Projected Visual Aids from Time to Time

Written By

Endang Asrini Arifiati (1507042025)

Over time, technology has changed to allow people to communicate efficiently and has gone from a means to make difficult tasks easier. Technology has always been a present force acting in the world. It started out as simple tools created by the most primitive humans and evolved into other tools that made life easier for the people and the inventor himself. In the mid 20th century, the technological advances began to boom. Engineers and educators began to look for new ways to make computers do tasks as media that would help them during the class. Projected and electronic materials are forms of media which could be visual, audio and audio-visual in nature that requires projection and electricity in their using process for teaching and learning situation.

According to Burton (in Shabiralyani, Hasan, Hamad and Iqbal, 2015), visual aids are those sensory objects or images which initiate or stimulate and support learning. It means that visual aids are those aids which appeal to the sense of vision or the eye in which children can see something (Dash and Dash, 2007). In a more complete meaning, Singh (2005) defines visual aids as any device which by sight and sound increase the individuals' practice, outside that attained through read labeled as an audio visual aids. Visual aids give chance to speakers to make a more professional and consistent performance.

Projected visuals have been long popular as media as well as entertainment. Projected visuals are media formats in which pictures are enlarged and displayed on a screen which are really suitable for all use at all grade levels and for instruction in all curriculum areas. One advantage of projected visual is that the teacher can maintain eye contact with the students. The lighted screen is a silent shout, meaning that a shout likely to be heeded by even the most reluctant learners. The large, bright image captures the students’ attention as no other technology can. Years ago, equipment like overhead projectors and posters provided the common visual aids. With the evolution of multimedia, PowerPoint slide shows and portable digital projectors for showing animated clips have become known.

Visual Projected Development (Clockwise) - Created with Popplet

Overhead Projection

The first projected visual aids which come into world is OHP. The typical overhead projector is a simple device which basically consists of a box with a large aperture or “stage” on the top surface. This device makes use of transparency which later is called as acetate (individual sheet of transparent film) and overlays (sheets of transparent film).

Slides

Slide is a more modern one than OHP. It refers to a small-format photographic transparency individually mounted for one-at-time projection. The standard size of slides is 5 x 5 cm. Slides may be used at all grade levels and for instruction in all curriculum area, such as providing a tour without walking though the area, making a visual history, illustrating lectures, documenting students activities, showing people at work in various jobs, simulating a field trip, promoting public understanding, etc.

Sound-Slides Sets

While OHP and slides are not accompanied by sounds, sound-slides sets are a combination of 2x2 inch slides and audiotape which is versatile, easy to use and effective for both group and independent study. This sound slide programs may be advanced in manually or automatically. In manual operation, the visual and audio components are usually separated. The presenter needs to ensure that the visual and audio are synchronized. In automatic operation, it uses two sound tracks – one for audible narration and for inaudible tones that activate the advance mechanism on the slide projector.

Multi Image Presentation 

Multi Image is the earlier form of video player. It is any visual presentation showing several images simultaneously, often using multiple screens. It may incorporate moving images, film or video but slides are used as foundation. It is heavily used in corporate communications – to impress visitors, to introduce new products, to review the year accomplishments. In education, it is usually produced for persuasive purposes like to enlist parent support for new programs, to heighten student’s awareness of issues, to arouse interest in new classroom technique.

Filmstrip

A filmstrip is a roll of 35mm transparent film containing a series of related still pictures intended for showing one at a time. The standard format of film strips is the single-frame filmstrip, in which the images are printed perpendicular to the length of the film, while in 35mm slide film, the images are parallel to the length of the film. This projector has no audio accompaniment. Narrative information is printed at the bottom of each frame or is recorded separately. As slides can be made by the teacher and students, filmstrips are better suited to mass production and distribution.

Opaque

Opaque projection is a method of enlarging and projecting nontransparent material on screen. It works by directing a very strong incandescent light down onto the material. The light is reflected upward to strike a mirror, which aims the light beam through series of lenses onto a screen. Consequently, the image on the screen is dimmer, and more complete room darkening is required. The document camera is an electronic version of the opaque projector. The image may be projected onto large screen within the room or it may be transmitted to distant sites via television. This projector is useful for many small groups or classroom-size groups that need to view printed or visual material together.

