BLOGS, LMS AND SOCIAL NETWORK IN EDUCATION

Blogs, LMS and social networks are making a significant impact on how teachers teach, and students learn, bringing collaboration and knowledge sharing to new levels in today’s academia. These tools aren’t the complete solution to solving some of the challenges in education, but it is certainly helping teachers and students with new ways to interact in the classroom. These new interactions are shaping the communication habits of young people, who will soon be the future workers of the world.

A) BLOG

A blog (a blend of the term web log)  is a type of website or part of a website supposed to be updated with new content from time to time. Blogs are usually maintained by an individual with regular entries of commentary, descriptions of events, or other material such as graphics or video. Entries are commonly displayed in reverse-chronological order. Blog can also be used as a verb, meaning to maintain or add content to a blog.

Blogs share the knowledge of the classroom, projects, and/or experiences with others who can greatly benefit from the shared knowledge. Blogs provide a place for teachers to post homework, keep parents up-to-date, and interact with students outside the classroom. For students, blogs can showcase work, express interests or convictions, and get peer feedback and response. Blogs bring communication and sharing outside the classroom.

Some of the advantages of using block in e-learning are:

1)     Using a blog makes learning independent of time and place
    (a)  From teaching at a certain time in a certain place
    (b)  To teaching anytime and anywhere
    (c)  Blogs and other asynchronous media give learners time to reflect
2)   Using a blog makes education demand oriented, participant-centered
3)   Using a blog encourages learners to be active throughout the course period
4)   Using a blog helps learners improve  their writing competencies
5)   Using a blog captures changes in thinking
6)   Using a blog invites people to collaborate
7)    Using a blog makes education more informal
8)   Using a blog involves also external people
9)   Using a blog facilitates the use of images
10) Using a blog reduces costs
11)   Using a blog encourages people to continuously try things out

B) LEARNING MANAGEMENT SYSTEMS (LMS)

A learning management system is an information system that administers instructor-led and e-learning courses and keeps track of student progress. It can be used internally to monitor the effectiveness of the organization’s education and training.

The advantages of LMS are:

1)     Centralized Learning Environment to Ensure Consistency
2)   Tracking and Reporting for Enhanced Performance
3)   Immediate Capabilities Evaluation
4)   Continuous Product and Service Proficiency for Employees who Interact with Customers and Clients
5)    Regulatory and Legal Compliance

C)  SOCIAL NETWORK

A social network is a social structure made up of individuals (or organizations) called "nodes", which are tied (connected) by one or more specific types of interdependency, such as friendship, kinship, common interest, financial exchange, dislike, sexual relationships, or relationships of beliefs, knowledge or prestige. Some examples of social network are such as Facebook, Twitter and Frienster.

Social Networks give teachers and students a place to communicate and collaborate around school subjects and projects outside of the classroom in real-time. Teachers can post questions to the class, and students can collaborate on an assignment or a project, making an online environment that further enriches the learning experience. These networks can go beyond just the classroom walls, uniting multiple classrooms and creating an even richer environment for collaboration and knowledge sharing. Free private social networks, like Socialcast, give education a fast and simple way to start these communities.

Some of the advanatages are:

1)     Builds Credibility

You definitely can gain the customers' confidence if you can connect to them on both a personal and professional level. Despite having to do a bit of work, it definitely pays off as you can be tapped for an  offer if someone catches wind of your products or services. As long as you don't pursue them too aggressively, you will do well here.

2)   Connections

You are friends with people who have other friends, and so on. There is potential in such a common situation. By using a social networking site, you can do what you can and get connected with these people to form a web of connections that can give you leverage if you play your cards right. As long as you give as well as you receive, then they will most likely stick with you. These connections are definitely valuable in the long run.

Simpur

Synopsis of 'Dillenia Story'

Who is Dillenia?

What is Dillenia?

Do you know Dillenia? Never heard of it?

Where is Dillenia?

There is time we encounter with Dillenia..

When we are strolling at the beach.. Even when we go to the forest or even when you are visiting your grandparents at the countryside.. Or near the highway side.. near the riverside or unluckyly you even met Dillenia near the dumping ground…

I say, Dillenia is beautiful…

To find more about DILLENIA… go to my page…

REVIEW FROM THE FORUM OF USING ICT IN SCIENCE TEACHING AND LEARNING

‘The illiterate of the 21^st century will not be those who cannot read and write, but those who cannot learn, unlearn, and relearn.’ 

- Alvin Toffler.

Globalization and technological change processes have accelerated enormously in the teaching and learning science in this 21^st century, therefore, it becomes a common requirement to use ICT in education. There are plenty of ideas for using ICT and the commonly tools used are such as computer and printer, use sensors and data logging, interactive whiteboard used just as a projector screen, interactive whiteboard which used interactively, multimedia, for example videos, excel spreadsheet, internet access and word processing.

