Just put away that thingamagic thing, will you please?

A few weeks ago, I was having lunch with a friend; I could not help but to notice this young family. This young family consist of 2 children (a toddler and a child around 5 years old) and their parents. The moment the family were shown where they are to sit, the parents immediately took out 2 iPads and gave them to each child. The children had their eyes glued to the gadget, of course. The parents discussed their orders, placed their orders and took out their own smart phones and there was silence on that table.

Hmmm...  What ever happen to face to face communication? :/

Images are from Google Images

I find that parents should make an effort to TALK to their children instead of shushing them with gadgets. Yes, ICT is a good exposure to children for their future but I feel that nothing should be replaced with quality social time with your loved ones.

Children at this young age, should learn to socialise with other people, explore (the environment-not the device, mind you ) and question.. A lot.  

I was not raised in a tech savy family whereby Mom made us talk and put away all sorts of distraction during meal times and family time (even now). Even though sometimes we might get too caught up with our phones, Mom would gently remind us that it is dinner time. It breaks my heart to see families (young and old), even some friends who are ever so engrossed to the screen instead of caring what is going on with your friend/ child/ sister... etc.

So, for once, stop caring on what status or filter to use and talk to the person beside you. Ask them how their day is. Believe me, talking helps :)

Thank you, Tengku Nur Aulia, a fellow EDC 3100 classmate for the post inspiration :)

I find these articles from Elite Daily and NBC News interesting and meaningful regarding to this topic. Check them out

Phew...

I never knew doing an online artefact can be so fun but yet so frustrating (due to my lack of technology skills). I felt that I could have done much more and better but well...  I could not figure out how. I was feeling a bit panicky and everything seemed wrong, messy and all over the place. But I managed to get through it and it is finally over. This assignment has taught me a great amount of technology and I can’t deny that it has helped me understand ICT better. 

Image is from Google Images

I'm pretty sure all of us went through this before :p 

Online Artefact for Assignment 1... Done!

Hello there,

I have finally completed my online artefact (after much battling with my dinosaur technology skills).  This artefact discuss about what and whys technology should be used in classrooms. I hope this artefact will be informative to you and could be one of your references for your future teaching!

Please refer to this link :)

Have a great evening ahead! 

Where am I?

Ever since I started driving, I have always been getting lost or taking wrong turns. I am not good at taking directions either as I am always mixing up my lefts and rights especially when I am behind the wheels. Luckily for me and thank God for advanced technology, Global Positioning System (GPS), saved my life! GPS tells you exactly where you are and the fastest or alternative routes you can use to get you to your location.  

This is a short video (please refer to this link) I found interesting on how explain how GPS works. Having a basic understanding of how it functions is really important for those interested in getting a deeper understanding of how this technology can help solve one’s daily problem.  

One of the most reliable GPS I have used is Waze. Waze is an application for smart phones for users. It displays a live map of the area together with traffic conditions such as traffic jams, police traps and others. It also allows users to report on current road condition to other Waze users as well.  

Images are from Google Image

It even tells you where is the next petrol station! :)

GPS has been helpful to me as I am able to find my way without getting lost anymore. I discover new routes and I am more independent now (yay me).  

Educators and ICT

The world is changing more rapidly than ever before due to increasing technological advances. The influence of technology has played a huge impact on education especially.  Educators have to overcome their fears of technophobia. 

Using technology and ICT to teach students can fun and challenging. It provides teacher to expand students learning with various websites which provides ever ending list of ideas and what to dos! Technology also teachers to discuss and exchange ideas with other professionals alike abroad. It brings the whole world closer to each other :) 

Teacher need to keep themselves updated with the latest technology and help students to distinguish the right and wrong information from the internet can be rather overwhelming. Teachers should educate themselves to use technology as part of their living life so that they are able to use technology with ease. As educators, we should not let our fears to pull us down, but to take it as a challenge and to find ways of overcoming it (just like how we manage the children!)

Happy Tuesday!  

Children and YouTube

Today in school, a girl was singing ‘Do You Want to Build a Snowman’ by Frozen. One of the latest animation cartoons by Walt Disney. I was impressed with her as she was able to memorized the WHOLE lyrics of the song (and other Frozen songs too). I asked her where she did learn the song from. She told me every day, she would go into YouTube and search for the song. 

Images are from Google

 

Do you want to build a snowman? :)

I believe that YouTube has played a major role in society, especially young children. YouTube has also been noted as being one of the most famous social media platforms for showcasing new and creative work for all age ranges (Examiner.com, 2014). Children are always curious with the world around them and are eager learners. Children learn best then they have something that are of their interest and invokes their curiosity. Just by tying the key word to the search, children are able to find what they want to learn for example, educational songs, programmes and entertainment. YouTube can be a helpful learning tool and those who value learning should take time to explore the site and see what content fits their specific needs in order to enhance their educational experience (Examiner.com, 2014). 

References.

Examiner.com. (2014). The educational benefits of YouTube. Retrieved March24, 2014, from                      http://www.examiner.com/article/the-educational-benefits-of-youtube

[lyrics+Vietsub] Do you want to build a snowman- from Frozen. YouTube. Retrieved March 24, 2014, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6ZOI1yUGPBQ

Malaysian Education System and ICT

I was looking through Twitter when I came across one of our lecturer’s (David Jones) tweet. I found it interesting. 

 Images are from Google

To read the article about Malaysia’s launch on Blueprint for Education System ICT Reform, please refer to this link

This article reminds me when I was in high school whereby learning about ICT is new to the Education system and it wasn’t much that we learnt about. The only thing I remember doing was playing educational game throughout the whole period! 

I feel that it is crucial for the Malaysian Education system to be exposed to ICT. As we are moving on to the next level in improving ourselves, the education system too should change and be in par with modern technology. With the access to wireless internet access, it can become an interactive tool for interactive learning for teachers and students. 

Students will have the chance to create, share and learn through the social media and expand their knowledge through the World Wide Web. Teachers can use the internet to make learning fun and to expand the students’ prior knowledge. Teachers are able to find new approaches and ideas on the net. With the help of the internet, learning can be so much faster and easier. In just one click, the answers are there already. On the spot! One does not need to go home and to ‘do your own research’ anymore. The potential to have all the educational resources is there with the help of search engines and various websites. The potential to expand students’ learning is indeed tremendous with ICT.