THIRD POSTING - IMPACTS OF USING ICT AND WIRELESS TECHNOLOGY IN EDUCATION

Hello everyone! This is my third posting which discusses about the impact of using ICT and wireless technology in few aspects. What is ICT stand for? Did you all know that? For your information ICT stand for INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY .For this posting I have choose a topic which sound as THE IMPACT OF USING ICT AND WIRELESS TECHNOLOGY IN EDUCATION. On this week I want to give brief information about this task. All the information’s were I get for this task is based on my findings were done at Perpustakaan Tun Sri Lanang (PTSL) - electronic journal. My findings are based on few sites such as SCOPUS, EBSHOST and Pro Quest. Before I start my description more deeply I want to explain the meaning of each words in my topic.

What is the meaning of IMPACT? According to Longman Dictionary Contemporary English, (THIRD EDITION, 2001) IMPACT is clarified as the effect or influence that an event. USING is clarified as when you use something or you do something with it for a purpose. While I cannot identify the meaning of ICT using dictionary. But I have fined the meaning of this word by using online. Below I have jotted about it:

Based on online search, ICT has a lot of definitions. So I have post a link here. Click the link and you will get definition of this word. http://searchciomidmarket.techtarget.com/sDefinition/0,,sid183_gci928405,00.html.

But to make you easier I written some of the meaning of this word. ICT is defined as an umbrella term that includes any communication device or application, encompassing: radio, television, cellular phones, computer and network hardware and software, satellite systems and so on, as well as the various services and applications associated with them, such as videoconferencing and distance learning. ICTs are often spoken of in a particular context, such as ICTs in education, health care, or libraries. The importance of ICTs lies less in the technology itself than in its ability to create greater access to information and communication in underserved populations. Many countries around the world have established organizations for the promotion of ICTs, because it is feared that unless less technologically advanced areas have a chance to catch up, the increasing technological advances in developed nations will only serve to exacerbate the already-existing economic gap between technological "have" and "have not" areas. Here, I can conclude that ICT is related to the technology and it plays a big role in the society. If we look closer and according to some researches almost each single thing we do now is depending on the technology. In this era, ICT is necessary and it’s hard to survive our life without it.

As I mention earlier, now I want to discuss about the impact of using ICT in education. Regarding to education, ICT helps the students a lot and in many ways. There are many subjects were offer to students and ICT benefits a lot in each subject. So that, with the knowledge that I have according this and according to some websites that I have worked on, I want to give a little bit of explanation about the effects.

In this century, ICT has connected to the teaching that makes the teaching process become more interesting. In the past, teaching process was done by depending to the text books, note books and teachers capability. In the other hand the teachers teach the students by just using a blackboard and cannot take any information’s from the Internet. This situation makes the students knowledge about it is very limited. All they can do is to teach them with by using just paper and notes. But nowadays the teaching process are totally different some more after the ICT. The changes in education after ICT are the calculation such as using graphic calculator, forget notes using Internet and for experiment using the high technology lab gadgets. Besides that, images and graphics can be showed to students because of ICT. By this no one cannot deny that nowadays teaching, including or linked to the technologies that has made teaching more easily.

But now the most popular and easiest way to get information about education is Internet. Through the Internet, the students can access world wide information’s which helps them in their studies. Apart from that Internet too help the students communicate with their coachers if got any doubt regarding their subjects or education. All the networks are provides resources to the users. This type of learning and teaching strategies make the students more interested in studies and might be more active, participate and collaboration in this field. It helps them to perform much better in their studies. Besides that, the ICT can make the teachers to perform better lessons, assessment tools, and useful information’s and lab exercises. With the technological skills in education we able to make the students closer to education and expand their knowledge in study area. Regarding to Internet, the electronic mail (email) is also one of the impacts of using ICT in education. Everyone in this world used email to contact or chatting with a person and it makes everything possible. As we all know a lot of assignments were done by students are sent using the email. The uses of email save the students time and money where no need to spend in printing. For this, the example is our own where we just post all our answers for the work were given by our beloved Datin by online.