Computer Image Projection

Liquid crystal display (LCD) projections panels project computer images onto screen. This works as the same as reflective OHP, minus the transparency. An LCD panel is plugged into computer and placed onto the stage of a high-intensity overhead projector. The projector light shines through LCD panel, projecting image on a screen.

Bibliography

Dash, N. and Dash, M. 2007. Teaching English as an Additional Language. New Delhi: Atlantic

Heinich, R., Molenda, and Russel, J.D. 1996. Instructional media and technologies for learning 5th edition. New Jersey: Von Hoffman Press, Inc

Shabiralyani, G., Hasan,  K.S., Naqvi, H., and Iqbal, N. 2015. Impact of Visual Aids in Enhancing the Learning Process Case Research: District Dera Ghazi Khan. Journal of Education and Practice. Vol.6, No.19, 2015. ISSN 2222-1735 (Paper) ISSN 2222-288X (Online) 

Singh, Y.k. 2005. Instructional Technology in Education. New Delhi: Darya ganj.

Multimedia for Teaching English in the Classroom

By Muhammad Farkhan Fauzi

1507042030

Multimedia is related to technology. It has significant role in teaching English. When we talk about multimedia, a term CALL (Computer Assisted Language Learning) should be used. Since the media can be integrated by using computer, the multimedia has close relation with CALL. Sometimes people even use CALL to stand for multimedia. Although the definition of multimedia is very simple, making it work is very complicated.

A study conducted by Kasper (1997) illustrate that teaching English using multimedia such as print, film, video, Internet to students encourage them to write a critical analysis on assignments. Overall, the students’ achievement increased significantly 92 % of the students passed on departmental reading and writing examinations. In addition, their feedback on discussions is very positive. They express confidence in their ability to use English. They attribute this improvement to the multimedia model that the texts teach them English and provide helpful information in other courses and the film and Internet help them make material easier to understand because they see, hear, and read about the topic.

Components of Multimedia.

Multimedia is composed of various components: text, graphics, animation, sound, and video. These components can contribute differentially to the learning of material

a.   Text.

It is fundamental element in all multimedia applications. It conveys most information (Vanghan, 2004). We can use ordinary text or various typographic effects for emphasis or clarification in English teaching. In order to catch the reader’s attention, teachers can use different font size, color, and style to present information;  emphasize a certain word or phrase.

b.  Graphics.

It refers to images and pictures, such as chart, diagram, and photograph, which contain no movement. According to Andrew Wright’s Book Picture for Language Learning, graphics can stimulate interesting and motivation, improve understanding ability of language, and offer especial reference object and topic (Wright, 2003). Graphics plays a very important role in language teaching process.

c.   Animation.

Animation is the rapid display of a sequence  of images of 2-D or  3-D artwork or model positions in order to create an illusion of movement. Simply speaking, it ranges scope from the basic graph with a simple motion to a detailed image with complex movements. Assisted by the use of animation, teachers can  highlight key knowledge points and heighten students’ motivation (Vanghan, 2004).

d.   Sound.

It is speech, music, or any other sound that is stored and produced by computers. It has more advantages than tape recorder. In multimedia, teacher can use more vivid and fruitful sound to help students’ English learning.

e.   Video.

It is the visible part of a television transmission and broadcasts visual images of stationary or moving objects. Compared with animation, video can offer more vivid information. But it will consume more storage space than animation (Vanghan, 2004).

The Setting of Multimedia Classroom

In traditional classroom, most English teachers are used to using some conventional equipment, such as blackboard, chalk, tape recorders, and so on. However, we can find more modern equipment in a multimedia classroom. To ensure that readers can obtain a better understanding of multimedia English teaching, an illustration of a typical one-multimedia-PC classroom setting is vital and necessary.  

1)  MPC—multimedia personal computer;

2)  VCD/DVD player—video compound disk/digital video disk;

3)  Amplifier and Hi-Fi acoustic system;

4)  Overhead/slide projector;

5)  Screen/curtain;

6)  Projecting apparatus;

7)  The Internet access;

8)  Cassette tape recorder;

Many studies have shown that many students are tired of traditional English classes, and are interested in new style learning. They have positive attitude towards computer technology used in the classroom, and such technology does have a positive impact, because multimedia teaching have many advantages over other media in English teaching. 

Advantages

a.   Arousing the students’ interest.

