Week 7: DLLM

Checkpoint 1: Examples of Digital Language Learning Materials (DLLM)

·         POWER POINT (Teaching Aid)

·         FACEBOOK (Discussion and Forum)

·         YOU TUBE

·         BLOG

·         MERLOT (Multimedia Educational Resource for Learning and Online Teaching)

·         WISC-ONLINE (A digital library of Web-based learning resources called 'learning objects)

·         JORUM

Checkpoint 2: SLA Theories and Principles

Theories:

a)    Behaviourisistic

b)    Interactionist

c)    Innatist

Principles:

a)    Materials should achieve impact

b)    Materials should help learners to feel at ease

c)    Materials should help learners to develop confidence

d)    What is being taught should be perceived by learners as relevant and useful

e)    Materials should require and facilitate learner self-investment

f)       Learners must be ready to acquire the points being taught

g)    Materials should expose the learners to language in authentic use

h)    The learners’ attention should be drawn to linguistic features of the input.

i)       Materials should provide the learners with opportunities to use the target language to achieve communicative purposes.

j)       Materials should take into account that the positive effects of instruction are usually delayed

k)     Materials should take into account that learners differ in affective attitudes

l)       Materials should permit a silent period at the beginning of instruction.

m)  Materials should not rely too much on controlled practice

n)    Materials should provide opportunities for outcome and feedback

o)    Materials should help the learner to develop cultural awareness and sensitivity.

p)    Materials should reflect the reality of language use.

q)    Materials should help learners to learn in ways similar to the circumstances in which they will have to use the language.

r)      Materials should help to create readiness to learn.

Checkpoint 3: Rough outline of own DLLM

1.     Blogging in character

·         Pick characters from a book, such as a history book. Then, have the students to journal in their new persona. Teachers assign identities for all of the books that the students have read and let the conversation begin.

2.     Art gallery

·         Take photos of student work (or scan and save as images), and then have students to add their artworks to blog posts. To encourage writing skills, ask students to describe their art and the creation process.

Checkpoint 4: Summarize explanation for each criteria

1)    Errors:

·         There are two types of errors which are serious and less serious. Less serious is referring to a situation when work of the users are disturbed while serious is when the users’ outputs are endangered.

2)    Efficiency:

·         It explains how well the experienced users can operate an application after they have mastered it.

3)    Learnability:

·         It refers to how long the beginners use the system before they learn the essential skills which are necessary for them to complete tasks.

4)    Memorability:

·         It explains the ability of an occasional user who has previously used the system to remember its operational principle.    

Pedagogical Usability

1.     Feedback

·         DLLM should provide students with encouraging and immediate feedback.

2.     Motivation

·         Support the direction of individual's general behavior.

3.     Goal orientation

·         The goal of LM should be clear.

4.     Learner control

·         Learner’s memory should be put into optimal.

5.     Applicability

·         The knowledge should be transferable to other context.

6.     Added value

·         Value acts as an additional function towards learning.

7.     Learner activity

·         DLLM plays an important role in students’ activity.

8.     Cooperative/Collaborative learning

·         DLLM enables collaborative work with the teacher as a control.

9.     Valuation of previous knowledge

·         Include previous knowledge as an advantage for the learners.

10.                        Flexibility

·         Contains diverse assignment, adaptable, suitable and fit learners’ need.

Reflection:

For this task, we are required to provide examples of DLLM and to identify the theories and principles related to DLLM. There are certain criteria and pedagogical usability that we must follow when we develop DLLM for students. We also indicate a rough outline of our own DLLM that can be used to teach English in the local classrooms.

            From my personal experience when doing this task, I get confused between both materials and tools. In my initial thought, my notion is that a tool is somehow the same with materials as long as they are in digital form. However, after listening to Ms. JC explanation regarding this matter, I can relate that DLLM are anything that learners can use to learn a language and digital tools will help learners to share and convey what they have learned with others whether online or offline.

            As a pre-service teacher, DLLM is really helpful to enhance the effectiveness of using textbook to teach a language. DLLM is created in a more visual manner to arouse learners’ interest towards language learning. However, teachers must make sure that designed materials must fit with students’ proficiency level and able to activate their schemata in the teaching and learning context. It is crucial for students to sustain what they had learned through DLLM because DLLM is not only meant to engage students with the learning environment but also to show their ability to apply the language in real life.