NoNe oThEr ThAn tHe IWB aSsiGnMeNt--sTiLL iN tHe ProCeSs

29/8/2007 (Wednesday) – 4/9/2007 (Tuesday)

Hooray~ they said the matching past is being canceled! Oh yes, no longer involve in the matching past, no longer being afraid that I will be sunburn, no longer afraid that the new sun block will again, cause me allergy… Anyway, we too, lose out the chance to stand for the Merdeka celebration for our faculty, as well as the chance to win

RM5000. A tragedy? Or a good news? Herm… both I guess. So here comes the usual hour to our technology lesson since we have withdrawn ourself from the Merdeka match past.

Well, lots of inquiries regarding the IWB assignment waited in me to be readily “fired” to whoever is carrying out the lesson. And it happens to be Ms. Chin who is the one… Well, some of the inquiries are as below:

1. Does each individual in a group need to prepare at least 5 activities for their own topic? Or does he or she need only to come out with few activities to make up the 5 screens?
2. How about the teaching part? Can we just merely incorporate it or must there be an activity accompanying it?
3. How about the scientific project and experiment? Can we include it as one of the activities for the Science subject?
   
   …

Skillfully, Ms. Chin manages to answer our questions by either showing the sample of IWB assignments done by our seniors or through the question-answer session. I shall summarize the requirements as below:

1. Each individual in a group needs to prepare a different topic for the assignment. Let say a group of five will then have 5 different topics and hence 5 different sets of activities relating to the particular topics chosen.
2. Each individual in a group then needs to prepare at least 5 screens/slides based on the individual topic chosen. The 5 slides including the activities as well as the Curriculum Specification which spells out the topic, the target audience, the pupils’ prior knowledge, the objectives, the guidelines as well as a rational to be included. Hence, the 5 screens/slides required are NOT indicating that 5 different types of activities are required.
3. There should be an introduction to the activities and here, some teaching parts can be incorporated.
4. Some scientific projects or experiments can be included as one of the activities as what our seniors have done.
5. Also, we need to present our group work on the 12th of September before the submission of our group assignments. Comments will be given during our presentation. We are to do the necessary corrections based on the comments and this will further help in improving our assignment before the submission.

Doubts are clear now. Well, it is true that without trying to complete and engaged oneself in doing the assignment, one would not know what are the problems faced and would not know what to ask or seek for clarification. It is unless when there is involvement and engagement, then here comes tons and tons of inquiries, just as what I have experienced. However again, doubts are clear now.

Here, I would like to take this opportunity to thank Ms. Chin for helping my and giving me guidance in completing my assignment during this particular lesson.

Since out of 5 in my group, me and Alison are to do the activities on Science topics, while Shin Chin and Kia Hooi, English activities and Yun Mun, Mathematics activities, I have chosen the topic on “Earth and Universe” for the Year 4 pupils.

Before entering this particular lesson, I had completed four activities and I tried to edit it during this lesson. During my head-cracking process of modifying my existing activities to better attract the pupils, Ms. Ng’s help reaches my hand. She actually complemented my activities and screens and she does give some suggestions of the way to provide immediate feedback. Also she has guided me to prepare an introductory activity which I eventually develop a short video session for it. Well, haha, it is true on what Maslow has mentioned—one needs to be motivated. Ms. Ng’s complement on my activities has given me a greater motivational force to complete this assignment.

Again, thanks to Ms. Ng.

Also, other than Ms. Ng, my group members have provided me with some useful information in order to help me to complete the activities, such as giving suggestions for my choice of activities. Thanks to them as well.

Another person whom I would like to show my appreciation to is Cheng Kwang, who has actually done me a favour by trying to complete the exercises developed. This really helps me a lot since it is only after he had tried out the activities that I notice, oh gosh! There are so many loopholes in them and this has given me a golden opportunity to further improve on my activities.

Though aids are being showered to me during my process in producing those activities, I do face some problems in completing them. Firstly, it is not easy for me to choose colours that are contradicting to each other as to bring out the answers and the immediate feedback provided. However, after trying few times by using different colours for the fonts and background, at least, I manage to come out with a clearer view as to bring out those wordings.

Secondly, for one of my activities developed, there is a lack of space for me to beautifully organize the planets in a straight line as to indicate the sequence of them in the solar system. Hence, out of choice, I have the put them packed together and to number them so to indicate their sequence.

Thirdly, it is not that easy to get real-like and attractive images. Since it is more attractive by having animated pictures, I’d spent lots of my time browsing through the net to search for animated planets. Luckily, my hard work is being paid off when I eventually manage to get all the nine, real-like animated planets successfully.

Lastly, in order to prepare an introductory activity as suggested by Ms. Ng, I’d tried to get video regarding the nine planets from the net. Though I managed to get them, but I fail to download them. I’d tried for few days and eventually, I give up looking for one and instead I try to produce one. This is my virgin product in producing a short video clip by using the Windows Movie Maker. Thanks to Aizam who taught me the basic skills needed in using the movie maker programme. Eventually, I manage to create one, though it is not really professional and attractive, but at least it will not be too lousy to be used in the Year 4 Science Classroom, I guess (and hopefully so…).

Well, finally I have completed all my activities for the chosen Science topic. Now is time for me to work on the written part on the guidelines, the Lesson Planning part as well as the rationale.

So, still, I’m working hard, thinking hard, browsing hard, typing hard, squeezing my heard hard and ‘theorizing’ hard to justify and give a really rational rationale to my piece of work. Well, well, well, “sharing is caring”. I shall then share, and help; also being shared and helped~

Have a nice day to all who are working hard to complete this assignment.

Jia You o!!!