the lilypad - issue #5

A P R I L 2 0 1 5 T H E L I L Y P A D # 5 W W W. F R O G A S I A . C O MA P R I L 2 0 1 5 T H E L I L Y P A D # 5 W W W. F R O G A S I A . C O M

GURU PENCETUS LEGASI PENDIDIKAN ms 5

BUILDING CONFIDENCE THROUGH Language

Pencalonan untuk 1BN Teacher Awards kini dibuka!

ms 7

Google Hangouts Storytelling and Poem Recital Competition

pg 11

pg 15

CONTENTS

A note from our Director

Dear FrogAsia...We love hearing from you!

Guru Pencetus Legasi Pendidikan1BestariNet Teacher Awards

Teacher Awards Poster

Kolaborasi tanpa sempadanSJK(T) Ladang Glenealy memanfaatkan teknologi dalam Pertandingan Bercerita dan Membaca Puisi

A Shout out to Superstars

Splash: Student’s Pull-out

Call me, maybe?Learn the science of sound with art and craft!

Oh, for the love of language!Challenge yourself with these tricky tongue-twisters

Get inspired: Three men who overcame speech struggles

Parent opinion pieceSarah T. wonders if children today can still master the art of speaking well

Social Media: Then vs. Now (infographic)

This Month’s Picks

Extra ‘Cool’riculum

CREDITSEditorial Sarah Lim | Esther Dharshini | Joseph Wong | Ramziah Razak | Victor Lau

Cover Photo Sharifah Nabilah Alhadad

Design And Art Kelvin Ng | Nor Zamillia | Victor Lau | Sharifah Nabilah Alhadad

Featured Normie Azura Abdul Jamil | Azrina Ibrahim | Tasaratha Rajan Anamalai

Sharmini Ravi

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God bless,

Lou YeohExecutive Director

It is with great pleasure that I announce that nominations for the 1BestariNet Teacher Awards are now open! Formerly known as the Frog Teacher Awards, the 1BestariNet Teacher Awards is brought to you by Ministry of Education, supported by FrogAsia and YTL Foundation. It symbolises the commitment we have in honouring the individuals who have dedicated their lives to shaping and impacting the next generation of Malaysians.

You, me or somebody we know, will know of at least one teacher who has left a lasting impact on our lives. To Dr. Narasimman Sathiamurthy, Mr. Rajendra A/L Veluppillai is that teacher. This story is one that will tug at your heartstrings. Don’t miss out, watch the video HERE.

This April, we are also celebrating World Book Month, a month long extension of World Book Day. At FrogAsia, we believe there is a need for students to express themselves clearly and concisely, in order to communicate effectively their thoughts and ideas. Through the introduction of literary workshops this month, students will be learning from experts like Sheena Baharudin and Quek Sue Yian to better express themselves. We are excited that we have the opportunity to partner with these experts, through the use of technology, to help students grow.

However, we’re not doing this on our own. Did you know that there are many teachers across Malaysia who are already using technology for the same purpose? Recently, teachers from three different schools conducted an Inter-School Storytelling and Poem Recital Competition online with the joint goal of building their students’ confidence in their command of a language. You will read about what a difference it has made, particularly in the eyes of the student who emerged as the champion in this competition.

These teachers and many more do so much, day in and day out, and they deserve recognition. Therefore, we at FrogAsia would love to encourage all of you students, teachers and parents to nominate your teachers on our website HERE today. Do join us as we celebrate and acknowledge these amazing everyday heroes, whose actions, big or small, reverberate throughout the future generations to come.

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In Our Mailbox

GOOGLE FROG CONNECTED CLASSROOMS

我们的好朋友FrogAsia伙伴们，爱“鼠”你们了！好开心看见你们也来参与我们！我相信在这新的一年里，你们将带领我们走向更加创新的科技教育领域！感恩！让我们一起继续努力！

Our good friends at FrogAsia, we love you all ! So happy to see that you also came and joined us for our Google Hangouts Yee Sang celebration! I believe that in this new year, you will lead us towards more innovative areas of science and technology in education! Thanks! Let us continue to work together!

