The Fifth Journal TLL

Using Technology to Teach Thinking Skills

Nowadays, we can use the technology in any sector, such as for education, entertainment, health, and so on.  Have you ever think that technology can encourage the thinking skills of someone? As we know, technology is very useful for communication and a lot of activities. Besides, technology can be used for teach thinking skill of students or learners.

 Thinking skills is the ability of critical thinking. The technology can support thinking skills if the teachers can design the activity properly and the learning activities itself can encourage the cognitive processes of the students. Besides, the students also have to construct their abilities and they have to learn more deeply.

When the learners study, writing, recording, drawing, etc through the tools of computer, the students can remember, comprehend, analyze, apply, and so on. Using computer, the learners can encourage their thinking skill because computer help the students to find additional information as a problem solving. Computer and networks also make the learners more interactive through the application and software.

So, the technology can be used in teaching thinking skill if the teacher can design the classroom that give information by understanding of cognitive processes, inquiry, problem solving, and language learning. The teachers also have to encourage the critical thinking of students. For the learners, they have to construct and develop their abilities and learn beyond.

4th Reflection of Technology and Language Learning

Technology to Teach Writing

Typing

                Speaking, reading, listening, and writing are capabilities in language learning. Now, we will talk about writing skill deeply. Writing and reading is two skills of language learning which always integrated each other. When we have to master the writing skill, we have to be a good reader because when we read the books or articles we have schemata as a prior knowledge. Then, automatically we can write a good content and good structure.

                By the time, the approaches to teaching writing and the use of computer continues to develop since 1960 until now.  According to Raimes (1991) there is different focuses: Focus on form, focus on the writer, focus on the content, and focus on the reader. I think, in writing skill it is better if we combine all those things, because we have to include all aspect when we write something. We also have to consider the structure, grammar, the content, and the reader when we do writing. If we can consolidate all those aspects, we can create a great writing, meaningful writing.

Nowadays, technology makes us easier to write. For example, through Microsoft Word we can type what we want to write easily. Besides, there is check spelling in Microsoft Word and there is so many features that we can add when we write, such as table, graphic, symbol, picture, etc. As a teacher candidate, I will apply the other software or tools to encourage the students in writing skills. Hopefully, through Technology and Language Learning I could master a variety of technologies in teaching language.

Diversity of Identity

 

Each person has their own identity. There are many different way to define identity itself, from the simple thing likes “Who is me?” until the complex things, such as the philosophy and culture. In my opinion, identity is the entity things which represent me. Identity it is about me and my own perspective toward others.

            I am Upit Sofyani, I am a girl, I am student, I am a Muslim, and I am a Sundanese and Javanese people. So, what is distinguishes between me with someone else? As a girl, physically I have the same characteristic of my body but I have different dispositions with the other girl. I think, all of us have different characteristics and each person has the uniqueness identity. I am a Muslim, even we have the same God and same way to pray. However, we have the differences among the other Muslim, such as we have the different level of our piety. Then, my descent is Javenese because my father comes from Solo but I cannot speak Javanese and I did not know well about the Javanese culture and Javanese custom. Whereas, my mother come from Bogor and I was born and grow up in Bogor. I can speak and understand the Sundanese language and also I know the custom and culture of Sundanese. My name Upit also represent of name of sinden from Sunda.

            In socializing we find many people with different identity. How do we deal with those differences? Some of people think the differences just make confuse and conflict, even they should be equate their perspective. I disagree with that because we can learn how to appreciate the differences, from that we could more respect each other, we can add some knowledge about the other ethnics, languages, religions, cultures, etc.

I think, I can socialize with the others who have different identity with me. From that, I can learned and know more about characteristics from the other identity. We can equate those differences if we open our mind, we can appreciate to the other people, ethnics, languages, religions, etc. It is depends to ourselves, we cannot judge or stereotype to something because we do not know the truth. Aphorism said “The difference is beautiful”. We can make it beautiful if we can unify the diversity of identity. Like a rainbow, they have different colors and characteristics but they combine the color thus create a unified harmony in colors. If we can be mutual respect, we can create the beautiful differences.

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