Sum up session!!!!

1. What I like about blogging?
-It's free and beautiful... I get to design on my own..I love the organization of the ideas as it flows from time to time... Sometimes if I read back my reflections on the blog, I might end up laughing.. But the very first time I was introduced with blogging, i felt so proud... I'm indeed a technology user!

2. What I don't like about blogging?
-I rarely can occupy to update the blog every week... Sometimes i didn't have much things to say..so I barely keep it to myself rather than writing it on the blog..

3. What have I gained from blogging?
-can see that my writing is getting better - more intellectual and it is the only space I can write freely... I think my school friends must be envy as their so-called 'old-thinker' person like me has a blog..

4.What I like about the course?
-as I mentioned, too many things have been learnt! I'm so proud!

5. What I do not like about the course?
-been very busy in finishing the tasks which are almost been given each week.. sometimes I felt stress out. But it was fun though....

6. What I have learnt from the course?
-downloading,converting,talking about all kind of softwares...editing audio,video,photo and so on..

7. What I do not expect but have learnt from the course?
-making my very own love video and audio which i think it is much relate to me... Just thought this course is about learning on how to use materials for children's education... I like it very much!!

8.What do you expect but didn't learn from this course?
-perhaps, I'm satisfied with all the sub-topics that I had learnt. I may not putting any expectation as I'm indeed is just a student. So i hope to learn the best from the best...

9.If I can change anything about the course, state what it is and explain.
-Nothing... I'm not the expert in this course subject. i think this is already the best that I can learnt in learning to explore the technology not only for the children themselves but it has open my eyes as well.

14th week..

Exam ended!!

The exam was just over. I'm so relieved finally it's done.Now it has been to the end of the semester and i just felt just like a glimpse. It's like we were just getting to enter this class and finally it's over.. Although this course look simple and easy, i still find it challenging to keep up with the latest technology advances. However, I'm so proud of myself for producing a lot of my very own masterpiece.
Perhaps i can say I'm envy with the children nowadays.. So much things they can engage in learning which suppose to make them smarter..i guess.. Indeed the teachers are the one who are the most responsible person to deliver all this different kinds of materials to expose them to technology used. I suppose i can do that someday. As a matter of fact, I'm also still in the process of learning...
Hmmm... i think my future classroom would be better than mine obviously. I want it to be colourful with attractive and interactive informations..Hopefully can be equipt with computer and internet so that we can explore more. Basically, I just really hope what I delivered to the children are meaningful to them...frankly, technology are just tools which if we explore with the right objectives, it'll serve the effectiveness.

Not to forget..22nd November 2010..All tasks in Module 5 Have to be submitted!!!!! ChAIYOK2~~

13th week..

Microsoft Publisher

There's a wonder in Microsoft. The wonder that's called 'Publisher'. Well, actually we have to come up with different publications that can be used in the classroom. There are flyers, business cards, banners and calendars.

There are of course a few ideas that I can come up with when using the publications in the classroom. Calendars can be used to remind pupils of the due dates and exams (which is a bad thing for them). Banners can be made to tell the parents of special events. Business cards on the other hand, can be used to promote my tuition school in th future (yes!!).

But I feel that being required to do all the publications is a bit over. I mean, it's not that we want to use all the publications right. So, it would be necessary to do all the works which add(ed) up to our endless works.

12th week..

Videos as teaching aid??

Video as teaching aid. To me, all these while video is for entertainment and knowledge. It feels very nice looking at the foreign classrooms where pupils watch videos and learn out of it. For local contexts? I don't think so. Let me explain to you why.

First of all, we need specialized videos that are catered specifically according to our curriculum and pupils. Do we have that? NO. There are of course commercialized products that yo can buy from the shops. But, they do not cater specifically to our pupils.

Then, there's the problem of syllabus. Our country's education system is like changing every five years. Teachers are trained for a few years then they are deemed unfit for the current curriculum, like us. We are studying TESL. But, TESL is not going to be used by the time that we graduated from UM. Until this point, let's not talk about making videos anymore.

