“Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic.”
             Arthur C. Clarke

The rapid and constant change in technology is creating both opportunities and challenges in everyone’s life. In this entry, I would like to share my experience of the most memorable time using technology as a learner and one of the challenges I faced while using  technology as a teacher.
Last semester, I took the Professional Development Course which was offered by the Educational Faculty in UPM. As per the course requirement, I had to conduct a research on The Usage of Language Learning Strategies (LLS) in Malaysian Private Secondary Schools. It was my first time conducting a major research. Therefore, I had to tabulate the data by using the SPSS software which was an alien concept to me at that time. I had a hard time familiarizing myself with the  software. Many of my course mates also didn't know how to use this particular software which resulted in me not being able to ask any of them for assistance. In desperation, I sought the assistance of one of my senior and effectively learnt about the software. It really meant a lot to me as I successfully produced an academic paper. It has been published in one of the Australian Website. As an educator myself, it gave me great pleasure to be able to acquaint myself with the latest technology. I am really glad to have learnt something new to upgrade myself.

In most cases, technology is a true blessing to the modern-day classroom, making access to information faster and the information obtained is easier to understand compared to those days. But, just like all new innovations, it is not without its drawbacks.  Here, I would like to share my dreadful experience when I tried incorporating technology into my classroom teaching.  I’m teaching General Science to Form 4 students in a private school in KL.  Normally, I use the traditional teaching method to teach my students. One day, just for a change, I decided to use the LCD projector and the CD provided by the school to teach the subject in the laboratory. The lesson started without a glitch. However, as I progressed further into the lesson,  I noticed that the backbenchers were falling asleep and only those students sitting in the front row were paying any attention to the lesson. Despite incorporating technology into my lesson, I had failed to draw my students’ attention for that particular day. I felt disappointed and analyzed my mistake. I realized that my timing for the lesson was wrong. I had assumed that the students would give me their undivided attention just because I was teaching using technology.Unfortunately, my lesson was immediately after their lunch break and even the promise of technology could not keep my students from dozing off in class. Apart from that, my students had also had their basketball tournament that day and they were running on reserve energy after using up almost all their energy for the tournament that day. A heavy meal combined with a very tiring day led to my students being heavy-eyed and not even technology could keep them from falling asleep. That day I realized that it is important to recognize that computers are not a substitute for effective teaching.

Today's blogosphere is as bustling and diverse as ever. I came across a lot of blogs and the idea of blogging is still very new to me. Starting a blog can be an exciting, educational, and potentially lucrative choice. This is my first blog entry. You may wonder, why I created this blog. The truth is, my beloved lecturer, Dr. Abu Bakar inspired me to create this educational blog. Furthermore, I would like to grab this opportunity to explore more about blogging and I believe that I can apply this in my teaching.Let me share a little bit about myself. My name is Bathuma Subramaniam. I am from Tampin, Negeri Sembilan. Currently I'm staying in Cheras with my beautiful sister. I have completed my Bachelor’s degree in Education (TESL) in Nov 2009. I have enjoyed meeting and working with many people in the teaching field for the past five years. I have a very good experience in teaching secondary school students. I started off by teaching in Beaconhouse Sri Murni (Cheras) for 3 years. After that, I was looking for more challenges in life so I moved to Stella Maris Secondary School (Pudu) and I am still teaching there. I am teaching Science and English for upper secondary students. I believe the important aspect of being a good teacher is having excellent communication and organization skills. In short, I can conclude that teaching is my passion!  

The one thing that I learn from my years of teaching is that, as the years pass, technology seems to be playing a massive role in teaching and learning. Having said that, I would like to share my first experience with technology. Back in 1999, I was in Form One. The incident is still fresh in my mind.  I followed some of my classmates to a nearby cybercafe and was amazed at how they were operating the "computer set". I was ashamed as I watched them browse the Internet. My friends were computer literate as they hailed from very rich background. Unlike me, I was from a very poor family and had hardly seen any gadgets. Therefore, I stood there looking like an idiot at them. My best friend, Geetha taught me how to switch on the computer. Since she is extremely good with computers, she started chatting with people from all over the world through mIRC chat space.I was really excited about this chatting space as I was able to connect with new people. One day, I went to that particular cybercafe on my own without being accompanied by any of my friends. I bought a 30-minute ticket as it was quite expensive those days. My problem started when I tried my best to enter the ticket’s code. Try as I may, I was not able to log into the computer. Out of desperation, I called the cafe attendant to assist me. He came over, he looked at me like I was the stupidest person on earth, pressed some keys on the keyboard and walked away. I felt very embarrassed at that moment. I learnt a lesson that day. It is not easy to operate the computers. As time flew by, I took the initiative to learn more about how computers work. The most important lesson I had learnt from that little incident is, nothing is impossible.