Reflection on Islamization on Knowledge (IOK): Can technology be blamed for the moral degradation of the youth of today?

A lot of the signs of the last day have become known to us. And it sure is a scary thing. I find it even scarier knowing that this was revealed back during the Prophet’s time where most of the things are considered ridiculous to begin with. 

But the one sign that piqued my interest would be the one about TV’s and satellite dishes. Somewhere in the hadith, it is mentioned about how our TV sets makes us stay at home and not socializing with our neighbours. And I guess it also goes for our smartphones, tablets, gadgets, and gizmos too. 

We say it constantly that Islam is a religion of peace, and a religion of love. But every so often when we get together  we are so busy taking pictures and uploading them on our social medias, we forget to live in the moment. We are also constantly trying to prove what a wonderful life we’re having to our friends/ followers. Some even actually get emotional when they’re not tagged or included in the photos. 

I also often see some parents trying to calm their children using these devices instead of actually disciplining them, and interacting with them, and teaching them what is right and what is wrong. 

Don’t get me wrong, I am also guilty of this. Whenever I go out with my friends, all of us would randomly scroll our various social media timelines just to relieve boredom when the purpose of going out is to actually socialize. But that’s when it dawned on me that this is what the Prophet meant by us breaking apart, losing each other, and not being there for one another. Technology is distracting us and drifting us apart. 

I get that the purpose of these gadgets are for work and easy interaction between family and friends especially when they are far apart. However, just to what extent do we use it for work? And does work actually get done properly and sufficently with social media? And how many of us would just randomly check our phones as an excuse to not interact with the person sitting next to us? 

My point is, in today’s supposedly modern day age of technology, if you’re wondering why some people are rude, or lack people skills, or don’t know how to respect each other, I’d advise you to check their social media accounts. Because some people only take it there to get things done. And it was mentioned by the Prophet a long time ago, we should have seen it coming.

Islamization of Knowledge (IOK)

The English language, I have come to realize, is a very rich language.

In my History of English Language class, I learnt so much about how far this language has evolved from how it originally was from previous centuries. The diffence in the Roman alphabets, to the borrowed words from the different languages (Latin, French, Spanish, and even Arabic). All of which thay have contributed to the wealth and depth of this much universal language.

In my Shakespeare class, I noticed how different the original text was from the modern, translated versions that we use in class. To which I was then reminded by the texts that I learnt in my Beowulf to Johnson class last semester. I read from The Canterbury Tales, The Pilgrim’s Progress, and Faerie Queen, just to name a few. Only to discover how many values and moral they taught me and how beautifully metaphoric and allegoric it was! Who says that English cannot be Islamic?

Your language does not determine your imaan. You can speak any language in the world and still be a good Muslim. You can learn any language, read books by different scholars, understand Western theories and ideologies and it still won’t affect your imaan. In fact, it strengthens it. 

You will gain so much knowledge of this world that nothing can stop you from ignorance. Iqra! Read! It was our first revelation after all. 

It is important to learn English so that we can compete at a global scale, however, it is also very crucial that we stay true to our roots and remember our mother tongue. Because we are the ones who are going to speak our own beautiful languages and pass it down to our coming generations. 

My point is, whatever slang, whatever accent, whatever dialect that you speak, be proud of it, embrace it! No language is perfect, and no language is easy. Heck, in Malaysia there are so many pronouns! Saya, awak, aku, kau, beta, patik, hamba, kitak, kamek! But that is what makes Malaysia so beautiful and diverse! 

Reflection on Guidelines for Language Learning Sites

Does the software meet each criteria?

1. Origin

The teaching aid chosen is a blog written by an English teacher of a Malaysian secondary school on the Blogger website. The details of the author are provided in the sidebar of the website.

2. Accessability

Since the teaching aid is a blog, it allows visitors to have an easy and free access. The help feature provided is in the form of a comment section where visitors are encouraged to comment on any enquiries regarding any posts. Since the site is quite straightforward with it being a simple ordinary blog, there are no specific rules given on how to navigate through the website. It is rather easy to go from one page to the other because there are a multiple links which takes you to them. However, the site is only a source of reference for language learning rather than an activity-packed teaching aid, hence it does not have any passwords nor registration.