Nowadays we can say that, most of the classrooms in each school are uses ICT such as computer and data projector. This situation proves the impact of ICT in education and helps the lessons to be more efficient and attractive. We can also see the impact of using ICT through the student’s participation and involvements in class or group works. Along that, the Internet is increasingly being used in teaching and used more frequent by the students to get source of information.

At these days, the other impact of using ICT that we can hear and see clearly is distance learning. Even though distance learning gives benefits to some people but it is still giving problem to teachers and students. For example, a study on distance learning in United Kingdom articulates several problems which involve high cost of expenses, level of skills required and the challenging patterns of styles required. Here, the students are compared to the electronic pets (Tamagotchi’s) that required constant and labor-intensive care (Miller et al 2001).

Other than that, the use of ICT can be seen by the usage of laptop. Through the laptop a person can do his or her work at any place and any time. Furthermore it’s easy to access to the Internet at any time with wireless connection. These types of facilities are found by the ICT and it makes our life easier when the laptops can be connected to the projector easily. In this century, wireless technology become very familiar and created a very big impact. References on this information can be viewed at the websites below. For this third posting I just can explain until here. I hope by reading this some of you will get some knowledge regarding the topic that I have been chosen. Thank you and don’t forget to take a look on the links:



http://www.infomuworld.com/smpp/content
http://www.scopus.com/scopus/record/display.url?view=basic&eid=2-s2.0-

http://www.springerlink.com/content/pq66400qh831n143/fulltext.html

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Second Posting : Computer Assisted Writing

Hi there. This is week nine of our lecture and as usual the assignment for this week is regarding to computer assisted writing. According to Longman Dictionary, edition 1987, Computer Assisted writing is clarified as about the writing and the computer, whereby to show the connection between both of them .

In the past writing have been done by using papers and pencils. But nowadays it’s not like that were most of the writing, reading and listening are depending on Computer .So now I’m going to give my opinions or share some knowledge were I have regarding the computer assisted writing. Writing is the last process to identify the best or successful writer. The writing skills in computer are much better compare to hand writing. However there are some steps were have to work out to create a good or quality writing. Writing is one of the skill or way to express our thought or ideas. Most of the people are able to express their ideas, experience and thought by wording but not by writing. Therefore there are some steps or stages were we have to practise. Actually writing (hand writing) is one of the activity or practise to improve our memory power and as a revision to us. But how many people are preferred to do that? They are getting tired on making a lot of writing.

In this era no one can defend that computer has improved or give impact in writing and especially in computer assisted writing. In coming day’s computer will play role as a coacher. The main file or programme regarding to writing is Microsoft Word. An effective writing curriculum, encouraging early language production and providing us with opportunities to connect writing and can success in writing through the use of a word processor.

The second thing to be well in computer assisted writing is revising. The more we write the more experience we will get in writing and it is one of the way to be well in writing. Revise is the key to exact in writing. With word processing, however, it is the learner who exerts control both in using the computer and learning to write. The word processor was designed for revising and manipulating language. For inexperienced writers (who tend to make corrections at the word level), proofreading is easier on the computer. As writers become more experienced, they tend to make more complex changes. Even a beginner can use the delete, strikeover, and insert functions to make simple changes. Later, with a brief period of practice, more complex changes, such as changing the order of the sections in a paper or adding passages written in another draft, can be made. Ideally, free writing also can be done at the computer. This would encourage students to engage in learning and self-discovery rather than to focus upon the mechanics of exact writing. The word processor can release the writer from restraints that inhibit the free flow of words and ideas. Students can feel free to take risks in their writing because they see that they can always change their minds.

Concepts presented in the first draft can be examined for clarity and sufficient elaboration. Additional information can be added, if necessary, to make ideas more concrete. Finally, the text can be checked for minor errors and punctuation. Most teachers and students were not convinced that the benefits of the revision process were worth the time-consuming mechanics of repeated writing. Students were often apprehensive of even beginning to put their thoughts down on paper because of the work and time involved in making corrections.

