the real concept of mispecfection

i hate my hair cut! i wanna change it.

U look just fine sayang.

NO! i hate it! And this stupid thing under my eye..i wanna have a surgery..


Don't be ridiculous. It looks nice..i like it that way. U're beautiful that way.

No i'm not.I hate it!

Sayang, do you know that sometimes the imperfection looks perfect cause it's different..That's what i see in you..Your flaws make you look more perfect to me..You're beautiful in your own way..Believe me..

I never believe in him. i've always thought that it's just some kind of excuses or things he says just to make me feel okay..until one day..he showed me this clip:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nw0s4C0g5SM

I cried watching that clip over and over again..Then i thought to myself,he may not be as romantic as I hope he is, but he sure does showed me the real thing. The real feelings i should be having and understand it. I like to quote the words that the lady in the videoclip said ;

"Ohh it you may find that these all very funny to you..But towards the end of his life, when his illness was at it's worse, these sounds indicated to me that my David was still alive..and what i wouldn't gave just to hear those sounds again before i sleep....in the end, its these small things that you remember, little imperfections that made them perfect to you..

Those words..taught me..That i have a misconception about love & life all these while..Nothing is perfect in this world..But sometimes we are bound to thing like "Oh,i'm afraid to get married..Will i find the perfect match for my soulmate?".."I want my wedding to be perfect." ..."I want a perfect marriage." Sometimes we fail to remember that sometimes things just won't go the way we wanted it to be..that's why we have arguments, misunderstanding and fights in relationships..We always thought that love should be something that always beautiful, always make us feel happy..Love should be perfect....But the question is..if everyone is perfect..and their love is perfect..we might end up the same from each one of us,right?Now how would it make our relationship different from others? How do u get to drawn to ur soulmate when there's nothing unique to be remember of when he's gone..cause he's just the same like others...It would have made the relationship become so routine and boring..isn't it? Think about it..

TASK 3

Topic : Music Heals My Soul

Level : Form 4 (Intermediate-advanced)

Time: 40 minutes

Aims:

By the end of the lesson, students should be able to extract information and write it on the given worksheet.

Skills : Reading and writing

Technical Requirements:

2-3 students are assigned to sit and share 1 computer with internet connection and web browser.

Website: www.lyrics.com


Preparation:

1. Check the website before the lesson. (whether it is available or not on each computer.)

2. Prepare the worksheet for students’ task.

Procedures:

1. Teacher asks students whether they like to listen to music and what kind of songs they like.

2. Teacher shares her favourite song.

3. Students are instructed to log on to the website chosen.

(http://www.lyrics.com)

4. Teacher distributes the worksheet.

5. Teacher explains the task to the students.

6. Teacher instructs students to find the answers from the clue given and write it in the

crosswords puzzle from the worksheet given.

7. Teacher discusses the answers with students.

Follow-up activity: Students are to choose one of his or her favourite song based on the lyrics. They should give their comments, opinions or share ideas on why they like the song. They have to send their work via email to :

melancholic_helplessness18@yahoo.com

in class task

Gandhi was born in Porbandar, India, on October 2nd 1869. His father died when he was still a teenager. At the age of 13 he married Kasturba Gandhi who was three years younger and the marriage lasts for 62 years until her death in 1944.

As a young man Gandhi left India to study law in London. Then he spent two decades working in South Africa securing rights for Indian expatriates. It was during this time that his political reform through non-violence which he called Satyagraha was born. This movement meant resistance of tyranny through mass civil disobedience, firmly founded upon ahimsa, total non violence, which led India to independence and inspired movements for civil rights and freedom across the world. This way, when he returned to India, Mohandas Gandhi emerged as a political and religious leader in the fight for independence from Great Britain and was accorded the country's Father of the Nation. India freed itself from Britain on August 15th, 1947. Five months later, on January 25th, 1948 Gandhi was shot by a conservative Hindu.

ESL website evaluation

http://www.isabelperez.com/default.htm

1. What does the application attempt to “teach”?

This website is made by a teacher name Isabel Perez who purposely created this website for her students. She is the Spanish Secondary English teacher whom designed this websites with an intention of improving the students’ level of proficiency in English. This website is specially created for the students who are in the secondary schools. So the age range of the targeted users is between 13 to 17 years old. Either way this website is also useful for the teachers who are teaching the secondary students.

This website promotes the authentic learning of language as it integrates all the language skills (reading, writing, listening and speaking) as well as the founder offers the CALL Methodology for teachers who are interested in creating their own ESL website.

