Huh... Okay, here's an insight on the inner workings of the mind of a typical UiTM guard.
I'm pulling into the faculty in order to submit Zurin's thesis (my wife, for those of you who don't know. Who reads this blog anyways?) and I'm stopped by the guard. I don't have a car sticker, since I don't park inside, it's closer to walk to class from the outside public parking lot, as opposed to the parking lots prepped for students inside the compound itself. That particular logic continues to escape me, but fact of the matter remains that I don't have a sticker.
So I tell the guard who stopped me that I'm just dropping off a thesis at a lecturer's office (pretty far away from the gates, and I'm just dropping the damn thing off anyways, so it doesn't make sense to waste 15-20 minutes parking outside walking inside, walking back outside and driving off) so could I please just be let in for a bit.
He asks if I'm a student. Well, now that you mentioned it, yes, I am a student, which would be why I'm dropping off a thesis, you numbskull, normal citizens have better things to do on their daily routine than go to a faculty in Shah Alam and drop off thesises (thesese? thesesesisis? what's the plural for it anyways?).
He asks to see my card, I show him it, at which point he comments that I don't have a sticker. Regular Einstein. Yes, I don't have a sticker (which is why I'm being pulled over). Why don't I have a sticker, he asks. Why, because I usually park outside, and today I'm just delivering a thesis, so could I please be let through. You should get a sticker, he says. I tell him, well, that really wouldn't be advisable at this point in time, since I'm in my final semester, and I wouldn't need it after this.
He tells me, this is why you need a sticker, because you want to go into the faculty. I wonder at this point which part of I'm just delivering a thesis that he didn't get, and decide it was probably the entire thing. I sigh and reiterate that I'm just hopping in to send a thesis.
He tells me you should have a sticker, at which point I realize belatedly that adhesives might have been a childhood obsession of his. I give up trying to make a point and resign myself to the fact that maybe I should have just parked outside. He nods, proud of the point he's made and tells me that I should go and apply for a sticker, since I want to come into the faculty with the car, and he'll remember my car and its stickerlessness, and I'd better have a sticker the next time I want to come in. He'll let me through this one time. Which was all I was frigging asking for in the first place.
I sigh, nod, and tell him I will definitely get a sticker for my car (although it's so obviously redundant since I won't be coming back here as a student anymore, so there really is no point in having a sticker since I'd have to register as an outsider anyways), however I believe he may have missed the subtle sarcasm in my voice, as well as the clockwise rotation of my eyes, due to my distracting thumbs up, coupled with a nod and a tight smile.
I bet he's probably gonna boast about that incident to his friends over lunch. "You know that green car? Oh yeah, I made sure it's gonna have a sticker. That's right. Me. Oh yeah. I went there. Who's the man?"
Simply amazing.
EpoL
Thursday, November 13, 2008
Thursday, October 30, 2008
My bad
Heh, no, it wasn't 70, or even 96.
My proxies actually managed to give out and take back all 100 questionnaires.
Owh mah lawd!
My proxies actually managed to give out and take back all 100 questionnaires.
Owh mah lawd!
Sunday, October 26, 2008
AE Blues
Does my back hurt?
Why yes, yes it does, thanks for asking.
I'm tabulating my questionnaires, and in hindsight, it probably wasn't a really smart thing to send out 100 questionnaires. 50 would've been good, 100 is overkill, since I've got at least 70 answered if I remember my figures. I suddenly feel a sense of dread; if I recall correctly, I think 96 people answered... I've calculated the results for 40 so far.
Dear UiTM TESL Program :
Referring to the above paragraph, it is quite possible that you might drive me bat**** crazy.
Love, EpoL
Why yes, yes it does, thanks for asking.
I'm tabulating my questionnaires, and in hindsight, it probably wasn't a really smart thing to send out 100 questionnaires. 50 would've been good, 100 is overkill, since I've got at least 70 answered if I remember my figures. I suddenly feel a sense of dread; if I recall correctly, I think 96 people answered... I've calculated the results for 40 so far.
Dear UiTM TESL Program :
Referring to the above paragraph, it is quite possible that you might drive me bat**** crazy.
Love, EpoL
Sunday, October 19, 2008
Pumpkin
So...
Let me tell you about Pumpkin. He's a soft shelled terrapin, a Trionychidae, who I purchased earlier this year. He's my second terrapin, the youngest of two so far, the other one being Naiade, a red eared slider. I picked him out myself, rather than let the aquarium choose him at random, and he seemed to be one of the more lively ones in the choosing tank.
