Task week 6 & Reflection

Tutorial Task Week 6

Checkpoint 1: Search for digital language learning materials.

Language classrooms have always used technologies of various kinds, from the blackboard through to the language laboratory. In recent decades, however, there has been an explosion in the resources available to teacher, to the point where many feel overwhelmed.

Since we have variety modes of media for communication purposes, it might not always used for oral interaction.

1) Oral interaction

· Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP)-Skype,Tokbox videochat,ooVOO AND Polycom system

-Enables voice communications to be transmitted via the Internet through the use of a broadband connection with a computer with a microphone and webcam 

-Cheap or (free) local and international interactions between individuals or groups

-Possible to project images onto full screen and pass the microphone around to allow individuals to talk with the speaker

-Online tutoring and peer tutoring

-For project work with students from other institutions

-For homework hotlines

-To connect students from different schools who are preparing for a combined arts festival or vacation camp or immersion visit

-For group of students participating in cultural exchange activities, talking about, for example artwork or dramatisations they have prepared

-Linking students with experts in their field (e.g. medical students being interviewed be secondary students; authors being interviewed by students who are reading their novels)

-For example: ---Skype ~ Around the World with 80 schools challenge (Jacksonville,Florida)-to circle the globe, connecting with at least 80 schools in different countries and continents

2) Interacting in simulated environments

·   Online Language school- Avatar English (www.Avatarlanguages.com/home.php?lang=en).Classes take place in custom built virtual classrooms that reflect the theme of the classes, such as airports, markets, banks and cinemas.

·   Languagelab- simulate a city where language learners can engage in activities such as checking in at the airport, visiting an art museum or visiting a business centre to give a presentation.

3) Interacting Through writing

·- Mimic oral conversations but which employ the written mode, using instant messaging applications such as Short Message Service(SMS), ICQ(a homophone for the phrase `I seek you’), Twitter and Google Talk

  - Chat roomslanguage teachers have embraced the us of chat as an effective communicative tool

4) Interacting with non -human partners

For learners who want to improve their speaking skills:-

·- Software applications (GarageBand)- provide opportunities for voice to be recorded,listened to and waveforms analysed. A teacher record their voice on one of the available track and student can record their own voice another track as they repeat and emulate the spoken language model provided on the first track.Comparing these track the students can analyse the two samples through visual presentation provided as they investigate the similarities and differences between the two samples.

·- Website: CambridgeUniversity- presents entertaining animations to reinforce individual phonemes and sound patterns. Click-Word Stress- word is pronounced whilst the stressed syllables of the written word becomes emboldened and expands. When a sentence is read aloud, the written text rises and falls to indicate the intonation contours. Animated cartoon illustrates the particular sounds.

Podcasting- process of delivering content to an individual’s computer or mobile device via an automated download through the Internet.Podcasts can take one of three forms:

1. Audio based content (sound file)

2. Enhanced content (inclusive of audio, visual and text)- enables the learners to

use contextual cues to support comprehension

3. Video (often referred to as a vodcast)

  

·- Some instructors create their own video activities on specific topics to share with their students, using video editing tools such as Jumpcut or Videoegg (Windows) or iMovie(Macintosh)-interacting at  normal speaking rates and using authentic language, support can be provided through captions, vocabulary activities, annotations and transcripts.

yabla - provides authentic television, music videos, drama, interviews, and travel videos which can be used in slow play with integrated dictionaries, listening games and dual language subtitles

 - Virtex Project (www.worldenough.net/virtex)- Uses digital video clips depicting real life scenarios to prepare foreign language students for work placements

Reading

·   WordChamp –insert a reading passage or a URL into a text box and tell roll the cursor over any word, activating a pop-up with a definition of that word in any selected language and an audio clip pronouncing the word.

·   Academic Word List Highlighter- enter a text- analysed-displayed in bold all common academic words-enable the reader to focus on frequently encountered words from academic contexts.

Writing and Composing

Software applications- WWWBoard, WebCT Blackboard and WebCrossing-

An avenue for learners to communicate meaningfully with peers and teachers. Discussion forums enable asynchronous group exchanges-maintain automatically all messages in a threaded, hierarchical structure. 

