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Instructions with technologies for Middle School Classroom

Middle school students have high curiosity in something. They like to try new things around them, including digital technologies. Digital technologies can be tools for middle school classroom to learn.  Students can apply digital technologies to develop their skill in learning. Digital technology also support classroom instruction. Students have many opportunities to learn and do their tasks using computer. Learning with digital technologies is more interesting for middle school classroom rather than learning with conventional way such as using direct teacher’s explanation using whiteboard and using pencil and paper to take note.

By technologies, teachers can give instructions and students can learn easily, for example in writing activity. Students can type whatever in their mind on the computer. The tools on computer help students about the grammar, spelling, or others. Technologies make learning easier to produce high quality text. Students also can post or publish their writing using applications that supported by technology, such as blogger. Using blogger teacher can give instructions and students can posting their works. Teachers can easily comments and giving suggestions of students’ work on blog. Another example that technology is very useful in giving instructions for middle school classroom is video conferencing. It can be effective tool for teachers in giving instruction. Teacher can use video conferencing for their students to practice speaking. Teachers can link the class to other classes around the world so that students can interact with other students over the world. It increase students’ speaking skill. There are many other ways using technology in middle school classroom for giving instruction, such as using games on computer, using social media, using digital textbooks. All the technology give good impact for learning especially in giving instruction for middle school classroom.

Online Social Media Applications for Language Teaching & Learning

Online Social Media Applications for Language Teaching & Learning

Development era demands various changes in life. One of which is access information more quickly and easily. Ease of access information because the existence of social media. Social media is very helpful in communication. Recently, we do not have to face to face in communication. We can use our social media that we have to communicate with our family, friends, teachers, and other. 

Todays, almost all people have social media. They utilize social media for their interest as in business, employment, and governance. Even social media can be utilized in education. Social Media is used in teaching and learning process. Teachers can innovate the process of teaching learning style to be more interesting. By using social media, the process of learning does not have to face to face learning. Teacher can give instructions, materials, and assignments using social media. 

There are many online social media applications that can be used for teacher in process of teaching learning. Many online social media applications can be used for teaching students how to preset, create, and code such as Animato and iMovie. Animato is an application which student can share their own beautiful videos. This application allows students to select a theme, music, images or videos, add captions of text, and within minutes a slick video is created. By using Animato, it makes students more creative in making video. Social Media is also used for everyday classroom need such as Evernote and Explain Everything. Evernote is an application for sharing all projects such as assignments, material, etc. many teachers love this notaking application. Explaining Everything is an application that can tell everything. It is an interactive whiteboard. By using it, teacher can explain the material without whiteboard in the classroom. They just use it as the media. Social media also can used for collaborating on school projects. In doing group class, teacher can use some applications such as Google Apps for Education and Schoology. Google Apps for Education known as GAFE is an application for video-based conversations. Students can use it to have climate change conversations with friends and family members. Schoology is similar with Facebook. The difference is it has security features for school use. By using it, students can post their assignment, videos, completed work and links. Another function of social media in teaching learning process is for communicating with students or other people. Some applications such as Edublogs and ClassDojo can be used for communicartion with others. Edublogs is a blogging platform desihned with teachers in mind. It can be used for documentation and communication. ClassDojo is an application which provides multiple ways to engage students and their families. The last function of social media is for giving feedback to students. In the process of teaching learning, it is important for giving feedback .The madia that can be used is Edmodo and Moodle.  Edmodo is an application for teacher and student to share ideas, material, and assignments. Both teacher and students can post and share, and discuss everything related to teaching learning. Beside, Edmodo also has a facility for giving feedback.  Moodle is an open – source learning management platform that has a questionnaire option. Students can give feedback about the assignment, for example, when they use these applications. 

Actually, there are still many other applications that can be used for teaching learning which make teaching learning more interesting. In my opinion, using social media in teaching learning is very good. It gives beneficial both teachers and students. Teachers and students can interact simply. Teacher can easily upload the materials, assignment, and etc. Students also easily join online class. Beside, the parents also can know the development of their children.   

BLENDED LEARNING

Blended Learning

Modern technology led to innovations in various fields, one of which is in education. Modern technology helps teachers innovate the combination of teaching learning. One of the combination is Blended Learning.

Blended learning is integrated learning. By using this method, it make the process of learning more practical because teacher should not always held face-to-face learning, but teacher can use online learning. It is very independent because this method is combination between online learning and traditional classroom methods. 

Blended learning has been used since several years ago. In 2000, 45000 K-12 students took an online course. In 2009, more than 3 million K-12 students took an online course. By the development of technology, it is predicted that in 2019 there will be 50% of high school courses deliver online courses. 

According to knewton.com, there are some models in blended learning. 

• Face-to-Face Driver

Face-to-face teachers deliver most of the curriculum. A physical teacher employs online learning in a technology lab or the back of the classroom to supplement.

• Rotation

In giving course, teacher uses rotation. Students rotate on fixed schedule between self-paced online learning and sitting in a classroom with a face-to-face teacher.

• Flex

An online platform delivers most of the curriculum. Teachers provide on-site, as-needed support through in-person tutoring or small group session.