Brought him home to KL, and he was initially shy, or maybe scared, and refused to eat when anyone was looking. After a while though, in the words of my wife, he developed a personality, and would immediately perk up when we held the container of shrimp over his tank, grab one as soon as we dropped it, and scurry off to his favourite feeding corner where he would work on the shrimp for a good five minutes.
My wife and I fell in love with him.
At first, he only recognized me, but he learned to recognize Zurin as well, and was always happy to see us, since it was usually feeding time. I cleaned his tank every couple of days, since shrimp tends to stink quite a bit, and bacteria tends to form up in stagnant water.
Lately though, we had been swamped with work, so we didn't pay him as much attention as usual, and what with having to move around a lot between KL and Shah Alam and PJ, and the occassional trips outstation, we just weren't around him enough, I suppose. When we were around him, we noted that he just didn't seem his usual happy self anymore.
Before this week, he had been spending a couple of weeks with my mom, who reported that he hadn't been eating properly. I brought him over to Shah Alam earlier this week, where I could keep an eye on him, and maybe he was slightly happier to finally have some attention, since he seemed to regain a bit of his old appetite, and ate quite a bit once he had settled down.
After returning from today's seminar, we took a nap, since the past few days have been quite exhausting. Waking up, I decided to check on Pumpkin to see if he was hungry, and if his tank needed cleaning.
He didn't move when I tapped the side of the container, and not even when I touched him.
My wife cried.
I want to.
We're burying him tomorrow.
Let me tell you about Pumpkin. He's a soft shelled terrapin, a Trionychidae, who I purchased earlier this year. He's my second terrapin, the youngest of two so far, the other one being Naiade, a red eared slider. I picked him out myself, rather than let the aquarium choose him at random, and he seemed to be one of the more lively ones in the choosing tank.
Brought him home to KL, and he was initially shy, or maybe scared, and refused to eat when anyone was looking. After a while though, in the words of my wife, he developed a personality, and would immediately perk up when we held the container of shrimp over his tank, grab one as soon as we dropped it, and scurry off to his favourite feeding corner where he would work on the shrimp for a good five minutes.
My wife and I fell in love with him.
At first, he only recognized me, but he learned to recognize Zurin as well, and was always happy to see us, since it was usually feeding time. I cleaned his tank every couple of days, since shrimp tends to stink quite a bit, and bacteria tends to form up in stagnant water.
Lately though, we had been swamped with work, so we didn't pay him as much attention as usual, and what with having to move around a lot between KL and Shah Alam and PJ, and the occassional trips outstation, we just weren't around him enough, I suppose. When we were around him, we noted that he just didn't seem his usual happy self anymore.
Before this week, he had been spending a couple of weeks with my mom, who reported that he hadn't been eating properly. I brought him over to Shah Alam earlier this week, where I could keep an eye on him, and maybe he was slightly happier to finally have some attention, since he seemed to regain a bit of his old appetite, and ate quite a bit once he had settled down.
After returning from today's seminar, we took a nap, since the past few days have been quite exhausting. Waking up, I decided to check on Pumpkin to see if he was hungry, and if his tank needed cleaning.
He didn't move when I tapped the side of the container, and not even when I touched him.
My wife cried.
I want to.
We're burying him tomorrow.
Sunday, October 12, 2008
CALL - an overview of stuff
Based on your teaching practicum experience please answer the following questions in your blog:
If you had the chance would you utilize ICT (CALL) in your teaching?
It would really depend on a number of parameters. Is there internet at the school? Is it running all the time, or do you have to request for it to be connected? How long does the request take to be accepted/rejected? How long does it take for the connection to be up and running? How many computers are there in the lab? How many students are in the class? Is there sufficient filters on the internet connection? Are the computers running in ideal conditions, or are they slowed down thanks to bad maintenance? Projectors and speakers are basic systems which don't require a technician breathing down your neck to operate (like in some of the classes here in our beloved faculty)? Distance from class to lab. Periods before and after your English class (in case there's lunch before or after, at which point the students get restless, or if there's a teacher with a penchant to 'overteach' which would screw up your schedule well and truly). Is the prepared lesson something which really requires a computer, or could you do it with a piece of mahjong paper? Do the students have basic fundamental knowledge of operating a computer?