ICT can be used for teaching science in various ways. One of them is that by using computer simulations which can be found on CD-ROMs or multimedia such as video or even on the web to imitate or demonstrate particular experiments which are not possible to do in the lab because of the unavailability of particular apparatus.

In teaching, we can also make the use of excellent websites for its valuable information, as well as ideas and resources for the classroom since majority schools in Brunei have internet connections. Instead of writing notes on the whiteboard or blackboard, we can present our lessons using Microsoft Office PowerPoint which is deliverable with the use of projector or interactive whiteboard. This can make our lessons more interesting and sometimes can give students good ideas and also it is less time consuming.

Besides using computer, there are other portable ICT devices such as laptop, palmtops, and tablets such as iPad. Other ICT devices such as TV programmes, digital camera or even video recorder can also be utilised for teaching.

 

All these advanced technological devices/gadgets have its pros and cons in our teaching and also in students’ learning. Science teachers are aware of its benefit in the teaching and learning of Science. These advanced devices/gadgets act as a cognitive teaching tool, not just as information resources, where they aid in science teaching and also learning. As a science teacher, we use ICT to make our lesson looks more interesting, authentic and relevant. I believe students will be preoccupied with our teaching and they will eventually enjoy studying science. The students will learn better using colorful and animated diagrams and pictures.

When demonstrating a particular practical or experiment via video, these allow time for more observation, discussion and analysis as the teacher can show the video again repeatedly and so everybody can have the opportunity to take note of what is being observed. ICT also give students greater autonomy in their scientific investigation.

Students’ presenting a science project using ICT has the chance to explore and be creative when using PowerPoint for their presentation. Thus increases their opportunities for communication and teamwork. ICT also give the students greater autonomy in their scientific research and make them closer to their peers and thus they can trust each other when doing work.

Student Presentation using PowerPoints

 Students doing research via internet

Some of the challenges faced by Science teachers when trying to incorporate ICT in their lessons will include the lack of IT skill, i.e. being IT illiterate, not knowing how to operate some of the device / advanced gadgets and the lack of ICT materials found in that school. Some teachers may find it difficult to adjust or adapt the use ICT in their teaching. As a solution, they need to practice frequently and the school should conduct in-house training to upgrade Science teachers with ICT skills.

Majority schools in Brunei have an ICT room, where it has a smart board or interactive whiteboard which can be used for teaching however to use such facility, teachers need to book in advance. If they are lucky enough they have the chance to use it by that term if not they have to wait for their turn.

Preparing slides presentation using PowerPoint may be time consuming but even so, the slides can always be saved and reused for future teaching.

However one of the problems with attempting to conduct lessons with ICT would be when classrooms lack of power outlets and no power (blackout) at that time. This will spoil the full usage of them for teaching especially when the teacher has prepared a lot of things for that lesson and have to have another plan B – traditional method, chalk and talk.

Power Outlets

PROPOSAL FOR FUTURE SCIENCE TECHNOLOGY LABORATORY

A science lab should be, I may say, a place where students can have the opportunity to study with pleasure and experiencing some meaningful hands on activity discovery. They can performed experiments and made observations and did everything else scientists do, much of it with little guidance or supervision.

Here I dare say that these learning environment can scaffold enquiry and project work and should offer our young generation a place where they can feel, look, listen and experiencing the learning with their senses, the knowledge they have acquired the way adults do understand by engaging in authentic activities.

Therefore to make my wishes come true I propose an ideal future science technology laboratory. The science lab should be equipped with some useful advanced technology such as:

       The lab should be fully equipped with high-speed internet connection.

      Every individual student should have their own workstation to do their work.

       On each workstation, instead of using pen and writing on paper to take note on something, should be provided with iPad which covered by glass or plastics (water resistance), just to type on what they have learn on that day.

       The students are doing on their own, meaning; the teacher is invisible but can communicate with the teacher by using internet.

       Some dangerous experiment can be shown using computer simulation or by using CD-ROMs or videos. Other than dangerous, some particular experiment cannot be conducted since the particular apparatus are not available in the lab.

    The chemical stored in the lab should be barcode so the technician will know the expiratory dates and hence can order the chemicals beforehand.

       Since the lab is fully connected to the internet, the teacher can show or instruct the students the latest science finding or information. So the teacher and students can update their knowledge every time.

    The lab should be secured as password needed to enter or exit the lab and CCTV (closed-circuit television) should be put outside the lab.

       Automatic fire alarm should be installed in the lab so it can detect

         any dangerous activity happen in the lab.

  

Young Scientists

Future Scientists