·  Blogs- Language learners: provide opportunity to participate in the composing process without the pressure to produce a whole text independently

· Webquests- Learners undertake online research tasks involving advanced word processing skills, desktop publishing, authoring web-pages, the creation and the use of templates –can be shared online with peers, parents, assessors and the general public.

· Flat classrooms- virtual global student summit-students from different schools collaborated in responding to questions – require great deal of organisation and management

Grammar and Vocabulary

·    Scootle- learners watch an animated story –recreate the text by rearranging scrambled sentences- learn to recognise the grammatical categories involved

·The Collins Wordbanks Online English (www.collins.co.uk./Corpus/CorpusSearch.aspx.)- retrieve

innumerable examples of any particular word together with its immediate context

5) Interactive Learning Environments

·    Facebook, Myspace- Uses integrative learning management systems (or personal learning environments) – students are provided with a range of tools, applications, and activities in a single context which they can utilise with varying degrees of flexibility and independence, making  a richer language learning experience

·   Moodle- provides to access to highly collaborative communities of learning, forums, wikis, databases, quizzes and so on

·   Livemocha- learners support each other through peer tutoring, along with more structured reading, listening, writing and speaking exercises.

·   Ning- allows you to create your own customised social network on which members can post discussion items, blogs, photos, and videos.

Checkpoint 2: List down the theories and principles.

(1)  Krashen’s theory

·         Input hypothesis

·         Affective filter hypothesis

(2) Communicative language teaching

(3) Environmentalist theory

(4) Interactionist theory

(5) Socio-cultural theory

Principles :-

1.   Materials should achieve impact

2.   Materials should help learners to develop confidence

3.   Materials should require and facilitate learner self-investment

4.   Learners must be ready to acquire the points being taught

5.   Materials should expose the learners to language in authentic use

6.   Materials should provide the L's with opportunities to use TL to achieve communicative purposes

7.   Materials should take into account that the positive effects of instruction are usually delayed

8.   Materials should take into account that learners differ in learning style

9.   Materials should take into account that learners differ in affective attitudes

10. Materials should permit a silent period at the beginning of instruction

11.  Materials  should maximise learning potential by encouraging intellectual, aesthetic and emotional involvement which stimulates both right and left brain activities

12.  Materials should not rely too much on controlled practise

13.  Materials should provide opportunities for outcome feedback

Checkpoint 3: Sketch out a rough outline of your digital language learning materials.

Prezi- Is the software that can used by the educators to create presentation in a more appealing manner which enables the learners to be anticipated for learning and it also helps to promotes active participation. Prezi presentation is much more interesting compared to powerpoint presentation as we have the choice to zoom in or zoom out,change the template in various forms and etc. 

Checkpoint 4: Read Nokelianen’s article: Summarize explanation for each criteria

(1) Learnability

-  Depends on how long beginners’ use a system before they learn the essential skills necessary to perform their tasks.

(2) Efficiency

-   Refers to how well experienced users can operate an application after they have mastered it.

(3) Memorability

-   The ability of an occasional user who has previously used the system to remember its operational principles.

(4) Errors

-  Divided into 2 groups:-

(a)  Less serious errors: disturb the work of users

(b) Serious errors: endanger the preservability of the users’ outputs.

Checkpoint 5: Read Nokelianen’s article: Summarize explanation for each criteria

11.  Learner control

-  When learning new topic, the learner’s memory should be burdened to an optimal level.

-   Certainly helpful to break down the material to be learned into meaningful units.

-   “one-size-fits-all” approach has been criticized (the students are required to adjust their learning to fit the teacher’s conception of the best way of learning certain material.

  2. Learner activity

- Teacher’s “didactic role”: scaffold the learners’ own activity; increase the learner’s independent activity (teacher as facilitator).

-    Learning material can support student’s activity (interesting & based on real life).

-          Alternative approach 2 structured material: problem-based learning.

-          Teacher gives students a certain amount of source material (individual/group)-construct own conception on the topic.

-          Problem-based learning or accessory software- increases student activity.

-          Computer supported collaborative learning (CSCL): enhance understanding of the processes of productive interaction.

3.  Cooperative/collaborative

- Studying with others learners to reach a common learning goal.