For example, I did my practicum in Subang Utama. There were enough computers to support the number of students in the computer labs. They definitely can use computers well enough, since they do the whole myspace,facebook,friendster thing, as well as MSN and YM chats. However, the classes were always very far, and the students would take forever to go from one place to the next. They would take 10-15 minutes to hustle to the labs, and 10-15 minutes to hustle back to their class, which meant less time for the lesson for me, and eating into the time of the next teacher, which would get my humble self in trouble. This factor alone made me reconsider any CALL lesson plans I might have tried to make happen. If the classes were closer, I might have tried to think up a few CALL lessons.
How do you think it would help (or would not help) your students to learn English?
Honestly, using computers would probably be a big help in teaching kids to learn English. Give them a simple game to play, and they need to understand the instructions properly. Give them a website to go to that caters to their interests, and they'll want to know what 'ambiguous photo-emmissions' are, since it's a superhero power. And any number of other things.
Unfortunately, it would also be bad if they came across any of the feared online languages.
SMS speech : hi hw ru, im fyn 2, i kno u bz, ttyl bai.
13375p34|< (leet speak (Elite Speech)): 1 |3 1337, j00 5|_|><><()RZZZ (I be leet, you suck (I am an elite, you are far inferior to myself))
lolspeech : er, go to www.icanhascheezburger.com
These would all have a bad effect on the language IMHO. Not to mention all the swearing to be found in forums, as well as idiot opinions on whatever is a hot topic at the moment. Brrr...
What do you think are the advantages and disadvantages of implementing CALL in the Malaysian schools?
Advantages would be if you could actually get the theory up and working instead of staying on paper. It would cut down a lot of the time needed to prep materials and look for information, and with a good local network and program, allows for efficient distribution of work and information to students. It allows for better co-operation between teachers, in working out kinks in the distribution and execution of programs which are used for classes.
Disadvantages would be if CALL became something too widely depended upon, so yeah, viruses, blackouts, thunderstorms, would effectively lay to waste most of the class preparations. If Godzilla happens to attack too, but that would lay waste to conventional teaching methods as well as civilization as we know it...
On a more serious note, pirating of software used in CALL might very well lead to students being able to cheat their way through lessons, and if an exam were ever to be CALL oriented, they could cheat through that too. Also, if a non-flexible program is used, students who are too weak might not be able to cope, whereas students who are too 'gifted' might get bored easily.
What are the barriers in implementing CALL in the Malaysian classroom?
Funding. Lack of computers. Lack of computer/peripheral maintenance. Lack of suitable programs. Lack of technical experience in most teachers, as well as students - I was asked on multiple occassions to help out with computer related stuff during my practicum, which turned out to be pretty basic, but since the teachers had probably never needed to use computers before, they didn't know how. Not being derisive of the teachers here, they just didn't know. I wouldn't know how to do something I'd never done before either. So, lack of training. Teachers who are set in their ways not wanting to use CALL. Students not having the facilities at home, therefore not being familiar with CALL, and not being able to do homework. Also, friggin adolescent hackers might feel the need to sabotage the school so they don't need to do any work, or they just feel like ruining whatever technology the school has. Yes, technology has its limits, but you could actually log onto the BIOS of a computer and remove the voltage limiters on the power supply as well as the temperature warning and shut off knee jerk reaction so that a computer would overheat and burn out the motherboard and processor. Not quite the push of the magic button which makes things go boom, but has the same effect.
Please also include any other comments/thoughts/ideas on this topic
A lot of the implementation of technology in a classroom setting, or just plain education, has to do with several factors which go beyond simple implementation. The technological as well as civil maturity of a populace. I mean, I prep a mahjong paper and a student tears it up, big deal, 60 sen. A student rips into a computer and it's RM1500 baby. There's also the execution of the entire thing. You can't just go to war without checking to see if your gun's loaded, which means you shouldn't implement something without making sure you've thought through the entire thing. What's the use of using CALL if it's just gonna be the same lessons you could have done with a piece of cardboard, only you're using a computer? So the theory of using CALL has to branch in different directions from contemporary and conventional means of teaching. A proper curriculum that >>worked<< would definitely be a necessity. Teachers who are CALL oriented, and technologically savvy who think differently would be a huge plus. CALL shouldn't just be seen as a new tool for old styles of teaching, but an entire step forward in teaching methodology. While it might not replace conventional teaching methods, and I'm not saying it should, it shouldn't be reflective of conventional teaching methods, because then it would be pointless.