The word processor has helped realize the advantages offered in process writing. Rewriting and revising are allowed to be the cognitive processes they should be, rather than being dominated by the mechanical aspects of actually putting words down on paper. Students learn to approach their writing errors from a different point of view by struggling to understand what causes problem phrases, sentences, or paragraphs.

Besides revising and editing, another benefit of using a word processor is that multiple copies can be printed for reading in peer-editing groups. Final copies can be displayed on a writing bulletin board or in a collection of writings, without any student's work showing to a disadvantage because of poor handwriting. And the additional benefit to the student is having an audience other than the teacher.

According to computer assisted writing there are given few activities and can be viewed at the given websites :http://www.usd.edu/dwp/activities/featurestory1.html.This activities are teach us how to start writing a good essay. It tell us about many things such as analyse a issue were choosed,how to star,how to edit and the tips on writing an essay. We can study some tips were given to get more idea about it. The other part of it would be the essay types. In this category, it explains how to write a particular essay effectively. After clicking to this link, several types of essays are displayed and we are able to choose one based on our choice. The points given are very straight forward whereby in other words it is understandable. It does not only explain about how to write but also give appropriate approach that students can practice in their writing.There are some other links were I post,such as :
http://www.essay%20writing.com and http://www.writingactivity.com. Try it out on your own.

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FIRST POSTING - READING FOR INFORMATION

The Taj Mahal


The activity of this subject on this week is regarding to reading. According to the Longman dictionary reading is explained as the act or practise of reading and an opinion about the meaning of a statement, set of events. There are certain types of reading were given in this activity. Reading for information, reading for entertainment, accidental reading, relaxing reading and reading.
In this activity I have to choose one type of reading among the five were given and choose a topic or paragraph regarding to that reading type. Then I have to explain about it according to my own point of view. The type of reading that I have chosen is reading for information. Reading for information means that act or practises of reading for knowledge in the form of facts, news and etc. It also can be categorized as a way to improve our knowledge or getting more information about something. So I have chosen a passage or a topic regarding to reading for information and the topic is Taj Mahal. Why I’m saying that Taj Mahal is a passage about reading for information? Is there anyone can guest it? As I know, Taj Mahal is well known among the people in this world as one of the place out of the seven wonders in the world. That is right but actually there are a lot of information were still they don’t know about it. That’s why I’m telling that this passage is regarding to reading for information.
What is Taj Mahal? The splendid love story begins in 1612, when a Persian princess Arjumand Bano married Shah Jahan (then prince Khurram), the fifth Mughal emperor. Arjumand Bano, who later became known as Mumtaz Mahal (the Chosen of the Palace), was a second wife to the emperor. Both a companion and an advisor, the queen followed the emperor on his journeys and military expeditions. Such was the effect of the queen on his emperor-husband that Shah Jahan was inspired to perform acts of charity and benevolence all throughout his life.

The love story took a serious turn when, on a campaign at Burhanpur with her husband, Mumtaz Mahal took his last breath giving birth to their 14th child. So heartbroken was the emperor that the whole court went into mourning for a span of over two years. It is said that, within a few months after the queen's death, the hair and beard of the king had turned white. And Shah Jahan was recklessly determined on building a monument in his consort's loving memory that the world had never seen.