Famous scientist Albert Einstein had a famous saying: “Interest is the best teacher”. So the interest has always been seen as the best helper to learn the knowledge. The traditional teaching method is that teachers talk from the beginning to the end with a chalk and a mouth. Such teaching is very single, which makes students lose interest, until weariness. Leo Tolstoy said: “The successful teaching is not to force, but rather to stimulate student’s desire” (Tolstoy, 2008, p. 212). In other words, if student have no interest or desire on teaching subject, then, even if the teacher talk how carefully, the results are fruitlessly. Therefore, teachers should try their best to get students to become interest in one topic of knowledge point, and make the students with a strong passion and enthusiasm to participate in teaching. Multimedia is this kind of media which can show a variety of sounds, images, animation, and other effects, firmly grasping the studen’s interest. It also can stimulate the students’ strong desire to study English actively. Multi-media teaching can not only greatly stimulate students’ interest in learning, but also make teaching becomes vivid and lively.

b.  Improving students’ self-learning ability.

The purpose of teaching in the classroom is not only to impart knowledge to students. The most important thing is teaching students how to learn and making students change from “want me to study” to “I want to learn” in thinking, from passive learning to active learning. Therefore, students are free from the passive learning environment, take initiative at learning, and develop their own self-learning good habits gradually. It also can enable students to tap into a good way of learning English independently, keep the cultivation of motivation and interest in learning English so as to make students really love the English, really free from the passive learning environment in English learning .The use of multimedia will be conducive to transition for students from the traditional passive learning to active state for independent study. For example, teachers can select the appropriate E-work arrangements to the students from the multimedia courseware after class, so that they can complete the relevant extra-curricular work, and send message to the teacher through their own e-mails, the teacher via electronic E-mail marking responses to student. In this way,

students can not only see their learning outcomes in the shortest period of time, but also continue stimulating interest in their own learning through the multimedia network. 

c.   Improving students’ innovative ability. 

Meanwhile, multi-media teaching can also develop student’s ability to innovate. Things need to innovate, Einstein said: “Imagination is more important than knowledge, and is a source of knowledge”. In teaching, the teachers should pay attention to tap the imagination of students. To use multimedia can achieve the desired results and find unlimited resources in textbooks.

d.  Cultivating students’ communication skills.

Chinese students learning English often lack a certain language environment and opportunities for practicing language, but the actual language teaching is often to focus only on words and sentence structures of learning, ignoring its specific application. Thus, many students get a fixed, isolated knowledge points from textbooks, but the ability of using these knowledge points to the real life of the capacity is relatively poor. When encountering with the reality of different occasions, they will be helpless. Through multi-media teaching, we can create real-life scenes in the classroom. It is not only to shorten the distance between teaching and practice and give students the opportunity to use English to communicate, but also to satisfy their curiosity in psychology and stimulate the expression of desire.

e.  Increasing classroom capacity.

With only a tiny mouse, teachers can avoid using of multiple exchange of tape recorders, video recorders, overhead projectors, etc., greatly increase the output of information, speed up the pace of the classroom, increase the density of the classroom, and save a lot of time which teachers spend on writing on the blackboard. Multi-media teaching rhythm is adapted to the needs of modernization to meet thestudent’s desire for knowledge. It can expand text-related materials. The use of multimedia technologies can make students notice a clear knowledge and a new expansion by huge information capacity which shows by all kinds of media.

Mind Mapping

 

References :

Kasper, Loretta F. (1997), “The Impact of Content-Based Instructional Programs on the Academic Progress of ESL Students”, English  for Specific Purposes, vol.16. Pp. 309-20. Kasper, Strategies”, PostScript, vol. 16. No. 2, pp. 5-17. 

Tolstoy, L., & CAO, Y. (2008). Childhood, boyhood, and youth. Shanghai: Shanghai literature and Art Publishing House.

Vanghan, T. (2004). Multimrdia: Making it work (8th ed.). Beijing: QingHua University Publishing House.

Wright, A. (2003). Picture for language learning. Tianjin: Nan Kai University Publishing House.

Social Media in ELT

Muhammad Farkhan Fauzi

1507042030

In this recent years, social media can’t be separated in our life. The development of technology and information makes us easier to achieve a lot of new informations using social media. Internet also plays an important role to support social media as our way of life wherever and whenever. As a teacher, it’s our role to make this social media as the tools to support our English teaching learning process. Many efforts should be made in applying the development of technology such as social media to increase our quality of our ELT.