If you had the chance would you utilize ICT (CALL) in your teaching?
It would really depend on a number of parameters. Is there internet at the school? Is it running all the time, or do you have to request for it to be connected? How long does the request take to be accepted/rejected? How long does it take for the connection to be up and running? How many computers are there in the lab? How many students are in the class? Is there sufficient filters on the internet connection? Are the computers running in ideal conditions, or are they slowed down thanks to bad maintenance? Projectors and speakers are basic systems which don't require a technician breathing down your neck to operate (like in some of the classes here in our beloved faculty)? Distance from class to lab. Periods before and after your English class (in case there's lunch before or after, at which point the students get restless, or if there's a teacher with a penchant to 'overteach' which would screw up your schedule well and truly). Is the prepared lesson something which really requires a computer, or could you do it with a piece of mahjong paper? Do the students have basic fundamental knowledge of operating a computer?
For example, I did my practicum in Subang Utama. There were enough computers to support the number of students in the computer labs. They definitely can use computers well enough, since they do the whole myspace,facebook,friendster thing, as well as MSN and YM chats. However, the classes were always very far, and the students would take forever to go from one place to the next. They would take 10-15 minutes to hustle to the labs, and 10-15 minutes to hustle back to their class, which meant less time for the lesson for me, and eating into the time of the next teacher, which would get my humble self in trouble. This factor alone made me reconsider any CALL lesson plans I might have tried to make happen. If the classes were closer, I might have tried to think up a few CALL lessons.
How do you think it would help (or would not help) your students to learn English?
Honestly, using computers would probably be a big help in teaching kids to learn English. Give them a simple game to play, and they need to understand the instructions properly. Give them a website to go to that caters to their interests, and they'll want to know what 'ambiguous photo-emmissions' are, since it's a superhero power. And any number of other things.
Unfortunately, it would also be bad if they came across any of the feared online languages.
SMS speech : hi hw ru, im fyn 2, i kno u bz, ttyl bai.
13375p34|< (leet speak (Elite Speech)): 1 |3 1337, j00 5|_|><><()RZZZ (I be leet, you suck (I am an elite, you are far inferior to myself))
lolspeech : er, go to www.icanhascheezburger.com
These would all have a bad effect on the language IMHO. Not to mention all the swearing to be found in forums, as well as idiot opinions on whatever is a hot topic at the moment. Brrr...
What do you think are the advantages and disadvantages of implementing CALL in the Malaysian schools?
Advantages would be if you could actually get the theory up and working instead of staying on paper. It would cut down a lot of the time needed to prep materials and look for information, and with a good local network and program, allows for efficient distribution of work and information to students. It allows for better co-operation between teachers, in working out kinks in the distribution and execution of programs which are used for classes.
Disadvantages would be if CALL became something too widely depended upon, so yeah, viruses, blackouts, thunderstorms, would effectively lay to waste most of the class preparations. If Godzilla happens to attack too, but that would lay waste to conventional teaching methods as well as civilization as we know it...
On a more serious note, pirating of software used in CALL might very well lead to students being able to cheat their way through lessons, and if an exam were ever to be CALL oriented, they could cheat through that too. Also, if a non-flexible program is used, students who are too weak might not be able to cope, whereas students who are too 'gifted' might get bored easily.
What are the barriers in implementing CALL in the Malaysian classroom?
Funding. Lack of computers. Lack of computer/peripheral maintenance. Lack of suitable programs. Lack of technical experience in most teachers, as well as students - I was asked on multiple occassions to help out with computer related stuff during my practicum, which turned out to be pretty basic, but since the teachers had probably never needed to use computers before, they didn't know how. Not being derisive of the teachers here, they just didn't know. I wouldn't know how to do something I'd never done before either. So, lack of training. Teachers who are set in their ways not wanting to use CALL. Students not having the facilities at home, therefore not being familiar with CALL, and not being able to do homework. Also, friggin adolescent hackers might feel the need to sabotage the school so they don't need to do any work, or they just feel like ruining whatever technology the school has. Yes, technology has its limits, but you could actually log onto the BIOS of a computer and remove the voltage limiters on the power supply as well as the temperature warning and shut off knee jerk reaction so that a computer would overheat and burn out the motherboard and processor. Not quite the push of the magic button which makes things go boom, but has the same effect.