The dead body of the queen was brought to Agra and buried in a garden on the banks of river Yamuna. A group of the finest architects was assembled to devise a plan for erecting the tomb.
The construction of Taj Mahal was started in AD 1631 and completed at the end of 1648 AD. For seventeen years, twenty thousand workmen are said to be employed on it daily, for their accommodation a small town, named after the deceased empress-'Mumtazabad, now known as Taj Ganj, was built adjacent to it. Amanat Khan Shirazi was the calligrapher of Taj Mahal, his name occurs at the end of an inscription on one of the gates of the Taj. Poet Ghyasuddin had designed the verses on the tombstone, while Ismail Khan Afridi of Turkey was the dome maker. Muhammad Hanif was the superintendent of Masons. The designer of Taj Mahal was Ustad Ahmad Lahauri. The material was brought in from all over India and central Asia and it took a fleet of 1000 elephants to transport it to the site. The central dome is 187 feet high at the centre. Red sandstone was brought from Fatehpur Sikri, Jasper from Punjab, Jade and Crystal from China, Turquoise from Tibet, Lapis Lazuli and Sapphire from Sri Lanka, Coal and Cornelian from Arabia and diamonds from Panna. In all 28 kind of rare, semi precious and precious stones were used for inlay work in the Taj Mahal. The chief building material, the white marble was brought from the quarries of Makrana, in distt. Nagaur, Rajasthan. This is what I know and what I get about Taj Mahal. For more information, click here : http://wiki.answers.com/Q/What_is_the_history_of_the_Taj_Mahal

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Located at the city of Agra in the State of Uttar Pradesh, the Taj Mahal is one of the most beautiful masterpieces of architecture in the world. Agra, situated about 200 km south of New Delhi, was the Capital of the Mughals (Moguls), the Muslim Emperors who ruled Northern India between the sixteenth and nineteenth centuries. The Mughals were the descendents of two of the most skilled warriors in history: the Turks and the Mongols. The Mughal dynasty reached its highest strength and fame during the reign of their early Emperors, Akbar, Jehangir, and Shah Jehan.
It was Shah Jehan who ordered the building of the Taj, in honor of his wife, Arjumand Banu who later became known as Mumtaz Mahal, the Distinguished of the Palace. Mumtaz and Shah Jehan were married in 1612 and, over the next 18 years, had 14 children together. The Empress used to accompany her husband in his military campaigns, and it was in 1630, in Burhanpur, that she gave birth to her last child, for she died in childbirth. So great was the Emperor love to his wife that he ordered the building of the most beautiful mausoleum on Earth for her.
Although it is not known for sure who planned the Taj, the name of an Indian architect of Persian descent, Ustad Ahmad Lahori, has been cited in many sources. As soon as construction began in 1630, masons, craftsmen, sculptors, and calligraphers were summoned from Persia, the Ottoman Empire, and Europe to work on the masterpiece. The site was chosen near the Capital, Agra on the southwest bank of the River Yamuna. The architectural complex is comprised of five main elements: the Darwaza or main gateway, the Bageecha or garden, the Masjid or mosque, the Naqqar Khana or rest house, and the Rauza or the Taj Mahal mausoleum. The actual Tomb is situated inside the Taj.
The unique mughal style combines elements of Persian, Central Asian, and Islamic architecture. Most impressive are the black and white chessboard marble floor, the four tall minarets (40 m high) at the corners of the structure, and the majestic dome in the middle. On closer look, the lettering of the Quran verses around the archways appears to be uniform, regardless of their height. The lettering spacing and density has been customized to give this impression to the beholder. Other illusionary effects have been accounted for in the geometry of the tomb and the tall minarets. The impressive pietra dura artwork includes geometric elements, plants and flowers, mostly common in Islamic architecture. The level of sophistication in artwork becomes obvious when one realizes that a 3 cm decorative element contains more than 50 inlaid gemstones.

First posting : Computer Assisted Reading

READING COMPREHENSION

The activity of this subject on this week is regarding to reading. According to the Longman dictionary reading is explained as the act or practise of reading and an opinion about the meaning of a statement, set of events. There are certain types of reading were given in this activity. Reading comprehension, Restructuring of texts and matching or jigsaw reading.
In this activity I have to choose one type of reading among the three were given and choose a topic or paragraph regarding to that reading type. Then I have to explain about it according to my own point of view. The type of reading was I have chosen is reading comprehension. Reading comprehension means that act or practises of reading for knowledge in the form of facts, news and answer the questions were given. In this reading type, questions are given to make sure whether we can understand the passage or not. By this we can improve our language ad a part from that it will help us in grammar and vocabulary development. It also can be categorized as a way to improve our knowledge or getting more information about something. So I have choose a passage were contain some questions were four of the questions are objective and the three others are in subjective. The topic were I choose is Treasure, Part I. This particular type of article allows the viewers to understand the message thoroughly and clearly. After getting the gist of it, they are required to answer the questions that are related to the article.

