Audio and Video Media in Teaching and Learning

I would like to discuss on the use of audio and video media in support the teaching and learning process. This topic is based on my understanding when I went through a topic 10 of Technology course.

We already get use to PowerPoint slide, Preze, Powtoon and other similar. But we and the audience will get board if every presentation just used PowerPoint. Thus the exploration should not stop here. Making an audio and video presentation is quite cool also. We have did this as our introduction while setup a Blendspace presentation last time. I also think that the stop motions tool is very interesting and attractive as well.

You may check out further my introduction using an audio and video at the below link which I could engage with the students while they listen to my voice and see my face in the video. The media like YouTube as well will maintain student interest and focus:

 https://www.tes.com/lessons/PaArGJAb9ftsQg/edit

And you might also want to know how we can present ‘making healthy breakfast’ using a stop motion. As a result from this stop motion video, our students were not throwing the salad and vegetable while ate the sandwich. This is due to the attractive stop motion video that they have watched before prepare their own breakfast:

https://youtu.be/LbPh9QKhzw8

Research suggests that people learn new things more easily when they are presented in both verbal and visual form (Salomon, 1979). Other empirical research shows that visual media make concepts more accessible to a person than text media and help with later recall (Cowen, 1984).

Therefore, the use of audio and video media is become more relevant if we want to engage more with our audience.

3D Augmented Reality

I have heard about Augmented Reality (AR) during my Technology class with Dr.Farha. At first I thought it will be so hard and not friendly tool to use. But after give it a try, it is actually easy I could say.

What is Augmented Reality (AR) technology? It is the technology that expands our physical world, adding layers of digital information onto it. Unlike Virtual Reality (VR), AR does not create whole artificial environments to replace real with virtual one.

First step is to install a free apps of Quiver-3d Coloring App. I have installed a Spectacular apps in my smartphone. Next is to go to the QuiverVision.com to print our selected image, print it and start coloring. Further we can scan the QR code via the apps viewer. These images are then bring to life, my original coloring and designs intact on a smartphone screen by looking at them through the apps viewer and pressing play. Below is my 3D image captured by the apps viewer and at bottom is the animation video I have recorded.

Top is the coloring image and bottom is the 3D AR

Wow. It is pretty cool is not it? So I have introduced this tool to all my students in preschool. The technology is one of the way to get engage with them. And yes learning with technology has become more relevant towards the 21st Century education. Just look at them how impressed there were when watching their coloring picture becomes alive.

However, technology should not be brought to classroom just for sake of doing something new. Teachers need to have pedagogically relevant way to use new technologies, and the same goes with 3D technologies.

As for me I think the students can do a story telling based on their animated life 3D images. In addition they can also do a writing exercise based on their observation. The technology is smart and as an educator, we need to be smarter.

Google Classroom

I have encountered Google Classroom during my interview session with the 21^st Century Teacher, Cikgu Mohd Khamarul Idzwan Othman. He has shown me the uses of Google Classroom and he had invited me to join his Google Classroom. So here it goes, I am in his Google Classroom. I have an access to his file sharing like worksheet for exercise, parenting talk and many more. Wherever I found his sharing relevant to the preschool, I will print the worksheet and share with my students.

Inspired by his sharing, I have created my own Google Classroom for the uses of my kindergarten. And since the preschool students are not having any email yet, therefore the participant of course would be their parents! Below is the Google Classroom created for my kindergarten namely APC BPU. I can invite parents by their email address or give them a class code to join. It is so easy.

This application is pretty cool. I am thinking of replace my way of delegates info to the parents. Currently I am using communication book to update any children activities and reading progress. Perhaps next year I could implement Google Classroom instead. It is so fast and paperless. I like it! It’s awesome.

Overall, I can list down some of the advantages of Google Classroom as below:

• Set up an account just in a few minutes
• Can create, collect, and grade assignments all in one place
• Can see who did the work
• Can give feedback to a students or parents
• Can make announcement
• Students can ask questions in real time even out of the classroom

So what are you waiting for? The future of educations starts now. Are you ready? 