3. Design

The blog is quite plain in design and features. On the positive side, this makes navigating through the site much easier.

4. Content

The site is aimed at helping students have a better understanding on how to answer their English Language examination and also to aid teachers in making the teaching process more enjoyable. The materials provided are all categorized according to level of study. Being an English Language aid for teachers and students, the site is free from any types of spelling mistakes, grammatical errors and typos. One of the perks of this site is it provides link to other relevant sites after each post to further aid visitors' teaching and learning process. Each post also includes graphics and some others have videos and sounds.

5. Currency

The blog is constantly updated with major exam tips and tricks for scoring well in English Language Examination.

Guidelines on Choosing a Software

Criteria of a good software

1. Origin

• Information of the developer is included
• Information of the site's author is provided

2. Accessibility

• Easy and free access
• It provides 'help' feature
• There are rules on how to use the site
• Can be accessed through registration or password

3. Design

• Appealing to audience
• Design and features (graphics, videos, sounds) must facilitate learning
• Features must not hinder learning process
• Navigation through the site is easy

4. Content

• Have educational goals and objectives
• Materials are appropriate and suitable for the needs of the targeted audience (level and language skills)
• Free from spelling mistakes, ungrammaticality and typos
• Provides link to other relevant sites
• Informative and accurate
• Consists of additional features (graphics, videos, sounds)
• Have various teaching and learning methods (process of learning and evaluation of skills)

5. Currency

• Must be recently updated
• References of at least 7 years before

Reflection on Assignment 1

Our loyal students waiting for their lesson ;')

Assignment 1 was about creating a good study plan with one language skill to teach and one good application (online site or software) to assist us in teaching writing skill.

Our group chose to create a study plan for form 3 students (PT3) and they have to write an outline to write a descriptive essay on recounting a snatch theft incident, so the students have to use past tense as their language focus.

After we presented our assignment to the whole class, we've realised that it is not easy to create a good study plan that can really help students in enhancing their writing skills. Our general objective should not be too vague and our learning outcome should be visible, not something imaginative. And the procedure of the study plan should be specific but simple.

Overall, in creating a good and effective study plan, we need to do some research to make sure that our study plan and the teaching aid that we are going to use if effective and can really help the students in enhancing their writing. We also have to take into account if the application that we used is interactive because this is the only way to get the students' attention.

But to search for even one application or one website is very tedious and crucial because there are a lot of things that we have to take into consider,ation such as if the students will be bored or if the students will click on a new tab and do something else etc. Even the language that the site used also has to be suitable with the capabilities of the students in comprehending the whole thing.

*its not easy to be a teacher!

Assignment 1 (Lesson Plan)

• Decide on a language skill to teach
• Search for one good application (software or online site) to assist you in teaching
• Give a demonstration of the teaching aid
• Prepare good lesson plan to teach the decided skill
• Present on the lesson plan and the demonstration of the teaching aid

LESSON PLAN FOR COMPUTER APPLICATIONS IN LANGUAGE STUDIES 

(ENGL 4740)

Lecturer’s name: Dr. Rozina

Teacher’s names: 1. Nur Almaz 2. Nur Fatihin 3. Nuril Fathihah 4. Siti Nur Illiya			Date: 26th February 2016, Friday
Subject: English Language			Time: 2 periods (40 minutes + 40 minutes)
Level of Students: Form 3
Language Skill: Writing – Descriptive essay		Language Focus: Past-tense
Topic: Recount of witnessing a snatch theft incident while walking to school.
General Objective: The lesson will expose students on how to draft an outline to write a descriptive essay.
Learning Outcome: At the end of the lesson, the students should be able to: 1.      Create an outline before writing an essay. 2.      Construct simple descriptive sentences in describing events. 3.      Connect different ideas with the use of linkers. 4.      Write descriptive essay of 120 - 150 words on a given topic. (Homework)
Teaching Aids: Kopitiam English website (http://kopitiamenglish.blogspot.my/2015/03/pt3-sample-essay.html)
Procedure:
Time	Activity
Pre-teaching
10 a.m.	Recapitulation of past-tense lesson
Teaching
10.05 a.m. 10.10 a.m. 10.20 a.m. 10.30 a.m. 11.00 a.m. 11.10 a.m.	Brief introduction on topic of essay and lesson on writing an outline. Ask students to get into pairs Demonstration of software Construct introduction Construct detailed outline of descriptive essay. Construct conclusion Explain the use of linkers
Post-teaching
11.15 a.m. 11.20 a.m.	Give homework (Write the descriptive essay) Disperse
Evaluation
Teachers’ Reflection: 1. 2. 3.