Treasure, Part I is a passage about two best friends and a girl in class. The boys name is Trogmire Troll and Tremor Troll. Both of them are best friends. There is a new girl were enter in to the class and her name is Treasure Troll. She so cute and her face look sweet. Tremor Troll is interested on her but the girl is interested on Trogmire Troll. So he is quite disappointed and not happy about it. Trogmire Troll knows about that and tries to comfort him. Trogmire Troll is not interest in having a girlfriend in his life. As a way to help his friend Tremor Troll, he decides to keep away himself from that girl. Apart from that he is also trying his self to avoid from fall in love. Some of the ways were he planned to do is to be mean and rude to her and call her names and make ugly faces at her.

In short, It is really a simple passage but who is reading this passage will get quite confuse with the names in this passage. But its depends to the reader how and the way they are reading.


EXAMPLE OF A READING COMPREHENSION ARTICLE :


Treasure, Part I


Trogmire Troll was dealing with a crisis. The new girl in class really liked him a lot. Trogmire was not happy about it.Trogmire’s good friend, Tremor Troll, tried to comfort him. “What’s the big deal? I think Treasure Troll is kind of cute. And she seems to be nice enough.”Trogmire swallowed his last bite of poison sumac salad and glared at Tremor. “Then why don’t you ask her to be your girlfriend? There she is, sitting all by herself at the other end of the cafeteria. March over there and ask her to be your sweetie-poo!”“She’s crazy about you, not me,” Tremor replied.“Well, I don’t want any girlfriend, especially not a weird pesky one like her!” Trogmire growled.Tremor wouldn’t give up. “The only thing pesky about her is that she keeps writing you those notes and she stares -”“Yucky love notes!” Trogmire interrupted. He took another sip of mole milk. “Did you notice those strange brown eyes? Why aren’t they normal red or pink?”Tremor took another look at Treasure. “I think her face is a lovely shade of green. And her dark green curly hair is quite pretty. Besides, she’s very sweet and that’s what really matters.”Trogmire stuck out his tongue. “I think I’m going to be sick! I’d better save my dessert for later.” He crammed a small bag of Maggot Munchies into his even smaller shirt pocket. “The fact is, I have a problem. That girl is getting on my nerves!”Tremor followed Trogmire's example and decided to save his dessert for later. However, he carefully placed the bag into his lunch box. “Do you have any ideas about how to solve your problem?” Tremor asked.“I’m going to be mean and rude to her,” Trogmire announced. “I’ll call her names and make ugly faces at her.”“That’s how you treat everyone,” Tremor reminded his friend.Trogmire nodded. “It’s time that Treasure got to know the real Trogmire Troll!”



1. How did Treasure Troll feel about Trogmire Troll?
a. She didn’t like him because he was rude.
b. She was annoyed by his strange appearance.
c. She didn’t have any strong feelings about him.
d. She liked him a lot.

2. How did Trogmire feel about Treasure?
a. He felt annoyed.
b. He enjoyed the attention.
c. He wasn’t aware that she existed.
d. He was crazy about her.

3. Who did Trogmire want for a girlfriend?
a. No one
b. Tremor’s sister
c. Treasure Troll
d. A weird girl from another class

4. Which statement is true?
a. Trogmire pretended to be rude in order to make Treasure stop liking him.
b. Tremor thought that looks were more important than personality.
c. Tremor thought that Treasure was cute.
d. Trogmire offered his dessert to Treasure to make her sick.

For Discussion:
Has someone ever liked you a lot more than you liked him or her?
What did you do about it?
What’s the right thing to do?

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