// Tan Shin Yee (Teacher)

Thank you so much for inviting me to the

Leaps of Knowledge Conference. I met

many great and interesting people and it

was really an eye opener to me what a great

world we live in. I had also managed to keep

contact with one of the amazing people I

met that day, Mr George Aveling, the

speaker in the workshop opposite of us.

// Samuel Chau Jun Hao

SEAMEO TRAINING

(The Frog VLE) is easily adaptable and will

incorporate my lesson plan and other necessary

audio and video resources as well as assessment

to run my classroom activities in near future.

// Dr. Anna

WEBINAR PAKEJ PIBGTahniah dan syabas atas penganjuran slot ke-6webinar Pakej PIBG ini! Terima kasih atasmaklumat dan info yang mantap!

// Amir Alias

TontoniWebinar

Pakej PIBGdi sini

Watch the

Yee SangGoogle

Hangoutshere!

PA K E J P I B G

Dear FrogAsia...We love getting e-mail and feedback from you! If you would like your suggestions and letters to be featured, write to us at [email protected], Tweet us at @FrogAsia, or drop us a message on Facebook!

Hello there, reader!

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Apakah perasaan Cikgu Normie selepas dicalonkan?

Semasa mula-mula mengajar di sini, matlamat utama saya ialah untuk memantapkan penggunaan VLE di sekolah ini, seperti yang saya berjaya lakukan di sekolah terdahulu. Saya tidak langsung memikirkan tentang anugerah ini. Ia bukan matlamat utama saya. Apabila diberitahu tentang kemenangan ini, saya berasa terharu dan ia menaikkan semangat saya untuk terus memantapkan lagi penggunaan Frog di sekolah ini. Saya juga berbangga kerana anugerah ini turut menaikkan nama sekolah kami!

1BestariNet Awards, dahulunya dikenali sebagai Frog Teacher Awards kini kembali! Kementerian Pendidikan Malaysia bersama FrogAsia dengan bangganya mempersembahkan anugerah tahunan yang mengiktiraf usaha-usaha guru dalam membudayakan ICT di sekolah di seluruh Malaysia.

Cikgu Normie Azura bt. Abdul Jalil merupakan salah satu penerima anugerah tersebut pada tahun lepas. Ikuti temu bual kami bersamanya!

GURU PENCETUS LEGASI PENDIDIKAN

[ Oleh Victor Lau dan Ramziah Abdul Razak ]

C I K G U Normie Azura bt Abdul Jamildianugerahkan “Best Use of Frog for Extra Co-Curricular Activities” kerana inisiatif beliau dalam menggunakan Frog VLE dan teknologi bagi memudahkan proses pentadbiran serta urusan aktiviti ko-kurikulum di sekolahnya.

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Apakah usaha-usaha atau inisiatif cikgu sehingga membolehkan cikgu dicalonkan untuk anugerah ini? Apakah impak usaha-usaha tersebut?

Pada mulanya, saya ditugaskan oleh Guru Penolong Kanan sekolah untuk mengemaskini rekod pelajar untuk aktiviti kokurikulum. Saya meminta guru-guru memasukkan data pelajar dan mengumpulkan data untuk dikongsi dengan guru-guru lain. Dengan cara ini, kami boleh mengesan pelajar yang mendaftar dan pelajar yang tidak mendaftar.

Pada tahun 2015 pula, kami mengadakan pendaftaran pelajar untuk aktiviti kokurikulum sepenuhnya melalui Frog. Untuk memastikan guru-guru mahir menggunakan Frog, saya mengadakan bengkel menggunakan Frog pada bulan Januari untuk guru-guru selepas waktu sekolah sehingga pukul 6 petang.

Setelah mendapat anugerah ini, bagaimanakah ia membantu pengajaran cikgu di dalam kelas?

