Thursday 8 May 2014

Islamic Awareness






Nazira
- The one thing I gained after entering IIUM is that I've changed to a more independent person. But there is a change that I do not like which is the lack of fun. IIUM is pretty much a boring place to study. I spent most of my times in my room doing assignments and stuff and went outside of IIUM to relax. I won't lie, I am glad that I am finally graduating this year. But I will forever be grateful to the lecturers and friends here for the knowledge and experiences. For this class, on the other hand, since we had to search for a Youtube video for our CMC task, we did not put much thought into choosing it. However, we did realize that we had to follow through the Islamic guidelines and not pick a video that could be deemed as un-Islamic. We avoided the ones filled with violence and profanity and ended up choosing a video that talks about dirty stuff like poop. We did not consider it as a bad video since we thought that people would not be put off by the video. The only bad word that was used in the video was 'shit' and we thought it was still okay and mediocre in the profanity section. But throughout the presentation, we noticed that the only person who had a strong reaction to the bad words is Madam Rozina. And then we reflected on this. Although most of the class were okay with it, we thought that we need to consider other people's feeling as well.This taught us that there are certain border that we should probably not cross especially in front of the lecturer.

Sahi
-Alhamdulillah i am mostly thankful to Allah who put me in this class with very knowledgeable and motherly Dr. Rozina and later put us three together in a group. While i have always heard that learning is to take place everyday whether we are in learning institution or not, graduated or not, its an ongoing process and somehow through this ENGL 4740 class and nearing graduation i have come to realise that it is true. For that i thank IIUM, lecturers, friends, and everyone for making my on going learning process fun and memorable. InsyaAllah i hope that me, nazira and sofi as well as the rest of the class will never stop learning and tadabbur.    


Safiyyah
- throughout this course, not only did I get to learn more about CALL but also about myself as well as my friends. Getting along with my groupmates to work on the assignments given to us has taught me a lot about appreciating the people around me. I think that this is one of the many Islamic values I received during the class. As a Muslim, being thankful is important because not everyone gets what we get and it might not last long. Then there are the occasional tazkirah Dr. Rozina sometimes delivered randomly during class time. I remember her saying something along the lines of making a boring class Islamic is better than trying to make it seem fun. And I can't agree more as we are in an Islamic university after all.

Reflection of BLOG























Reflection of the whole project:


  • taught us more about CALL and its function in language learning


  • we learned how to manage our time in doing the tasks and blog while trying to finish other course's assignments

  • the process of finishing the blog is challenging since it is not easy as expected

  • teamwork is very important

  • we realized the significance of computer as a tool in language learning and teaching

Reflection of Graded Task 3


Since this is the the second proposal that we are assigned to, it makes things easier as we already know the steps and ways to construct a proposal. last research proposal we made was on CMC, and this time its on CALL. we tried to link the topic with IIUM and decided to test out ot proposal on CELPAD students as they are all still learning language either English or Arabic. what can we reflect on this research proposal is that, there actually lots of ways that teachers and lecturers can use to teach language aside from the conventional ways of power point presentation and exercises from books. this somehow make one of us become motivated to be a teacher and apply what we have learned here in IIUM towards her students.

Graded Task 3: Mini Research Proposal

A Research Proposal: 
Computer-Assisted Language Learning Study

SITI NAZIRA BT ZAINAL 1019916
NURUL SAHIDATUL AMIRA 1010744
SAFIYYAH TALIB 1018758

NAME OF INSTRUCTOR: DR. ROZINA
COURSE CODE: ENGL 4740
COURSE SUBJECT: COMPUTER ASSISTED LANGUAGE STUDIES
SECTION: 2



Introduction

 This research is mainly about a study focusing on computer-assisted language learning (CALL) field. Different methods have been used to find out the role of computers in assisting language learners develop listening and speaking skills in their English as a second language (ESL) learning. Nowadays the computer is utilized as a tool that is both informational as well as educational. There have been studies that demonstrate computer programs being used in university language centers to support students in developing their language skills both for academic and general purposes (Gilmour, 2004). However, most of the research discusses listening and speaking separately. Hence, this study will bring the two skills together and see how computers are used in the ESL courses to develop students’ listening and speaking skills in the Centre for Languages and Pre-University Academic Development (CELPAD). Therefore, the research questions are:

1.      What kind of computer programs and computer-based task are provided by CELPAD for developing students’ listening and speaking skills?
2.      What are the perspectives of teachers and students in the CELPAD in using computer programs to develop listening and speaking skills?
3.      How do students develop their listening and speaking skills on computers for self study?
4.      What types of support do teachers provide for students when working on computer-based tasks?
5.      In what ways do students collaborate when completing tasks using computers for listening and speaking?


