Week 1 - A New Semester A New Start (1104B)

            Welcome back dear students!

            I believe this brand new semester is crucial for each and every one of you as this is your final semester. Lectures will be tougher, assignments would be more challenging and it seems like you just do not have enough time to manage all of what semester 3 will hold for you. Fear not for those who are hardworking shall be rewarded with the fruit of success by the end of the semester.

            In this semester, FEE1323 English III will offer you an array of speaking and writing activities which requires your active participation in class. As usual, our syllabus will be based on IELTS but from time to time I will introduce some MUET activities to cater for those who will be sitting for the said exam this July.

            As part of the requirement of this course, you are required to respond to ONE blog journal on the issue that I will post on this blog every week. You are also required to respond to at least ONE of your friend’s blog entry. Your respond need not be too long (approximately 100 words will do). This blog journal activity will take place throughout the 14 weeks and your participation in this blog will contribute to your carry marks for this subject.

            For this week, I hope to hear about your expectations on this subject. Specifically, you may respond to these questions for this week’s blog:-

1. What do you wish to learn from English III?

2. What are the learning goals that you have set for yourself this semester?

3. How do you respond to the course requirements? (Test 1, Final, assignments)

            Happy blogging ^^  

REFLECTION FOR VIDEO PRODUCTION 201103

FEE1323 ENGLISH III

REFLECTION FOR VIDEO PRODUCTION

After weeks of hard work, finally it is done! Hats off and a round of applause to each and every one of you for producing wonderful and meaningful videos for this semester. After experiencing such a major production, I’m sure you have a lot of feelings (be it excitement, frustration or even anger) to share. This is a chance for you to do so and the following are the guidelines for you to reflect on the video production journey.

Before the production:-

1. What was your reaction towards the video assignment when you were first told about it? Did you like the idea that you get to do an assignment which is different from last semester? Or were you afraid that you might not be able to manage the assignment?

2. When did you and your group members sit down to discuss about the concept for your video? Was it straight after your lecturer assigned the task or did each of you did some research first before you put down your ideas on paper?

3. Did disagreements happen during discussions on the video? How did you and your group members come to agree to the final concept for your video?

4. What do you particularly liked about the concept of your video? (No more than 50 words)

During the video shooting:-

1. How many days/weeks did you spend to complete the shooting of the video? Describe how the shooting was done so quickly if it was completed within a week. Explain the reasons why it you took more than a week to shoot the video.

2. Was the video shooting session smooth? What were the challenges you faced in terms of setting/location, time, props, costumes etc?

3. How did your director manage the challenges? Did all of the group members obey the director’s instructions or did everyone contribute their ideas in getting the perfect shot? In short, was teamwork practiced in your group? (Describe in detail)

During the editing process:-

1. Did you take part in editing the video or was the task solely handled by a tech whiz in your group? Justify your answers.

2. Were there any challenges in dealing with technology (Window Movie Maker or other video-editing software)? Which was/were the most frustrating part(s) in editing your video (e.g. sound, merging scenes etc)?

After all the hard work:-

1. Did your video turn out to be like what you have expected? Were you satisfied with your video or did you feel that it could have been better?

2. Did you enjoy yourself during the video production? Was it relevant to what you study? What have you learn from this assignment (language, confidence, teamwork, computer skills etc)?

3. Do you think this video assignment should be introduced to your juniors? Suggest some ways that could bring improvement to this video assignment.

Note:

-       Log on to http://theenglishlearningvoyage.blogspot.com/ and paste your reflections in the comment space.

-       Please include your NAME and ID NUMBER so that I can know which comment belongs to which one of you.\

~~~Thank you and I’m so proud of all of you~~~

2012

A new year, a new start... Though I might be a little late to say this because it's already the end of April 2012. Two more months and 2012 is halfway to its end.

Now my statement there might sound a little depressing but that's just life...We don't have fairytale in reality and time waits for no man. If you want your happily ever after, you've got to seize the moment, grab the opportunity and charge towards the ultimate goals you've set for this year.

I've set my own too. I plan to graduate from my Masters early next year so this year is going to be hard work and MORE hard work! I'm pretty sure all of you are facing the same pressure too! But let's not worry because I believe you will get to taste the fruit of your hard work by the end of the day and it's going to be so sweet that you get sick and tired of it :p (nah~ just kidding!)

Anyhow, I wish all the best to you all- my angels, my driving force, my reason to stay in the teaching profession :)

Hugs and Kisses
xoxoxo

Week 7, 8, 9 Oral Presentation

Dear all,

It has been quite some time since I have posted something on this blog (I guess some of you were already literally popping champagne bottle celebrating ^^).  Well, sorry guys! I have to make you work your brains again woohoo ~(^V^)~

For the past three (3) weeks you have witnessed your friends present their topic of interest and at the same time you have shared yours to the class. Good job to all of you as I can see you have place great effort to complete this task. I hope you have come to accept the criticisms (positive and negative ones) that I have made after each individual presentation sessions and I sincerely hope you can take the points that I have highlighted as a means of improving your own presentation skills for the near future.

I believe you might have a thought or two on your own performance during the presentation and perhaps you have things to comment on your friends' presentations. You may use the following guidelines to help you write your reflection:-

1. Evaluate your own performance. Was it your best shot? Yes/No? Why?

2. If "Yes", highlight your own strenght.

3. If "No", suggest ways to improve and overcome these shortcomings.

4. How did your friends perform?

5. What are the things you can learn from your friends' presentation?

If you wish to write your reflection based on your own style and set of guidelines, you are welcomed to do so by all means.

Lastly, give yourself a pet on the shoulder and chant this three times "I was good but I know I can be better!"

Have a great week folks :)

Week 3- Listening

Dear all,

Great to see you guys again. I hope you are clear with the Power Point slides on Listening Skills and you have enjoyed yourself during the music session we had on Thursday.

This week, please blog about the following issues regarding listening:-

1. Did your school teacher conduct listening activities during English lessons? If yes, state how often.
2. How did you find this week's listening activities? Was it difficult initially?
3. Did reading through the lyrics before listening helped you to fill in the blanks. How?

Happy blogging and all the best for your Test 1 (25/8/2011) ^^  

Week 2- Your Own English Learning Experience

Dear all,

Good to meet you again. I really enjoyed the last two lecture sessions we had and I do look forward to go into your class soon. (Hope you guys do too ^^)

Anyhow, this week I would like each of you to write in a blog post on your own English language experience. You may write your post based on the following questions:-

1. Frankly, did you enjoy learning English back in secondary school. Why?
2. Do you think you are good in English? Why?
3. How did your English teacher conducted his/her classes in general?
4. Did your English teacher play language games to get you interested in learning English?
5. Were you forced to memorize model essays and practice a lot on grammar?

You are most welcome to elaborate more apart from answering the above questions.

Remember, you must write at least 100 words and the dateline is Monday (15/8/2011).

All the best :)

Week 1- Welcome

Dear all,

Welcome to "The English Language Voyage". This blog is created just for you to record a documentation of your personal English language learning experiences throughout this 14-week journey in FEE1113 English I.

Each week, you will be given a topic to discuss. Apart from your own post, you must respond to at least ONE of your coursemates' blog post as to show active participation.

You may also raise issues with regards to English language learning or tag interesting webpages on how to improve your English :)

Once again, thank you for participating in this blog and let us look forward to a fun-filled and enjoyable learning experience for the next 14 weeks.

Till then. Ciao~~