Zahri HjRamlan ICT in Education Blogger

WHAT IS THINK QUEST?

2011-05-11T07:19:00.000-07:00

What Is ThinkQuest?

ThinkQuest is an online program that challenges students to develop educational Web sites for K-12 curriculum. Students can win great prizes for themselves and their school.

The ThinkQuest resources featured in Teacher Tacklebox represent only a small portion of the many great educational resources developed by students available at the ThinkQuest Library of Entries.

We encourage teachers to inform their students of this opportunity and to encourage them to enter the ThinkQuest challenge.

VISIT THIS SITE : http://www.thinkquest.org/en/

KODU

2011-05-11T07:01:00.000-07:00

What is Kodu ?
Kodu is a new visual programming language made specifically for creating games. It is designed to be accessible for children and enjoyable for anyone. The programming environment runs on the Xbox, allowing rapid design iteration using only a game controller for input.

Integrating Kodu and gaming into the classroom

Anthony Salcito

Being a gamer myself, I’ve always been attuned to the potential for gaming to become more than just an entertainment device. I think leveraging video games in the classroom can not only stimulate thinking and help develop problem solving and logic skills, but also inspire and excite kids about learning. That’s why I’m thrilled Kodu is now officially available on the Xbox Live Community Games channel. Created in Microsoft Research (MSR), Kodu is a new visual programming tool that allows you to create video games on the Xbox 360, but it’s also a really interesting way to help young children learn the basics of computer programming through a visual and familiar interface.

If you are with a school or an educator interested in using Kodu in your curriculum, you can sign up here to get involved in the academic beta program on the PC. Space is limited, and it requires an Xbox 360 controller for Windows and a reasonable graphics card. You can read more about Kodu’s potential use in the classroom here, and how kids at a Michigan elementary school took Kodu for an early test drive during the development phase here. Also, check out the demo video below from Alfred Thompson, one of our K-12 Computer Science Academic Relations Managers here at Microsoft. The Kodu forum also has lots of chatter if you need programming tips, want to talk to the community building games and keep up on product developments.

The potential for Kodu in the classroom is huge. There are three core elements schools should think about in terms of how to maximize the potential of gaming from a learning perspective. Most schools think about gaming in relation to creating simulation-based experiences in a visual or interactive way that enable collaboration (think Second Life). I blogged earlier about how avatars can help get students more engaged in their learning experiences.

Gaming is a great way to inspire kids to get exposed to and to understand core skills. Kodu can help kids understand the fundamentals and principals of software development. We can make learning experiences more relevant. If we can get kids interested in gaming concepts early, then hopefully they will think about their potential career aspirations and develop skills early.

I think there is also potential for incorporating gaming into the way we do assessments. Kids respond to the gaming culture. There’s this notion of achievement and winning in games that incent players to accomplish certain tasks in order to get recognition. Wouldn’t it be great if we could leverage those core concepts for learning? Using elements of games to have rich interactive learning management systems where kids are incented, rewarded and recognized to complete quizzes, to do lesson plans, or to share information and collaborate on a subject.

I’d be curious to hear if your school is receptive to incorporating gaming in the classroom, and what innovative projects you are assigning your students…

The Government Transformation Programme (GTP)

2011-04-04T01:19:00.000-07:00

The Government Transformation Programme (GTP) was introduced by the Prime Minister Dato’ Sri Najib Tun Razak in April 2009 and is led by him. The objective of GTP is two-fold – first, to transform the Government to be more effective in its delivery of services and accountable for outcomes that matter most to the rakyat; and second, to move Malaysia forward to become an advanced, united, and just society with high standards of living for all. This is in line with the national mission of achieving Vision 2020 – for Malaysia to become a fully developed nation.

The National Key Result Areas

The six National Key Result Areas (NKRAs) identified to spearhead the Government’s transformation are:

Enhancing accountability with Ministerial KPIs

Areas not covered by the NKRAs are still important and will continue to receive attention from the Government at the ministerial level. These areas – MKRAs – include targeted outcomes that the rakyat can see and feel (e.g., responding faster to public complaints and reducing the number of road traffic accidents). Similar to the NKRAs, these MKRAs and Ministerial KPIs (MKPIs) are a beginning and will continue to be refined and improved over time Accountability for delivery rests on each respective minister. The Prime Minister has also committed to reviewing the progress of all ministers every six months to ensure their performance is on track. The first reviews took place between November 2009 and January 2010.

Click here to download Chapter 12: Enhancing accountability with Ministerial KPIs

Ensuring performance now

In order to achieve this level of performance, we acknowledge that the Government needs a new way of working – from the top leadership down through the entire civil service. The Prime Minister has led the way by requiring all ministers to set clear KPIs, which they must then report results against regularly. This practice is in the process of being cascaded throughout the Government.

We are also enhancing the transparency of our objectives, targets and plans – beginning with the GTP Roadmap. We expect to be held accountable for delivering targets we announce, and we will publish a progress report on an annual basis, starting in the first quarter of 2011, so that our achievements can be evaluated over time.

In addition, we have embarked on a series of reforms to enhance our capacity to deliver.

Click here to download Chapter 13: Ensuring Performance Now

Transforming Malaysia

In our history, we have often taken the road less travelled and pragmatically charted our own course. We are doing it again. No other government in the world has undertaken such a bold transformation programme. However we understand that delivering these outcomes will not be easy. There will be setbacks along the way, including missed targets, initiatives that may not work, stakeholders who push back, resistance to change and new challenges we could not have foreseen. In transformation programmes of this scale it is also quite common for things to get worse – or feel like they are getting worse – before they get better. Despite these inevitable challenges, we must deliver.

When the Government Transformation Programme hits inevitable challenges and setbacks, we the Government and all Malaysians must remind ourselves of what is really at stake here and continue to stay the course. What is at stake is the achievement of Vision 2020, making a difference to the lives of all current and our future generations of Malaysians and further enhancing our nation’s reputation and position in the world.

Pls visit

MyWork Life

WHAT IS i7 Processor?

2011-04-04T01:08:00.000-07:00

BEST-IN-CLASS PERFORMANCE

2nd Generation Intel® Core™ i7 Processor

The Intel® Core™ i7 processor delivers best-in-class performance for the most demanding applications. This quad-core processor features 8-way multitasking capability and additional L3 cache. With adaptive performance and built-in visual capabilities this 2nd generation processor brings more intelligence to your PC.

2nd generation Intel® Core™ i7 processors feature Intel® Turbo Boost Technology 2.0◊ and Intel® Hyper-Threading Technology◊, enabling required security applications and protocols to run efficiently in the background without compromising productivity.

Today's more visually sophisticated communication needs will be met with Intel® HD Graphics 2000 Technology, integrated into 2nd generation Intel Core processors. This eliminates the need for a discrete graphics card, reducing power consumption and system cost.

FEATURES AND BENEFITS

With 2nd generation Intel Core i7 processors, you get the following features built in:

Intel® Turbo Boost Technology 2.0◊ dynamically increases the processor frequency as needed by taking advantage of thermal and power headroom when operating below specified limits.
Intel® HT Technology◊ allows each core of your processor to work on two tasks at the same time.
Intel® Smart Cache is dynamically allocated to each processor core based on workload, which significantly reduces latency and improves performance.
Advanced Encryption Standard New Instructions add hardware acceleration to AES algorithms and speeds up the execution of AES applications.

21st Century Skills

2011-03-28T07:40:00.000-07:00

1^st Century Schools, LLC recognizes the critical need for developing 21^st century skills. However, we believe that authentic education addresses the “whole child”, the “whole person”, and does not limit our professional development and curriculum design to workplace readiness.

21^st century skills learned through our curriculum, which is interdisciplinary, integrated, project-based, and more, include and are learned within a project-based curriculum by utilizing the seven survival skills advocated by Tony Wagner in his book, The Global Achievement Gap:

Critical Thinking and Problem Solving
Collaboration across Networks and Leading by Influence
Agility and Adaptability
Initiative and Entrepreneurialism
Effective Oral and Written Communication
Accessing and Analyzing Information
Curiosity and Imagination

Please visit this site :
What is 21st Century Education

Framework for 21st Century Learning

2011-03-28T07:23:00.000-07:00

The Framework presents a holistic view of 21st century teaching and learning that combines a discrete focus on 21st century student outcomes (a blending of specific skills, content knowledge, expertise and literacies) with innovative support systems to help students master the multi-dimensional abilities required of them in the 21st century.

The key elements of 21st century learning are represented in the graphic and descriptions below. The graphic represents both 21st century skills student outcomes (as represented by the arches of the rainbow) and 21st century skills support systems (as represented by the pools at the bottom).

While the graphic represents each element distinctly for descriptive purposes, the Partnership views all the components as fully interconnected in the process of 21st century teaching and learning.

The elements described below are the critical systems necessary to ensure 21st century readiness for every student. Twenty-first century standards, assessments, curriculum, instruction, professional development and learning environments must be aligned to produce a support system that produces 21st century outcomes for today’s students.

Twenty-First Century Student Outcomes and Support Systems

Download a brief PDF version of the Framework here.
Download the full P21 Framework Definitions document.
Visit Route 21 for an interactive view of the framework here.

Twenty-First Century Student Outcomes

The elements described in this section as “21st century student outcomes” (represented by the rainbow) are the skills, knowledge and expertise students should master to succeed in work and life in the 21st century.

1. Core Subjects and 21st Century Themes

2. Learning and Innovation Skills

3. Information, Media and Technology Skills

4. Life and Career Skills

Twenty-First Century Support Systems

The elements described below are the critical systems necessary to ensure student mastery of 21st century skills. 21st century standards, assessments, curriculum, instruction, professional development and learning environments must be aligned to produce a support system that produces 21st century outcomes for today’s students.

1. Twenty-First Century Standards

2. Assessment of 21st Century Skills

3. Twenty-First Century Curriculum and Instruction

4. Twenty-First Century Professional Development

5. Twenty-First Century Learning Environments

Please visit this site for more info

The Partnership for 21st Century Skill

iPAD 2

2011-03-20T08:54:00.000-07:00

How is the iPad 2 different than the original iPad?

The iPad 2 is different from the iPad in several ways, both inside and out. The most noticeable difference is the new design. Apple has incorporated the same unibody design principles which we have seen on the MacBook Pro and MacBook Air laptops into the iPad 2. This means the iPad 2 is 33% thinner than the original iPad and also comes in .2 pounds lighter. The iPad 2 measures 8.8mm thick and weighs in at 1.33 pounds.

The iPad 2 also comes with two cameras, one on the front and one on the back, which can be used to take pictures and video as well as support FaceTime and video calling. The rear camera is capable of recording in 720P at 30 frames per second and can also take still images with a 5X zoom. The front facing camera is designed mainly to support video calling and supports a VGA resolution at 30 FPS as well as the ability to take still images of VGA quality. You are able to control the exposure by tapping on the screen and the photos can be geotagged when connected to WiFi so that you know where you took them.

Another exterior difference is the availability of a white iPad 2. Previously the iPad was only available in black. With the launch, users will now be able to choose from black or white.

Inside, the iPad 2 has a new, faster, dual core A5 processor which delivers two-times the performance of the original iPad and nine-times the graphics performance. The new processor will allow developers to create richer, more immersive, applications that provide even greater visuals.

The iPad 2 will also be available with a Verizon 3G connection, a change from the original iPad which was available with a mobile data connection from AT&T.

Also inside the iPad 2 is a three axis gyroscope which has previously been added to the iPhone 4 and allows for more sensitive motion controls in apps.

Hidden inside the iPad 2 are a number of magnets which allow the iPad 2 to be used with the Apple Smart Cover and eventually third party cases that connect to the iPad with magnets, allowing for protection without giving up a slim form factor. The Smart Covers can also be used to place the iPad 2 into positions for typing and viewing content.

iPad 2 Features:

The inclusion of two cameras on the iPad 2 brings photography to the Apple tablet and Apple is including two new apps that will allow user to take advantage of the cameras. The first new app is FaceTime which allows you to video chat with other iPads, iPhones, iPod Touchs and also with Mac users.

