BALI'S KECAK DANCE

Kecak (pronounced: /'ke.tʃak/, roughly "KEH-chahk", alternate spellings: Ketjak and Ketjack), a form of Balinese music drama, originated in the 1930s and is performed primarily by men. Also known as the Ramayana Monkey Chant, the piece, performed by a circle of 100 or more performers wearing checked cloth around their waists, percussively chanting "cak" and throwing up their arms, depicts a battle from the Ramayana where the monkey-like Vanara helped Prince Rama fight the evil King Ravana. However, Kecak has roots in sanghyang, a trance-inducing exorcism dance.[1]

Kecak was originally a trance ritual accompanied by male chorus. German painter and musician Walter Spies became deeply interested in the ritual while living in Bali in the 1930s and worked to recreate it into a drama, based on the Hindu Ramayana and including dance, intended to be presented to Western tourist audiences. This transformation is an example of what James Clifford describes as part of the "modern art-culture system"[2] in which, "the West or the central power adopts, transforms, and consumes non-Western or peripheral cultural elements, while making 'art' which was once embedded in the culture as a while, into a separate entity."[3] Spies worked with Wayan Limbak and Limbak popularized the dance by traveling throughout the world with Balinese performance groups. These travels have helped to make the Kecak famous throughout the world.

Task 3: WWW Lesson Plan

LAB STUFF

LEVEL: Form 1

TIME : 15 – 30 minutes

AIMS: To find specific information on the website; to practice vocabulary associated with scientific laboratory instruments.

TECHNICAL REQUIREMENTS:

One computer per group of 2 – 3 students with an Internet connection and a Web browser.

Websites: http://www.hometrainingtools.com

PREPARATION:

• Locate sites dedicated to science and technology.
  

• Using the information on the site, prepare a worksheet.

PROCEDURE:

1. 
   Teacher gives a list of scientific terms and pictures of laboratory instruments to each student. (refer Worksheet)
2. 
   Teacher asks whether they recognize the items and encourages students to guess the name of each item (they can answer in Bahasa).
3. 
   Teacher divides students into groups of 3 and allocates them to a computer for each group.
4. 
   Teacher instructs groups to find the exact English term for each item on the list using the website suggested by the teacher.
5. 
   Students are given a specified time to complete task and the first group to finish the fastest, wins a prize.
6. 
   When everyone is finished, answers are discussed in class.

FOLLOW-UP:

1. 
   Teacher prepares another worksheet related to rules in a laboratory. (see Follow-up Worksheet)
2. 
   Students are instructed to go home and complete task with assistance from the Internet.
3. 
   Students are required to bring the homework to the next class.
   

Task 2: ESL Website Evaluation

Website's address: http://a4esl.org/

'Activities for ESL Students' is an ESL website that provides quizzes, tests, exercises and puzzles to help users learn English as a Second Language (ESL). This project is a collaboration with The Internet TESL Journal (iteslj.org) that is contributed by many teachers.

1. 
   
   The application attempts to promote language learning (especially in ESL learning) in varied ways, including bilingual activities for third language learning (eg: http://iteslj.org/v/m/ki-kitchen.html). The application includes quizzes, tests, exercises and puzzles for students to do in English and even encourages teachers to create their own worksheets either to be published or printed for classroom purposes (http://a4esl.org/t.html). Besides that, the application provides an additional interactive site for extra activities in ESL learning (http://www.manythings.org/) also to promote language learning.




2. 
   
   Users are expected to answer, respond and apply the learning content in their everyday activities. For example: http://a4esl.org/q/h/nr/abbr-dictionary.html is an activity that educates learners about dictionary abbreviations. Consequently, learners may put this knowledge into good use when using the dictionary. On the other hand, teachers may use this application to suggest or create their own quiz for the benefit of others when they publish it on the website. This not only helps the teacher to be more creative but promotes sharing between teachers and educators worldwide.




3. 
   
   Users are only expected to have the internet, and basic language skills in order to operate/access/use the application. Since this website is simple, there is no need for Excel or other Microsoft skills requirements.




4. 
   
   Based on the activities in the application, it is similar to work exercises that are instructed by a teacher in a classroom. For example: http://a4esl.org/q/h/0101/ms-proficiency.html is a proficiency test that most teachers do early in their teaching to identify their students' level of language ability. Another activity: http://a4esl.org/q/h/lb/splus.html tests learners IQ when he/she quizzes a fellow classmate, and http://a4esl.org/q/h/nr/abbr-basketball.html is an activity for self-study on a desired topic, which in this case is about basketball.




5. 
   