Secara jujurnya, ia memberi saya motivasi untuk meneruskan usaha saya! Bagi saya, adalah penting untuk saya terus membuktikan kepada semua bahawa saya benar-benar layak menerima anugerah tersebut. Tapi ia bukannya satu beban! Pelajar dan guru lain juga berbangga dengan pencapaian saya dan lebih bersemangat untuk menggunakan Frog. Ia memberi impak positif kepada sekolah kami!

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Mengapakah Cikgu Azrina mencalonkan Cikgu Normie?Semenjak kemasukannya ke sekolah ini, banyak perubahan yang telah beliau lakukan, terutamanya untuk ICT. Kami tidak perlu lagi mencetak dan mengisi borang - atas usaha Cikgu Normie, semuanya dilakukan atas talian!

Beliau juga dengan penuh sabar menunjukkan cara menggunakan Frog kepada guru-guru di sini. Cikgu Normie menyakinkan kami bahawa Frog mudah digunakan dan mampu meringankan tugas kami. Walaupun kebanyakan guru tidak mahir menggunakan teknologi dan kerap bertanyakan soalan, Cikgu Normie dengan sabar menjawab soalan-soalan kami. Beliau kerap mengadakan bengkel menggunakan Frog selepas waktu sekolah.

Bagaimana perasaan Cikgu apabila mengetahui bahawa Cikgu Normie telah menerima anugerah “Best Use of Frog for Extra Co-Curricular Activities?”Saya rasa bangga kerana kemenangan Cikgu Normie turut menaikkan nama sekolah kami. Ia ibarat penghargaan untuk semua kerja kerasnya selama ini. Cikgu-cikgu lain juga lebih bermotivasi untuk mengajar menggunakan teknologi disebabkan penghargaan ini.

Pada pendapat Cikgu, betapa pentingkah penghargaan terhadap usaha guru-guru?Kami guru-guru tidak mengharapkan sebarang balasan. Bekerja lebih masa, membuat kelas tambahan; semua ini kami lakukan dengan penuh ikhlas untuk pelajar-pelajar kami. Namun begitu, sokongan moral dari semua pihak amat penting agar kami akan terus bersemangat!

Pada pendapat Cikgu, bagaimanakah anugerah ini akan membantu memajukan pendidikan negara ini?Apabila anugerah seperti ini diadakan, ia akan menggalakkan para guru untuk turut mencuba menggunakan teknologi. Kepelbagaian kategori dalam anugerah ini turut membolehkan guru-guru untuk mencuba pelbagai kaedah lain dalam menggunakan Frog. Lebih ramai guru boleh bertanding kerana terdapat banyak anugerah berbeza untuk setiap guru!

Pencalonan untuk 1BN Teacher Awards

kini dibuka!

Ayuh kita berikan penghargaan kepada

guru hebat di luar sana.

Klik di sini >

C I K G U Azrina bt Ibrahim

mencalonkan Cikgu Normie kerana beliau percaya rakan setugasnya itu wajar diberikan penghargaan di atas komitmen dan kerja kerasnya dalam menerapkan penggunaan Frog VLE di SMK Raja Abdullah.

CALONKAN GURU ANDA JUGA!

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Do you know an individual or teacher like Mr Rajendra that deserves

to be appreciated?

Mr Rajendra is an example of a teacher that became an everyday hero to Nara, a boy from Teluk Intan. He saw the potential in Nara, and that was all it

took to spur Mr Rajendra into action.

TEACHERS: EVERYDAY HEROES.

Visit ytlfoundation.com/aboyfromtelukintan

Baginya, di peringkat permulaan pasti ada cabaran, tetapi mereka akan menyedari teknologi dicipta untuk memudahkan tugas mereka. “Kalau tidak cuba, mereka takkan tahu,” ujarnya lagi mengakhiri perbualan kami.

Kami menghargai usaha Cikgu Tasa yang berterusan mencari alternatif terbaik demi kebaikan pelajarnya. Kerja keras dan komitmennya wajar dicontohi pendidik lain!

Kecil kecil cili padi, itulah Sharmini A/P Ravi. Agak pendiam, namun dia petah berbicara ketika menjawab soalan. Apabila ditanya tentang cita-citanya, dia pantas menjawab, “Saya ingin menjadi guru.”

