Media Technology in Language Teaching and Learning

 

Third meeting with Pak Rizal in Technology in Language Learning course still excited. I feel so far I can understand what my lecture and friends explain about. This course is really interesting because it talk about the technology in teaching in learning. Finally, Indonesia education will have the generation of teacher which understand the development of technology and I hope we really can use our knowledge in schools when we being teacher. 

The last meeting is not boring enough because we have interesting activities. I remember in the early of class we have review of our last topic, about the development of technology usage. We share with friend next to us about the role of technology in three different times. I still remember about Behaviorist CALL, Cognitive CALL and Interactive CALL. They are stages of the technology development in teaching and learning. From here I can see that now we really lucky because everything is modern, instant and easy. We also can learn by ourselves because there is technology which can help us. There is one question in my head, what will happen in the 10 years later? What kind of technologies will appear? What will happen if we can operate or we do not know anything about technologies?

I really like debate session even though that is unnaturally because we have organized as pro and contra teaming about one case. Until know I still confused which one more important, internet access at school or language laboratory.  If I can choose, I can choose both of them. So, I can improve my skill and my knowledge of English in the same time. I get the new knowledge about the software on line and off line which can we used to improve our English skill. There are so many things like gadget or application in hand phone, games on line, software from computer, etc. I very interested and curious in games on line that can increase our speaking, listening, vocabulary skills in English. What kind of games which provide to improve our skill. Pak Rizal, how if we also learn about this kind of games and software. Maybe it can help us to improve our English skill and to teach our student.

In the end of class we should write down on post it, which one we want to know more, which one we really interested in and once again I forget. Most of the activities in class is interesting and I really enjoy it. I also more curious about technology and from this course I do not want to be “gaptek” teacher which cannot operate computer or anything else. I hope our government can open his eyes so technology in Indonesia can be more develop than now and there is a decision which all of schools can access internet and use technology easily and cheap (high imagination).

Effective Teaching and Learning

Teacher is person who teaches us the new knowledge in this world. Everybody can be as a teacher for other person. Not only at schools but in real life we are also act as teacher. I have a principle that a teacher is not God who always true and knows anything. That is arrogant teacher. I think as a teacher, someone not only teaches but can learn something from students. So, teachers also have to learn to develop their teaching methodologies and their knowledge itself.

The first meeting of this course, I think is interesting enough. Miss Ine who will teach us for this semester especially for PETA course is kind. It makes me feel enjoy during the course. Actually, I do not know more about the benefit we learn this subject but after last meeting my understanding increase. In my opinion we should learn PETA because we need understanding about how we teach and give assessment to our students effectively. Maybe effective in this case talk about effective of time, cost, method of teaching and assignments. The last meeting give me the fact that teacher who teach in classroom is really different with teacher who teach private student. Teacher in classroom have to have skill of time management, grabbing attention, and they also should know condition of the students itself.

I really like sharing session in pair. I remember that we should share to our friend about the most inspiring teacher in our life. That was really useful for me, I can know the story about inspiring teacher from my classmate and from that I can understand the characteristic of ideal teacher who always dreamed by students. In the last session, we also talk about what kind of teacher who we like the most and the teacher who we dislike. I have a lot of new information and I think I can use it as a mirror. So, when I am being a teacher I do not do the things that students hate. This session make me remember my teachers. I have 3 teachers who I like most. All of them are male but they are the best teacher I ever see. They are care to the students, never angry, they know when we need to be serious and when we feel bored. Their technique of teaching also interesting, they always give example from the real life so it makes the students understand easily.

After sharing session we have to divide into groups. I think that is permanent group for this semester for PETA. In groups we discuss about what is the meaning of effective learning and teaching. Then we have gallery walk, but there is no one who explain. Everybody moves on. I think our opinion is same. Most of us write effective teaching and learning will appear if the students use the true technique for their students. They also have to know the development of students itself, so they can mix and match the way of teaching. So, we can make our standard assessment for our students. It is better than we force the standard from government to students. I think it makes our students being stressed.

The most interesting session is when we discuss the characteristic teacher who we dreamed. All of groups answer that a teacher should competent in materiel, good looking, kind; have good skill when teaching, not always serious, never give body punishment, etc. That thing as a lead for me to be good teacher because all of that comes from ourselves who ever feel be students. The most important teacher has to learn and not only teach. I think this sentence can be representative of our answers.

In the end of session Miss Ine tells us to fill in questioner and write our hopes, goal and fears of this course on post it. For me, my hopes is I can apply what my lecture give to me and what I learn when I teach someday. So, I can be effective teacher for my students. Teacher who teach and asses my students effectively. The teacher who can be inspired my students to be better and better. My hopes and goals are not only getting good score but also I understand deep about this course. I am afraid that sometimes maybe I will feel sleepy and bored so I cannot understand the course. After that, we put our post it in flip chart. It can be remembered for me when I get down or lazy.