Literature Review

·         With the development of technology, many studies have been conducted to investigate the effect of the use of computers in language learning, and many findings and evidence provide positive evaluation in this field (Hegelheimer and Tower, 2004).
·         Listening and speaking skills are related to each other in language learning (Hedge, 2000).
·         With increasing variety of software and online programs in ESL field, there has recently emerged interest in the ways in which the computer can be used to support learners to improve listening and speaking skills in their ESL learning (Chen et al., 2004).

Research Design

This study explores the impact of using computers in university language centers for developing students’ listening and speaking skills in and out of class. It covers what kinds of computer-based tasks are used, how interactions between people emerge and what the perceptions of teachers and students are regarding using computer programs for listening and speaking.

Methodology
We adopted several data collections, such as interviews and observation to triangulate the findings. The combination of the two methods can achieve the goals of this study. 

Sampling
The samples will be non-randomly drawn from CELPAD. There will be about 20 students of CELPAD included in this studywho are required to fulfill the minimum language requirements in order to undertake credit bearing Kulliyyah courses in English and Arabic.

Framework for Analysis
The framework for analysis will be the listening and speaking skills of the participants before and after they fulfill the minimum language requirements.

Duration
The predicted duration of our research will be two years because students have a maximum of two years to complete their pre-university English courses at CELPAD before they can enroll for other courses.

Procedure
There will be three steps in the procedure of this research. The first stage will involve gathering data from CELPAD regarding students whose native language is not English and have not mastered the language. These students will be non-randomly picked.

The second step will be the interviewing of the participants. A very brief face-to-face interview will be conducted to reduce the cost of the research. There will be two interview sessions; the first is before the participants go through their pre-university English courses at CELPAD and the second is after the two year duration. The interviews will be practiced before the process and questions will be based on their personal and classroom experience regarding CALL. As this study involves listening and speaking skills, the interview will be recorded for reference. The participants will be informed of this and consent is necessary before we carry out this step.

The final step will be the observation of the classroom learning using the computer programs. The observation will focus on what and how the students use the computer and how the teachers assist them in improving their listening and speaking skills.

Then the analyses of the recordings will be transcribed for written evidence. Both recordings will be compared and analyzed thoroughly for differences in their listening and speaking skills. Data analyses will be further supported with the observation of their usage of the computer throughout the two year duration.

Expected Findings
By the end of this research, we expect to hear a large difference between the before and after interviews as they would have developed better listening and speaking skills. The observations of how teachers and students used CALL programs for listening and speaking in the computer room will further aid in supporting the findings. Therefore, the triangulation of the two kinds of data collection makes good and strong findings for this research. It is hoped that this study can enrich the research policy and practice in CALL field, particularly for supporting listening and speaking and drawing attention to all three aspects including learning, teachers’ support and learners’ collaboration as well as using a variety of research methods in CALL research.

Bibliography
Chen, J., Belkada, S. and Okamoto, T. 2004. “How a Web-based Course Facilities Acquisition of English for Academic Purposes”.Language Learning & Technology. vol.8, no.2, pp. 33-49.
Hedge, T. 2000. Teaching and Learning in the Language Classroom. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Hegelheimer, V. and Tower, D. 2004. “Using CALL in the classroom: Analyzing student interactions in an authentic classroom”. System. vol. 32, no. 2, pp.185-205.
Gilmour, B. 2004. Summary Report of College English Pilot. Newcastle: University of Newcastle Upon Tyne.
Zou, B. (2008, October 25). Research design in a computer-assisted language learning (CALL) study. International Journal of Education and Development using ICT [Online], 4(3).