Sebaik sahaja pulang dari sekolah, pelajar tahun lima ini akan menyiapkan kerja rumahnya, dan dia akan berlatih selama satu jam. Selain Cikgu Tasa, Sharmini turut mendapat sokongan daripada ibu bapanya yang bekerja sebagai penoreh getah. Pada mulanya dia berasa gementar untuk beraksi di hadapan rakan sekelas, tetapi dia memberanikan diri untuk mencuba. Menurutnya, kini dia tidak lagi segan untuk berkomunikasi di hadapan orang ramai. Sharmini turut berkongsi, dia seronok dapat berkenalan dengan rakan-rakan baru melalui pertandingan tersebut. “Saya dapat ramai kawan baru melalui Frog VLE!” ujarnya.

Tahniah Sharmini kerana memenangi acara berpuisi dalam pertandingan tersebut! Kami berharap lebih ramai pelajar dapat mencontohi kegigihan dan usaha kerasnya. Hendak seribu daya, tak hendak seribu dalih!

Pertandingan Bercerita dan Membaca Puisi yang diadakan pada November tahun lepas turut disertai dua sekolah lain, iaitu SJK(T) Ladang Sg. Muar dan SJK(T) Ladang Mount Austin di Johor. Menggunakan Google Hangouts, peserta hanya perlu mempersembahkan puisi dan cerita di hadapan komputer riba di kelas mereka, tanpa perlu pergi ke mana-mana lokasi tertentu. Ibarat pertandingan maya, pelajar lain turut dapat menyaksikan pertandingan ini melalui skrin LCD yang digunakan oleh guru mereka. Seramai enam orang pelajar menyertai pertandingan tersebut dan mereka diadili melalui lenggok bahasa dan persembahan yang menarik. Seminggu sebelumnya, guru ICT SJK(T) Ladang Glenealy, En. Tasaratha Rajan A/L Anamalai yang selesa dipanggil Cikgu Tasa, bertungkus lumus

melatih pelajarnya, Sharmini A/P Ravi membaca puisi. Puisi bertajuk ‘Indahnya Bahasa Tamil’ dipilih dan Sharmini berjaya menyampaikan puisi tersebut dengan jayanya. Maka tidak memeranjatkan apabila Sharmini diumumkan sebagai pemenang. Acara bercerita pula dimenangi oleh Tamilarese A/P Sivakumar dari SJK(T) Ladang Sg. Muar, Johor.

SJK(T) Ladang Glenealy yang mempunyai 32 orang pelajar dan 11 orang guru tidak menjadikan kekurangan fasiliti sebagai alasan untuk mengetepikan bakat pelajarnya. Menurut Cikgu Tasa, “Kadangkala kami perlu meminjam bas dari sekolah lain untuk ke daerah yang jauh, tetapi kini kami ada pilihan lain, iaitu berkolaborasi melalui internet.” Terletak di tengah-tengah ladang kelapa sawit, sekolah yang bersaiz seperti dua rumah teres ini aktif mengadakan pertandingan bahas, bercerita, berpantun dan banyak lagi. “Kami bercadang ingin menyertai lebih

banyak pertandingan melalui Google Hangouts dan Frog VLE. Ia menjimatkan masa dan mudah digunakan,” ujarnya lagi. Cikgu Tasa melihat banyak perubahan dalam diri pelajarnya selepas menyertai pertandingan- pertandingan tersebut. “Mereka lebih yakin apabila berkomunikasi dan tidak takut untuk meluahkan pendapat.” Baginya, aktiviti seumpama ini penting kerana pelajar tidaklah terperuk di dalam kelas sahaja. “Banyak cara boleh diusahakan agar setiap pelajar boleh turut serta, dan Frog VLE ternyata sangat membantu kami, ” ujarnya.

Frog VLE turut menjadi pilihan utamanya untuk urusan pentadbiran dan mencari maklumat untuk subjek Matematik dan Teknologi Maklumat (IT). Beliau juga selalu berkongsi dokumen dan maklumat dengan guru lain. “Teknologi ialah masa hadapan kita, tak mungkin kita dapat mengelaknya,” nasihat Cikgu Tasa kepada guru lain.

