me iLi.
I live in Petaling Jaya, Kampung Tunku ss1 to be exact.
This is my first ever in my life to have a blog. Honestly, if it's not because of this CALL course i don't think i would ever want to create one. I'm not really interested to have any as i dun like to share my personal thoughts with people. Not to mention, i'm not really good in software skills. Although i don't like to blog but that doesn't mean i'm not willing to try out and learn. Of course in a way i have to as this is a requirement in completing this course :P
Basically, these are the softwares that i would regularly use:
- Microsoft Word
- Microsoft Power Point
I don't think i have hardware skills and i really don't know much about computer knowledge only basic knowledge such as downloading and saving files. I also have facebook and friendster accounts.
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