6th IMETC 2012

Date: 29-31st September 2012
Venue: Concorde Inn, KLIA

Alhamdulillah, I have been invited to be a keynote speaker at the 6th International Malaysian Educational Technology Convention 2012. It was a humbling and gratifying experience indeed to be given the opportunity to speak in front of the movers and shakers of the edutech realm. Thank you Prof. Rozhan Idrus for inviting me. The other three keynote speakers are Associate Professor Alla Saddik from Oman,Professor Junichi Yamanichi from Japan and Dr. Soon, Deputy Director of Bahagian Teknologi Pendidikan (BTP).

The 6th IMETC was officiated by Prof. Dato' Dr. Ansary Ahmed President/CEO Asia e University. This is my 1st time attending IMETC and I am glad I am given the chance to revive my knowledge on education technology from all the experts. During the latest Malaysian Educational Technology Association (META) annual meeting, I was being appointed as one of its Exco members, nominated by Prof. Yusof, the father of Education Technology in Malaysia. It is an honour and I'll do my best to contribute to the association, Insya Allah.

Wonderful and inspirational individuals I've met and networked with at IMETC. I've noticed that all of the professors/AP/academicians I've met at IMETC are so humble albeit their amazing accolades and credentials. Definitely a humbling experience. Who would have thought I would meet Dr. Bushro, the one who interviewed me for my HLP Scholarship interview at IMETC? She has been a great guide and mentor. I got the chance to meet Dr. Chiam from Sabah and Bee Ling from SK Bintang Utara who have been prolifically using IT in their schools. The best part is to meet my fellow HLP recipients, Aznita and Shikin. They are now studying in UKM and it's great to catch up and share ideas on our upcoming dissertation (read: stress alert..hehe)

My keynote address. My presentation focusses more on the educator's role in equipping ourselves to face the current trends and paradigm shift in E-Learning. Prior to this, I have interviewed and talked to several teachers, Mr. Adnan (SMS Sembrong), Jarrod (SMK Katibas), Azlimin (Maahad Al-Ahyar) to name a few. From their e-mails, tweets, FB messages and all, I was able to share the teachers' plights, issues and hope in the implementation of ICT in Malaysian secondary schools. I would like to thank my UTM lecturers especially my supervisor, Dr. Halina for guiding me. I would like to also thank Associate Professor Dr. Kamarul Kabilan who patiently guides me whenever I seek advice on my studies and presentations. You're awesome! In the context of e-learning, I strongly feel that the emphasis shouldn't be on the tools but on facilitating teachers in the use of these tools in the learning process. It is not fair to wiggle our fingers and finding faults when teachers are doing their best, teaching and multi-managing the various key-in systems. Perhaps they should create just ONE system hub where all the essential data can be managed better? Apart from teacher's resistance, infrastructure and professional development need to be revised and restructured so all of the stakeholders will not perceive E-Learning as a daunting task and instead,optimize it effectively to help students to learn better.

Tips for 1119 SPM 2012 : ENGLISH LITERATURE

Here's an interesting acronym that was shared by an experienced teacher, Mr. Adnan. I've came up with a graphic depiction of the acronym to make it easier to remember. In the context of the novel, make sure that you are well-versed on finding the evidences pertaining to all of the literary elements.

The main characters in Lee Su Ann's The Curse.I've taught my students the AMA acroynm (Azreen/Madhuri/Asraf) to make it easier for them to remember the main characters in the novel. The images in the infographic above are the actual thespians who starred in the well-executed Curse Musical Theater in 2011, directed by my friend, Hafeezah.

Analysis of past years questions. The safest way is to familiarise with the main characters and how they reacted to the events in the novel. Focus on the family bond, how the relationship evolves amidst all the chaos and unexpected truth. 

Do check out My Lit Project to explore the digital notes and try out the interactive activities. You can also check out my Slideshare for other novels and online resources. All the best!

Tips for 1119 SPM 2012 : WRITING

I'd like to share some tips with all of the SPM candidates out there. I am sure everyone by now is armed to the teeth, perhaps even experiencing what I call as 'information overload'! Too much info to absorb yet so little time. I don't believe in memorising essays but again, it may be applicable for weaker student at the elementary stage.  Fret not on anticipating spot questions for 1119 or any paper. I believe it's the right format and techniques in answering questions which is more vital in preparing oneself for an important examination.

For directed writing, using the correct format is essential. Don't waste your time doing wordcount for directed writing. One and a half page would suffice. As long each point is well elaborated and justified, you'll do just fine.

Please spare some time to proof read your essay. Many students forsaken this part as they are too engrossed with writing lengthy essay. Quality is more important than quantity! Use Sentence Connectors and Linking phrases to ensure a cohesive flow of ideas. Please ensure you are using the correct tenses too.

Capitalize on all the senses to guide you in writing more descriptively. I'd like to share Kleiser's 15000 Useful Phrases. I think it's a must-have list for all English enthusiast, educator or a learner. A loooong list but worth reading :)

 

Use appropriate idioms, proverbs and saying to enhance your writing flair. Remember to use it sparingly. A good website you can find a great pool of idioms is http://idiomconnection.com 

Embedding quotes, maxim and inspirational thoughts of great leaders, the movers and the shakers of the world would definitely garner extra marks and merit from the examiners. I suggest memorizing some quotes that you find inspirational and can be generally applicable in any essay. Some of the famous quotes I like  : "Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime." - Confucius, "You must be the change that you want to see in the world." - Ghandi and "Innovation distinguishes between a leader and a follower." - Steve Jobs.

Good luck to all the SPM & STPM candidates, may you sail through the examination without any hitch or glitch. All the best!