Share this video and tag your hero with the hashtag

#tagyourhero

And nominate them for the 1BestariNet

Teacher Awards at www.1bnteacherawards.com

Click here to watch this inspiring video

The Unsung Hero

The Success Story

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WORLD BOOKMONTH WEBSITE

CHECK OUT OUR

FOR MORE INFORMATION HERE

TAKE ME TO THEWORLD BOOK MONTH WEBSITE

H E L P S T U D E N T S

BUILDCONFIDENCEW I T H E N G L I S H

World Book Day is held internationallyon the 23rd of April to raise literacylevels in individuals.

Throughout the month of April, FrogAsia is scaling up English literacy through technology by hosting World Book Month. We’re celebrating the month with a series of Frog Connected Classrooms workshops, hosted on Google Hangouts designed to give your students the confidence in their command of the English language.

Build Scrapbook Sites for your student to journal their experiences in the workshops above. Once the workshop finishes, you’ll be able to submit the complete Scrapbook Sites to stand a chance to win prizes for your school!

WORLD BOOK MONTHWORLD BOOK MONTH

S P O K E N W O R D

CLICK HERE >to sign up

Sheena Baharudin

Quek Sue Yian is a prize winning children’s book author who wants to lead your students on a story

creating adventure.

Register your students today!

C R E AT I V E S T O R Y W R I T I N G

S C R A P B O O K S I T E S W E B I N A R

Quek Sue Yian

CLICK HERE >to sign up

Sheena Baharudin is a cross-Causeway veteran spoken word poet who’s

readyto teach your students the expressivepower of poetry.

Register your students today!

MAGICBIRDPUBLISHING

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KOLABORASI TANPA SEMPADAN




SJK(T) Ladang Glenealy memanfaatkan teknologi dalam Pertandingan Bercerita dan Membaca Puisi melalui Google Hangouts



[ Oleh Ramziah Abdul Razak ]

Kadangkala kami perlu meminjam bas dari sekolah lain

untuk ke daerah yang jauh, tetapi kini kami ada pilihan lain, iaitu

berkolaborasi MELALUI INTERNET.

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Mereka lebih yakin apabila

BERKOMUNIKASI dan tidak takut untuk meluahkan

pendapat.

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TEKNOLOGI ialah masa hadapan kita,

tak mungkin kita mampu mengelaknya.

Sharmini, Si Pemuitis Cilik

connectedclassrooms

Segalanya mungkin dengan Frog Connected Classrooms (FCC) dan Google Hangouts. FCC merupakan siri webinar yang membolehkan pelajar berinteraksi dengan penceramah tentang topik seperti kerjaya dan tips ulangkaji.

Tontoni siri webinar terdahulu melalui pautan di bawah

KLIK DI SINI >untuk playlist YouTube






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A SHOUT OUT TO

SUPERSTARSRecognising changemakers in schools and beyond

The greatest things often start with small beginnings and we know a few schools who are definitely on the right track. Here are our shout outs to some amazing people who are making a real difference for schools in Malaysia!

SMKA Baling, kEDAHSMK Sultan Badlisah, kEDAHSMK Tun Telanai, TerengganuSekolah Seri Puteri Cyberjaya, Selangor

Puan Adilah Wahab ZahariSMK(A) Sultan Azlan Shah, Perak

For bringing eight students fromSMKA Sultan Azlan Shah and SMK Sultan Yussuf to Program KANCIL,an event organised by KPerak Implementation & Coordination Corporation, in collaborationwith Tutor Utusan Malaysia.The programme gave students from low income backgrounds the chanceto experience a fun learning environment as well be motivatedto use audio-visual elements in their studies. Pn. Adilah's students even facilitated a 2-hour session explaining how Frog Academy and Class Site modules work. Congratulations Pn. Adilah for your continuous effortin encouraging students to use Frog!