2. What sorts of things is the application user expected to do with regards to learning the content?

The application users are expected to engage with a variety of language activities included in the websites. The activities involve all the language skills such as writing, listening, speaking, and reading. The targeted users can master their grammar when they do the exercise with the “Happy Verby Gang” activities and also the Hot Potatoes exercises. Then this website also exposes the users to song activities where students can learn to practice their grammar, vocabulary and sound. Other interesting activities involve students to write their own blogs, they have online quizzes for those who want to challenge their knowledge, browsing and treasuring hunts.

The core activity in this website is mainly about vocabulary and grammar. This website offers a list of popular songs for the students to brush up their vocabulary as well as their grammar. “The Happy Verby Gang” will also help the students to engage with grammar activities.

3. What sorts of computer skills is the application users expected to have in order to operate/access/use the application?

This website promotes a user-friendly application. This website uses the basic computer skills such as drag and drop, cut and paste, typing and browsing. The computer skills applied are necessary for everyone since no complicated computer skills are needed. There should be no problem for those who don’t possess much knowledge about computer skills. The exercises only required us to have basic knowledge of computer skills. I doubt if the students have any major problems to navigate the application in the website as they are very simple and easy to use.

4. While you are “playing”/ “accessing” / “assessing” the application, does it remind you of anything you do in a classroom, or with a teacher, or with a fellow classmate, or in self-study?

It reminds me of one event during my practicum session when I used some sort of online games which I have saved in my laptop. I found that my students are captured by the activities but maybe it was too easy for them which bored them towards the end of activities. But I don’t want to remember this as a nightmare or bad teaching experience. I want to put it this way; students sometimes enjoy the teaching process in which they perceived the knowledge without them realizing it. In conclusion to the use of computer and website to promote CALL, I think students like to explore knowledge through games. This websites is suitable to be used for such purpose since it provides many games and activities.

5. Can you pinpoint some theories of language learning and / or teaching underlying the application?

As I go through this website, I find that there are two theories of language learning which have been highlighted or in other words applied in the activities. They are Content-based Instruction theory and silent way. Content based instruction is defined as “The integration of content learning with language teaching aims.” (Brinton, Snow and Wesche ) “When language becomes the medium to convey informational content of interest and relevance to the learner, then learners are pointed toward matters of intrinsic concern.” (Brown, 2001) This quote is very much through if we take a look at this website; it promotes an independent learning as the means of this website is to provide the language skills for the students. The students are inspired to reckon on their surrounding, take the “Happy Verby Gang” as an example, it gives the simple model for the students to engage with the learning as the example is very common which they can see in their daily lives. This also in other hand promotes a meaningful learning as it opens the genuine mind of students to perceive the knowledge.

Chamot & McKeon, 1984 purposed that silent way is defined as a humanistic approach. This approach suggests a discovery learning where the students are independent to learn by discovering various facts by their own. In one of the activities in the website, for example the treasure hunt activity, they are given the questions based on the topics, they will have to refer other websites to look for the answers, this somehow promotes the discovery learning whereby they have to search by themselves.

6. How well is the constructivist theory of learning applied to the chosen website(s)?

The definition of Constructivism is that the learners construct knowledge for themselves. The constructivist theory states that learning is an active process of creating meaning from different experiences. To relate this theory to this website, the students play an active role to engage with the activities. They have the autonomy to discover the information and knowledge provided in the activities. They have to play the games to experience the awareness of the fact they are learning. They may not be conscious of how their language skills are tested and improved though their discovery learning from the website.

7. In 1980s and early 1990s, there was a major debate on ‘whether the computer was “master” of or “slave” to the learning process (Higgins and Johns, 1984). In relation to your evaluation – was the computer a replacement for teachers, or merely an obedient servant to students?

I never thought that a computer works either as a replacement for teacher or just an obedient servant to the students. Personally, I think computer works as a medium of where students can gain their knowledge easier. It makes information just behind their fingertips. Computer is an excellent machine which is produced by human being; there is no reason why we should compare whether the computer is the master or a slave to the learning process.

Human created computer to make the learning process becomes easier and simpler. The software and the system are made by human to make the computer functions very well. We cannot simply say that the computer is more genius than human neither can we conclude that human are more intelligent than computer because both of them (human and computer) work best together.