Assignment 1 (Presentation)

Reflection on CALL in Language Learning

"In today's era, youth must use their potential in technology to bridge the gaps in society, said Malacca MCA chairman Datuk Seri Dr Fong Chan Onn." (The Star)

We spent the whole lesson listening to all the groups presenting on the research that they have done in order to come up with a good lesson plan as well as a good online site or application

to help aid the students learning process.

At the end of the lesson, we found out that CALL can help to enhance many areas, especially the 4 main skills that students need to have; listening, speaking, reading and writing.

There are generally many online sites and applications that can be used to help and guide students in enhancing their skills, but only with proper early research from their teachers. Teachers need to be alert with the skills that they are trying to help with and also if the site is interactive. This is to ensure that the website or application that they are using are safe and free from any profanities or inappropriate content that can further harm the students.

"While there are plenty of schools doing innovative stuff with technology, there is also evidence that many teachers remain scared of its potential." (BBC News)

Students nowadays really enjoy computers, and most of them, if not all, already owns a smartphone and/ or laptop. Therefore, they particularly enjoy surfing the internet and being on these online sites, so teachers can use this as an advantage in helping and guiding their students.

CALL in Language Learning

Using CALL in enhancing listening, speaking and communication, reading and writing skills.

It may seems simple because nowadays, everything is just one click away, but, if it is not carefully picked, teachers might choose the wrong ones that will bring nothing in students development in any particular areas. So, the teachers need to focus and pick the best way or activities that can be used in teaching these skills using CALL.

Listening

According to Brett (2000), "enhancing listening skill is the most effective in a multimedia environment and internet listening program than teacher-led forum"

Divided into 3 areas;

i) Perception

ii) Analysis

iii) Synthesis

i) Perception skills are more into discriminating sounds and recognizing words.

ii) Analysis skills are identifying grammatical and pragmatics units.

iii) Synthesis skills on the other hand are skills that require students to connect linguistics and other cues and use background knowledge in identifying things.

Other than listening, call can also help in enhancing Speaking and Communication Skills.

Speaking skills will require students to have discussion and work on the activities in small groups on the internet.

There are 3 major types of application in speaking and communication skills;

i) Digital version of tape recorder

ii) Recording with speech visualization

iii) Automatic Speech Recognition (ASR)

i) Tape recorder with a digital version can help students to listen and at the same time record and compare them together with their group members.

ii) Recording with speech visualization also can help students to listen and record the graphic representation of the speech such as the wave of the speech like the spectogram.

iii) ASR is used to judge the closeness to any speech and students will get the feedback in meter or numerical score form.

Reading
For reading, students can directly read from any interactive sites from the internet with games etc and according to Ridder (2000), students highlighting words in a text on a screen can enhance their amount of vocabulary.

Example of an effective site that can enhance reading is the Reading Shape-Up which has tutorials on specific reading skills with short reading selections.

Writing

CALL can help students in writing by giving them more complex sentences with larger quantity and better quality. Teachers just need to search for the right site that can help students in enhancing their writing skills.

Examples of software that they can use are;
i) Word-Processor
ii) Emails
iii) Blogging etc.

Reflection on the Types of CALL

"The player is always more famous than the coach. Because that is what your lecturers want, to see you be better than us, to see you flourish. And that is our prize." 

(Prof. Quayum, 2016)

We have since had a new sense of appreciation towards our teachers, lecturers, and educators everywhere. The lengths that they do in the pursuit of feeding knowledge to their students is beyond words, and we are eternally grateful, alhamdulillah.

In order for a teaching and learning method to be in line with current era and not be engulfed by the ever-changing time, it too needs to go through several developments before becoming an all-rounding and comprehensive method. Since different people have different means of achieving their goals in teaching and language learning, it is only logical that CALL can be divided into 3 types.

