'Organically Digital' or 'Digitally Organic'?

The title may set me on fire :), literally and figuratively...just hear me out. 21st century students are unique because of their adaptability towards organic and digital materials. Although they tendency is more towards digital material, interestingly enough most would print pdf materials for their class.

The tendency may propel from our imprint of genetics. Newspaper still in circulation, exam papers still organic, proposals still in printed format in most countries. In other words, we need that sense of touch. Digital is an image of the reality, but we kindle the organic form entirely.I think organic printed material takes us back to reality, a place where we see the world in its true essence. Try going to a physical library compared to virtual library...the smell of paper hits you with a high note of euphoria.

Thus, 'Organically Digital' humans...unite!

Quote of the Day.

Technology is just a tool. In terms of getting the kids working together and motivating them, the teacher is the most important.
Bill Gates 


Read more at http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/topics/topic_technology.html#DjQSbSbOgi9c73O8.99

The Best Gift of All

Wow…It has been quite a while since I written a word or two here. Time flies when you are occupied with life :)..Anyway, I would love to indulge all in the topic today,

When talking about gifts, many of us would love to have the latest technologically advanced phones, tablets, laptops, computers and many others.

As for me, its is the value that matters. Having said that, not the 'price' of a product, but the sentimental attachment that it has on the item.

Mine would be this…a flash drive!!!

And you may ask why? It is a gift from one of the prominent authority in technology in teaching and learning, Prof. Dr. Deborah Healey. I had the chance to meet her during our conference, International Language for Communication Conference organised by Kulliyyah of Languages and Management, International Islamic University Malaysia. It was a great moment as I had the chance to exchange ideas and learn new perspective from Prof. Deborah concerning Gamification. The topic itself is quite alluring…Imagine teaching a class in the perspective of XBOX 360…hehehe

I had the chance also to meet up with 'big' names in technology in teaching and learning, such as Prof. Dr. Mohd. Amin Embi (UKM), and other prominent experts such as Prof. Emeritus Dato' Dr. Asmah Hj. Omar and Prof. Dato' Dr. Hassan Basri (UPSI).

Would I use the flash drive? Hmmm…I would rather frame it…

In the end, it is priceless…to me :)

Shout it out LOUD!!!

If we deal with email or SMS, there is the NETIQUETTE (here I am not shouting, just to give honour to the special noun).

I recently received a SMS with a good combination of lowercase and uppercase letters in the text. What struck me is that the person is trying to convey his or her meaning/intention/depression/oppression/or none listed. The case is this, there is etiquette in everything that we do.


Ethically, if you were to uppercase your text, this is considered as blatantly shouting to the receiver. It mimics the physical action. Imagine if you were to write the whole text (25 paragraphs) in uppercase, I do believe the opera singer would love to learn your technique of shouting (in real life).

The fact is this, uppercase means shouting, and you are shouting throughout your email/SMS in case of full uppercase message. And shouting is not NICE...

We are ethical creature...we have process and procedure from the biggest of challenges to the smallest of tasks...and this align us to the methods that are governed ethics in fulfilling the task.

NETIQUETTE is method of communicating via virtual elements...and it compels us to be ethical in our SMS or email.

With that, i rest my CASE...it was a joke, ok :)

The End of Days....

My Ipad died...ok, not really died, but it has lost its connection to me...physically, emotionally and mentally...

First time in the history of our sweet relationship, it was disabled. Hmm...'disabled'...a word consists of 8 alphabets that truly affect our life, technologically. I was dumbfounded when saw this word popped up, reality diminished and darkness engulfed...I was unable to function 'professionally' in my work and to 'socialise' virtually on social network sites for that period.

I eat, drink, teach, read, mark, play football, sleep with my Ipad...it is my companion, well definitely second to my missus. The word 'disabled' has caused a temporary separation of my reality and my virtual reality.

Often we take things for granted...we believe that things will always be there for us...when it is omitted from our lives, that is when we truly value the importance...Ok, I don't want to sound like another Oprah Winfrey Show, but the fact is that we need to be constantly reminded of how precious things are to us, technologically, I meant.

I do know of a friend who drove back home (30 km, mind you) for his handphone that he left at home in his hurry to work in the morning. His explanation was simple, handphone is an extension of his limbs...

And for my Ipad, it sprung to life when i rebooted...the reason for the temporary separation? I keyed in the wrong passcode that I thought was right at that moment. One may surmise that I depended too much on Ipad...the fact is that it has been by my side for all these years...it is my companion through the good and bad times...it is an extension of my reality and the reality that lies beneath its screen.

Pardon me, I am cooking roasted chicken under the tutalage of Sir Jamie Oliver over the internet...and that is my reality....

Interesting Way of Looking at Powerpoint - Don McMillan

To Online or To 'No-line' a Test

The topic may draft in sense of 'awe' by some, total rejection by many. Online test or quiz, if it is to be announced in class, will be followed by a symphony of 'Noo' by the students.

In short, rejection is far better than acceptance in this case, in many cases, based on my experience. However, students should be allowed to experience the subtleness of online quizzes or testing, as one may termed it.

Online testing has been around for quite a while. TOEFL iBT is a prominent Online English language test, and as to cite a study, Bugbee and Bern (1990), as cited in Khare and Lam (2008) concluded that the students of an American college fared better online when compared to traditional testing. 

When inspected psychologically, the fear of online testing is valid, in my view. Some students stated that the fear comes from the format itself, a rectangular LCD instead of the a table with paper on top. Reading online and reading on paper creates its own challenge. Our eyes do wonder around after reading a few lines, and the sense of focus may be distracted. 

The presence of timer, a constant reminder of the available time is another factor. One could not stop looking at the time while trying to accomplish the task. Its like baking a cake while looking at glass door of the oven and the timer simultaneously. 

The stability of the internet connection is the greatest feat of all. Imagine that you are about to submit your answers after spending an hour on the test and the connection went down. Some of us may resort to McEnroe's method of relieving frustration, but please ensure you do have 3 extra laptops for that purpose!

I do love a comment made by a student of mine when I conducted a mini study on this. He or She (to remain anonymous) stated that your chances of writing more after the time is up is much better in an exam hall compared to a laboratory. He or She illustrated that if you are sitting in the middle, there is a 50/50 chance for you to write more since the invigilators would come either from front or back of the row. You could never get that from online test, He or She added. Interesting...I should pursue an in-depth Student' Perception of Row Seating in an Examination...niceee..

Anyway, I believe when we are accustomed to certain new experience, we would be evolving together with the experience and surroundings. The same goes with online testing or assessment, may it be online video or audio recording, online essay or other forms of assessment. It is the familiarity, that I believe holds the key to a successful online testing administration. To quote the greatest samurai legend, Miyamoto Musashi, 'Things are always difficult in the beginning, always'...

And I strongly believe online test or assessment is safe too...many of us experience 'paper cuts' during test, well, when was the last time you heard some had 'tablet cut' on their fingers? Hmm...