Then, there's teacher workloads. Which teacher on earth has all the time to produce videos to be used in the classroom? Frankly, the only enjoyment that I might give in the classroom would be games and treats etc. No videos. Even if there are videos, they will be taken from Youtube. A teacher has to make lesson plans, teaching aids, give tests, correct the test papers, do reports, conduct curriculum activities bla bla bla. Where do I find a slot to produce videos??

11th week..

Audio-editing

So, we will talk about Audacity today. Why only Audacity? Coz I've only used Audacity, and it's free.

Somehow, after doing all the audio editing works, I feel that the authenticity of songs is lost. Many artists I feel, came up with songs that are really nice to listen to. but, when they do life performances, it sounds like me singing in the shower. Come on. It's not real songs sung by real people with good voices. It's lousy songs sung by untalented crap and edited using technological stuff. Many times I prefer listening to Oldies like Abba, Credence Water Revival etc. Many you want to call me old. As you wish.

Then there's an album featuring singing chipmunks with their cute, high pitched voices. People buy their albums which cost almost RM45 per piece. Give me the original songs and I can edit them to sound just like the real albums for free. Come on.

10th week..

My Photoshop Result

I wanna show you the new skill that I've learned in Photoshop. There's this technique called 'tilt-shift' photography where a picture taken from a high vantage point which shows skycrappers and roads etc can be manipulated to show like miniature models of the real thing.

Before!!

After!!!!

9th week..

Burppppppp......Alhamdulillah....~

Yaaaa..just went back from cuti Hari Raya....

Now my tummy was full with those ketupat,lemang,rendang etc.

And not to forget that my brain also was full by those works huhu...

These are some software which need to be downloaded for photo editing:

---->Adobe Photoshop

----->PhotoBucket

----->Photoscape

8th week..

DUIT RAYA!!!!!!

MODUL 3!!!!!! This is our duit raya!!!! hehe..

This was our "DUIT RAYA" to be brought along with us during the RAYA BREAK. Wow, interesting. (but, i'll make sure that this task will be completed earlier so that i won't need to take it along with me to my hometown in celebrating this meaningful festival. Isn't it a good intrinsic motivation? haha..)Set up my goal: Get it done before holiday, keep it save and sound on the shelves then enjoy eating rendang, ketupat, laksa without anything to be worried about. YES!!! OK, leave the RAYA things and get back to our business.

Talking about module 3, what's the contents actually? It's all about AUDIO EDITING. Have you heard about AUDACITY, MUSIC EDITOR, KARAOKE ANYTHING, SONY VEGAS? They are part of audio softwares that we'll need to download in completing this module. Quite interesting. Never used these before (actually didn't even hear about them except audacity. hahaha.) So, this was the chance to explore new things and try using them for our own good.

7th week..

E-book

Today, we will be talking about E-book. What is an E-book? E = electronic, so it's a digital book where one does not flip the pages to read something, but scrolling up and down like a laptop. Somehow, it was not that hard to come up with an e-book. Everyone can do one by using PowerPoint. Of course, the E-book that we did lacked content and proper materials for young readers.

Somehow, I feel that an E-book can never replace the authenticity of reading a real book. Just imagine the rough texture of the pages, the smell that's like bringing back memories and the fondness of sitting down somewhere just to read. With an e-book, it brings to my mind the sense of rush, doing many things at once and no sense of peace that a real book brings.

The only country as far as I know where the people read E-book diligently would be Japan. Even when we're talking about Japan, it already brings to mind of busy-ness.

Still, I expect e-book to be the future of reading. Which brings to my mind another issue: Malaysians read about 3 books (or 3 pages) per year. I think Malaysians prefer PSP and Nintendo Ds rather than E-book. Nobody wants to be seen as nerdy reading e book in the LRT, right?

6th week..

Videos Videos

Today, we watched home made videos-a task given to pairs alomost 2 weeks ago. Of course, doing a video without any particular theme would be easy and almost enjoyable to say the least. The bad thing is that the themes for all other videos would be almost the same, like friendship, university life and any others that pop into your mind right now.