Types of CALL

Behaviourist CALL

• Proposed by B.F. Skinner  in 1957
• Stimulus and response
• Learners must be stimulated - teaching aid, environment of classroom, tone
• Behaviourism in language learning means that it is viewed as a system of structurally related elements for the coding of meaning
• Behaviourists work on the assumption that learners are passive. They view learners as a blank slate
• To enhance learning, environment must be properly structured (repetition and memorization)
• Focuses on product rather than processes
• The role of the of this CALL is as a "mechanical tutor"
• Example: PLATO by University of Illinois

Communicative CALL

• Rise in 1970's around the time of rejection towards behaviourism
• Learner-centered approach
• Discovery learning
• Focuses on the process rather than the products
• Focuses on the use of the forms rather than than on the forms themselves
• Learners will not be dependent on the computer, but both at the same level
• Limits:
• Teacher to be distant
• Students to be independent

Integrative CALL

• Rise in 1996
• Authentic vs artificial use of language
• Technology is integrated into the language learning process
• Authentic use of of the language
• Task-based, content-based and project-based methods
• Computer becomes the vehicle as a tool
• Creation of new knowledge
• Classroom is not confined within the four walls
• Students can interact via international or local network
• Learning via technology

Reflection on the History of CALL

Living in the age of modernization, there is no escaping the need to benefit from modern technology especially our gadgets like our smartphones, tablets, iPad, and use the computer to aid daily activities such as teaching and learning language. 

In my opinion, in order to cater to current generation's method of gaining new knowledge in language,  any computer-based software, website or application will be of great assistance as compared to the traditional method of pen, paper and books. As this would somehow pique their interest as well as keeping up with current modern trends. 

With CALL, students and teachers are going to be able to further explore their hidden capabilities and creativity in achieving certain academic goals. Most objectives will be accomplished through various means rather than a single direct one.

History of CALL

Computer Assisted Language Learning (CALL)

CALL is basically the term used to describe any computer-based software, website or application that aids language teaching and language learning. However, for this particular course, the emphasis is on assisting students in language learning.

CALL can be categorized into 3 types which are:

1. Behaviourist CALL

2. Communicative CALL

3. Integrative CALL

Knowledge

Knowledge is power, knowledge is light,
Knowledge is for the fearless,
It is not for the faint at heart. 

Ignorance is bliss,
but never when it comes to our religion. 
How can you say this is the City of Destruction,
when you refuse to see the majesty of His creation. 
How can you say this life is Hell,
when all you do is dwell,
on your life, on your sins, 
on your mistakes, and past misdoings. 

He is powerful, He is kind.
He is forgiving, and with His light,
you will never be blind. 

Seek His help, seek His guidance,
Don't ever give up, and never be in despair.
Face every difficulty with patience.
Verily with every hardship comes ease.
Only then will you savour the sweetness of the Heavens.

The CALLifah

Nur Almaz Md Hashim is a final year student from Johor Bahru, Johor. She is specializing in a combination of English linguistics and literature. Despite graduation being around the corner, she claims to have no ambitions just yet. Because according to her, there is just so much to do and she just simply cannot make up her mind. To this group's misfortune, she was chosen as the group leader.

Nur Fatihin Binti Rashid is Kuala Lumpur born and bred. She is also in her final year and will be graduating this semester. She is smart, witty, and sometimes a bit sarcastic. However, a study has been proven that sarcasm is a sign of intelligence, which probably describes Fatihin best.

Nuril Fathihah Binti Mazlan is also from Kuala Lumpur and in her final year of study. She is minoring in Political Science. This is because unlike her friends, she actually takes the time to care about the current issues. This is not to say that her friends are ignorant, but Nuril is just a very passionate person. She is passionate about life, her friends, her studies, and the future of our country. Go, Nuril!

Siti Nur Illiya Binti Md Zainal is from Melaka. She is the only one majoring in linguistics. Unlike her friends who read novels and dwell on plots and the lives of Mr. Rochester and Jane Eyre, Illiya analyzes languages. She is also a part-time Zumba instructor, therefore, she actually understands what the lyrics mean despite it being in foreign languages.