Self learning does not work with children? Think again. A research by Sugata Mitra, Ritu Dangwal, Shiffon Chatterjee, Swati Jha, Ravinder S. Bisht and Preeti Kapur has proven that children have the ability to conduct self learning if there is equipment provided for them. How great it is to know that children in the squaters area learnt to operate and explore computer by themselves? Even we, grown up and live in the city, which is fully furnished with technological stuffs are using the manuals to know how to use the computer. Even I, up to date do not know how to use certain applications in the computer.
Computer is seen as the high-tech and sometimes-complicated machine but these children show that if you want to gain knowledge about something, you may acquire even the harderst thing in the world. Nothing is impossible even if you live in the smallest and poorest part of the world. All you need to have is interest on the subject and courage.
One thing attracts me while reading the article is the idea to place the computer in the wall in open area so that everybody will have the opportunity to have access to the Internet. It is an eye-opener that despite all the difficulties they are facing; poverty, inadequate facilities, illiteracy, these students actually have interest in gaining knowledge and most importantly they succeed in learning how to use the computer as a tool to find information. In addition to that, they learnt without asking help from adults and they being very helpful among each other. I think all of us should take our hats off to these children.
Tuesday, 27 July 2010
Sunday, 25 July 2010
Have I ever been CALLed?
Assalamualaikum everyone...
This is the first week of TSL641 class and we were introduced to something called C.A.L.L…
What is CALL?
Most of us only know the “call” that we make using our cellphones but this CALL is actually an
abbreviation for Computer Assisted Language Learning.
This means that you use computer software as a means of scaffolding in language learning process.
All of us have been exposed to methods of teaching that are encouraging, interest capturing, and creative. Aware of the fact that learning should be interactive, meaningful and fun, the use of multimedia and technology is highly encouraged to make students more interested in learning particularly language learning.
This is written really well on paper and well said but, unfortunately, the implementation part tells a different story. In schools (most schools if not all), there is at least one computer lab that is initially built for the students to have access to the computer in order to enhance learning. However, the reality is totally different. Students always brought to the labs because the teacher cannot stand the heat in the classroom therefore they need an air- conditioned room. But do the students have the opportunity to use the computer? In most cases…no they don't.
Nowadays, the Ministry of Education has taken the effort to produce a lot of coursewares to help teachers in providing a fun way of learning for the students. Nevertheless, very few teachers have interest in using the coursewares. It’s always the traditional chalk and talk, or worse talk with no chalk involve.
Despite all these, we cannot blame the teachers for not using the materials available as they might not good in handling computer software or they even do not have a vast knowledge regarding computer. Therefore, the Ministry have to examine why is it that most teachers did not use the materials available and they have to plan the ways to provide teachers with knowledge on new technology so that all the good stuffs we have to facilitate language learning will not be abandoned or just being kept in the cupboard in library for decades.
This is the first week of TSL641 class and we were introduced to something called C.A.L.L…
What is CALL?
Most of us only know the “call” that we make using our cellphones but this CALL is actually an
abbreviation for Computer Assisted Language Learning.
This means that you use computer software as a means of scaffolding in language learning process.
All of us have been exposed to methods of teaching that are encouraging, interest capturing, and creative. Aware of the fact that learning should be interactive, meaningful and fun, the use of multimedia and technology is highly encouraged to make students more interested in learning particularly language learning.
This is written really well on paper and well said but, unfortunately, the implementation part tells a different story. In schools (most schools if not all), there is at least one computer lab that is initially built for the students to have access to the computer in order to enhance learning. However, the reality is totally different. Students always brought to the labs because the teacher cannot stand the heat in the classroom therefore they need an air- conditioned room. But do the students have the opportunity to use the computer? In most cases…no they don't.
Nowadays, the Ministry of Education has taken the effort to produce a lot of coursewares to help teachers in providing a fun way of learning for the students. Nevertheless, very few teachers have interest in using the coursewares. It’s always the traditional chalk and talk, or worse talk with no chalk involve.
Despite all these, we cannot blame the teachers for not using the materials available as they might not good in handling computer software or they even do not have a vast knowledge regarding computer. Therefore, the Ministry have to examine why is it that most teachers did not use the materials available and they have to plan the ways to provide teachers with knowledge on new technology so that all the good stuffs we have to facilitate language learning will not be abandoned or just being kept in the cupboard in library for decades.
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