SMK Elopura Sandakan, SabahFor conducting a Frog workshopfor Form 1 and Form 4 students during school holidays! New students were introduced to Frog and were given their IDs and passwords to ensurea smooth transfer from the previous school. A special shout out to the school’s Principal, Pn. Hajah Kalsom Abd. Aziz, Guru Penolong Kanan Kurikulum, Mr. Kwok Chee Yenand the school’s Frog Admin,Mr. Lau Chee Loong for taking their own initiative to conduct this training!

Anugerah KecemerlanganTeknologi Pendidikan Negeri Selangor

BEST USAGE OF VLE (PRIMARY) SK Leftenan AdnanSJK(C) Sin MinSK Taman Putra Perdana

BEST USAGE OF VLE (SECONDARY)SMK CyberjayaSMK Bandar Baru Salak TinggiSMK Assunta

Congratulations on youramazing achievement!

If you know a school or teacherwho has done amazing things

to help improve teachingand learning using technology,

write to us at [email protected] use the hashtag #frogsuperstarson Facebook, Twitter or Instagram

and we just might feature themin our magazine!

Despite their busy schedules, teachers from these schools made the effort to plan their school programmes and lessonsfor their students. We salute these teachers for going beyond the call of duty to make sure that no students get left behind in using technology!











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We want your ideas for Splash!Share them with us at [email protected]

Oh, for the loveof language!

Challenge yourself with these tricky tongue-twisters!

Turn topg. 17Learn the science of sound with art and craft! Turn to

pg. 16

Call me, maybe?

Students!











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Tie a knot at each end.

MAKE YOUR OWN

Paper Cup Telephone

Ever wondered how someone’s voicetravels through the telephone?

Sound is made when a series of vibrations travel through the air. Our ears translate these vibrations as sound waves and our brain understands them as sound.

Here’s a really cool art and craft idea that helps you put this theory into action - a paper cup telephone!You can practice speaking clearly and listening carefully with this DIY device too.

Punch a hole at the bottom of each cup.

Pass the string through the hole.

Repeat the above stepswith another cup using the same string.

Steps

1

2

3

4

things you need. . .

Plastic cup x 2 ScissorsPin String (2 metres)

Now it’s time to test it and see whether it works. Grab a friend and take turns to speakand listen from each end!











Pull the string tight for the

experiment to work!

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Oh, for the love

of language!

Limericks, tongue twisters, and funny riddles are the wonderful things in the English language that muddle our minds, tickle our tummies, and help us pronounce our words better! We think the best way to learn a new language is to simply have fun with it. Here we go!

The WoodchuckHow much wood would a woodchuck chuck

If a woodchuck could chuck wood?He would chuck, he would, as much as he could,

And chuck as much as a woodchuck wouldIf a woodchuck could chuck wood.

Peter PiperPeter Piper picked a peck of pickled peppers;A peck of pickled peppers Peter Piper picked.

If Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled peppers,Where’s the peck of pickled peppers Peter Piper picked?

A young lady of Lynn

There was a young lady of Lynn,

Who was so uncommonly thin

That when she essayed

To drink lemonade

She slipped through the straw and fell in.

A flea and a fly in a flue

Were imprisoned, so what could they do?

Said the fly, "let us flee!"

"Let us fly!" said the flea.

So they flew through a flaw in the flue.

A Limerick

is a humourous 5-line poem that has a

rhyming pattern of ‘a-a-b-b-a’. Here are a

few classic ones.

A Tongue-twister

is a series of words often starting with the same letter,that are difficult to pronounce quickly and correctly.How fast can you say these tongue twisters correctly?

A Riddle

is a question that requires creative thinking in

order to answer them correctly. Try these out.

Q: What building has the most stories?

A: A library

Q: What is brown and sticky

A: A Stick!

Q: What two things can you never eat for breakfast?

A: Lunch and dinner!

Did you enjoy that? Keep improving your English by joining our virtual Spoken Word workshop this April!

Click here toregister >

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[ By Esther Dharshini ]

SUCCESSFUL PEOPLE WHO

OVERCAME Speech

IMPEDIMENTS!