Many researches have been conducted related to social media. Students who participate in social media as part of a class feel more connected to their peers that those students who do not participate in social media (Annetta et al., 2009; Jackson, 2011; Tomai, Rosa, Mebane, D’Acunti, Benedetti, & Francescato, 2010). Social media allows students to not only group themselves with peers who are similar, but also to enhance and link existing peer groups (Jackson, 2011; Mazman & Usluel, 2010; Wodzicki et al., 2012). In addition to enhancing established peer groups, social media can bridge the diversity that exists in classrooms by establishing a neutral zone in which students can interact with one another (Junco et al., 2011; Krause & Coates, 2008; Kuh, 1993, 2009; Mehdinezhad, 2011; Pike et al., 2011). Tomai et al. (2010) found that students who used social media felt more emotionally connected to their peers because they felt as though they had people to talk to if they had a problem or if they needed help. Further, these peer connections encouraged participation by students who initially felt intimidated by in-class discussions (Arnold & Paulus, 2010; Junco et al., 2011; Rambe, 2008). 

The connections that students make with classmates through social media can impact the learning environment that is created. Participation in social media creates a more collaborative and communicative learning environment for students by providing opportunities for discussions and interactions with their peers (Heafner & Friedman, 2008; Jackson, 2011; Liu et al., 2011). By collaborating with peers on a given topic, social media offers opportunities to develop a stronger sense of community among students (Arnold & Paulus, 2010; Dawson, 2008; Heiberger & Harper, 2008; Hurt et al., 2012; Jones et al., 2009; Top, 2012). Although Dawson (2008) found that the degree to which a student feels a sense of community might be influenced by the presence and experiences of pre-existing social networks, students who interact with higher numbers of learners also exhibit a higher sense of community. The use of social media also contributes to a sense of community among students by allowing personalization of profiles, including the addition of pictures and other identifying information (Arnold & Paulus, 2010; Stevens, 2009). This personalization, coupled with the critical examination of course topics, supports an authentic relationship between students by encouraging openness and sharing of information, which also increases students’ perceived learning (Hurt et al., 2012; Top, 2012). 

When using social media, educators must be able to play an active role in the collaborative process. Educators must not only promote creativity and assess student activities but also inform and clarify misunderstandings that occur involving the content area and subsequent knowledge creation in order to maintain the integrity of the learning environment (Frye et al., 2010; Garrett, 2011; Liu, 2010). In order to support these roles, educators must be provided with professional development that demonstrates how to incorporate social media into their classrooms in order for it to be used to effectively promote student learning (An & Reigeluth, 2012; Stevens, 2009). Even though educators are supportive of using social media and may receive professional development, educators report that they do not know how to effectively incorporate it into their classroom (An & Reigeluth, 2012; Fewkes & McCabe, 2012; Heafner & Friedman, 2008). These educators are unfamiliar with the time constraints involved in creating lessons that utilize social media while at the same time creating lessons that do not use social media (Hur & Oh, 2012). However, educators are more likely to incorporate social media activities into their classroom that they have created because they are able to creatively control the content that is included; for example, content that may be assessed on state mandated tests (Annetta et al., 2009; Hur & Oh, 2012). 

There are so many forms of social media. There are BBM, Whatsapp, Line, Wechat, etc. Facebook is one example of these that has partnered with a parent-teacher association (PTA) in order to promote responsible and safe Internet use to kids, parents and teachers. If some material available is seen to cause any disruptive reactions, members can report it to the Facebook crew and make them remove subject of the matter. However, although Facebook’s popularity continues to increase, it is important to discuss what it can bring to the overall teaching for the purpose of increasing learning. The challenge of using Web 2.0 technologies in the classroom is ‘to use them in a way that enhances learning, not simply because they are available’ (Fewkes & McCabe, 2012, p. 92). Furthermore, the growing use of the Internet has also moved media language towards ‘multimodal kinds of textual organisation’, also referred to as ‘multimodal discourse’ (Durant & Lambrou, 2009, p. 5.). In short, the term implies how meaning is made through the use of multiple modes of communication as opposed to language, for example using images, music and sound. These changes are yet incomplete but it is an interesting concept for language teachers to be aware of since it has been said to be growing. 

