#1 Hello World!

Hello there, my name is Nurliyana Binti Rosly but people hardly call me by real name. Why? Because ‘Liyana’ is too mainstream. Better known as ‘Kathy’ among the TESL-ians (including the lecturers!). Took my first breath in 1994 at University Malaya Hospital. I grow up recklessly until now. IKEA is my third home.

As novice technology user, my computer skills are just average. I know how to play around almost all of Microsoft Offices. Nonetheless, I would not call myself as a technological savvy because I could not keep up with rapid development in microelectronics and I have no money to test them out.

I am most familiar with Microsoft Offices and Windows Essentials software because I use them almost every day and relatively easy to play around. My knowledge on hardware is pretty decent; at least I know how the components in a computer are functioning. I once set up a custom-made PC which from a broken laptop with my brother.

During my school days, I utilized YouTube for my PMR and SPM revision because my parents did not send me to tuition classes. Hence, I followed through the free classes available on YouTube. I think I learnt better that way because I could study at my own pace, as well as depending on my own mood.

I haven’t done my practicum yet but I have experience in incorporating technology in my lesson when I worked as a replacement teacher. Some of the lessons were successful because students were engaged throughout the teaching  and learning sessions. Some of them were not successful because of technical failures and unorganized lesson plan.

My stand in regard of the usage of the technology in language teaching – it is crucial for educators to be knowledgeable in computer literacy. Rapid advancement in technology requires educators to be prepared in order to suit the learning style of the current generation. Nonetheless, without proper training for the educators, the lesson would not make much difference. I once, enter an English class where the teacher used a PowerPoint slides to teach her students. However, there was lack of engagement where the teacher only read out the notes and the students had to copy down the notes and the exercise. For me, that kind of lesson is more or less just the same as the traditional way of chalk and talk. Hence, educators need to embrace the technology in their classroom APPROPRIATELY.

I hope not learn the basics which I already know. I would like to get to know more how to sustain students’ engagement in language learning and teaching by using technology.

I have chosen ‘Traffic Lights System in English Language Teaching” for my Academic Exercise. The reason why I chose this topic is because I would like identify its effectiveness as a tool to manage the classroom culture and learning behavior. I have yet not to be assigned to any lecturer as a supervisee. I plan to complete my chapter 1, 2 and 3 before this year ends and collect data during my practicum. It can be done on time if I have high discipline and motivation to graduate on time.