My video was about friendship, a theme that has been recycled over and over again. What I felt most special about me and my partner (Izaty) video was that we included all the photos since foundation years until last semester. All the photos when we just meet in the first weeks, going for camps and outings, doing assignments together-all made a wonderful montage of what we've experienced together as friends. Even when we were doing the video, we laughed when we opened all the photos and reminisce about the old days all over again. How we've grown and learnt. I still remembered when I wished that my course would be 2 years in Maktab and 4 years in UM. Now, my opinion totally changed. I gotta admit that I prefer Maktab much much more than UM. In Maktab, our relationship, our bonds were personal, close and not so academically oriented. We stayed together in the hostels and meeting each other was like meeting close friends. Now, we seldom meet each other as all of us are living so far away from each other. Sigh..the old days.

Then came the moment when we watched the video together in the computer lab. How the people cheered, laughed, 'Woooooooo' and 'Awwwww' while watching the video. It was clear that everyone thought about the old days too, and how the experience has shaped them into what they are now. Maybe they would think about things that we've gone thru together, and how the bonds that were built can never be replaced by new environment and friendships.

5th week..

E-Booking

Today, all of us sat down in front of the SmartBoard and listen to Pn. Foziah's lecture. Honestly, it's been so long since we looked like a class, regular class where the teacher sits in front and the students listening. Hmm...what did I learn?

I learnt that it's very important to not put snake's pictures anywhere that can be accessed by Pn. Foziah. Sh'es phobic of snakes, like me. Hahaha..this uncanny similarity is patheric indeed. I hate snakes. I loathe snakes. Show me a snake and my blood will run cold. That should be the same 'sensation' that she feels when she sees a snake too. Pity u, pity me. =)
Then there's the story thingy. It all revolves back around what I've learned in Form 4 and Form 5. There's the introduction, development of the story, climax and comes down to the ending again. Classic examples would be fairytales. My life however, is not. Full of climaxes, and negatives. Hmm...

Then there's e-book. I'm not going to be academic here. E-book to me is Kindle, the one they sell on Amazon. A device that functions like a book, only that it is digital. So, bring the device anywhere and u can read any 'book' that u like, provided u donwload them. If u can stand the garing screen, the battery life or the shape of Kindle, good for you. For me, I feel, and will always feel that E-book will never replace a real book. It's just different with holding a real book in your hand. If not, book will not last for centuries, do they? The only advantage of E-book is that you can store booksssssss in one device and can access them anytime without filling up the spaces in your house. Other than that, the feelings are irreplaceable. The smell of old books, the texture, the flips...go to the most isolated God-forsaken rows of bookshelves at UM library 2nd floor opposite the IT class and you'll know what I mean. It's like a maze in there!

4th week..

class cancelled!!!!!!!!

my tuesday morning was empty..nothing to do....

bubyyee~~~

3rd week..

I hope I haven’t forgotten what I learnt last week. Well, what I’ve learned was how to do the tutorial on how to download a song from a webpage.

Actually, I don’t have anything to say about this. It’s because, I’ve been downloading songs from the Internet since when I’m in secondary school. Not to say that I’m more experienced or whatsoever, but I just feel that downloading songs from any webpages is very dangerous because of the viruses and malicious softwares there. Last time when downloading songs was all the craze in the IT world, I’ve had quirky softwares auto-installing themselves on my house computer without me realizing them. This experience is enough to make me understanding that like an open market, anything and everything can be found on the Internet. However, choosing reliable and safe resources is the hardest part. Many websites claim that their pages are free from viruses etc but it turns out that the auto-execute programmes are able to feed your personal information to the World Wide Web. Reflecting on it, they need sponsors to continue their webpages and who are the sponsors? The creator of the malicious softwares themselves. Since then, no more.

Not to say that I don’t download sings since then. I chose installing peer to peer programmes which lets me ‘share’ files on the programme without other ‘peers’, such as Ares (no promotion intended). Until now, it has been pleasant without any crashes whatsoever except when I tried to download keygen files for ‘cracked’ softwares that I use. That, I blame on myself, though not entirely. Malaysians are still far away from buying authentic softwares coz they are just too expensive. Still, that is another story altogether. The positive part form the lesson was that it made me feel like I’m one of the IT guy on the Internet that teaches ‘noobs’ or newbies on how to solve their computer problems. Who knows I’ll open my troubleshoot webpages next time?

Till then, see u guys soon. Very soon. =)