Material can be presented in more vivid ways than in the past, which may encourage students more actively’ (American Psychological Association 2009, p. 456). This is often achieved by sharing videos, pictures, quotes or other types of postings with your members (referring back to the subject of multimodal discourse mentioned before). Online collaboration on an assignment should be considered when working with social networks in order to share knowledge and build better communication skills. However, another challenge for educators involves ‘the distinction between entertainment and true intellectual engagement’ (American Psychological Association, 2009, p. 456). To support the development, teachers must have a clear definition of the reasons behind their choice of working with social networks and, most importantly, what they want to achieve with its use. Moreover, when using social media in a workplace, there is a strong possibility that it will build personal development and career advancement among staff members in the way that it improves awareness, and provides means for users to quickly interact over the Internet, in this case for teachers to share thoughts or updated lesson material with each other. Its use will also allow less hurried conversations and for thoughts to be expressed more clearly and openly because one will have more time to reflect upon their sayings rather than if it would have been a face-to-face communication setting. There is an amount of information about how to use social media to support one’s professional development by simply searching for it on the Internet. 

Although the positive outcome of the results when using social networks in schools, some teachers are still excluding the use of it in education because of the risks that they might carry with them. However, a number of educators argue that the educational benefits of social media far outweigh the risks, and there is a concern among these that schools are missing out on an opportunity to incorporate learning tools the students, in many cases, already know how to use. While some educators have found ways to include social media into their lessons, other educators are not utilizing social media for instructional purposes (Fewkes & McCabe, 2012). The use of social media must be purposeful and as a result should be applied in situations that are the most appropriate for learning and student understanding to occur (Liu, 2010, Väljataga & Fiedler, 2009). For example, social media is best used as an introductory tool for review and collaboration, not merely as a method of advertising class reminders (Annetta et al., 2009; Fewkes & McCabe, 2012). Therefore, educators who are considering incorporating social media into their academic courses should ensure that the specific type of social media used matches the learning outcomes for the students. 

Mind Map

References :
American Psychological Association. (2009) p. 456, cited in Fewkes, A. M., & McCabe, M. (2012). Facebook: Learning tool or distraction? Journal of Digital Learning in Teacher Education, 28(3), 92-98.

An, Y., & Reigeluth, C. (2011). Creating technology-enhanced, learner-centered classrooms: K-12 teachers' beliefs, perceptions, barriers, and support needs. Journal of Digital Learning in Teacher Education, 28(2), 54-62.

Annetta, L. A., Minogue, J., Holmes, S. Y., & Cheng, M. T. (2009). Investigating the impact of video games on high school students’ engagement and learning about genetics. Computers & Education, 53, 74-85. doi:10.1016/j.compedu.2008.12.020

Arnold, N., & Paulus, T. (2010). Using a social networking site for experiential learning: Appropriating, lurking, modeling and community building. Internet and Higher Education, 13, 188-196. doi:10.1016/j.iheduc.2010.04.002

Durant, A., & Lambrou, M. (2009). Language and media: a resource book for students. Routledge.

Fewkes, A. M., & McCabe, M. (2012). Facebook: Learning tool or distraction? Journal of Digital Learning in Teacher Education, 28(3), 92-98.

Heafner, T. L., & Friedman, A. M. (2008). Wikis and constructivism in secondary social studies: Fostering a deeper understanding. Computers in the Schools, 25, 288-302. doi:10.1080/07380560802371003

Hur, J., & Oh, J. (2012). Learning, engagement, and technology: Middle school students' three-year experience in pervasive technology environments in South Korea. Journal of Educational Computing Research, 46, 295-312.

Hurt, N. E., Moss, G. S., Bradley, C. L., Larson, L. R., Lovelace, M. D., Prevost, L. B., … Camus, M. S. (2012). The ‘Facebook’ effect: College students’ perceptions of online discussions in the age of social networking. International Journal for the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning, 6(2), 1-24. Retrieved from http://academics.georgiasouthern.edu/ijsotl/v6n2.html

Jackson, C. (2011). Your students love social media ... and so can you. Teaching Tolerance, 39, 38-41. Retrieved from http://www.tolerance.org/magazine/number-39-spring-2011/your-students-love-social-media-and-so-can-you

Junco, R. (2012a). The relationship between frequency of Facebook use, participation in Facebook activities, and student engagement. Computers & Education, 58, 162-171. doi:10.1016/j.compedu.2011.08.004

Liu, Y. (2010). Social media tools as a learning resource. Journal of Educational Technology Development and Exchange, 3, 101-114.

Stevens, V. (2009). Modeling social media in groups, communities, and networks. Tesl-Ej, 13(3), 1-16.