-  Learners construct knowledge as members of communities in practice.

- Cooperative learning is more structured than collaborative learning: teacher has the

control.

-  Learning (group): members gather & structure info.

-  System/learning material: offer tools to be used to communicate & negotiate different approaches to a learning problem.

-   -supported learning material (practice cooperative learning: students are connected to each other over distance-discussion groups/chat forums).

      -System/learning material supporting cooperative knowledge construction includes:-

·    -A visual tool: to fashion simultaneous mind maps of the topic.

·  -Tools for social navigation: learner gains info about what learners have done (a   synchronic social navigation) or are presently doing (synchronic social navigation).

4.  Goal Orientation

- -Goals & objectives should be clear to the learner

- -Goals more vary from abstract to concrete

- -If learners do not set their goals, the meaningfulness should be justified

- -Learners should only be introduced to only a few, clearly specified goals at one time.

- -Goals should be clearly defined, but have to originate, as much as possible, with the learners themselves. If the goals do not originate from the students, their meaning should be explained to them.

- -The students should be given chance to make choices with respect to the course of their studies

5. Applicability

- -The approach should correspond to the skills later need in everyday and working life and should be transferable

- -Learning something new is most effectively accomplished if involved with practical tasks

- -Learning materials should always be at an appropriate level for learners’ learning process

- -Learning materials should be planned and executed in cooperation with both teachers and students

6. Added value

- -The additional significance value that we can find in a certain DLL materials e.g. the computer

- -DLLM used is expected to introduce definite added value to the learning

- -Encourage the possibilities of a certain creative use

- -Allows learners to be able to choose an attribute that can fit the learners’ preferences

- -List of aspects of computer-assisted learning which offer added value:

ü  Adaptability to individual needs

ü  Number of flexible options

ü  Learning is controlled by the learner, initiated by the learner and is in the form that the learner desires

ü  Interesting contents

ü  Development of communication

ü  Active participation of the students

- -Requires the inventor/creator/designer of the DLLM to have multidisciplinary skills knowledge, experience, or teaching and time to develop the DLLM.

- -Should integrate tools which are suited to control the contents of learning material & to make sure they use the DLLM more effective & economic.

- -The objective is to let learners feel that the topic is best learned through the use of a computer.

7. Motivation

- -Affects all learning and makes people behave the way they do.

- -Behaviourists says: motivation to do things by reference to instincts, desires and reinforcement, cognitive theorists rely on models of cognitive processes and analysis (Wilson & Myers, 2000)

- -Motivation: Conscious or subconsciously goal-oriented would support the direction of an individual’s general behaviour. (Ruohotie, 1996)

- -Key concepts:

ü  Incentives

ü  Self-regulation

ü  Expectations

ü  Attributions of failure & success

ü  Performance or learning goals

ü  Intrinsic or extrinsic goal orientation

- -Intrinsically: strives to reach learning goals for their own purposes

- -Extrinsically: strives to achieve better results than others, to achieve certain reward, meant to do things because of something else

- -Contextual motivation: motivated because of a certain interest in the studied topic, can varies dynamically.

- -General level – static and can be adapted – therefore can change to a certain stage of life.

- -There’s a distinct btwn attitude & motivation:

ü  Attitude: can affect the quality of one’s work

ü  Motivation: can affect one’s alertness & vigour (strength, energy, dynamism)

8. Valuation of Previous Knowledge

- -The kind of learning material which presumes previous knowledge from the learners.

- -It is expected for learners to be able to already possess/own some skills/knowledge from the earlier learning material.

- -Encourages the learners to integrate their different skills and knowledge to take it into the learning process.

- -Favours learners’ to give elaboration, thought, analysis on the current DLLM used based on their previous knowledge – use central concepts from earlier studies that are important for understanding the present material.

  -The previous knowledge become wider as the current knowledge is being installed therefore the cumulative nature of knowledge become clear to the learner

9. Flexibility

- -Flexible learning materials should take concern towards learner individual differences.

-  Eg: a test given at the start of the lesson should provide enough info about previous knowledge, interest about the learning topic and expectation of what the learners will get.

- -Info that learners got can be used to provide the learner with optional/alternate routes in the studies.