Please also include any other comments/thoughts/ideas on this topic
A lot of the implementation of technology in a classroom setting, or just plain education, has to do with several factors which go beyond simple implementation. The technological as well as civil maturity of a populace. I mean, I prep a mahjong paper and a student tears it up, big deal, 60 sen. A student rips into a computer and it's RM1500 baby. There's also the execution of the entire thing. You can't just go to war without checking to see if your gun's loaded, which means you shouldn't implement something without making sure you've thought through the entire thing. What's the use of using CALL if it's just gonna be the same lessons you could have done with a piece of cardboard, only you're using a computer? So the theory of using CALL has to branch in different directions from contemporary and conventional means of teaching. A proper curriculum that >>worked<< would definitely be a necessity. Teachers who are CALL oriented, and technologically savvy who think differently would be a huge plus. CALL shouldn't just be seen as a new tool for old styles of teaching, but an entire step forward in teaching methodology. While it might not replace conventional teaching methods, and I'm not saying it should, it shouldn't be reflective of conventional teaching methods, because then it would be pointless.
Sunday, October 5, 2008
CALL Lesson Plan
So, here's a lesson plan that shows just how much of a comic book geek I am, as well as expect students of this day and age to be. Hmmm... Regardless, feast your eyes :
=
Level : Form 2
Time : 1 hour
Aims : To make use of students’ creativity to create a parody superhero and use their imaginations to create backgrounds for the superheroes.
Technical Requirements : A computer for each group of students (ranging from 1-4 depending on size of class as well as computer lab) with an active internet connection and photo-editing software, such as MS Paint or Adobe Photoshop. MS Powerpoint is optional for presentation purposes.
Preparation : Have some images of animals and superheroes on standby, which can be found by googling any animal and any superhero and selecting suitable images (suitable meaning full body images which show the entire superhero, not just faces)
Optional to prepare a parodied superhero complete with background story.
Procedure :
1. Ask students to name their favourite superheroes, either from movies, or comics.
2. Ask students how those superheroes got their powers.
3. Show them pictures of animals and superheroes.
4. Ask them what would happen/how they would look like if the superheroes were animals instead. (Optional : present parodied superhero, complete with background story).
5. Get students to work in groups or individually, depending on circumstance and teacher’s discretion.
6. Get students to google images of animals as well as their favourite superheroes, or use the images that have been prepared to make their own superhero parody by using photo-editing software such as MS Paint or Adobe Photoshop.
7. Get students to present their finished product and create a background story for the superhero; how they got their powers, and how they fight crime.
Follow-up :
Get students to create supervillains for their superheroes at home. Preferably the supervillains should be the natural enemies of the animals which they used for the superheroes.
+
=
Level : Form 2
Time : 1 hour
Aims : To make use of students’ creativity to create a parody superhero and use their imaginations to create backgrounds for the superheroes.
Technical Requirements : A computer for each group of students (ranging from 1-4 depending on size of class as well as computer lab) with an active internet connection and photo-editing software, such as MS Paint or Adobe Photoshop. MS Powerpoint is optional for presentation purposes.
Preparation : Have some images of animals and superheroes on standby, which can be found by googling any animal and any superhero and selecting suitable images (suitable meaning full body images which show the entire superhero, not just faces)
Optional to prepare a parodied superhero complete with background story.
Procedure :
1. Ask students to name their favourite superheroes, either from movies, or comics.
2. Ask students how those superheroes got their powers.
3. Show them pictures of animals and superheroes.
4. Ask them what would happen/how they would look like if the superheroes were animals instead. (Optional : present parodied superhero, complete with background story).
5. Get students to work in groups or individually, depending on circumstance and teacher’s discretion.
6. Get students to google images of animals as well as their favourite superheroes, or use the images that have been prepared to make their own superhero parody by using photo-editing software such as MS Paint or Adobe Photoshop.
7. Get students to present their finished product and create a background story for the superhero; how they got their powers, and how they fight crime.
Follow-up :
Get students to create supervillains for their superheroes at home. Preferably the supervillains should be the natural enemies of the animals which they used for the superheroes.
Tuesday, September 23, 2008
Wtb time warp
Stumbled across this as I was mucking around for info. Handy site. Sometimes you can't help but curse at yourself for not having found stuff just a slight bit earlier, I mean, it could have been handy during any one of the basic literature classes, or even during the practicum. Oh well, live and learn and pass it on.
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