Apple is also including Photo Booth for the iPad. Photo Booth makes it easy to take pictures of you and your friends and edit them in fun, and funny ways. There are a collection of built in filters, ranging from X-Ray to Light Tunnel, to tweak your photos and then you can share them via the mail app, in a slide show or in your photo library where you can share photos using other iPad apps.

Like the original iPad, the iPad 2 has a 9.7″ IPS display which is LED backlit. The display provides a very crisp image for both photos and videos. The IPS (in-plane switching) technology offers a wide 178 degree viewing angle, which means you can share the screen with a friend.

The iPad 2 has a multitouch screen which is how you interact with the iPad. Users can flip through images, pinch to zoom or flick across the screen to control the iPad 2. When you need to type an onscreen keyboard pops up and allows you to compose documents and emails. When you’re done, the keyboard slides off the screen until you need it again.

The iPad 2 ships with iOS 4.3, Apple’s latest operating system which is what powers the iPad experience and includes access to the 65,000 iPad apps. There are a collection of new features in iOS 4.3 including faster browsing, access to your iTunes content over your home network, improvements to AirPlay streaming and the ability to have the iPad switch control the orientation lock or to act as a mute switch.

iPad 2 Apps:

The iPad 2 ships with a collection of built in apps including the new FaceTime iPad app and the Photo Booth iPad app. The FaceTime iPad app allows you to make FaceTime video calls to other Apple devices and the Photo Booth app makes it easy to make fun edits to photos you take while hanging out with friends, as if you were in an actual photo booth.

Other built in apps include the Safari web browser which is now faster than on the original iPad and allows you to visit anywhere on the web. You can have several webpages open at a time with support for tabbed browsing.

Notably, it does not support Flash, so you won’t be able to play every online video, but most websites now support a video format that the iPad 2 can play.

The Mail app allows you to check your work and personal email accounts with support for major web email services, and Exchange which is used at many companies. The Mail App can connect to Pop3 and IMAP accounts as well. There is support for reading, responding and opening attachments right on your iPad.

iBooks, Apple’s eBook and PDF reading app is also installed giving you access to a wide variety of books. You can also install many other eBook reading applications like the Kindle iPad app or the Nook iPad app.

The iPad 2 ships with the Videos app and Photos app which allow you to watch your purchased or downloaded videos as well as those you take with the iPad. The Photos app can be used to play a slideshow on the iPad, or wirelessly to your Apple TV.

The iPad 2 also has a built in iPod app, which is where you control your music, choose playlists and flip through your albums. You can be playing music in the iPad app while you use the iPad for other activities.

For purchasing content and apps you can use the iTunes and App Store apps which provide access to movies, music and TV shows as well as over 65,000 iPad apps.

Rounding out the included apps are Maps, YouTube, Find My iPad, Game Center, Notes, Calendar and Contacts. The Find my iPad app can help you track down a lost iPad. Game Center will keep track of how you are doing on the numerous iPad games and compare your progress to your friends. The rest of the apps so pretty much what the name implies; Map, show you YouTube videos, allow you to take notes, and display your calendar and contacts as synced from various online accounts.

In addition to these built in apps you have access to over 65,000 iPad applications already released. The iPad apps made for the original iPad will work with the iPad 2, and you can use iPhone applications on the iPad 2. If you use an iPhone application though, the app will either take up a portion of the screen, or will be scaled up to fill the screen.

Apple announced two new apps today that will launch with the iPad 2. First is iMovie which is a portable movie editing studio that will let you edit the video you take or import to your iPad and then share it with your friends. Next up is Garage Band which can help you learn how to play music, or be used to create tunes on the iPad 2 with up to 8 tracks mixed in.

7th ASIA PACIFIC REGIONAL INNOVATIVE EDUCATION FORUM 2011

2011-03-11T04:38:00.000-08:00

SELANGORS' SMART TEACHERS COMMUNITY

The success of a school in the teaching and learning in the classroom can be influenced by several factors. Among the factors that will be recounted here is the role of the State Education Department to ensure the teaching quality, teacher and student performance.

Selangor State Education Department has introduced the concept of Smart 3C : Communicate, Collaborate and Building a Smart Teachers Community.

In these concept teachers guided to use effective skill to use face to face and online collaboration to be better teaching in the classrom.

Used theory of Edward De Bono "Six Thinking of Hats", these 3C skills if applied effectively can produce excellent teachers and excellent students result.

Six Thinking Hats is a simple, effective parallel thinking process that helps people be more productive, focused, and mindfully involved. And once learned, the tools can be applied immediately!

You and your team members can learn how to separate thinking into six clear functions and roles. Each thinking role is identified with a colored symbolic "thinking hat." By mentally wearing and switching "hats," you can easily focus or redirect thoughts, the conversation, or the meeting.

The White Hat calls for information known or needed. "The facts, just the facts."

The Yellow Hat symbolizes brightness and optimism. Under this hat you explore the positives and probe for value and benefit.

The Black Hat is judgment - the devil's advocate or why something may not work. Spot the difficulties and dangers; where things might go wrong. Probably the most powerful and useful of the Hats but a problem if overused.

The Red Hat signifies feelings, hunches and intuition. When using this hat you can express emotions and feelings and share fears, likes, dislikes, loves, and hates.

The Green Hat focuses on creativity; the possibilities, alternatives, and new ideas. It's an opportunity to express new concepts and new perceptions.

The Blue Hat is used to manage the thinking process. It's the control mechanism that ensures the Six Thinking Hats® guidelines are observed.

What Should A Good Teacher Be Like?

2011-02-22T21:44:00.000-08:00

A good teacher must have a good character, good attitudes, good teaching skills, and have a good relation with the students. The teacher must have a good teaching skill means that the teacher must make the students to understand easily what the teacher is teaching.

The teacher must be creative in order to make the students can easily understand or to make the study hours are enjoyable, so that the students are not bored. Rather than just speaking and explaining in front of the class, the teacher can also have some experiment or other fun activity like researching about weather to increase the student’s knowledge by doing something, not only by listening.

The teacher must also have a good relation with the students in order to know if the students can understand the teaching so that the teacher can do better.

●The most important in a good teacher is the desire to be a good teacher. This means the one who succeeds in every aspect of teaching, just like the teachers recognize students who really try to be good students, Students also recognize teachers who really want to be good teachers.

●A good teachers will always take risks. Sometimes, teachers that do not take a risk was not respected by the students so that the teacher can’t teach the student.

●A good teacher must have a positive attitude. Teacher who falls into the trap of bad attitude will never be positive about teaching. Good teachers meet all challenges with a positive attitude.

●A good teachers never have enough time and never finish their work, but a good teacher don't complain about the long hours because they love what they do.

●A good teachers think of teaching as a form of parenting. Teacher use the principles of good parenting in many times, including caring about their Students, knowing when to be firm to the students, and apologizing when it is needed. Good teachers, like good parents, know the students'' problems, and the students’ potential.

● A good teachers give their students a confidence. A good teacher realize that what the students learn is less important than the learning process by the teacher.

●A good teacher able to keep his or her students in balance. The students that are not active in class are a bored students. A creative teachers force their learning when their students try new techniques and introduce risks.

●A good teachers will always try to motivate students by working within their own learning system. Teachers who know their students' likes, dislikes, problems and personal issues are more likely to be able to motivate students to learn.

● A good teacher must be creative. The creative teacher also force a learning of knowledge. In a technical field like health care, teachers should be interested in more than just what students know. A creative teacher will be an active teacher. This means that the teacher will not only explain something in the class, but with some experiment or some project to do to increase students’ knowledge.

● A good teacher must have a good characteristic. This means the teachers’ ability to work together with students and treat them as partners.

● A good teacher must be caring. One of the part of caring is trust. For good teachers, one way to build trust is by allowing students to get to know them. Teachers who share about themselves give their students an appreciation for their knowledge. Teachers can also involve students in discussion groups and professional activities.

More About : what should a good teacher be like?
Visit this site : http://www.shvoong.com/books/1733641-good-teacher/

Learning Theories and Teaching Strategies

2011-02-20T02:33:00.000-08:00

# Experiential Learning
Definition: Teachers provide opportunities for real-world experiences based on students' prior knowledge.
Rationale: Brain-based research suggests that students who engage in real world experiences will attain and assimilate information effectively because the activities are meaningful in their day-to-day life experiences.

# Direct Instruction
Definition: A highly structured, teacher-centered information delivery method that may rely on drills, repetition, and scripted materials.
Rationale: Provides the teacher with a framework to impart information.

# Social Learning
Definition: Teacher-guided cooperative learning that facilitates student interaction.
Rationale: Strengthens students' ability to retain information through social interaction involved with cooperative learning within socially appropriate norms.

# Problem-based Learning
Definition: Teacher/student initiated inquiries that promote critical thinking and problem solving.
Rationale: Develops student ability to problem solve and think critically.

# Constructivist Instruction
Definition: Teachers apply brain research results and extend student learning by building on students' prior knowledge.
Rationale: The context in which an idea is taught as well as students' beliefs and attitudes affect learning.

# Thematic Instruction
Definition: Teachers provide cross-curricular learning on a central theme.
Rationale: Students are able to make coherent connections among disciplines and acquire an integrated knowledge base.

# Non-graded, Multi-age
Definition: Teachers implement curriculum based on students' individual learning progress rather than grade level.
Rationale: Students' chronological age and mental age do not always correspond. In a multi-age program students develop self-direction, responsibility, tolerance for others, social skills, self-assuredness, and positive attitudes toward learning and school.

# Multiple Intelligences
Definition: This theory, developed by Howard Gardner, suggests that intelligence based on IQ testing alone is far too limited; therefore, he proposed eight different intelligences to account for a broader range of human potential.
Rationale: It identifies students' abilities in other areas of intelligence and does not limit intelligence to strength in the logical-mathematical and linguistic areas.

# Miscellaneous Instructional Ideas
Definition: A list of ideas designed to stimulate teachers' thoughts and assist in expanding lesson plans.
Rationale: It provides a resource for the busy, time-challenged teacher.

# Additional Learning Theories
Definition: Some other generally accepted theories of learning with resource connections. This list is by no means exhaustive.
Rationale: Justice to all learning theories is not possible due to the vast number. This link supplies information on additional theories

Please visit this site for more info :
http://www.journeytoexcellence.org/practice/instruction/theories/

Talian Internet Di Sekolah tempoh INTERIM 2011

2011-02-10T00:29:00.000-08:00

Top 10 Strategic Technologies for 2011

2011-01-26T22:45:00.000-08:00

Gartner, Inc. today highlighted the top 10 technologies and trends that will be strategic for most organizations in 2011. The analysts presented their findings during Gartner Symposium/ITxpo, being held here through October 21.

Gartner defines a strategic technology as one with the potential for significant impact on the enterprise in the next three years. Factors that denote significant impact include a high potential for disruption to IT or the business, the need for a major dollar investment, or the risk of being late to adopt.

A strategic technology may be an existing technology that has matured and/or become suitable for a wider range of uses. It may also be an emerging technology that offers an opportunity for strategic business advantage for early adopters or with potential for significant market disruption in the next five years. As such, these technologies impact the organization's long-term plans, programs and initiatives.

“Companies should factor these top 10 technologies in their strategic planning process by asking key questions and making deliberate decisions about them during the next two years,” said David Cearley, vice president and distinguished analyst at Gartner.

“Sometimes the decision will be to do nothing with a particular technology,” said Carl Claunch, vice president and distinguished analyst at Gartner. “In other cases, it will be to continue investing in the technology at the current rate. In still other cases, the decision may be to test or more aggressively deploy the technology.”

