General Characteristics of Digital Media (Journal 2 TLL)

            Actually I have contact with digital media since when I was in Junior High School. For at the time, I remember that I have a Friendster account and private email. But I did not know about another digital media except social networking and email. But all changes, when I have been studying in Sampoerna School of Education (SSE). My knowledge, insight and curious about digital media are one step better than before. I learn everything in my college, especially English language and technologies. As teacher candidates for the next future, we expected for able to operate technologies in order that we became High-tech teachers.

            When we were in first semester in SSE, we made movie maker video for ICT course. So, we used Movie Maker as a media which help us. Because, Movie Maker is a one of mixing media which include not only a texts and images but also audio clips, video clips and animations. All of those things can combine into Movie Maker video. And for distributing media, usually we used email as a media for send assignments, information or announcements to person who we needed. The good point that we can send our email with push one click to some people all at once at the same time. So, it is simpler and keeps the time.

            Actually digital media has been good impact for our life, because new invention from the great people (social networking, email, software, word processor, etc) make our life easier, and make everything became simpler. So, that is why nowadays digital media has an improvement rapidly. But, do not forget as a user, we must wise into use digital media.

Pictures:  http://www.google.co.id/imgres?q=digital+media&um

“Students Expectations and Responses toward Personal Identity” (Journal 1 on Humanistic)

            I got Humanistic Studies for the first time last week. Actually I have felt a little bit worried for this course. Why? Because, basically I do not understand more deeply about Socio-Cultural, religion issues and multiculturalism as a main subject Humanistic Studies. And before, I never gave awareness about those things. So, when I heard my lecturer Mr. Hatim told about this course last week. I have worried and also excited, because it is look like an interesting for me and challenging. When, I checked my module. Oh….  So many articles I found in my module which I must to read as long as this semester. Wow.. That’s great!. But actually, I never read about those topics before. Because for me, maybe those topics very “heavy” and beyond my mind to understand about it. But for now, I will try to closer with those topics, to know more deeply and understand about all of these courses.

            My expectations for this course are really simple. I just want to know more about Socio-Cultural, religion issues and multiculturalism and another’s subjects in Humanistic Studies. Not only know, but I want to applied all of those things in my life; in order that to create tolerance between the members of religions community. Because, as a social creatures, humans life and needed another person for help each other, etc. So, we need to respected differences happened in our life, not only religions but also ethnics, languages, skin colors, etc.

            I am a Moslem. Every year, I have celebrated Idul Fitri. And all of my member’s families are Moslems too. So, we have celebrated together. But, my friend has different experience with me. She is Christian, but her parents have different religions. Her mother is Moslem and her father is Christian. She told me that she always celebrates two celebrations are Idul Fitri and Christmas. She has respected with religion from her mother. I think that case often occurred in Indonesia. Because, as we have known that Indonesia consist of five religions and Moslem is a dominant religions. Most of families have experienced with that case. One family be able consists of two or more religions from their members. So, can you imagine that in their family everyone also celebrate another celebrations. It is not a big problem I think. Because the most important things that as a citizens, we must to tolerance with differences religions. In this case, we do not find who religion the best and who religion the worst. But, how are we can unite without differences between us. It is the key point.

            Nowadays, everyone always have unique or meaningful names, with other meanings. Based on my experience, my parents gave my name with “Desri Fitiana”. You know why?. Because my mom told me that “Desri” has two meanings from my name. First, initial “D” it refers to name of my dad and “Sri” it refers to name of my mom. So, “Desri” is a combine names my mom and my dad. Then, “Fitriana” also has two meaning. First, because I was born five days before Idul Fitri came, so my mom attaches “Fitri” word in my name. And, “Ana” it refers to the last name my grandma. So, I have a meaningful name from my parents. How about you guys?. 

Picture: http://www.google.co.id/images?

Technology and Second Language Teaching (Technology and Languange Learning - TLL )

Technology is a tool can make our life easier. As students, we are using technology for support our business like assignments. Even for teachers, technology also helping them for makes a learning process interesting. Technology is developing superbly fast. Every years, all of scientists always founded invention from each them sector. For example, now days we can use a pen for write something on a paper. Can you imagine that long time ago, if the people wanted to wrote, they must use ink directly on a paper. So, it is hard and an inefficient.

Basically, technology in the classroom develops step by step according to Language Teaching Method. It has five parts. Maybe for that article only mentioned about Grammar translation, but in facts has five parts. The first is Grammar Translation. In this step tends to explaining about grammatical rules, the teachers only using a whiteboard and a marker as a tools teaching. Second is Audio-Lingualism. The teacher expects their students can memorizing dialogues. But the weakness is the students tend to memorized only language form not daily communication. Third is Direct Method. The teacher more has interactions with their students, like question and answer session using slide presentation. Fourth is total physically response and suggestopedia as a fifth.

Technology has two sides as tools are advantages and disadvantages according to that article. From my experienced self, technology has been a good point for me, like social networking (Facebook, twitter, blog, etc), email, search engine (Google). Those are things make me easier to get new information.  Especially for social network like twitter, I can meet my old friends who before we are not kept contact each other’s but with twitter we have communicated again. Not only those things, has laptop also had a role important because it is a like storage which can save all of my files. Skype is the most important things also, because with that we can communicate with see our picture, even if our in different countries. Not only good points but also technology has bad points. Now days, Facebook became a media for we know and introduce with another one even they are stranger for us. Based on this condition, kidnapping became important issues in Facebook. Because, before happened about that news. So, in my opinion, it depends on the individual person who using technology. We are must aware how to use technology as well as we need. If we using technology appropriate, so we will be safe. But if we are using technology inappropriate, we will be receiving risks from technology itself.

Picture: http://www.google.co.id/images (On Wednesday, 22 September 2011) 

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