• Online Web

An online platform delivers the entire course, but in a brick-and-mortar location. Often, students who participate in an online lab program also take traditional courses

• Self-Blend

Students choose to take remote online courses to supplement their school’s traditional curriculum. This model of blended learning is extremely popular among high school students. 

• Online Driver

An online platform and teacher deliver all the curriculum. Students work remotely, and face-to-face check-ins are either available or mandatory. 

There is a general consensus among education innovator that blended learning has three primary components.

• In-person classroom activities facilitated by a trained educator

• Online learning material, often including pre-recorded lectures given by that same instructor

• Structured independent study time guided by the material in the lectures and skills developed during the class experience. 

Blended learning is good to be applied because it gives some advantages not only for teacher but also for students. There are some advantages of blended learning. First, it is cheaper than face-to-face method. The students should not have textbook. They just access internet to get e-books or other materials for learning. They also just need application to save their data. It must be less expensive. Secondly, it is more efficient because students can access the material anywhere and anytime they want. Next, it makes teacher easier in giving instruction when she cannot held face-to-face learning. However, disadvantages of blended learning cannot be avoid. Teacher cannot control the students fully because they can access the material and doing task everywhere they want. Teacher cannot know the development of each student in detail.

Global Education Network (GEN)

Global Education Network (GEN)

Source: http://asiasociety.org/global-cities-education-network/about-network

Technology and telecommunication grow rapidly in globalization era. All people over the world can access information easily. Technology and telecommunication make many alterations in life. Milken Foundation in 1999 said that new technologies and telecommunications networks have dramatically transformed all facets of life, from medicine to agriculture, entertainment to politics, and economics to service industries. It means that technology and telecommunication are very important in our daily life. Technology plays important role in many aspects of life such as politic, culture, economic, etc.  Technology has the power to breakdown geographical, economical, language, and time-zone barriers.

All fields of life need technology and communication networks, including education. Nowdays, technology have been applied in education. Technology becomes a tool to create global learning. Using technology, people can make teaching and learning programs via the internet. The example of program using technology is The World Links for Development program (the WorLD program). This program will link 1200 secondary schools in 40 developing countries in South American, Africa, Eastern Europe and the Middle East with partner schools in Australia, Canada, Europe, Japan and the United States. Currently, there are 150 pilot schools connected in 14 developing countries, partnered with schools in 22 other countries. 780 Teachers have been trained to date. The program is active in Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Ghana, Lebanon, Mauritania, Mozambique, Paraguay, Peru, Senegal, South Africa, Turkey, Uganda, and Zimbabwe (World Bank, 1999). Another example of program using technology is The International Center for Distance Learning (ICDL). It is an international center for research, teaching, consulting, information and publishing activities based in the Institute of Educational Technology which received world class rating in the 1992 and 1996 Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE) Research Assessment Exercises. One more example of program is The Globewide Network Academy (GNA). It is a non-profit organization in Texas, USA that provides assistance in all aspects of virtual and distance learning with an Online Distance Education Catalog (ODEC). There is also a program for high school student, CyberSchools.NET. It is a global network that exists to fulfill the two-fold mission of strengthening school and global communities while developing real life experiences that teach children vital technological skills (CyberSchools NET, 1998).

Technology helps the students easily to study all over the world. Peer-to-Peer video conferencing is one of tool that make students easy to study and communicate with all people over the world. It offers opportunities for students to increase communication skills and language learning. Through Peer-to-Peer video conferencing, students are able to study new languages and different cultures that exist in the world. Students can share and exchange much information about cultural practices, customs, and communities other children experience around the world.

By the explanation above, it’s no doubt that global education learning is needed very much. By global learning, there are many teaching and learning innovation that make students easily to develop their knowledge. Moreover, by global learning, teachers have the ability to expose children to concepts of diversity, multiculturalism, and multilingualism. Teachers also can more easily create socially just classrooms because children will be exposed to new languages, cultures, and ways of thinking and doing which may contrast with their own and open up new avenues for discussion around equity and social change.

My wishes in the Past

When I was at Senior High School, I was waiting for the age of seventeenth. The age of seventeenth is well known with sweet seventeenth. In my opinion the age of seventeenth is the gate changes from childhood into adulthood. This adulthood is evidenced by having Identity card, driver’s license, and other ID card.

When my seventeenth birthday, I wish I had celebrated my birthday at home. I wish I had hold a birthday party at home. I wish my friends had come to my home for celebrating my seventeenth birthday. I wish there had been someone who gave me a special gift at the moment. When my seventeenth birthday, I was on my way to go to Bali Island with my schoolmate. I wish they had given me a surprise in the bus. I wish they had said happy birthday to me. But, nobody said it. Moreover, my parent did not call me at that time. I wish my parent had called and had said happy birthday to me. I felt nothing was special that day. When my friend and I arrived at the first destination, I still felt nothing was special. When I took an ablution in that place, I forgot putting my glasses. I could not see clearly without glasses. I wish my glasses had been found. What a bad day it was. Did this mean of sweet seventeenth?

At evening when we continued the tour, I had felt tired and nearly slept. Suddenly  someone in the bus brough a cake with candles numbered 17. All of my friends in the bus sang a birthday song for me and they said happy birthday to me. I though my friends forgot that today was my birthday, but my thinking was wrong. They remembered my birthday. I was very happy at the moment.

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