The top 10 strategic technologies for 2011 include:

Cloud Computing. Cloud computing services exist along a spectrum from open public to closed private. The next three years will see the delivery of a range of cloud service approaches that fall between these two extremes. Vendors will offer packaged private cloud implementations that deliver the vendor's public cloud service technologies (software and/or hardware) and methodologies (i.e., best practices to build and run the service) in a form that can be implemented inside the consumer's enterprise. Many will also offer management services to remotely manage the cloud service implementation. Gartner expects large enterprises to have a dynamic sourcing team in place by 2012 that is responsible for ongoing cloudsourcing decisions and management.

Mobile Applications and Media Tablets. Gartner estimates that by the end of 2010, 1.2 billion people will carry handsets capable of rich, mobile commerce providing an ideal environment for the convergence of mobility and the Web. Mobile devices are becoming computers in their own right, with an astounding amount of processing ability and bandwidth. There are already hundreds of thousands of applications for platforms like the Apple iPhone, in spite of the limited market (only for the one platform) and need for unique coding.

The quality of the experience of applications on these devices, which can apply location, motion and other context in their behavior, is leading customers to interact with companies preferentially through mobile devices. This has lead to a race to push out applications as a competitive tool to improve relationships and gain advantage over competitors whose interfaces are purely browser-based.

Social Communications and Collaboration. Social media can be divided into: (1) Social networking —social profile management products, such as MySpace, Facebook, LinkedIn and Friendster as well as social networking analysis (SNA) technologies that employ algorithms to understand and utilize human relationships for the discovery of people and expertise. (2) Social collaboration —technologies, such as wikis, blogs, instant messaging, collaborative office, and crowdsourcing. (3) Social publishing —technologies that assist communities in pooling individual content into a usable and community accessible content repository such as YouTube and flickr. (4) Social feedback - gaining feedback and opinion from the community on specific items as witnessed on YouTube, flickr, Digg, Del.icio.us, and Amazon. Gartner predicts that by 2016, social technologies will be integrated with most business applications. Companies should bring together their social CRM, internal communications and collaboration, and public social site initiatives into a coordinated strategy.

Video. Video is not a new media form, but its use as a standard media type used in non-media companies is expanding rapidly. Technology trends in digital photography, consumer electronics, the web, social software, unified communications, digital and Internet-based television and mobile computing are all reaching critical tipping points that bring video into the mainstream. Over the next three years Gartner believes that video will become a commonplace content type and interaction model for most users, and by 2013, more than 25 percent of the content that workers see in a day will be dominated by pictures, video or audio.

Next Generation Analytics. Increasing compute capabilities of computers including mobile devices along with improving connectivity are enabling a shift in how businesses support operational decisions. It is becoming possible to run simulations or models to predict the future outcome, rather than to simply provide backward looking data about past interactions, and to do these predictions in real-time to support each individual business action. While this may require significant changes to existing operational and business intelligence infrastructure, the potential exists to unlock significant improvements in business results and other success rates.

Social Analytics. Social analytics describes the process of measuring, analyzing and interpreting the results of interactions and associations among people, topics and ideas. These interactions may occur on social software applications used in the workplace, in internally or externally facing communities or on the social web. Social analytics is an umbrella term that includes a number of specialized analysis techniques such as social filtering, social-network analysis, sentiment analysis and social-media analytics. Social network analysis tools are useful for examining social structure and interdependencies as well as the work patterns of individuals, groups or organizations. Social network analysis involves collecting data from multiple sources, identifying relationships, and evaluating the impact, quality or effectiveness of a relationship.

Context-Aware Computing. Context-aware computing centers on the concept of using information about an end user or object’s environment, activities connections and preferences to improve the quality of interaction with that end user. The end user may be a customer, business partner or employee. A contextually aware system anticipates the user's needs and proactively serves up the most appropriate and customized content, product or service. Gartner predicts that by 2013, more than half of Fortune 500 companies will have context-aware computing initiatives and by 2016, one-third of worldwide mobile consumer marketing will be context-awareness-based.

Storage Class Memory. Gartner sees huge use of flash memory in consumer devices, entertainment equipment and other embedded IT systems. It also offers a new layer of the storage hierarchy in servers and client computers that has key advantages — space, heat, performance and ruggedness among them. Unlike RAM, the main memory in servers and PCs, flash memory is persistent even when power is removed. In that way, it looks more like disk drives where information is placed and must survive power-downs and reboots. Given the cost premium, simply building solid state disk drives from flash will tie up that valuable space on all the data in a file or entire volume, while a new explicitly addressed layer, not part of the file system, permits targeted placement of only the high-leverage items of information that need to experience the mix of performance and persistence available with flash memory.

Ubiquitous Computing. The work of Mark Weiser and other researchers at Xerox's PARC paints a picture of the coming third wave of computing where computers are invisibly embedded into the world. As computers proliferate and as everyday objects are given the ability to communicate with RFID tags and their successors, networks will approach and surpass the scale that can be managed in traditional centralized ways. This leads to the important trend of imbuing computing systems into operational technology, whether done as calming technology or explicitly managed and integrated with IT. In addition, it gives us important guidance on what to expect with proliferating personal devices, the effect of consumerization on IT decisions, and the necessary capabilities that will be driven by the pressure of rapid inflation in the number of computers for each person.

Fabric-Based Infrastructure and Computers. A fabric-based computer is a modular form of computing where a system can be aggregated from separate building-block modules connected over a fabric or switched backplane. In its basic form, a fabric-based computer comprises a separate processor, memory, I/O, and offload modules (GPU, NPU, etc.) that are connected to a switched interconnect and, importantly, the software required to configure and manage the resulting system(s). The fabric-based infrastructure (FBI) model abstracts physical resources — processor cores, network bandwidth and links and storage — into pools of resources that are managed by the Fabric Resource Pool Manager (FRPM), software functionality. The FRPM in turn is driven by the Real Time Infrastructure (RTI) Service Governor software component. An FBI can be supplied by a single vendor or by a group of vendors working closely together, or by an integrator — internal or external.

DS Teknologi Maklumat Dan Komunikasi

2011-01-25T00:50:00.000-08:00

What is KSSR Year 1 : 2011

2011-01-25T00:39:00.000-08:00

KURIKULUM STANDARD SEKOLAH RENDAH (KSSR).

Bermula tahun 2011, semua sekolah akan menggunakan satu kurikulum baru yang dikenali sebagai Kurikulum Standard Sekolah Rendah (KSSR). Kurikulum ini akan dijalankan secara berperingkat di seluruh Malaysia bermula tahun 1 2011. Kurikulum ini selaras dengan perkembangan dan permintaan semasa yang menuntut modal insan yang lebih berkualiti sejajar dengan zaman yang serba maju dan canggih kini.

Ketua Pengarah Pelajaran Malaysia berkata, KSSR tidak akan menggantikan tetapi beriringan dengan Kurikulum Bersepadu Sekolah Rendah (KBSR).

Melalui KSSR katanya, pengajaran dan pembelajaran akan menggunakan modul yang akan menggantikan buku teks oleh itu guru-guru sedang disedia dan dilatih untuk KSSR.

Ia diharap dapat meningkatkan penguasaan murid-murid sekolah rendah khususnya dalam bahasa Melayu dan bahasa Inggeris.

Pendekatan teknik pengajaran dan pembelajaran (P&P) akan menjadi lebih menarik dan interaktif di mana ia melibatkan penggunaan dua bahasa tersebut serta meningkatkan penguasaannya bagi guru-guru untuk mengajar dalam subjek Matematik dan Sains sejajar dengan matlamat kerajaan.

KSSR membahagikan mata pelajaran kepada tiga modul iaitu Modul Asas Teras, Modul Asas Tema dan Modul Asas Elektif.

Tahap satu sekolah rendah (tahun 1 hingga 3) akan tertumpu kepada penguasaan 4M (membaca, menulis, mengira dan menaakul) serta kemahiran asas teknologi komunikasi dan maklumat (ICT), perkembangan sosioemosi, kerohanian, fizikal, kognitif, sikap dan nilai.

Sementara tahap dua sekolah rendah (tahun 4 hingga 6) akan tertumpu kepada pengukuhan dan aplikasi 4M, kemahiran asas ICT, perkembangan sosioemosi, kerohanian, fizikal, sikap dan nilai.

Selain itu, kementerian juga akan memperkenalkan Kurikulum Standard Prasekolah Kebangsaan (KSPK) bagi murid-murid prasekolah berumur lima dan enam tahun seluruh negara.

Pada peringkat ini pula, tumpuan akan diberikan kepada perkembangan sosioemosi, kerohanian, fizikal, kognitif, sahsiah, persediaan ke sekolah rendah serta pendedahan awal mengenai kemahiran 4M.

KSPK akan memudahkan lagi murid-murid prasekolah ini untuk menyediakan mereka memasuki alam persekolahan selain pendekatan yang lebih mesra dan menarik digunakan bersesuaian dengan peringkat umur kanak-kanak prasekolah.

FUTURE EDUCATION

2010-05-13T07:51:00.000-07:00

The Future

"The pace of change is mandating that we produce a faster, smarter, better grade of human being. Current systems are preventing that from happening. Future education system will be unleashed with the advent of a standardized rapid courseware-builder and a single point global distribution system." Thomas Frey, Executive Director and Senior Futurist at the DaVinci Institute, February 2007.
The Change Is Coming

Thomas Frey, founder of the DaVinci Institute, has a vision. He sees a radical shift beginning in the world of education within two years--which would be 2009. While many are debating vouchers, No Child Left Behind, teacher shortages, grading systems, teacher certification, parental involvement, truancy and dropouts, Frey is thinking out of the box..."Star Trek type" out of the box. Frey believes that in two years private funding will cause disruptive education systems to emerge. And, in 5 years, there will be dramatic changes...dramatic.
Courseware-Builder

This is a $100 word that can be confusing. What is it? Frey believes that technology will drive the future and that items like iTunes and Amazon will determine the vehicle for education. Courseware-Builder will be the software that makes education possible on any conceivable topic. Frey believes that many companies will compete for the market but that one will come out the winner. Then, the consumer will select an education that suits personal needs.
Blast From The Past

Mathematics is a critical component in a successful society. Greek civilization was famous for math--Archimedes, Pythagoras, Euclid, Hipparchus, Posidonius and Ptolemy all furthered math concepts. When the Romans became the dominant force on earth, they did not focus on mathematics. The Romans had the Roman numerals system which made little sense. It prevented the Romans from furthering the mathematics that the Greeks built. Unfortunately, the Romans were not aware that their "system" was holding back progress.
Fast Forward To Today

Frey points out systems that we have today that prevent our society from achieving great things. Like the Romans, we have systems today that are holding us back

Read more at Suite101: The Future of Education: What Will Education Look Like in 2 or 5 or 10 years? http://educationalissues.suite101.com/article.cfm/the_future_of_education#ixzz0nozUn8oh

New Technology 2010

2010-05-13T03:46:00.000-07:00

Western Digital is back with a brand new hard drive known as the WD VelociRaptor, where it will be available in 450GB and 600GB capacities. These are the next generation of its 10,000 RPM SATA family of hard drives, where it was specially designed to cater fro blade servers, high-performance PCs, Mac computers, professional workstations, in addition to 1U and 2U rack servers – basically any situation that calls for a balance of high performance and capacity. It also holds the distinction of being the only 10,000 RPM SATA hard drive on the market, and has been a firm favorite in the past amongst enthusiast and enterprise groups. Nice to know this latest iteration of the VelociRaptor brand now features double the capacity and up to 15% performance increase.

The WD VelociRaptor hard drive comes with enterprise-class mechanics that provide round the clock durability under high-performance demands, where up to 600GB of data can be crammed into a 2.5″ enterprise form factor. Apart from that, you can pick up the WD VelociRaptor drive in the IcePack enclosure, which is essentially a 3.5″ mounting frame that comes complete with a built-in heat sink. This factory customization will be able to fit the drive into a standard 3.5″ system bay while keeping it extra cool even when it is installed in a high-performance desktop chassis and 3.5″ hard drive form factor enterprise chassis.