Identities of Culture

Identities of Culture

Complicated, boring and mysterious those are the things which appear in my mind when I know about Humanistic Studies. From the name of this subject I guess we will talk about human live or human social interaction during this semester. It will be very large of topic and maybe make me confused.

After the first meeting in the last week, I know that we are really true will talk about human live but for this subject we will concern in religion and multiple cultural in our beloved country. Honestly, I really interested about that because I like learn culture whether it cultures in Indonesia or in another country. The most important I still assume that this course is mysterious because as a human we also do the same thing and I think that is naturally. I hope I can keep my excitement and still interested to know deeper about human live, in religion and the differences of multiple cultural in Indonesia until in the end of this course. Understand and get good score of course are part of my wishes. Especially, I can understand and apply my understanding when I teach because the time when we teach in front of the class, that is time when we are really need to understand our candidate of students. I wish, by this course I more to know how we handle and respect to the differences in our class and be a model of my students. So they can be a person who can live in the differences peacefully. 

If we are talk about identities of someone, we can’t release the background of family from that one. Especially from culture and religion because our country is not communism, so we should have a religion which we believed. We can know identities’ someone by the name, the accent of she/he speaks, and the gesture. There are so many cultures in Indonesia because there are more than 30 provinces in this country. The first thing I which I will analyze from my friends is their name because from that I can know their hometown or culture background.

In Indonesia we can guess someone hometown by the family name or we called “marga” like Pasaribu, Marpaung, Hutabarat etc. People who used family background commonly come from North Sumatra and East Indonesia. Commonly they use family name which comes from father descendent or we called “patrealisme”. It is different with West Sumatera which the people still believe in “matrealisme” or they follow mother descendant. Even though not all Indonesian people use family name, but we can guess by the unique and characteristic of that name. Like someone who has unique name a little bit like Portuguese people, I guess that one from East of Indonesia. Or someone who has name like story in Ramayana, it maybe the family background come from Java which only little bit people who follow the “patrealisme” pattern. 

We can know background of someone from the accent of her/his language. Maybe we always hear that Javanese people always speak softly and Sumatra people always excited when they are talking about. It one of the way we analyze our friends identities, without we ask them about their background. I interested in Keraton descendant or we called as blue blood descendant. I want to know more about them and how they make interaction with commonly people. It still mysterious for me and make me curious.

Religion. That is the sensitive thing in this country which has many religions. I still ask why we can have many religions in this world. By that question I try to respect another person who has different religion with me. I am really grateful with God because I live and grow in the place where not only having one religion is. Indonesia is a gift from God because I think our country has a lot of things start from resources, culture and religion. The differences make our complete each other, so why we can’t try to respect and understand that. I feel sad, if there is a person who underestimate another people because religion or culture. I feel it is not fair for them. I ever felt how to be minorities in the big society and if there is people who staring at you because you are different, it is really annoying. Not easy to be part of big society for minorities people.  Because of that I interested in the minorities community which has different religion and background like Chinese people in Indonesia, or they are who come from another country and live in Indonesia. 

Reflective Journal TLL

Technology and Second Language Learning

Technologies. The sophisticated things which develop and help our lives are one of the results from human population. Every people in this word open minded with the new technology. There are many kind technologies such as technology in medical, in transportation and in education world. I think one of the most popular technologies now is ICT.

I think the main job of teachers is only teach but also they have to learn about something new, like the development of ICT. It can be about computer, internet, projector or something else. In my opinion all of that can help our student to understand and more interesting when they learn second language. So, we not only teach with old method but we can give our student variant method.

In the article with title ''Technology and Second Language Learning by Mark Warschauer and Carla Meskill'' was show us how several teacher use technologies for teaching. I think in learn second language student will be easily to understand language if we use technology, but it can works if both of student and teacher know how to use the technology itself. So, it cannot be trouble in teaching and learning process.

 There are many kind of software which can help to improve our students’ understanding. It can make our student more excited to learn, help them to consult with us; students can directly learn from native, etc.  Actually, computer and internet are power technology for now because we can get information about anything quickly.  

I think technology like computer and internet in the classroom are help students to increase their skill in cognitive approaches. But, I think it is also can decrease direct communication between students in Sociocognitive approaches. It is not good, even though they can chat by online or another kind of software.

The most important for the teachers who use technology in their class are we know what our students need, so we can prepare anything well and we can use appropriate technology. It wills not less but also not over. For the high technology in school, I agree with that. During that technology can help us and we also know how to use it, I think it is appropriate.