What Can A Teacher Do with A Cell Phone?

by: Endang Sriwahyuni

“Dream is a key for us to seize the world”, said Nidji, one of Indonesian band group through the song entitled “Laskar Pelangi”. So, it’s no problem for us to start our life with our dreams. Then, just attempt to realize it. I even just realized that a teacher also has to have dreams or specifically imagination to conduct an exciting class. My lecturer asked my peers and me to look at each of our cell phone deeply, then, imagine about what we can do with it as a teacher in a class. I start to imagine, dream. I will use some features of mine to be implemented in class learning process, like camera, voice recorder, music player, and radio.

What is the function of camera? Of course, it is for taking the pictures. The teacher can sometime ask the students in groups to use their cellphone camera for taking pictures of an object. The pictures are then described by them. While describing, the pictures must be sent to other groups through Bluetooth so that every student can learn clearly about what is being described.

The students are also able to record their description by voice recorder of the cell phone. Then, it must be shared to other groups too. So, they are not only feeling free to learn what is being described by visualization, but also through the voice.

The music player in the class is functioned simply. Just to support sugestopedia method. So, during students do the task or group work, we give a backsound. Because, believe or not, music can influence the brain to think or to do some actions. So, just play the slow music to make them enjoy in finishing the work.

What is the function of the radio, then? Well, we can use the radio to support the class in learning news casting text. So, they can get the example directly.

That’s only some examples of what a cell phone can give to a teacher in supporting learning process. We can use camera, voice recorder, music player, and radio. Do you find other features to use? Just develop it in your mind, dream it well. As dream is a key to seize the world. Imagination is a key to conduct exciting class. 🙂

Multiple Intelligence in Language Teaching

By: Endang Sriwahyuni

Multiple intelligences (MI) are about the ability of each person that exists in the self toward a thing like in learning, solving problem, etc. Each person may have different multiple intelligence. Even everyone can possess more than one of it as Gardner divided the multiple intelligences into eight kinds. Everyone may have different learning style based on their intelligences. So that’s why, in my opinion, the teacher have to concern in this case so that the learning process can cover and make a sense in all students. Further hope that students can master the material enjoyable as they do something that they like.

The teacher can do the teaching based on MI in every lesson with various activities. It doesn’t mean that teacher have to prepare eight kinds of activities as the amount of MI. Sometime, one activity covers and represents more than one MI. For example, when the teacher instructs the students to work in a group of four, then go to library or ICT laboratory to browse the Kahlil Gibran’s poem and finally present it in front of the class with concept of simple musical poem. This activity has already covered interpersonal, bodily kinesthetic, musical, and verbal linguistic.

So, basically, how can teacher integrate multiple intelligences in language teaching method? Let’s have some perception through my following example about my dream method. The teacher is going to teach about description text. Students are divided into groups of five. They are invited to go to school garden, observe what kind of, for example, plants they can find in the garden. Then, they have to choose one plant, observe its characteristic, including why it is suitable to live in this area, and how to reach this location from class, and then create a description text. After that, each group makes jingle that relates with the plants they described, it consist of lyric and body gesture. They have to present their text in front of class and begin it with the jingle. Finally, they are instructed to write the self-reflection about their learning on that day. Now, let’s relate the above example with multiple intelligences.

ACTIVITIES	MULTIPLE INTELLIGENCE
Work in group	Interpersonal
Go to school yard/garden	Bodily kinesthetic
Observe the characteristics of plant and analyze why this plant suitable to live in this area	Naturalist, logical-mathematic
Create description text and jingle lyrics	Verbal linguistics
Give the direction in the text about how to reach plant location	Spatial
Jingle performance	Musical, bodily kinesthetic
Write self-reflection	Intrapersonal

See, what a fun session it is, integrating multiple intelligence in activities of our lesson. The teacher can improve students exciting in learning with fun activities for finally reach the objectivities by integrating students multiple intelligences.

(Inspiration: MI session with Mr. Iwan Syahril & SSE LTM Handbook)

Does Student Have to Face Facebook?

By: Endang Sriwahyuni

WARNING!!!
It is a kind of messy writing.
I just write what I want to write.
BE CAREFUL but you MUST ENJOY it. 🙂

Facebook is a social networking media that found by a Harvard University student, Mark Zuckerberg. His work which began in 2005 finally becomes famous until now. Even, based on the note from “lembaga survey pemasaran internet” in January 2010, Indonesia is has second position after USA as the largest facebook user. While from facebook announcement (http://www.klipberita.com/klip-iptek/11447-indonesia-masih-ranking-3-pengguna-facebook-terbanyak.html) by August 18^th, 2010 Indonesia is in third position as largest fecebook user (facebooker_red) 🙂

In some schools or colleges of Indonesia, facebook is also integrated in teaching and learning process. Usually it is used for forming a group to facilitate them conduct discussion about the current subject. My college friends propose to use facebook as media for improving writing skill like creating a poem and then do something like polling on which poem is the most favorite one by counting the amount of respond on “like” button. Waaaww… great… 🙂

Hmmm… however, facebook usage in school context creates pros and cons in the Indonesian society. The cons appear because by involving facebook, students will be given much time to go online. Whereas, by going online, everyone can see and get information about everything, both of good and bad, that have bad effect, especially children and adolescence who can’t differentiate between good and bad.  Even facebook itself has ever caused some Indonesian girls left their home in for several days to meet boys that they know from this site. They went home in bad condition, too too bad… 🙂

http://regional.kompas.com/read/2010/06/02/15563455/ABG.Minggat.karena.Pria.di.Facebook

http://metro.vivanews.com/news/read/127989-orangtua_harus_waspada_bahaya_facebook

Facebook has “rather” bad reputation in our society if it is used by children.

Hey… like my lectures said, facebook broke the definition of “friend” that actually is a person or people that we really know. But in facebook even a person who never we meet also able to be friend. Hmmmm… it is not good.

My lecturer questioned on statement to make a class discussion with facebook.it means that students and teacher will have interaction each other toward current lesson through button “comment”. So how if students comment isn’t relate with the lesson or even disturbing? These are my class answers:

Teacher as administrator may delete that comments (…… seemingly not wise……)

Create regulation in using this class facebook group in the beginning (…..hmmmm, but, students are students….)

Email Mark Zuckerberg to create new application that can solve that problem (…… why should? Even you can do it by yourself….. :))

So, taking the decision to use facebook in the class, have to be followed by some strategy or solution to face the risks, especially for children.

Just conclude this messy writing with our hearth and also thought as prospective teacher candidate.  … .Hehehe 🙂