Among the features that are found on the new WD VelociRaptor hard drives include :-

* Killer speed – SATA 6 Gb/s interface and 32 MB cache enhance the next generation 10,000 RPM WD VelociRaptor making it up to 15% faster than the award-winning previous generation.
* Monstrous capacity – WD VelociRaptor SATA drives are available in capacities up to 600 GB, double the capacity of the previous generation.
* Rock-solid reliability – Designed and manufactured to mission-critical enterprise-class standards to provide enterprise reliability in high duty cycle environments. With 1.4 million hours MTBF, these drives have the highest available reliability rating on a high capacity SATA drive.
* Ultra-cool operation – Consumes no more power than the previous generation WD VelociRaptor while offering double the capacity and higher performance.
* IcePack mounting frame – The 2.5-inch WD VelociRaptor is enclosed in a backplane-ready 3.5-inch enterprise-class mounting frame with a built-in heat sink that keeps this powerful little drive extra cool when installed in high-performance desktop chassis.
* Rotary Acceleration Feed Forward (RAFF) – Optimizes operation and performance when the drives are used in vibration-prone, multi-drive chassis.
* NoTouch ramp load technology – The recording head never touches the disk media ensuring significantly less wear to the recording head and media as well as better drive protection in transit.
* Environmentally conscious – In addition to being ROHS compliant, this generation of WD VelociRaptor is also a halogen-free design.

Nanotechnology Computer

2010-02-26T09:14:00.000-08:00

Next generation nanotechnology computer memory made of graphene
(Nanowerk Spotlight) Carbon comes in many different forms, from the graphite found in pencils to the world's most expensive diamonds. In 1980, we knew of only three basic forms of carbon, namely diamond, graphite, and amorphous carbon. Then, fullerenes and carbon nanotubes were discovered and more recently there has been a lot of buzz about graphene. Discovered only in 2004, graphene is a flat one-atom thick sheet of carbon. Existing forms of carbon basically consist of sheets of graphene, either bonded on top of each other to form a solid material like graphite, rolled up into carbon nanotubes (think of a single-walled carbon nanotube as a graphene cylinder), or folded into soccer ball shaped fullerenes.
Experiments with graphene have revealed some fascinating phenomena that excite nanotechnology researchers who are working towards molecular electronics. It was found that graphene remains capable of conducting electricity even at the limit of nominally zero carrier concentration because the electrons don't seem to slow down or localize. This has to do with the fact that the electrons moving around carbon atoms interact with the periodic potential of graphene’s honeycomb lattice, which gives rise to new quasi particles that have lost their mass, or 'rest mass' (so-called massless Dirac fermions). This means that graphene never stops conducting.
Taking advantage of the conducting properties of graphene, James M. Tour at Rice University and his team have described how graphene memory could potentially be used as a new type of memory that could significantly exceed the performance of current state-of-the-art flash memory technology.
"What distinguishes graphene from other next-generation memories, in particular phase-change materials, is its vastly higher on/off power ratio – the amount of current a circuit holds when it's on, as opposed to off," Tour explains to Nanowerk. "While the on/off ratios of phase-change materials are generally in the 10-100 region, with graphene it can be as high as a whopping million-to-one or even more – we have seen as high as 10 million-to-one."
The transistors currently used in computer chips have on/off ratios of 10,000 - 100,000, but they are three-terminal devices (in a three terminal device the electric current or voltage between two of the terminals is controlled by applying an electric current or voltage to the third terminal). Two-terminal memories based for instance on nanowires or carbon nanotubes are actively researched for future computer applications. Their structure makes three-dimensional memory practical as the materials can be stacked, multiplying a chip’s capacity with every layer. The main challenges so far have been a requirement for large-scale fabrication and reliable and large on/off ratios.
The recent research results coming out of Tour's lab show the possibility of building next-generation memory devices with vast amounts of memory using nanocables with a silicon dioxide core and a shell of stacked sheets of graphene (the team experimented with three different nanocable configurations: two layer graphite/silicon dioxide and three-layer graphite/silicon dioxide/silicon and graphite/silicon dioxide/ silicon carbide). Tour points out that graphene memory would increase the amount of storage in a two-dimensional array by a factor of five, as individual graphitic thin film sheets could be made as thin as 5-10 nanometers, compared to the 45-nanometer circuitry in today's flash memory chips.
Tour, together with postdoctoral researchers Yubao Li and Alexander Sinitskii, describes a solid-state device that takes advantage of the conducting properties of graphene in the November 16, 2008 online edition of Nature Materials ("Electronic two-terminal bistable graphitic memories").
SEM image of a G–SiO2 nanocable two-terminal device
SEM image of a G–SiO2 nanocable two-terminal device. Scale bar = 250 nm (Reprinted with permission from Nature Publishing Group)
When the scientists tested their nanocable devices in the lab, they observed not only excellent endurance – the nanocables showed no degradation after more than 1,000 write–read–erase–read cycles – but also no discernable data loss even after weeks of testing, sometimes under harsh temperature conditions that ranged from minus 70°C to plus 200°C.
"Interestingly, the devices were also stable to ionizing radiation," says Tour. "In our experiments, we irradiated the unbiased devices with a high dose (>20 Mrad) of 8 keV X-rays, which was significantly higher than the typical failure level for memory devices relying on charge storage, such as flash memories. Thus, nanocable memories demonstrate exceptional stability and are promising for radiation-stable electronics."
The Rice team claims that the new switches are faster than their lab's current testing systems can measure (1 microsecond), although they observed that the write/erase time affected the on/off ratio: "The longer the time, the higher the on/off ratio" says Tour. "When decreasing the pulse time from 100 microseconds to 1 microsecond, the on/off ratio in graphite/silicon dioxide nanocable devices decreases to about 100."
Tour's lab is already working on developing scalable manufacturing techniques for their nanocable device. According to Tour, it is possible to deposit a layer of graphene on silicon or another substrate by chemical vapor deposition. "This means that currently used industrial device fabrication processes could be used to grow this type of graphitic thin film in place."
An important aspect that Tour describes in his paper is the fabrication atop a silicon wafer in a manufacturable-looking structure. This is essential because nanowires are hard to scale into manufacturable structures since they are tough to place where you want them. Tour's technique shows a way of how to build these future device structures.

by : http://www.nanowerk.com

2010-02-03T04:46:00.000-08:00

SIX THINKING HAT BY EDWARD DE BONO

Six Thinking Hats® is a simple, effective parallel thinking process that helps people be more productive, focused, and mindfully involved. And once learned, the tools can be applied immediately!
You and your team members can learn how to separate thinking into six clear functions and roles. Each thinking role is identified with a colored symbolic "thinking hat." By mentally wearing and switching "hats," you can easily focus or redirect thoughts, the conversation, or the meeting.

The White Hat calls for information known or needed. "The facts, just the facts."

The Yellow Hat symbolizes brightness and optimism. Under this hat you explore the positives and probe for value and benefit.

The Black Hat is judgment - the devil's advocate or why something may not work. Spot the difficulties and dangers; where things might go wrong. Probably the most powerful and useful of the Hats but a problem if overused.

The Red Hat signifies feelings, hunches and intuition. When using this hat you can express emotions and feelings and share fears, likes, dislikes, loves, and hates.

The Green Hat focuses on creativity; the possibilities, alternatives, and new ideas. It's an opportunity to express new concepts and new perceptions.

The Blue Hat is used to manage the thinking process. It's the control mechanism that ensures the Six Thinking Hats® guidelines are observed.

GURU INOVATIF

2010-01-28T19:09:00.000-08:00

Please visit my tube at this LINK
GURU INOVATIF

Virtual Teams

2010-01-28T18:55:00.000-08:00

Virtual teams are a great way to enable teamwork in situations where people are not sitting in the same physical office at the same time.

Such teams are used more and more by companies and other organizations to cut travel, relocation, real estate, and other business costs. This is particularly so for businesses that use virtual organizations to build global presence, outsource their operations, or need less common expertise or skills from people who are reluctant to travel or relocate from their home locations.

Virtual teams are governed essentially the by same fundamental principles as traditional teams. Yet, there is one critical difference. This difference is the way the team members communicate. Instead of using the full spectrum and dynamics of in-office face-to-face exchange, they now rely on special communication channels enabled by modern technologies, such as e-mails, faxes, phone calls and teleconferences, virtual meetings, and alike.

Due to more limited communication channels, the success and effectiveness of virtual teams is much more sensitive to the type of project the group works on, what people are selected, and how the team is managed.

Not every type of project is suitable for a virtual organization. One challenging case is projects that rely heavily on sequential or integrated work, as often the case in manufacturing. In particular, when each person’s work depends much on what someone else is doing at the same moment (like in a sports team), there is an ongoing heavy exchange of information in real time, and/or the tasks has to go through a strict sequence of workers within a short time.

Not everyone can perform well in a virtual team environment. The members should be self motivated and able to work independently. They need to be able to keep working effectively without much of external control or structure. The next important quality is strong result-orientation. Unless the person shows clear results, there is nobody around to see how intense his or her work activities are. Another critical factor is communication skills. The team member should be able to communicate clearly, constructively, and positively even through the more limited channels of technology, in spite of the loss of many nonverbal cues of face-to-face communications.

Managers of virtual teams also need to pay much more attentions to maintaining clear goals, performance standards, and communication rules. People have varying assumptions on what to expect from each other. To avoid build-ups of misunderstandings, in a virtual organization it is critical to replace those implicit assumptions with clear rules and protocols that everyone understands and agrees upon, especially for communication.

One of the biggest challenges of virtual teams is building and maintaining trust between the team members. Trust is critical for unblocking communication between members and sustaining motivation of each person involved. The issue of trust needs special attention at any stage of team existence.

By : time-management-guide.com/virtual-team

VIRTUAL TEAM

2010-01-21T18:02:00.000-08:00

I’m now intresting in VIRTUAL TEAM.

Benefits and Challenges ?

Can we share your knowledge about VIRTUAL TEAM !

2010

2010-01-04T17:07:00.000-08:00

May the coming new year be filed with thriling JOY OF LIFE, LOVE, FUN, HAPPINES, SUCCESS AND BEAUTIFUL DELIGHTS to tresure for a lifetime.

What is NKRA?

2009-12-19T19:44:00.000-08:00

By Lydia Gomez & Ili Liyana Mokhtar (NST).

The government will make public the six core areas of the National Key Result Areas (NKRA) to the public at Sunway Convention Centre on Friday.

Guests, including representatives of companies and non-governmental organisations, will have access to details on the NKRA on Thursday.

Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak, who expressed confidence that all targets could be achieved, said the government wanted the public to know in detail the approaches and philosophy of 1Malaysia, which formed the thrust of the NKRA.

"The government is committed to carrying out a transformation programme as its main agenda based on approaches and philosophy of 1Malaysia -- people first, performance now," he said.

"To make it public proves that the government is transparent and committed and that we are serious about achieving what we have set for the people," he said after chairing the fifth workshop on the NKRA, attended by cabinet members, at a hotel here yesterday.

Present were Ministers in the Prime Minister's Department Tan Sri Dr Koh Tsu Koon and Datuk Seri Idris Jala.

The six main areas are reduction of crime, anti-corruption, better access to affordable and quality education, higher standard of living for the poor, better rural infrastructure and improved public transport.

As the NKRA was a collective responsibility of the government, Najib said he was personally involved in overseeing its successful implementation.

A comprehensive document on the NKRA would be made available by the end of next month.

"The document will list details for better understanding of the 1Malaysia concept as well as national unity."

On acceptance by the people of the NKRA, Najib said there were certain subjects that might not get full support.