- -Learners should be given a chance to be creative by themselves through the learning materials

- -Learners also should share the responsibility of identifying the appropriate additional learning resources and able to contribute to the learning resources.

10. Feedback

- -The system or learning materials should provide the learner with encouraging and fast feedback.

--The feedback can help the learner to understand the problems and the lack in their learning.

- -Fast feedback using the IT devices is important because it also can increases learning motivation.

- Corrections can be made immediately and the problem is solved in cooperation of the learners and teacher.

Checkpoint 6: Explain each criteria for visual design

Harmony
 Harmony refers to the elements of a display which interacts together in a pleasing manner. Harmony is when the pieces of visual images pull together. It can be achieved through repetition and rhythm. Rhythm is the flow of depicted in a visual and helps direct eye movement. To ensure harmony, it is best to use 3 grid and the rhythm should either be in clockwise or counter clockwise .
           
Balance and symmetry
Balance is when the elements of different sizes is brought into balance by either moving them closer or farther from the center of the page.Symmetry is when one half of a visual display is a mirror image of the other half. There are different types of symmetry which were horizontal symmetry, approximate horizontal symmetry, radial symmetry and asymmetry. 

Emphasis
Emphasis referring to creating dominance and focus in the work for instance focusing on colour, value, shapes, or other design elements to achieve dominance.

Alignment
Alignment of elements within a screen is an important part for organizing and grouping purposes. It should visually maximize differences between texts, label and pictures.


Unity

Unity can be referred as relationship among visual elements that helps all elements to   work together. It gives a sense of closure or oneness to a visual image. Unity can be achieved through the use of similar shapes, common pattern or use of a common background.


Group Members :-
Jeeivita Kathirvelu Pillai
Anasuhah binti Buyong
Nabilah Huda binti Hamdan
Ainatul Mardhiah binti Manin


Reflection 
1. How it affects me?
After doing this task, now I know already what digital language learning materials are and how we as a pre service teacher use those available materials to carry out activities for the language learning. In addition, from the finding that our groups found, now I am sure that not only me have this thought but all of my group members also share the same thought where this digital language learning does give a great impact on the learning environment. Moreover, before this, I am not aware of those available materials but as I am exposed to those digital materials, it does give an idea for me on how to design an interactive material for the learning process in the future later. I believe that, when we use these digital materials in a wider context more varieties of activities can be created which not only give benefit to the students but also the teacher itself. 

2. How does it affect my current level knowledge?
It is really obvious that from this task, I gain a lot of knowledge regarding the digital language materials which is very useful for me to create an interesting learning activity. To be frank, at first I thought that this materials is difficult to be use but then as my group and I explored those digital materials, my perception totally changed. I start to find that this digital material is awesome and it provides a lot of features that is helpful in making the learning interesting and engaging. Other than that, from this task I also get a lot of information regarding the concepts and criteria that are necessary to be implemented in the digital language learning material. Furthermore, this task also provides me with the knowledge regarding the criteria of the visual design which is suitable to be used in designing the learning materials where all those criteria need to be take into consideration and cannot be simply done. Here, from my understanding the digital language learning materials should not only carry the interactive learning but the materials should promotes a better understanding for the students regarding the language learning where the students can apply what they have studied in their real life situation. Apart from that, I also want to give appreciation to all my groups’ members who have cooperated throughout finishing this task and individually appreciation to Jeeivita for helping me a lot in trying to understand the concept of this digital language learning where now I am able to understand more.

3. How can I use that knowledge to improve myself?
Well, to be honest I am so glad and happy at the same time as I not only know a lot about the digital language material but I can actually apply it later in the future. This is because, I know that as a teacher we not only have to know how to teach, but we must also be able to create learning materials that is effective and useful for both teacher and the students. Thus, from this task, as I said earlier I get a lot of information and knowledge which are rich with inputs that going to help me especially to improve my skills in creating the language learning materials in the future later. Perhaps, for this time being the knowledge that I have gained is still not enough but with the basic exposure regarding to this digital materials, I have a gist on what types of digital materials that is good and beneficial.  I hope that by the knowledge that I currently have, I can start to make a progression to improve my understanding from time to time so that I will always be in the flow of the advance technology which is always changes and modernize.