John Paul Larkin is best known by his stage name, Scatman John. He was a poet and an American jazz

musician. John had a stammer from a very young age. His stammering led him to have a difficult childhood

which he tried to overcome. At age 12, he started playing the piano which helped him express himself

better. ”Scatting (a style of jazz) was turning my biggest problem into my biggest asset,” he said. “Playing the

piano gave me a way to speak”.

Winston Churchill was the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom and also a Nobel prize winner. He is well known for giving inspiring speeches

during World War II. Despite all of his successes, Churchill actually suffered from a speech

impediment which continued throughout his career but he worked very hard to overcome it.

He did this by studying his speeches and practising them over and over again.

Tiger Woods is an American professional golfer who has won many golf competitions. Even with all this success, Woods actually suffered from a

speech impediment. He said that it took hard work and an ambitious spirit to overcome stuttering.

Woods once said, ”It was very difficult. I went to a school to try and get over that, and I just would

work my tail off" (work really hard at it).

�ger Woods

Winston Churchill

These stories of great people show that with enough perseverance, you can overcome anything!

Have you heard of the term

‘stuttering’? Stuttering is a type of

speech disorder that affects a person’s

ability to speak clearly. However, you

can overcome it! Here are three

famous people who overcame their

speech impediments and went on to

do great things!

John Paul Larkin

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Brought to you by

Is TechnologyTaking Over?

So, here I am sitting in a café with my laptop; phone within easy reach and my email alert turned on. Facebook is in the background and I’ve just checked Instagram. For a mum of three, I think this is normal. I like technology and the internet, it makes my life easy. But I still think nothing beats seeing a friend face-to-face.

You see, there is nothing quite like human connection. Looking someone in the eye, hearing what they are saying but also allowing them to do the same for us. Eye contact alone is powerful - it can get you a job, a relationship, a discount in a store - all without even having to open our mouths!

with Sarah T.

My children will happily sit and learn their maths on a tablet; but I wonder if they’re learning how to read human expression and verbal nuance? Psychologists are concerned that children’s ability to read social situations are being negatively impacted. The phone in my hand doesn’t always help either. I can think of times when my children have wanted my attention and I have just asked them to wait whilst I finish a text. What message is that giving them?

We now live in a culture where young people spend hours messaging each other. Can a smiley face actually replace face-to-face interaction? Is an increase in social networking putting younger people at a face-to-face disadvantage?

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At my children’s school, teachers are actively seeking to give children the tools they need to communicate confidently in front of a room full of people. ‘Giving a class presentation’ should not just be about writing an essay about your pet and reading it out word-by-word to the class. It should instead be focused on improving social interaction and confidence. If a child can learn the art of public speaking, his presentation will be more compelling and appealing! This ability to speak clearly, succinctly and meaningfully is what global leaders, influencers and game changers are made of.

As a mum, what surprises me is the number tuition centres for children popping up everywhere. Brain Academies, Maths Schools, and Educational Centres for improv-ing learning styles. Apparently what’s also now appearing are public speaking forums for children.

I recently met two Malaysians who have moved back to KL from Australia to set up a public speaking school for children whose parents want them to improve their speaking skills.

They said that traditionally-perceived “soft skills” are what will set real leaders apart from others in the future. Needless to say they have found the response has been overwhelming.The current trend of TED talks speaks for itself. This is where the real and the virtual come together. People can access any TED talk they like from anywhere in the world. They can comment or pass it on or share it with whom they like, wherever they may be in the world.

This is how we turn the tables around. The digital world; perhaps once seen as a distraction to human interaction, can now be used to enhance it. So it is with education. A learning platform in a classroom setting can imitate this at a micro level. Frog presents a collaborative, collective virtual learning alongside real time human interaction and thoughts.

A wise man once said, “You don’t need to tell our children how to build a bright future. Give them the tools and let them figure it out for themselves.” With technology, and devices properly monitored and placed at our children’s fingertips, anything is possible.

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Are we spending too much time online?