   There are several theories that could be associated with this application. First, the website induces some part of Communicative Competence (CC) that mostly touches on grammatical competence such as in the Grammar Quizzes. According to Canale and Swain (1980), Canale (1983); two of the four components of CC are about concerns with mastery of the language code itself and mastery of how to combine grammatical forms and meanings to achieve a unified spoken/written text in differnt genres. Secondly, there exist some form of Grammar Translation Method in the Bilingual Quizzes. Thirdly, learners may experience an Audio-Lingual Approach via the activities provided by the podcasts in the website. The theories mentioned above are some of the few that can be listed.




6. 
   
   Constructivist theory of learning is when learners construct knowledge for themselves. According to George E. Hein, a professor at Lesley College, Massachusetts USA; "If we accept the constructivist position we are inevitably required to follow a pedagogy which argues that we must provide learners with the opportunity to: a) interact with sensory data, and b) construct their own world" (1991). Hence, from this application, we can say that yes, it provides learners with the oppertunity to interact with sensory data that is the text, pictures and sounds from the activities in the website and from this, they apply their knowledge in the real world. What is most interesting is that learners may also get interactive with this website when he/she watches the Daily English Show via video podcast that is both fun and educating.




7. 
   
   In reference to Higgins and John, 1984 on the debate about 'whether the computer was "master" of or "slave" to the learning process, I would like to believe that the computer can work both ways. One: the computer can act as a substitute for teachers in a sense that it helps reduce the teacher's burdens but can overshadow the teacher's teaching authenticity if done too much. In today's fast paced world, teachers should rely on computers as a "side-kick" to assist them in the "cruelty" of our education system nowadays. It is never easy for a teacher to deal with the school duties, students and their teaching all at once. Therefore, I find Excel (for example) rather beneficial for teachers to keep track and organize their work along with Microsoft PowerPoint as a stimulating tool for their teaching experiences. Nonetheless, teachers should never put too much emphasis on their "side-kicks" as it will jeopardize their real teaching potential. Two: the computer can also become a victim of abuse by students if it is wrongly exploited. Students can easily plagiarize their work from the Internet and even cheat in calculations. To sum up, I would like to say that the computer has been a great invention and along with this "blessing", we should always be aware and cautious of its implications.




8. 
   
   Yes, I would like to use this application in my future work. Simply because the application is accessible, do-able and practical for everyday work. Apart from the fact that there are plenty of activities to choose from, I can also contribute to others as well. Moreover, this application also includes audio-reading texts through the VOA Special English (Listen and Read Along) - http://www.manythings.org/voa/rss/ and an updated Daily Page for students to learn on their own respectively - http://www.manythings.org/daily/.




9. 
   
   Nonetheless, I would like to suggest that this application include more interaction between teacher-student and peer-to-peer activities like through online chatting for example. Other than that, it is a great application for teachers and students to use in the ESL classroom.
   

Exercise (using MS Word)

1st lecture on CALL

so listen. these are just some notes i copied from the lecture (07/01/09). just in case i forgot/get lost in the website looking for it or any similar unfortunate events that might happen. i hope this benefits. cheers



computer-assisted language learning (CALL) - founded in 1983 during a TESOL convention. refer to the area of technology & 2nd language learning/ search for and study of applications about computers to learn the language = language + computers



CALL = materials design. technologies, pedagogical theories & modes of instruction



materials = purpose made for teaching & those which adapt existing computer-based materials, video and other materials



other acronyms for CALL= caomputer-aided/ CELL (computer-enhanced/ TELL (technology-enhanced)/ TALL (tecnology-assisted)



2 distinct types of Applications/materials for CALL -

1) generic software (general) :

multipurpose programs not designed for language-learning & teaching example: MS words, power point & excel



computer-mediated-communication (CMC) : email, blog, chat etc.



web-browser



authoring package example: Flash



2) CALL software (specific for CALL) example: HOTPOTATOES http://hotpot.uvic.ca/ especially for language learning (can be content-specific or content-free) content-free: teacher provide content which software then uses as data for pre-programmed activities example: SpellMaster/ Wida's Authoring Suite



(then the lecturer showed us some features we had no clue/already know about MS Word)

In-Class Task 1

I'm Siti Aeisha Joharry and im from seremban, but im currently staying in shah alam section 17. people say i crack them up and im a chatterbox but i just think i try too hard to please people, i sometimes neglect myself. hmm..

i own my own notebook but i can barely say im computer literate. i know how to surf the net, chat on YM and even have facebook so does that count as having good computer skills?

to begin with, i use alot of microsoft word when doing my academic assignments so im pretty sure i can handle Word. however, im a bit clueless when it comes to Excel but i try to explore it anyways.

and apart from printing, scanning and using my webcam, i have little knowledge about other hardware thingamajigs.

lastly, i often use the internet as a source of entertainment for me to laugh at jeff dunham and pablo francisco (especially) on youtube and download favorite videos and games on my notebook. but my normal ritual? facebooking while chatting with my friends on YM. =)