Rosseni Din

Facebook on Mobile Phones: A Match Made in the Cloud?

This chapter relates the findings from an action research study conducted in a French language course at a Malaysian public university where Facebook on mobile phones was used instead of a dedicated learning management system (LMS). Students reported that they encountered several problems when using the university’s LMS. They were not able to initiate forum discussions, post multimedia documents and generally lacked the motivation to use the target language in the online environment. A study of the literature revealed that similar problems were resolved through the incorporation of social networking sites in the classroom. Furthermore, past studies have highlighted the pedagogical advantages of mobile learning with anywhere and anytime learning. Therefore, it was anticipated that combining Facebook with mobile phones could provide a solution through the affordances provided by both technologies. A two-cycle action research study was conducted over the course of one semester with one cohort of students. Every student was provided with a smartphone and permanent access to mobile Internet. All activities that were previously conducted on the LMS were transferred to Facebook. At the end of each cycle, semi-guided individual interviews were conducted with nine students to evaluate the new pedagogical setup. Data was subsequently coded and analysed with the ATLAS.ti software. Findings revealed the positive impact of using Facebook and mobile phones to promote motivation and participation. Although this research advocates using alternatives to the more classic LMS, several issues such as lack of privacy and cyber-pressure were encountered. This paper offers solutions to facilitate the transition to a novel form of LMS, thereby empowering the students.

Aplikasi Mudah Alih Panduan Solat dan Penggunaannya = The User Guide of the Mobile Muslim Prayer Application

Android applications are Linux-based operations which are used to program the touch screen and tablet computers. Android system is open source under the operation of Google. Android program can be obtained by downloading from Android Market. One of the programs available is Muslim Prayer Guide applications that can be downloaded for free via mobile devices such as smartphones and tablets. Affective factors, such as embarrassment towards instructors and peers can disrupt learning. One of the technologies that have the potential to address this issue is mobile learning. As such, we develop a mobile application in attempting to solve the issue of learner embarrassment in learning about praying. Muslim Prayer Guide application is built is intended as a guide to the Muslim citizens of all ages to perform prayers in the prayer in Islam. The content of this application is the rule of prayer, how to perform ablution, the things that invalidate the prayer, the reading of the five daily prayers. This study was conducted to identify the factors that contributed to the Android Muslim Prayer Guide. The study was carried out quantitatively by submitting a questionnaire to the 62 respondents who use this application. The analysis was done by using the Rasch measurement model and to measure the effectiveness factors of these applications. The results showed that the use of this application Muslim prayers assist learners in terms of the level of knowledge and methods of teaching and learning guides prayers. This application also helps adult learners who want to learn prayers. The Muslim Prayer Guide also assist them in prepare before meeting with a teacher to learn the prayers and to equip themselves as a Muslim to perform the second pillar of Islam.

Measurement model for hybrid e-training

This present study is aimed to develop a hybrid e-training measurement model using confirmatory factor analysis. Overall reliability coefficients of all items when analyzed with SPSS 15.0 using cronbach alpha reliability test were .932. while reliability at the scale or factor levels were also acceptable ranging from .886 to .971. Subsequently construct validity was conducted by employing confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) with AMOS 7.0. Goodness-of-fit measures of comparative fit index (CFI) and non-normed fix index (NNFI also known TLI) were above suggested threshold of ≫ .90 (CFI=.943; TLI=.930) while root mean square of error approximation (RMSEA) were also within acceptable range of .08.

Science Teachers perceptions on the use of computer-based materials.

Malaysia embarked on the use of English as a medium of instruction for the teaching of Science (and also Mathematics) in January 2003. One of the aims was to upgrade the English language proficiency of Malaysian students. Several problems and challenges have been encountered by implementers and educators since then. One of the problems is the use of the existing computer-based science materials. Apart from the obvious and great need for more science materials, new materials need to be designed to fulfill the needs of the science students who are not competent in the English language and also the needs of the science teachers who are also lacking in the knowledge of the English language. This study examined the perceptions of the science teachers in Malaysia concerning the use of computer-based materials provided by the Ministry of Education. The findings were presented in terms of the clarity and suitability of the content, English language used, presentation of content materials, and adequacy of materials and facilities. Based on the results, several suggestions are put forward so that a more systematic approach could be employed in designing better computer-based materials for the teachers and students.