THE INTERNET AND SOCIAL MEDIA IN MALAYSIA : AN INFOGRAPHIC

15.6 Million

29.5%

Facebook users

13 - 17 years

(4th in SouthEast Asia)

34.5%18 - 24 years

Parents, monitor your child’s time online!

Borneo Post “13.3 million M’sians are Facebook users” Link: www.theborneopost.com/2013/06/16/13-3-million-msians-are-facebook-users/

References:

We Are Social’s “2014 Asia Pacific Digital Overview” Link: www.slideshare.net/wearesocialsg/social-digital-mobile-in-apac

The Internet and Social Media are both great communication and learning tools. However, they both need to be used in moderation. High usage of the Internet and Social Media for activities besides learning can affect a child’s grades, causing them to be addicted and limit their social growth.

Limit your child’s Internet usage to 2-3 hours a day

Don’t rely on entertaining them with an Internet connected device, like your smartphone

Keep an eye on the websites they visit and encourage them to visit educational websites instead

Average time spent surfing the Internet through the phone

3.0 Hours Average time spentsurfing the Internet

through the computer

5.6 Hours3.3Average timespent onsocial media

Hours

62 Million

34 Million

24 Million

3.2 Million

No. of Facebook users in:

vs

Indonesia

Thailand

Singapore

Phillippines

Hours spent online everyday

21

// MARK TWAIN

22

�is Month’s Picks!April 2015

Mad Li�

Around the World in80 Days - Audiobook

��y Famous StoriesRetold - Audiobook

Qu�letParents, your children will go

crazy with this word game app! It helps improve their use

of language and is perfect as a family activity during

long road trips.

Mad Libs is available on the Apple store for the iPad and

iPhone 5 onwards.

Click here > Click here >

Click here >Click here >

Memory work is made easier with Quizlet, an app that lets you create flashcards on any subject for FREE!

Quizlet is available on the Apple store and on the Google Play store.

Set off with Phileas Fogg and his loyal valet Passepartout as they attempt to travel around

the world in only 80 days!

This audiobook is available on the FrogStore for free!

This huge volume contains fifty famous stories ready to take you to lands far away and times long ago.

This audiobook is available on the FrogStore for free!

23

‘COOL’RICULUM Extra! Extra! Read all about it! Get all the latest updates on What’s Happening and Where.

WorkshopsBuild your students’ confidence in English with these online workshops led by published authors Sheena Baharudin and Quek Sue Yian. Watch the playlistof recorded online workshops, or register for the upcoming ones!

This month’s class:

12 & 19 APRIL 2015

11am - 12pm | CLiC, UTC Sentul*Open to children aged 8 - 12 and

limited to 20 students per class only

Introduce your children to the ukulele through these FREE weekend classes.

Ukulele Class[Level 1] 1BESTAR INET

TEACHER AWARDS

The Teacher Awards are back this April!Nominate a teacher for an award between the 16th of March 2015to the 24th of April 2015! The schoolthat sends in the highest number of quality nominations gets a chance to WIN A FROG CLASSROOM MAKEOVER!

CLICK HERE to visit the websiteCLICK HERE to register

WATCH NOW

ScrapbookSite Webinar

WATCH NOW


WATCH NOW


SIGN UPWATCH NOW


SIGN UP

Spoken WordWorkshop

CreativeStorywritingWorkshop

24

Back to SchoolGet your students

ready and prepped for the year

PA K E J P I B G

PIBG PackageEverything you need to

run a PIBG meeting with a tech twistWatch the

School Calendar playlist here!

Sports Day SitesBuild excitement for one of the biggest days in the

school calendar

Terokai laman-laman ini dengan menonton webinar kami!

SUPERCHARGE your ICT with these sites downloadable

on the

25

is back!kini kembali!

Check out the highlights from our conference in 2014! Saksikan kemeriahan konferen kami di 2014!

2 5 J U L A I 2 0 1 5Save the date in your calendars today! Nantikan kedatangan tarikh ini!

C O M I N G S O O N !

the lilypad - issue #5

Documents