"We are dealing with a wide spectrum of values in the system and it is understandable if not all initiatives are supported."

Saying that he was pleased the workshops had been going on smoothly, Najib added that the process was taking place as planned.

"We have done all the necessary preparations," he said, adding that he was grateful to government officers who had laboured day and night for the past several months on the NKRA.

"The needs of each village in the country and rural infrastructure that needs to be built have been identified.

"The performance of 10,000 schools (including 7,000 primary schools) has also been identified."

The government had also identified about 44,000 households and low-income groups that needed assistance.

"Our efforts to eradicate corruption, reduce crime and improve public transport have also been identified."

Najib also said some of the programmes under the NKRA had already been carried out.

There are also targets that should be achieved by next year and by 2012.

He expressed hope that the public would take advantage of the NKRA by giving their input. "This means there is interaction with the people as they are encouraged to present their views and ideas.

"This government transformation programme via the NKRA is actually historic. This is the first time that the government is doing it concertedly and comprehensively. Secondly, it is prepared to open it to the public for assessment."

THE POWER OF POSITIVE THINKING

2009-09-04T01:59:00.000-07:00

By Suma Varughese

Positive thinking is not a new concept, but in recent decades it has been increasingly gaining currency among the global populace. There is almost a consensus on the value of consciously cultivating positive thinking for individual health, happiness and success

A friend is undergoing surgery as I write this, but she chose not to let any of us know about it. When the news inadvertently reached a mutual friend who called her to commiserate, she was not enthusiastic. She agreed to disclose it only on the condition that we do not call her. She wanted some peace and quiet, she said. This might seem an attempt to bury her head in the sand. But I know my friend's quiet courage and self-awareness too much to suspect this to be the motive. I figure that she wants to spare herself the concern, anxiety and false bonhomie all of us are bound to express. No matter how well meaning, such gestures are invariably fuelled by fear and dread, emotions that she could well do without.

It made me think of the negativity we load our lives with and how counter-productive it is. Take the US-Taliban confrontation. Whether we feel anger at the Americans or at Osama bin Laden, or sorrow at the meaningless deaths, first of the Americans and now of the helpless Afghans, we flood the situation with negativity. What is needed instead is a dispassionate acceptance of the situation and a single-minded intention to resolve it. The single-mindedness is the key. So one-pointed should our attention be that negativity simply has no place in the scheme of things.

This state of positivity without an opposite is potent. Free of negating doubts or fears, one's attention focuses unwaveringly on the subject of our intention, knowing fully well that what we intend will happen. In my friend's case, for instance, where I would once be consumed by fear and call out to God in my helplessness, this state of positivity would indicate a steadfast intention for her healing. It may be accompanied by a prayer, but importantly, no longer in helplessness but with the calm self-possession of love. God shifts into the role of a helper and beloved friend rather than the omnipotent power He was earlier.

Surely this is the ground of all creation? The Upanishads reiterate that the Realized One can manifest anything he desires, simply by intending it. They also assert that this power of instant manifestation can only arise in one who has learnt to control his senses, overcome desire, fear and anger.

What is it like, this state of positivity? What kind of life would we lead when immersed in it? I think it is a state of concentrated energy, for we will be freed of all the negative thoughts that steal away our energy and dissipate our focus. It will be a quiet and still state of mind, with no conflict, for the latter is the direct result of negative thoughts. It would be a peaceful and happy state of mind, regardless of circumstances. Most of all, it would be a highly effective state of the mind, for it would zero in on what needs to be done and do it. It would also be a tremendous force for good.

No matter how hopeless or terrible the situation, the positive spirit will prevail, seeing the opportunities inherent in the situation and providing a beacon of hope for others around it. Serenely oblivious to the negative, it does not occur to him/her to falter or doubt, forging ahead regardless, confident in the ultimate good of things.

The corollary is that the positive individual is also a black hole for the negativity around him. In his presence, the negativity dissolves and dissipates, never to appear again.

How is it that negativity simply cannot touch such an individual? One could say that his energy is at a higher frequency than that of negativity, thereby shielding him from its influence. At the level of deconditioning, s/he would have bored through all that came between him and his blissful inner core. In other words, she would have transcended desire and freed herself of fear and anger.

What is the relationship such an individual has between her intention and surrender to God's will? What if God does not want the peaceful resolution of the Afghan situation? I can only hazard a guess. The positivist operates from the stand that man proposes, God disposes. We never stop thinking positive, but we leave the outcome strictly in the hand of God, retaining with ourselves only the ability to see the positive in any outcome.

2009-09-04T01:50:00.000-07:00

Gender differences in older adults’ everyday cognitive collaboration

Jennifer A. Margrett

Michael Marsiske

Collaborative cognition research has demonstrated that socialpartners can positively impact individuals’thinking and problem-solving performance. Research in adulthood and aging has been less clear about dyadiceffects, such as partner gender, on collaborativecognition. The current study examined the objective and subjective experiences of older men and women’scollaboration on three everyday problems. Tasksincluded comprehension of everyday printed materials, a social dilemma task, and an errand-planning task.A sample of 98 older married couples (N = 196)worked both collaboratively and individually with either their spouse (N = 52 dyads) or a stranger of theother gender (N = 46 dyads). Analyses conductedusing the actor-partner methodology (e.g., Gonzalez & Griffin, 1997; Kenny, 1996) suggest that men tendedto be more influential during dyadic problemsolving, particularly on more ambiguous tasks. Subjective appraisals of collaboration also varied betweenmale and female partners, with familiarity ofpartner playing a large role in expectations of collaboration.Most notably, women assigned to work with anunfamiliar male partner tended to rate their satisfaction with collaborative teamwork less positively. Bothself and partner-rated subjective appraisals,particularly expectations of competitiveness, were predictive of collaborative performance.

2009-08-20T19:13:00.000-07:00

Why blended learning is not BS

by Janet Clarey

The term is probably just ill-defined.

Some argue that the term “blended learning” is not needed at all – it’s just learning, period.

blended learning = learning? OR
learning = blended learning?

Oliver and Trigwell (2005) make a case against the use of the term “blended learning” primarily because it lacks the perspective of the learner and is not grounded in learning theory. I agree with that but don’t think it’s BS. I think blended learning is about leveraging (I hate that word) technology to meet growing training, learner, and organizational needs.

The design of blended learning is much different than the design of self-paced e-learning, traditional face-to-face instruction, on-the-job training, etc., because it (blending) involves the interplay between or among elements – in short it’s unorganized, even messy at times. It’s like the cook with no recipe. It could even be artful. It does exist – everywhere -it is in fact used at just about every organization.

BS, is normally factless. To borrow Stephen Colbert’s popular phrase, it’s truthiness – not based on fact. There’s a lot of research about blended learning that is based on qualitative data. There are a lot of facts. But there’s more “truthiness” than data. Do you think BL is BS? What’s your theory?

School Reform by Michael Fullan

2009-07-16T00:29:00.000-07:00

The latest ideas on school reform by Michael Fullan

A good friend of mine loaned me Michael Fullan's latest book and I was so impressed I was loath to give it back. In the meantime I wrote a summary of the book for myself and thought it might make interesting reading for all who subscribe - however there is nothing like the real book!

There is no doubt that a new environment is replacing the technocratic accountability, competitive top down, market forces model. The new millennium will bring dramatic changes in all areas of life whether we are ready or not. Schools are at the edge of great democratic possibilities if educators are to play a major part in the reinvention of a fairer more inclusive society. If so it will be a time for true inspirational leadership not compliance management.

Bruce Hammonds.

THE NEW MEANING OF EDUCATIONAL CHANGE by Michael Fullan 2001

Michael Fullan is Dean of the Ontario Institute in Education of the University of Toronto
In 1982 Michael Fullan wrote his revolutionary book on school reform. He has now revised and expanded on his ideas in his 'The New Meaning of Educational Reform'. For school leaders, who want an insight into future possibilities, the book paints a powerful picture and offers those with the courage a real creative challenge.

The following is a personal summary of some of Fullan's main ideas.

Essentially it is a book about the need for schools to develop shared meaning.

The basic premise is that all learning, both organisational and individual, is a continual process of 'making meaning'. This generative model of understanding is in line with the new pedagogy of constructivism which underpins modern approaches to learning.

The key to successful change is the improvement in relationships between all involved and not simply the imposition of top down reform. The new emphasis is educational change is based on creating the conditions to develop the 'capacity' of both organisations and individuals to learn. The focus moves away from an emphasis on structural change towards changing the culture of classrooms and schools, an emphasis on relationships and values.

The principal is the key player to develop this 'capacity' in each school. The challenge is how to share and sustain ideas about change so as to transform what is essentially an conservative system Teachers and schools need to be seen as 'moral change agents' making democratic communities possible - this is the vision that Fullan believes is 'worth fighting for'.

Key words for future change will be: meaning, coherence, connectedness, synergy, alignment and capacity for continual improvement. This is in contrast to the previous emphasis on a simplistic linear model of change.

School's world-wide, following a decade of top down reform are now suffering from overload. Any success, Fullan believes, that is happening, is happening in 'spite of the system'. It is now appreciated that all change involves anxiety and struggle and cannot be assimilated unless meaning is shared by all involved. At best this cultural change is a three to five year process. Predictable 'rational' imposed solutions have backfired because they ignored the culture of each individual school. As each school is unique one schools success cannot be simply transferred from one school to another.

The main agents (or blockers) of change are principals. Innovative principals can develop 'moving' or 'learning enriched' schools - or what Fullan also calls 'interactive communities of practice'. In any change situation 25% is knowing what to do and 75% is the more difficult area of developing effective processes and conditions as there are many forces maintaining the status quo. Leadership for change requires a 'bias for action, a sense of urgency' and a mix of 'pressure and support'.

Fullan believes that most people do not develop new understanding until they are involved in the process. Ownership, in the sense of clarity and commitment, is a progressive process achieved individual by individual until a 'critical mass' is achieved. This developmental process applies as much to an individual or a class as to a school. Educational change Fullan says is very much the 'science of muddling through' a process of trying things out and keeping what is best.

These idea Fullan writes are in line with the findings of complexity or chaos theory and indicate that success depend on coping with unpredictability, conflict and inconsistency. In such an environment organisations need both security and a desire to grow. Change is an uncertain balance between stability and excitement - a self-organising process making sense of things as ones goes along - leaders need to develop the schools and individual teacher's capacity to do this together. To be successful all involved need to feel a common stake in the future.

Changing schools, Fullan states, is a complex business, as no one knows for sure what is best.

Teachers - it depends on what each of them do and think!

Educational change depends on what teachers do and think - it is as simple and complex as that.

The conditions for teaching appear to have deteriorated - stress and alienation and the intensification of teacher's work, is at an all time high. Teachers look first to other teachers in such times for sources of help and their greatest rewards come from, those moments when they feel their students have learnt something, and from respect from their fellow teachers. Too often teachers work in isolation increasingly feeling frustrated and burnt-out with imposed curriculum and accountability demands.

Change is needed to develop schools as Learning Communities.

Collegiality provides the best starting point in the process of teacher regeneration. 'Moving' or 'learning enriched' schools are what Fullan calls 'professional learning communities'. Teaching needs to be seen as a collective rather than an individual enterprise. This is the reason why it means it is easier to teach in some schools than others. Successful schools enforce, through moral obligations, consistent standards and they are more likely to trust and value others and ask for and share expertise. This is what makes such schools more easy to teach, and learn to teach better in, than others. Teachers in such schools are less likely to uncritically conform to imposed ideas. They have developed the capacity to self reflect, to examine student performance and act on their own understandings.

Effective teachers, Fullan states. account for 30% of the variance of student progress. There are three areas of importance to be effective: teaching skills; classroom climate; and professional characteristics such as, holding high expectations, a passion for improving, holding people accountable and team work.

