Week 5

Assalamualaikum.

It was already week 5 but to me, it still felt like the start of the semester. This week Dr. Fariza taught us about different forms of multimedia. We chose to present on elements in a poster. There were several other elements such as videos, mahjong papers, whiteboard and LCD slides.

Posters are used to showcase important information to capture the interest of audience. With little text and eye-catching visuals, posters are useful if used correctly. In short, the choice of illustration, font and colours should be relevant and suitable with the topic. Teachers can also emphasize the keywords on a poster instead of long, wordy explanation. A good way to utilize posters is assigning students to make their own in small groups. Apart from learning teamwork, students who are usually passive will be more motivated to display their skills as they would feel appreciated by peers and teachers.

An example of an educational poster

LCD slides and mahjong papers are perfect teaching and learning tools for classroom presentations. Slides can be used as alternatives for hand-outs and written materials. It would certainly benefit classes with an LCD projector but schools that couldn't afford to provide the advancement would have to rely mostly on whiteboards/blackboards for teachers to deliver the lesson. 

On the side note, we did not expect finishing the slides and present it at the spur of the moment. 

Week 4

Assalamualaikum.

We have come quite a long way. This week's activity was illustrating the ideas for our short video in a form of a storyboard.  The night before, we (Group 6) had a discussion about the story but everything was jumbled up in words while the rest of it remained as untold imaginations. Doing this actually helped bringing the ideas in a clear and visible manner. Dr. Rosseni and Dr. Fariza were both in the class, giving guidance and support in the best way possible. Each group was given a 'mahjong' paper, big enough for us to sketch the scenes. So, the title 'Everyday Struggles: Public Transport' was the one everybody had agreed upon. Down below is the picture of us sketching the draft of the storyboard. Each group was asked to present the storyboard afterwards. We listened to other groups' presentation first. A few useful advice was given by lecturers and friends to improve the ideas and themes. According to them, the video must have some sort of solutions to the problems. They wished us luck at the end of the class.

First draft

The complete storyboard

Week 3

Assalamualaikum and hi.

It was the 11th of March and I came a bit late to class. Luckily, it had not began yet which gave me quite a relief. It was Dr. Rosseni's turn to handle the class. She explained about the video assignment. and showed us a video of TESL seniors' past work. The first was a documentary of nature where a group of people showcased a collection of photos and videos from their travel. Some of the scenes captivated me, being a lover for nature myself. Dr. Rosseni gave many good advice to enhance our video production. One of the things she said is to ensure the transition of the music to sync with the video. Noticing that the voice of the casts were unclear, I would provide subtitles in the video and make sure the sound is audible to the audience. It is also important to cut out unnecessary scenes because the duration is limited to only 10 minutes. The second video is a drama called 'Taubat', also made by our seniors. It was impressive how it managed to give an emotional impact to the audience, which is also what I am looking to have in my group's video.

The compilation of videos, as well as input from Dr. Rosseni triggered ideas and motivation for me to harness the opportunities available to produce great results in the future. The activities altogether were fun and satisfying. One of the most memorable moments was when Dr. Rosseni brought gifts from Sarawak for everyone. Keychains! She also brought sweet cake-like treats and shared them with us. It was really kind and thoughtful of her. Seeing the way she speaks and treats people, I think she is a pleasant tutor anyone could have asked for. I am looking forward to meeting her in the next class.

Week 2

Assalamualaikum.

On the 4th of March, I met Dr. Fariza, my former lecturer for Computer in Edu. It was nice meeting her again and seeing how immersed she is every time she teaches brings back memories from the first semester. She had mentioned that reflections are mainly categorized in two, reflective and non-reflective. While a non-reflective writing is about habitual actions and the content of a particular experience or lesson, a reflective is the experience in relation to problem-solving, such as how the lesson helps us to understand a problem better. How the lesson affects our perception towards an issue or situation is considered reflective as it prompts critical thinking, a highly-required skill of the 21st century. I thought about the reflections I did for Educational Psychology and Computer in Edu and only a few manage to fit the reflective category. Still, learning something new made me satisfied.

The 5 elements of Educational Tech is design, develop, utilize, manage and evaluate. Dr. Fariza stresses on its importance, thus I wrote them down as I might easily forget things especially if it's verbose. All in all, it was a fun class and did not feel long at all. Dr. Fariza was so enthusiastic in conveying the lesson and I thought how great it would be if I could do the same. Somehow I felt that my passion for teaching had grew. I also managed to keep track of the whole lesson which I wish to maintain for future classes. Thank you for reading!

Week 1

Assalamualaikum and good evening.

It was the first week of the semester where we had our meeting with Dr. Rosseni. She explained what the course is about, highlighting a few points like the assignments and distribution of marks. We were given the link to Padlet.com, where we introduced ourselves to Dr. Rosseni. I had discovered some new things about my friends as well. We were also informed to form a group consisting of 5 people. About MOOC Open Learning system, I find it convenient as everything is organized.

Computer in Education back in the first semester had left me a good memory of managing my own website, creating a storyboard, video-making and getting to know my friends throughout the process. I expected the same with this course, one of my biggest hopes is for it to help elevate my passion for teaching. I need to shift my ways of using technology from only a source of information and entertainment to learning new techniques in making teaching and learning a wonderful experience for my students and I. Technology had such a huge potential to enhance learning it's a shame not to use it. I'm sure it will be a fun and fulfilling journey.

Thank you.