Reflection of Graded Task 2


  Upon finishing the task, we have learned that Youtube video is a great CMC mode to analyze human's sound speech in the basis of phonetics and phonology. Youtube video is an asynchronous which takes place outside of real time. Since our literature review does not match our data analysis which is on the differences of British and American accent, we had a hard time relating them both. It is difficult to find a research that studies Youtube by connecting it with phonetics and phonology. We felt sorry for this but we did not have any other choice.

Graded Task 2: CMC

ENGL 4740 Computer Application for Language Learning
Analysis Paper on Computer Mediated Communication Mode
Phonetics and Phonology
Vlog

Siti Nazira Bt Zainal
Nur Safiya Talib
Nurul Sahidatul Amira bt Azizan 1010744
For
Asst. Prof. Dr. Rozina Bt. Abdul Ghani



Introduction
Asynchronous communication and activities take place outside of real time. For example, when someone sends you an e-mail message, you would be reading the message later before you can respond to it. There is a time lag between the time the sender sent the message and the time you replied to it, even if the lag time is short. It is not instantaneous as synchronous communication.
 You can read news on forums for example at your own leisure and the forum admin can add news or articles at any time he or she wants. You do not read someone else’s message as it is being created like synchronous mode but you can take as much time as you need to respond to the post. Asynchronous activities take place whenever learners have the time to complete them. For example, viewing videos linked to the course site, reading a textbook, and writing a paper are all asynchronous activities.
One of the benefits to asynchronous collaboration is flexibility. People can receive information whenever they want and when it is most convenient for them. There is less pressure to act on the new information or immediately respond in some way. People can take time to think and digest the information before sending feedbacks to the other person with proper context.
The downsides of asynchronous communication are they lack a sense of immediacy and drama because there is less immediate interaction. Sometimes it takes hours, days and even months to get a response to a message. The lack of immediacy means that information can be out of date by the time someone views it.


Research objective
The purpose of this paper is to analyze the differences in stress, words use, and vowel and consonant sounds of British and American accent by using asynchronous mode through a video blog on YouTube channel. The article reviewed is not directly in coherent with the paper but since flaming also involves language on YouTube, we decided to use the article.

Literature Review
Title of Article: Flaming on Youtube (2010)
Author: Peter J. Moor, Ard Heuvelman *, Ria Verleur
 URL: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0747563210001627#
Purpose of Study/ Objectives
The study aims to examine and explain flaming on You-Tube in greater detail. Flaming is defined as ‘‘displaying hostility by insulting, swearing or using otherwise offensive language” (Moor,
2007). This definition refers only to the behaviour without assuming anything about causes or contexts. While the term ‘‘flaming” is used to refer to the behaviour, the messages themselves are often referred to as ‘‘flames.” The first purpose of this study is to gain more insight into the presence of flaming on YouTube and how this is perceived by YouTube users who post videos and those who comment on these videos. Although one can easily find many examples of flaming when reading comments on YouTube, a survey involving actual YouTube users provides evidence for whether flaming is perceived being common. Therefore, the following research question is formulated:
Research Questions:
 RQ1: Is flaming common on YouTube?
RQ2: What do YouTube users think of flaming?
RQ3: Why do people flame on YouTube?
A survey was conducted among YouTube users. Posters of videos on which flames were given, referred to as ‘receivers,’ and senders of flames were invited to participate in the stud.The survey was conducted by means of three questionnaires. One questionnaire was for senders of flames, and one was for receivers. The third questionnaire was a general questionnaire aimed at a representative group of YouTube users. Dependent measures were the perception of flaming on YouTube and possible explanations for flaming. A comparison of the intended and interpreted meanings of flames made it possible to investigate whether miscommunication had occurred. The  questionnaires were sent to 95 Youtube users.
Among the findings from this research is that, firstly, flaming is common on YouTube. Although most YouTube users indicate that they themselves do not flame, they do regularly perceive it. Secondly, views on flaming are varied. Most YouTube users seem to think of it as something annoying that should be viewed as a negative side effect of freedom of speech rather than as an entirely evil phenomenon. While most users do not think of YouTube as a problem, a minority thinks otherwise. For some users, it is even a reason to refrain from uploading personal videos. Several causes or reasons for flaming were found to be plausible. Conformation to perceived norms and reduced awareness of other people’s feelings are two phenomena that may underlie flaming behaviour on YouTube. Additionally, while some YouTube users intentionally offend others for mere entertainment, most flaming seems to be meant to express disagreement or an opinion. Feeling disappointed by a video or feeling offended by either a video or another commenter were popular reasons for flaming. Miscommunication may also play an important role, although the results regarding this subject were inconclusive.
  In a nutshell, although flaming do take place on YouTube, there are also other things that YouTube users gain.