Real pupil improvement Fullan states comes from the 'power' of having 'three good teachers in a row'.

To achieve such change requires reculturing the teaching profession as Fullan believes that there are few schools that currently could be called true learning communities.

Wanted a 'miracle worker' - the role of the principal.

The principal is the gatekeeper of change. There is not an improving school without a leader who is good at leading transformational improvement. Successful principals share leadership, they reach out to their parents and community and work hard to expand the professional 'capacity' of the teachers to develop a coherent professional community. Such leaders are relationship centred, able to develop a clear collegial value framework and individual accountability. Such principals foster the conditions required for school growth and develop a commitment to a mutual purpose and a shared belief in ongoing common actions. By doing this they develop school capacity which in turn affects the quality of the teaching within the school. Such individual and school-wide capacity development combats the fragmentation and curricula incoherence presented by multiple innovations.

Only a minority of current leaders, Fullan believes, achieve this.

Leadership is a complex art and what is at stake is the reculturing of a school. Effective leaders are energy creators, creating harmony, forging consensus, setting high standards, and developing a 'try this' future orientation. They are forever hopeful. With excellent leaders students are more likely to achieve the power of 'three good teachers in a row'.

The students the missing participants in school change.

Student views often get lost in the shuffle of school change. They are rarely thought of as participants in the process. Fullan asks, what would happen if we valued their opinions?

Students to be successful need to be provided with relevant, engaging and worthwhile experiences. Disengaged students lack meaningful connections with teachers. Few students report that teachers ask them for their opinions, many find lessons boring, and a great majority of student comments reflect an alienation theme.

Student learning is enhanced when they understand what is expected of them, when they get recognition for their work, learn quickly from their errors, and receive guidance in improving their performance. Too many students, particularly at the secondary level, are disengaged from their learning - and a growing number feel alienated. Some thing needs to be done. More of the same will not work.
Professional communities work hard on the problem of relevance. Teachers work hard on expanding and refining their teaching repertoire. And students notice.

Effective teachers give students a 'voice' in their classrooms. Such teachers invite students to talk about what makes learning difficult, what diminishes their motivation, makes then give up, or settle for a minimum effort position. They expose students to an 'atmosphere of hope'.

Students have ideas about how schools should be. Students in recognition for a safe and caring environment where their efforts are rewarded, will work hard. Children, Fullan believes, are vastly under-utilised resources. Not only must they be part of the solution, but also, in many cases, they may even have better ideas for solutions.

Regional Support for schools - a new role to play?

Where school have been left to the vagaries of self-management it is over to each school to ensure its own development. If a district presence is part of the system they can play an important role in school transformation. Success however requires the difficult art of balancing top down and bottom up change. Districts that are a powerful force for change can share and develop the ideas of 'moving 'schools but to be successful plans for successful implementation must be left up to local schools.

Chicago, in the late 80s, like New Zealand, decentralised all it's schools. What eventuated was called the 'rule of three thirds!' One-third engaged in self-initiated re-construction, one-third struggled/complied, one third were left behind. Since 1992 Chicago has re-organised districts as key players to becomes advocates for local schools, focussing on capacity building and intervening in failing situations. Successful districts need to maintain a strong interest in spawning and diffusing innovative local school developments.

Fullan draws attention to the similarity between an effective school, an effective leader, an effective teacher and an effective district. Leadership based on relationships and trust is needed at all levels to encourage schools to pursue autonomy in the midst of a potentially dependency situation; achieving this autonomy is an entrepreneurial act. The most critical role of any cental office is to support learning especially amongst principals, who will in turn do the same for teachers, who in turn will empower their students. To achieve this ideal regional support systems will requires their own cultural transformations.

Educational Consultants - do we need them?

Consultancy is also about developing the school's capacity, motivation and commitment to engage in improvements. It hardly ever happens that way. In particular, there are no easy answers for 'struggling' schools. Innovations are more successful if they have effective leadership, with an instructional focus, combined with strategies to obtain support at the school and in the wider community.

Too little emphasis has been given to creating the conditions to create engagement and emotional commitment to take action when translating 'answers' seen in effective schools. It is often to easy to accept a false consensus and to ignore silent 'voices'. Such developments are sure to fail.

The parents and the community - whose schools are they anyway!

Fullan reminds us that if schools have trouble comprehending change imagine what it is like for the parents - particularly those whose memories of their own schooling is less than positive?

Involving parents is important because the closer parents are to the educator the greater the educational impact. This is another case of Fullan's 'power of three'; teachers, parents and students aligned make all the difference.

Schools need to reach out to parents but to do this will require shifts of power and influence. Parents, and the wider community, have largely untapped expertise essential to the partnership. However well, or badly parents do, they are the students first educators. Schools need to develop an 'invitational' attitude towards parents and do more to help parents assist their children. 'Moving' schools involve parents in a range of innovatory ways.

Most parents do not want to run the school but they do want their children to do better. There is little evidence to indicate over the years that schools and parents have become closer. Parent involvement cannot be left to individual teachers it must involve a school wide emphasis. Parent involvement must be seen as a crucial and alterable variable. This 'power of three' too often remains an unleashed force. School Boards and teachers need to take the first steps.

Involving the wider community is future challenge. Too many schools still operate in isolation from their community. Schools belong to the community they reside in and 'moving' schools acknowledge this. New community/regional organisations may well be required in integrate schools into the wider community?

Governments role - historically few governments have got it right!

Lasting school improvement cannot occur if the system is not helping. All people, at all levels, need to work on building learning organisations. Historically most governments have got it wrong.

If governments rely only on accountability measures, and pressure and support to change schools, but neglect capability building, deep and lasting changes will not be achieved.

Structural changes, curriculum and accountability measures, popular world-wide in the 90s, create overload and have done little to change the quality of teaching and learning. Accountability schemes can never work because they cannot create the beliefs and behaviours necessary for success. Too often curriculum innovations have side effects worse than the cure. It takes a courageous principal to act flexibly in such situations. Leaders with ' capacity' are less likely to 'toe the line' and will adapt innovation to suit their own purposes. For many principals is easier to comply with imposed demands and in the process 'get better at a bad game'.

For central governments it is too easy to err in providing either too much or too little control. What is necessary, Fullan believes, is to start with top down change, and then to add 'capacity building' in phase two. This is in line with leadership both at the school and classroom level. Develop standards, set expectations and then move into developing an environment (or culture) that develops schools as professional learning communities.

The professional development of teachers to attract teachers into teaching.

There is an urgent need to attract good people into teaching. Exciting transformed schools, fired by moral purpose, is one attraction. Improving teacher education is another. Once in schools new teachers need to be provided with expert mentors and support programmes. Re-culturing schools as exciting learning communities is the only way to attract talented people.

There is a need is to focus on supporting school leadership to re-culture the teaching profession. To be effective schools need to develop agreed standards of practice that are evident in the daily organisation and culture of the school. This demands that teachers work together, modelling commitment and sharing ideas so that quality learning and teaching can be cultivated.

Everything converges on school leadership that can articulate and implement an agreed vision of learning, and to ensure that it is shared by schools community. Leaders need to advocate, nurture and sustain a school culture, and an instructional programme, conducive to student learning and staff growth. Such leaders promote the success of all students by promoting a safe and effective learning environment.

It may be a simplification, Fullan says, that the difference between success and failure of any school is the quality of the principal, but it is not far from the truth. Unfortunately for many principals their careers have prepared them to manage a system that no longer exists. There is a need to attract and develop a new generation of school leaders who are able to develop learning cultures to thrive in a radically new and demanding world.

Principals do need contact with exemplary programmes. They need mentors and peers to break down the privacy of their own practices that produce isolation; isolation at any level is the enemy of improvement.

Recreating the teaching profession

Even the most successful principals are still dependent on the knowledge and skills of each individual classroom teacher. The biggest revolution, Fullan believes, is re-culturing the teaching profession. The profession, he believes, is yet to come of age. This new professionalism will be collaborative not autonomous; open rather than closed; outward looking rather than insular; and authoritative but not controlling. More than anything the new professionalism will make huge demands on teachers' own learning to learn about: learning styles, multiple intelligences, how to integrate technology; how to interact with adults 'out there' and how to get more support for their teaching.

The problem is that is to easy to miss how very deep the need for this collegial learning approach is to develop a new culture of teaching. Leadership will have to come from many sources.

The future of educational change - two forces at play!

There are, Fullan says, two major forces of change at play, both with 'evil twins'. One is the top down curriculum accountability model we are all to aware of, and the other the development of schools as professional learning communities. Top down accountably models too easily turn into 'name and shame' environments which does little to help failing schools while the learning community approach can too easily turn into unrealistic 'navel gazing'.

Both approaches, Fullan believes, are important. They must team up if educational transformation across the wider system is to occur. Imposed structures and standards will never by themselves be able to gain teacher commitment and ingenuity, but equally, school left alone will either be unable to share effective ideas or become isolated. A delicate balance of top down and bottom up reform will be required but to succeed individual school must not only feel that they are in control of their own development but also feel part of a bigger society transformational movement; something 'worth fighting for!'

Six Messages from Fullan about Change

If people cannot find meaning in any reform it cannot have an impact. Learning is about 'meaning making' and it requires a radically new way of approaching learning - one that guides the individual mind through the process of many minds working together.
Existing strategies will not get us to where we want to go. We cannot simply imitate principals of successful 'moving ' schools we must change the existing conditions in each school so that it is normal and possible for all people to move forward.
Although short-term gains can be achieved by standards based reform it is deadly if the conclusion is that schools should do more of the same. The learning community model will fail if teachers and principals do not have the capacity to act effectively. With numbers of schools struggling, there is a need to fast track phase one of change by pushing hard on standards , providing quality support material and examples of successful practice, and providing focussed professional development. As results begin it is then necessary to shift to 'capacity building', to encourage local ownership. This cannot be a simple linear process and phase one can be seen as pre- capacity building. The flow is from tighter to looser forms of control, from external to internal commitment, from control to guidance. A process that applies process at all levels.
The 'learning organisation/community' is more than a cliché. This phrase is one of the most superficially understood terms in the change business. Learning organisations are required because improvement is a function of learning to do the right thing in the setting where you work. Ultimately no amount of outside motivation can specify the best solutions for a particular situation.
It is about 'organisational knowledge creation'.

People must work together to figure out what is needed to achieve what is worthwhile.
You cannot get internal commitment and ingenuity from outside - expertise lies within.
The only problems worth solving are the ones that exist in each and every organisation.
Change is forever. Problems don't stay solved, so you have to learn to do the right thing over and over again.

All together these make up the 'learning organisation'.
Professional learning communities constantly worry about what is worthwhile and how to get there. They continually convert tacit knowledge into explicit shared ideas; they are 'energy and knowledge creators'.

We need to consider the collective good. The 'market forces' model that underpinned the educational changes of the 90s may have been efficient, generating competition and choice but it misses two fundamental matters. Firstly school systems and democracy are closely connected. Education has a strong moral component - education should enable people to work together to achieve higher purposes that serve both the individual and the collective good. Secondly we can only move forward by learning from each other's successes and failures. Schools have to share their ideas for the benefit of the students of all schools.
Transformational change cannot be achieved:

if teachers identify with only their own classrooms - they must be concerned with the success of other teachers of the school.
if principals identify only with their own schools - they must be concerned with the success of all other schools.
if school districts identify only with their own areas only. And so on.

As well, now more than ever, we must identify with and help improve the surrounding community the school resides in. Everything is interconnected. All must all work together. This will be a new challenge both for schools and the wider community.

We have to learn to live with change. This means we have to take change both less and more seriously at the same time. Less, because most change is superficial and more because it is important to work through change until we get shared meaning and improvement. The best defence against the relentless pace of change, Fullan believes, is to build professional learning communities that are good at sorting out the worthwhile from the non worthwhile and to look for support and healing when ill conceived or random changes takes its toll.