It is true that knowledge from computer which is not perceived rightly will turn out to be the other way around. That is why the students still need a teacher’s guidance. Above all things, computer is a just a gadget which makes our lives easier towards knowledge, it is a teacher who touches the heart of the student which makes the whole learning process more meaningful and interesting. Computer helps students to gain knowledge even when they’re far from their teachers or even when the school holiday is around.

8. Would you like to use the application yourself in your future work?

Yes? Give reasons:

No? Give reasons:

Yes, I would like to use the application for myself for some reasons which are :

I like the English verb tenses they use in this website. “The Happy Verby Gang” makes it seems easier for students to understand the sentence structure because they are simple. Thus to me, it promotes a meaningful learning whereby students can see the real and common thing is being used as examples.

Secondly, I like the idea of this website which gives the opportunities to the teachers to get involved with the activities designed in the website itself. It promotes the teachers to share their ideas to come up with more interesting activities which can improve their teaching styles, improve their computer skills as well as expose students to the beauty and fun of learning the language from the website.

Lastly, I also like the idea where they include the students’ blog in which the students can give comments and share what they have gained from the website. This means that this websites give both teachers and students to share their opinions. Maybe from looking at the students’ comment the activities can be improved and made into various interesting activities.

9. Suggestions/ Recommendations.

The materials in this website is already interesting however it will be better and more efficient if :

1. The website doesn’t provide the specific answer to each questions ask. In other words, it does not provide the remedial reinforcement. There is no specific explanation of what the answers are. Students will find if difficult to get the answer the teacher is not around. It will only confuse them thus demotivate them to learn if they only got the wrong answers. I suggest that this website should produce the answers scheme for each exercise and activity. I think the most important thing is that the scheme of answers should be provided, at least at the end of each activity students will be able to check their answers thus it will be easier for the teacher who are busy to use this websites for a lot of exercise since they do not necessarily have to provide the answers if the specific answers are already provided.

2. Activities should be improvised. It should be made according to different level of students. All activities are either very easy or easy. It would be quite boring for the students from higher proficiency level. The teacher cannot expect all the students come from lower proficiency level. If I were to use this website I need a variety of task which suits the level of all my students from high proficiency to the lowest proficiency level. This will make it easier for me so I won’t have to improvise the exercise if it’s too easy for my excellent students.

task 2

the CALL

To be frank, eventhough i have been blogging since i was studying in Kuantan but i am not that good with computers and all the technology (but i didn't use blogspot back then, i used xanga which was introduced by my friend ili syazwani). I might have to read the book "computers for dummies." Okay let me introduce myself first.

My name is Rabiatul Shaema binti Sharif. My friends call me Shaema, Shaems or Sha. (Well, yes i've been given so many nicknames from my friends, i know. This happens when i first studied in Kuantan and up until now people still give me nicknames like shem, shems and cae. I don't know why they won't just call me shaema.;p )I'm from Kuala Terengganu. But currently i'm staying here in section 17, shah alam to finish my degree course.

That's a little bit of introduction about myself. Now to be honest, i am not that expert with this technology of using computer and internet and what not. It's like i was born way back in the 18th century. I mean i only have basic knowledge about the net and computer which are very limited. I have not taken any short course for computer. Like some of my friends they went for a computer class to learn all about the software and etc.

I only know how to type my assignments by using Microsoft Words or use Microsoft Powerpoint for presentations. I'm not very good with Microsoft Excel because i'm not good with numbers which is why i'm doing Tesl course instead of taking any courses which involve mathematics and science...;P I'm not good with other stuffs like adobe photoshop, adobe reader, flash etc.

My social networking are friendster and facebook. I used to have a myspace account, but due to some causes, i've deleted it. I also use the net to chat with my friends from other countries via yahoo messenger and msn . Sometimes i download songs from the internet to update my phone with new mp3s..=))

Internet also helps me to find the materials and sources for my assignments. Besides that, what i love about internet is that i can book my tickets for watching movies and i can shop for my favourite books online. Well of course you can shop for other things like clothes or handbags or watches. This is what the technology are for. It makes life easier for you..Isn't it?

I don't know much about hardware, but i think all those stuffs like the cpu, monitor, keyboard, mouse, pendrive, hard drive and motherboard those are classified under the term of hardware. (i don't even know what is a motherboard but i heard my brother uses it frequently so i think it has something to do with the hardware cause the motherboard is some of the parts in cpu.)

Well i guess, that's all i can share with you right now.

p/s : The title "the call" there doesn't have any significance to this blog. I just use it because of the name of this subject..