Methodology
  The CMC mode we chose to focus on in this research paper is asynchronous mode. We had decided to analyze the asynchronous mode in the form of video blogging or vlogging. Vlogging is one of the many types of Youtube videos where people make their own videos by talking to the camera, usually from the comfort of their own bedrooms, about almost everything they like. They could be complaining about the society, sharing their fun trips to Disneyland, shooting their daily lives on camera or just talking with friends among many others. We have taken our corpus from a famous Youtuber, Tyler Oakley’s channel for our data analysis.

Our participants in this study are Tyler Oakley, an American Youtuber, and Louise who is a British Youtuber. The video we selected for analysis is entitled ‘The times we’ve pooped ourselves’. This is a collaboration video that Tyler made where he invited Louise to be his guest for the day. The topic they were discussing on was stories of them accidentally pooping themselves in public.
The methods that we used for this study is to first transcribe the video into written words so it will be easier for reading. We then watched the video carefully, giving full attention to their pronunciation and focused on finding the differences in the way they talked.

Findings/ table
Different Words Use
American
British
Elevator
Lift
Underwear
Pants
Panties
Knickers
Freshman
First Years
Normal
Standard
Cab
Taxi


                                                                                                                       
Different stress on syllables
American
British
Shower
Shower
Control
Control
Diligent
Diligent
Moment
Moment





The use of  /a/  for the sound for “o” vowel
 American /a/
British /ɒ/
Lovely
stop
Other
everybody
Not
love
Everybody
not

dollar

solid

convention

vomit

The use of /ʃ/
American
British
Says it normally
Says with emphasis




The pronunciation of /t/
American                                           
British
Voiced alveolar tap or flaphttp://web.uvic.ca/ling/resources/ipa/charts/IPAlab/images/IPA-124.gif
Voiceless alveolar plosive
little
glitter
shitting


The pronunciation of ‘Of’
American
British
/ʌv/
/əv/

The pronunciation of ‘No’
American
British
/oʊ/ diphthong
/nəʊ/

The pronunciation of ‘out’
American
British
/æʊt/
/əʊt/

The pronunciation of ‘fart’
American
British
/fɑrt/
/fɑːt/

The pronunciation of ‘moment’
American
British
/məʊmənt/
/ moʊmənt/


Summary of analysis of the data table
There are six words that we found used by both accents that although they may represent the same meaning but were uttered in different words. Both accents also have different stress on syllables when they were talking. We found six different way of stress on syllables in the video. We also noticed that the American in the video pronounces the words which have ‘o’ in it with the sound of /a/ while the British woman pronounces it as /ɒ/. Furthermore, the way both pronounce the word ‘shit’ is different. The American says it normally while the British put an emphasis on the /ʃ/ consonant. The American also pronounces the consonant /t/ with voiced alveolar tap or flap /http://web.uvic.ca/ling/resources/ipa/charts/IPAlab/images/IPA-124.gif/ while the British pronounces it using the RP pronunciation which is through voiceless alveolar plosive. Both accents also have different pronunciations for the word ‘of’, ‘no’, ‘out’, ‘fart’ and ‘moment’.


Conclusion

  We have concluded that both American and British accents differ from each other. They use different words on certain things and the main difference is the way they pronounce their words. The differences are found mostly in vowels and the variety in stressing syllables. Through the asynchronous mode of CMC, we can also conclude that vlogging encourages spontaneity thus providing us with unscripted conversation where it leaves no room for rehearsals or a practiced way of talking. In other words, the data we gathered was raw and gives us a better corpus for analysis. However, it does not mean that vlogs are synchronous because it is impossible to receive immediate feedback or response by the time the video was recorded. The vloggers in the video would have spent time editing the video before it could be uploaded in Youtube thus giving no room for the viewers to provide comments.