Fullan's book is well worth a full read. It contains a hopeful message of the power of the reciprocity of personal and shared meaning - how they both contribute and enrich each other. The ultimate goal is where people see themselves as shareholders in a community with a stake in the success of the system as a whole and with the pursuit of shared meaning the key.

Bruce Hammonds.

¹ What exactly these standards are is problematic. Government do need to provide 'guidelines' to ensure equity and quality assurance but in the past implementing imposed frameworks have in themselves become part of the problem.

"How to Mind Map"

2009-07-15T22:45:00.000-07:00

"How to Mind Map"

by Tony Buzan Published 2002 by Thorsons

Before I get into the review for this book, need to explain how I found out about the concept in the first place. I'm a frequent visitor to the website giveawayoftheday.com, on this site each day they offer different software downloads free. These are full versions of the software and you get to keep forever. The makers of the software get reviews of the software and word of mouth advertising. One of the downloads offered was a program by the company Concept Draw. The program was Concept Draw Mind Map. At first glance it looked like a flow chart layout program, like (I thought) Microsoft's Visio. But the layout and tools were more "organic" in nature and the software was intended to be used as a computer assistant for Mind Mapping.

The software sat on my computer for a while and finally I decided to see what this Mind Mapping was all about. Tony Buzan has created or rather put to use the system that allows you to make the most of your brain and mind and to oranize, create and plan how the brain wants to do these things. Basically with pictures and colors and flow chart type of layouts that evolve from a central Idea or spoke. The sub-points then branch off in curvy colorful lines with pictures drawn to assist memory and learning. The first mind map you creat in the book is based on fruit. This is used to prove a point that the brain doesn't think in words or in straight lines but rather in abstracts and colors. In other words, in the book you are told to think of the word fruit and then close your eyes. What your mind's eye then sees is not the letters F-R-U-I-T, but maybe a basket of fruit, bananas, apples, oranges, you know actual pictures. From there you draw a mind map that branches out into several ideas for fruit in a way that your brain can read and interpret.

Below is a sample from the book of a mind map on fruit. This is from the Japanese printing of the book, and for those that speak english may not know what words written are, but the images allow your brain to translate and maybe get a good idea of what is written. If you were to draw this yourself using your own symbols it would then make even more sense

Now, take this concept further and with mind mapping you are able to make notes and lists and keep them in a way that your brain can interpret. Imagine, and yes it is possible, to have a lecture or presentation drawn out on one sheet of paper rather than on a stack of 3x5 cards. That is just one of the many uses of mind mapping. Maybe you are a student and with your notes you have to sift through pages of lined out notes. With Mind Mapping you can find your central concepts easy enough and make studying easier.

If you are interested in making your life easier and learn how to better create, organize and plan check out this cool book...I'm still learning how to do this right, but it is a fun process.

As for the computer software, I like using the software because my writing is atrocious and I've never been much of an artist. So I let the software do the pictures for me on some occasions. As an example, below is an incomplete Mind Map on the review of this book from that software. (I had to limit to just a little info so i can include it all in a small graphic)

Labels: book review, books, brain, creativity, education, how to mind map, learning, mind, mind map, tony buzan

Web Base Learning

2009-07-14T09:44:00.000-07:00

Using the Web for Learning: Advantages and Disadvantages

Advantages of Web-based Learning

The general benefits of Web-based training when compared to traditional instructor-led training include all those shared by other types of technology-based training. These benefits are that the training is usually self-paced, highly interactive, results in increased retention rates, and has reduced costs associated with student travel to an instructor-led workshop.

When compared to CD-ROM training, the benefits of Web-based training stem from the fact that access to the content is easy and requires no distribution of physical materials. This means that Web-based training yields additional benefits, among them:

Access is available anytime, anywhere, around the globe. Students always have access to a potentially huge library of training and information whether they are working from home, in the office, or from a hotel room. As cellular modems become more popular, students will even be able to access training in a place that doesn't have a traditional phone line or network connection.
Per-student equipment costs are affordable. Almost any computer today equipped with a modem and free browser software can access the Internet or a private Intranet. The cost of setup is relatively low.
Student tracking is made easy. Because students complete their training while they are connected to the network, it is easy to implement powerful student-tracking systems. Unlike with CD-ROMs that require students to print reports or save scores to disk, WBT enables the data to be automatically tracked on the server-computer. This information can be as simple as who has accessed the courseware and what are their assessment scores, to detailed information including how they answered individual test questions and how much time they spent in each module.
Possible "learning object" architecture supports on demand, personalized learning. With CD-ROM training, students have access only to the information that can be held by one CD-ROM. The instructional design for this type of delivery, therefore, has been to create entire modules and distinct lessons. But with WBT, there is virtually no storage limitation and content can be held on one or more servers. The best WBT is designed so that content is "chunked" into discrete knowledge objects to provide greater flexibility. Students can access these objects through pre-defined learning paths, use skill assessments to generate personal study plans, or employ search engines to find exact topics.
Content is easily updated. This is perhaps the single biggest benefit to WBT. In today's fast-paced business environment, training programs frequently change. With CD-ROM and other forms of training, the media must be reduplicated and distributed again to all the students. With WBT it is a simple matter of copying the updated files from a local developer's computer onto the server-computer. The next time students connect to the Web page for training, they will automatically have the latest version.

Limitations of Web-based Learning

There are only two real disadvantages to WBT, and both will be overcome in the next five to ten years as high bandwidth network connections become as common as telephones. The first drawback, when compared to live instruction, is the lack of human contact, which greatly impacts learning. WBT is better than CD-ROM learning in this regard. Students can use their Web connection to e-mail other students, post comments on message boards, or use chat rooms and videoconference links to communicate live. While this type of interaction is helpful, and an improvement over CD-ROM learning, it still doesn't have the impact of a live workshop. With higher speed connections and improved conferencing software, one day students around the world will be able to communicate in real time with each other through full-screen video.

The second major drawback is the lack of multimedia in many WBT programs. The use of audio and video are critical to creating compelling metaphors, realistic job simulations, and accommodating different learning styles. Full multimedia delivered over corporate Intranets is possible, and many companies are doing it (see Case Studies in this book for examples). But in most cases, even if students have a high-bandwidth Intranet connection, corporate information technology departments don't want large media files used because it slows down the entire network. The result is that most WBT programs are still comprised of text and graphics alone. Once again, the bandwidth problem will be solved in the near future with advancements in network protocol standards and software compression.

Using Web-based training, like all other delivery media, has advantages and disadvantages. Trainers and designer must carefully weigh these against the profiles of other options on a case-by-case basis.

by Kevin Kruse

What is One Malaysia?

2009-07-12T04:42:00.000-07:00

What is One Malaysia?

KUALA LUMPUR, – What is One Malaysia?

In not too many words, it remains faithful to the two planks of the National Economic Policy (NEP) – the eradication of poverty irrespective of race and economic restructuring that was launched by Najib's father Tun Abdul Razak Hussein in the aftermath of the May 13 race riots.

The opinion piece headlined 'Satu Malaysia versi sebenar' by Awang Selamat, a pseudonym used by the newspaper's editors, allayed fears that Najib will end the NEP and ensure equality for all.

Among others, Awang wrote, it included elements of development based on unity and integration, the people's interests and excellence to push the country's progress, adding he was glad when Najib denied it had anything to do with a 'Malaysian Malaysia' although the government would be fair to all races to transform the country.

"Awang hopes the true version of One Malaysia is understood clearly. The affirmative policies to help the Malays who really poor and left behind (compared to other races) will continue.

"Indeed there is a need to continue the affirmative policies due to historical realities and the social contract while the government intensifies efforts to increase the quality of life for all," he wrote.

While Mingguan Malaysia, which enjoys wide circulation in Malaysia's rural areas where Umno still commands majority support and respect, has made its definition, it remains to be seen how Najib will put the slogan into action.

However, it is clear that the concept will not work with a top-down approach as Malaysians become more aware of the power of their vote and are willing to shop around for a political party or coalition more in tune with their desires and needs.

While the economy is at the forefront of their minds, Malaysians – particularly the young and those in the urban areas – have been clamouring for an independent judiciary, respectable police force, equal treatment and politicians who don't speak from both sides of their mouths.

They have been demanding reforms in various government policies and institutions, handing former prime minister Tun Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, a huge mandate in the 2004 elections but taking it back in 2008 when the reforms faltered.

The country's sixth prime minister has added "People First, Performance Now" to his One Malaysia concept to recapture the people's confidence and it will be up to him and his cabinet, which has already been maligned by the opposition, to ensure they live up to his slogan.

And ensure that his "One Malaysia" is the same as their "One Malaysia".

Acknowledge from site ;
ONE MALAYSIA
http://www.1malaysia.com.my/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=894&Itemid=56&lang=en

Teaching / Learning Models

2009-07-12T04:12:00.000-07:00

Teaching / Learning Models

1. Introduction

Models of teaching are really models of learning.

The most important long-term outcome of instruction may be the students's increased capabilities to learn more easily and effectively in the future, both because of the knowledge and skill they have acquired and because they have mastered learning processes.(Joyce, B., & Weil, M.) That implies that a major role in teaching is to create powerful learners.

2. Where do models of learning/teaching come from?

A model of teaching is a description of a learning environment.

The descriptions have many uses, ranging from planning curriculums, courses, units and lessons to designing instructional materials - books and workbooks, multimedia programs, and computer - assisted learning programs. The "descriptions" have been designed for a variety of different settings and can be adjusted to the learning styles of students and to the requirements of the subject matter.

3. What kind of model is suited to...?

PLEASE VISIT THIS SITE FOR MORE INFORMATION ABOUT ;

LINK ; Teaching / Learning Models

************************************************************************************

TEORI DAN MODEL PENGAJARAN & PEMBELAJARAN

Terdapat 4 teori & model dalam Pengajaran & pembelajaran ;

1. Teori Behaviouris
2. Teori Kognitif
3. Teori Sosial dan
4. Teori Humanis

Apakah penjelasan kepada 4 teori ini ?

Sila klik untuk penerangan selanjutnya !!

MULTIPLE INTELLIGENCES

2009-07-08T08:41:00.000-07:00

What are Multiple Intelligences?

It has been claimed by some researchers that our intelligence or ability to understand the world around us is complex. Some people are better at understanding some things than others.

For some of us it is relatively easy to understand how a flower grows but it is immensely difficult for us to understand and use a musical instrument. For others music might be easy but playing football is difficult.

Instead of having one intelligence it is claimed that we have several different intelligences.
These are listed below:

Kinaesthetic - Body Smart	Linguistic - Word Smart
Logical - Number Smart	Interpersonal - People Smart
Intrapersonal - Myself Smart	Musical - Music Smart
Visual/Spatial - Picture Smart	Naturalistic - Nature Smart

1. Kinaesthetic - Body Smart
You may be body smart. You will enjoy sports and are good at swimming, athletics, gymnastics and other sports. This is sometimes called being Kinaesthetic smart.

2. Linguistic - Word Smart
You may be word smart. You will enjoy reading, writing and talking about things. This is sometimes called being Linguistic smart.

3. Logical - Number Smart
You may be number smart. You will be good at mathematics and other number activities; you are also good at solving problems. This is sometimes called being Logical smart.

4. Interpersonal - People Smart
You may be people smart. You will like to mix with other people and you will belong to lots of clubs. You like team games and are good at sharing. This is sometimes called being Interpersonal smart.

5. Intrapersonal - Myself Smart
You may be myself smart. You will know about yourself and your strengths and weaknesses. You will probably keep a diary. This is sometimes called being Intrapersonal smart.

6. Musical - Music Smart
You may be music smart. You will enjoy music and can recognise sounds, and timbre, or the quality of a tone. This is sometimes called being Musical smart.

7. Visual/Spatial - Picture Smart
You may be picture smart. You will be good at art and also good at other activities where you look at pictures like map reading, finding your way out of mazes and graphs. This is sometimes called being Visual/Spatial smart.