A Blendspace

First time the blendspace being introduced in class by a lecturer, I am a bit blurred. Well everything is new when come to ICT. Then I started to play around with the Blendspace during class and things to become a bit clear. As a starting I have tried to compile a topic related to volcano. Below is the link to my volcano presentation:

https://www.tes.com/lessons/Ns58s3_tlMaDjg/edit

It was not really a proper lesson plan since it was just a trial session. But it has inspired me to choose this digital tool as apps exploration in Exercise 1 given by the lecturer.

In exercise 1, I have decided to choose a HFMD topic since it is related to the current issue. I have been more familiar with the tools a step further. Below is the link to my second Blendspace.

https://www.tes.com/lessons/PaArGJAb9ftsQg/edit

From my understanding Blendspace is a tool that provides a place to keep all of our resources so our presentation or lesson plan will become more organize and it will looks professional too!

Putting this Blendspace together, like recording videos, organizing content, adding tiles, and etc maybe took us around one to two hours, but that’s totally worth it because it helps us to deliver our lesson plan even in the absent of us. The replacement teacher also might be able to teach class by using our Blendspace so easily. This is extremely saving a lot of time. Furthermore the lessons can be shared or embed easily on the web like Google Classroom, twitter, email, or facebook.

One of the challenges of teaching preschool students is to get their attention. As we know their attention span is very low, so the Blendspace is one of the tools that can engaged with the students interactively.

As a whole it is really recommended to use the Blendspace as one of the teaching tools because it provides a better engagement with the students as compared to the conventional method of teaching.

21st Century Teacher

Wow! This is my first time heard about 21^st Century Teacher. It was for an assignment given by my lecturer. So I have started to dig up what is 21^st Century Teacher? From my reading I find out that the term “21^st Century skills” is generally used to refer to certain core competencies such as collaboration, digital literacy, critical thinking, and problem-solving that advocates believe schools need to teach to helps students survived in today’s world. Wow, so what is exactly 21^st Century Teacher need to be?

The characteristic of 21^st Century Teacher is divided into four major skills; creativity, critical thinking, communication and collaboration. Creativity is about thinking through information in new ways, making new connection and coming up with innovative solutions to problems. Critical thinking is about analyzing information and critiquing claims. Communication is understanding things well enough to share them clearly with other people. Collaboration is about teamwork and the cooperative genius of a group.

Through my further readings I get to know that 21^st Century Students are actually refers to Generation Z and Generation Alpha. Generation Z which is born between 1995 and 2009, most of them do not remember life without the internet, and have had technology like smartphones, iPads, smartboards and other devices available throughout most of their schooling.

Meanwhile Generation Alpha is born since 2010. They are younger than smartphone, the iPad, 3D television, Instagram and others tools These two generations have grown up with advance technology as a given in their homes and classroom. It means all the information at your fingertips with everything just a quick search away.

So as a teacher we must equip ourselves with the “21^st Century skills” in other for us to compete with the technologies. The students in our schools today are intelligent, independent, and extremely capable. They are skilled with technology. With so much information readily available to them, 21^st century skills focus more on making sense of that information, sharing and using it in smart ways.

As for me, I will continue upgrade my skills and knowledge in order for me to become a 21^st Century Teacher. Furthermore all my children are Generation Alpha, so as a parents I must giving them the skills they need to succeed in this new world.

New Life is Just Begin

I am a student again!

Hi Hello everyone! My name is Farah Fadlina. I am a mother to three active kids Arissa, Arif and Ammar. Life is very hectic but Alhamdulillah still manage to find time for some knowledge through workshops, courses and seminars.

As a dedicated teacher, I have to pursue my study in early childhood. This is to enhance my knowledge and skills on educating children. It was a long jurney process until I have decided to enroll a Master of Education (Early Childhood Education). Now I am here in  UNITAR for semester one and surprisingly it's about to end! Life is become more hectic, with the kindergarten to manage, kiddos and home chaos. Wow trust me it’s never been easy.

I have registered a three subject in this first semester. They are Foundations of Education, Psychology of Learning and Instruction and last one is Technology in Education. Overall of the three I can say that Technology in Education is the most challenging subject. I am not an IT person, not a gadget addict either and yet the Technology in Education require me to explore the ICT tools which I feel very hard for the moment.

May ALLAH bless the journey with a fruitful knowledge of early childhood education and may ALLAH ease everything for me and for you.

Till next time, assalamualaikum ;-)