#3: Blog Entry

1. Why do you think evaluation of CALL courseware, websites, materials etc important?
2. How do you think Hot Potatoes JCloze may help your students learn English?

1. Why do I think evaluation of CALL coursewares, websites, materials important? Well, for the most obvious reason; I think we need to evaluate whether those sites or materials are bidirectional and individualized in terms of learning function. Sometimes, there are sites which offer only tutorial rather than other interactive functions. There are also some coursewares which does not serve multifunction tasks.

We need to understand that those materials are tools for language learning. Thus, a tool needs to be assessed whether it serves the function or not. By means, we need to look at the material's student-centredness level, how much does the material facilitate teaching and also its objectives and designs.On top of all, I think it is important for language teachers to evaluate the materials to check for their appropriateness+efficiency.

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2. How do you think Hot Potatoes JCloze may help your students learn English? It is all about the skills. Hot Potatoes help learners to develop learning skills through drills practice. JCloze is a good tool to create drills without burdening the students and also the teachers. It saves time, space and energy. It helps learners to learn the target language better through authentic learning.

JCloze also helps students to learn English better because it stimulates students' interest to learn. Therefore, it is a wise tool to motivate students to learn rather than the traditional method.

Using JCloze to create exercises helps students to learn the language authentically. They have to engage with the critical thinking process to solve the problems (filling in answers). In a way, JCloze Hot Potatoes is a dynamic tool for teaching and learning English. Obviously, it helps learners to learn better. In addition, it can be fun as learners might perceive the activity as fun and also competitive! ;p

#2: Using Microsoft Words to create class activity.

1.2.

#1 Does this look ok?

Assalamualaikum and salam 1 Malaysia. ;p

"It is reported that Ahmad Niza Syazre has confirmed to join U8C for 2010 TSL641 class."

I am Ahmad Niza Syazre Abdullah. Almost everyone calls me Niza. I just turned 22 towards the end of last year.

This is my first entry for this course. (period for a while...)

I would be lying if I rate myself as an expert in terms of my computer skills. Thus, I would rate myself as somewhere around 'savvy'. Hmmm...why? I must say...I enjoy living my sweet life accompanied by my computer....mostly because I want to enjoy the things I have downloaded. I also love to blog my life and on top of it..I pretty much favour connecting through Facebook etc. In terms of skills, I guess...I am ok with it... One thing for sure, I know how to organize my stuffs (documents, songs, slides, etc..)

Software? Of course. Wait, does that mean something like...errm...Antivirus software, photo and imaging, Adobe, media software (winamp, GOM and bla, bla, bla)? As bimbo as it sounds, I do download some software from the net and install it. Hardware? Yes. I have the DVD player which is out of function already. Wait, it is the physical component of the computer, right?

Learning via the computer? Indeed. It is somehow a need for me to go online and check on new stuffs. By that, I mean to say reading online articles, browse through ESL websites and also refer to online lesson plans (as guide). ;p One thing I know is..it is fun sometimes.

During practicum? Yes I did intergrate the use of technology in my classroom at times even though the management said 'NO' sometimes. Mostly, it was a success. Why? Hmm...my students were very unfortunate that technology is somehow alien to them. Therefore, when they see their teacher teaches them using computer, they get excited. It becomes a lust for them to lure me into using computer all the time. But...the maintenance at the school were poorly handled. ;( I like getting my students to watch movies and to do fun activities from ESL courseware (provided by the MOE). They loved it even though they barely understood the content.

In my humble opinion, using technology in classroom teaching is a must for every language teacher. It is a medium to raise interest in children's mind to actually learn the language. Go for it!

By the end of this course, I expect to be able to produce fun courseware for future use. What I heard from the previous students is... it is exciting to create our own material to teach in classroom. ;p I hope this course will help me moving on the right direction for my future. ;p