8. Naturalistic - Nature Smart
You may be nature smart. You will like the world of plants and animals and enjoy learning about them. This is sometimes called being Naturalistic smart. Thanks to ; http://www.bgfl.org/bgfl/custom/resources_ftp/client_ftp/ks3/ict/multiple_int/what.cfm Kesimpulannya CIKGU ; Lihatlah kebolehan pelajar dari pelbagai sudut. Mungkin pelajar kita lemah dari satu aspek tetapi baik dari aspek lain. Jangan terlalu cepat MELEBELKAN pelajar. Sebab itu ada cikgu lebelkan pelajar GALUS & pelajar "GAPUS" (heee.....Gagal Mampus). Berdasarkan 'HOWARD GARDNER', lihatlah kebolehan pelajar dari pelbagai sudut dan GURU seharusnya menggunakan pelbagai kaedah pengajaran agar pelajar yang mempunyai kebolehan berbeza ini dapat diberikan pembelajaran mengikut kebolehan mereka. Inilah dinamakan PENGAJARAN & PEMBELAJARAN BERKESAN ! Amacam ? aaaaahhh adalah tak setuju tu....? Aaahhhh kalau setuju bagi KOMEN!, kalau tak setuju pun bagi komen gak ????...

LOOKING TO FUTURE !

2009-07-06T09:54:00.000-07:00

I'm still looking..what is the most powerful application that can used for WEB Base Teaching & Learning?. What WEB Base application can fulfilling teachers and students dreams ?. Please all educator give me your suggestion?, give me your COMMENTS ?.

Salam and hii !! Cikgu dan para pendidik dari Malaysia, Singapura, Berunai dan Indonesia ..

Mari kita sembang-sembang kalau cikgu ada maklumat, pernah menggunakan aplikasi WEB BASE untuk tujuan pengajaran dan pembelajaran di dalam kelas.

Tajuk perbincangan kita ;

1. Apa aplikasi WEB Base yang cikgu pernah atau sedang gunakan ?
2. Apa kelebihan dan kekuatan WEB Base yang sedang anda gunakan sekarang ?
3. Bagaimana saya boleh mendapatkan perisian aplikasi yang sedang anda gunakan ?
4. Dan lain-lain perkara yang boleh kita sembang tentang WEB Base untuk tujuan Pengajaran dan Pembelajaran dalam kelas...?

JOMMMMMMM laaaaaa........................!!

MSC MALAYSIA

2009-07-06T09:49:00.000-07:00

LINK TO : MSC MALAYSIA

NEW TECHNOLOGY : Windows 7

2009-07-06T09:27:00.000-07:00

WINDOWS 7, what a difference?

You want to know it, please click here

'ORACLE' SITE & EVENT

2009-06-30T19:18:00.001-07:00

LINK : See what Event from Oracle Malaysia teachers can involve

21st Century Learning ?

2009-06-30T18:04:00.001-07:00

LINK TO 21st Century Learning (Pembelajaran Abad ke 21)

HOW TO BE INNOVATIVE TEACHER VIDEO

2009-06-30T06:53:00.000-07:00

LINK TO INNOVATIVE TEACHER

Evolution Empowerment

2009-06-29T18:19:00.000-07:00

Thanks to PM Dr. Firuz Hussin
Thanks to University of Malaya
Thanks for this montaj
I love University of Malaya

Hi !!, Prof. Dr. Raja Maznah Raja Hussein

Zahri Hj. Ramlan
Previous Old Master Student Year 2000'

I dont want to be a LOSER ANYMORE !

2009-06-29T03:58:00.000-07:00

THE WINNER VS THE LOSER

The winner is always part of the answer
The loser is always part of the problem
The winner always has a programme
The loser always has an excuse

The winner says, "let me do it for you"
The loser says, "that's not my job"
The winner sees an answer for every problem
The loser sees a problem in every answer

The winner says, "It may be difficult but it's possible"
The loser says, "It may be possible, but its too difficult"

SUCCESS IT'S A MIND GAME

- 'HOMER'.

20 steps to be Innovative Teacher

2009-06-28T02:45:00.000-07:00

You want to be CREATIVE & INNOVATIVE TEACHER ?

Follow this 20 steps by Mitchell Diktof ;

1. Challenges status quo

Selalu merasakan tidak puas dengan pengetahuan dan kemahiran. Berusaha untuk meningkatkan pengetahuan dan kemahiran yang ada dan pengetahuan kemahiran yang dimiliki akan selalu diperbaharui (update) setiap masa bersesuaian dengan zamannya.

2. Curious

Perasaan ingin tahu tentang sesuatu yang tidak diketahui atau sesuatu yang baru, terutamanya tentang perkembangan semasa berkenaan idea dan teknologi terkini. Merasa kagum tentang sesuatu (sense of awe).

3. Self-motivated

Mempunyai motivasi dalaman untuk membangunkan diri (inner needs) dan sentiasa bersikap proaktif dalam membangunkan sesuatu yang baru dan menghargai apa yang ada dalam dirinya.

4. Visionary

Berpandangan jauh dan sentiasa melihat kehadapan. Mempunyai imiginasi yang tinggi dan optimistik.

5. Entertains the fantastic

Merasakan sesuatu itu bukan mustahil, menghasilkan idea diluar kotak pemikiran (thingking out of box) dan idea yang gila-gila.

6. Take risks

Berani menanggung risiko, bersedia untuk berada di dalam keadaan tidak selesa

(unconfort zone) dan tidak popular.

7. Peripatetic

Sentiasa menyesuaikan diri dengan kerja dan persekitaran dan bersedia untuk melakukan perjalanan (travelling) demi untuk mencari idea dan pengalaman baru.

8. Playful/humorous

Berani berbeza dari orang lain, bertindak nekad, mempunyai idea yang dapat menarik orang ramai dan mempunyai unsur humor yang dapat mengajak orang lain sama-sama berkongsi kegembiraan dan tawa.

9. Self-accepting

Bersedia mempertahankan konsep dan ideanya dan menganggap“kesempurnaan sebagai musuh kebaikan”.

10. Flexible/adaptive

Menyesuaikan diri mengikut keadaan, bersikap terbuka bagi setiap perubahan dan menyediakan sesuatu penyelesaian dan gagasan.

11. Make New Connections

Berusaha mengeratkan hubungan dengan semua orang dan membina satu rangkaian komunikasi yang dapat dimanfaatkan daripada hubungan yang dibina.

12. Reflective

Menilai masalah yang dihadapi dan mencari penyelesaian dan membuat keputusan dan pertimbangan yang sewajarnya.

13. Recognizes (and re-cognizes) patterns

Melihat sesuatu dari perspektif yang luas (The Big Picture), dan dapat membezakan sesuatu pandangan dengan pandangan yang lain.

14. Tolerates ambiguity

Bertolak ansur dalam sesutu perkara, tidak mudah panik dan tidak tergesa-gesa dalam membenarkan sesuatu idea yang muncul.

15. Committed to learning

Berusaha belajar dari masa ke masa pengetahuan dan dan ilmu-ilmu baru. Menyeimbangkan setiap informasi yang terkumpul dan menyelaraskan setiap tindakan.

16. Balance intuition and analysis

Membuat penilaian secara seimbang menggunakan pemikiran divergen dan konvergen. Membuat analisis dan menggunakannya secara berhati-hati dengan menggunakan akal

17. Situationally Collaborative

Berusaha menyeimbangkan pemikiran dari setiap individu dan berkerjasama untuk memajukan organisasinya.

18. Formally articulate

Komunikasi secara berkesan dan kebolehan menterjemahkan konsep abstrak ke dalam bahasa penuh erti dan menciptakan prototype atau model yang dianggap paling mudah.

19. Resilient

Mengharungi rintangan dengan tabah dan belajar dari kesilapan serta tidak berputus asa untuk terus mencuba.

20. Presevering

Bekerja keras dan tekun, sentiasa memberikan idea-idea baru dengan gigih dan mempunyai komitmen yang tinggi terhadap apa jua bidang yang diceburi.

What is 21st Century Learning ?

2009-06-28T02:16:00.000-07:00

This Montaj will eleborated about what is 21st Century Learning.

BENCHMARK FOR ICT SCHOOL

2009-06-28T00:48:00.000-07:00

23rd June 2009 Tuesday, Sekolah Menengah Raja Permaisuri Bainun (SMKRPB), Ipoh, Perak, group of teachers from Selangor's ICT Panel visited SMKRPB as a Benchmark School's for ICT in teaching and learning. The school is famous as Cluster School, Smart School, implementation of ICT subject and one of the school in Perak that implemented ISO9000 for teaching and learning. It's encouraging to learn that all the school citizen share one vision and mission to excel in education using ICT as enabler and catalyst. The Senior Principle Tuan Hj. Jamaluddin bin Yusoff A.M.P., said that key for succees for SMKRPB are work together as a team. Without strong teamwork and commitment from all teachers, the vision cannot be transformed into reality. Its' high time for our teacher to adopt The 21st century learning concept in line with the advancement of technology in teaching and learning. Students must explore to learn and integrate their learning experiences using collabaration and cooperation. With this new paradigm of learning, hopefully our students will equip them self with the necessary skills and knowledge that is vital to compete globaly.

Senoir Principle of SMK Raja Permaisuri Bainun : Tuan Haji Jamaluddin bin Yusoff A.M.P. and
En. Zahri bin Hj. Ramlan Senior Assistant Director of Curriculum of ICT & Computing Selangor State Education Department at their benchmark visited on 23 June 2009 with 60 Selangor ICT Panel teachers was entertained and briefing by SMKRPB teachers in their presentation of ICT programmes in school activities and how they encultured at school citizen.

Soft Launch of ICT Handy Book : ICT Panel Selangor Teachers 2009

2009-06-26T01:21:00.000-07:00

Soft Launch ICT Handy Book

Casuarina Hotel Ipoh, 24 June 2009
History day for all Selangor ICT panel because first time they got own referance book wrote by them. Its' proud for all Selangor ICT Panel with many schools in Selangor (95 schools) they can united together and produced one book that can used as referance for teacher and student in teaching and learning.
This soft launch officiate by Deputy Director of Selangor State Education Department Tuan Haji Bajuri bin Abdullah. The Senior Assistant Director ICT & Computing Curriculum State of Selangor, En. Zahri Hj. Ramlan said that this is the correct time that all ICT Panel in Selangor to have their own strenght and realise dream to vision. Hope from them this is the beginning and starting point to all ICT Panel to worked together and committed in their job and make all the vision come true. He also want all ICT Selangor "One Step Ahead From Other Country". Proud to be Selangor ICT Panel with thier motto 'ICT Towards Excellent Education' . Bravo.

Moodle ?

2009-06-07T04:51:00.001-07:00

Pernah dengar tentang "Moodle", powerful ke "moodle" ni untuk pengajaran dan pembelajaran ?
Ada maklumat, idea atau cerita tentang "moodle", jom kita sembang2.............

Pengajaran & Pembelajaran Atas Talian (online)

2009-06-07T04:45:00.000-07:00

Web Base : Satu Alternatif kepada guru yang kerap meninggalkan kelas.

1. Bagaimana Web Base dapat membantu guru ?
2. Apakah aplikasi Web Base yang mudah (user friendly) dan sesuai untuk
guru-guru gunakan ?

Mari kita sama-sama bincang untuk mencari satu alternatif dan jalan terbaik !
Sumbangan tuan/puan/cik/cikgu2 amat dihargai.

Web Base Teaching and Learning. Is that true help teacher always not in the calssroom?

2009-06-06T23:03:00.000-07:00

What is 21st Century Learning ?

2009-06-06T23:00:00.000-07:00

Share New Technology for teaching and learning in the classroom.

2009-06-06T22:56:00.000-07:00