The Advantages and Disadvantages of Using Information Technology in Education

The picture was taken from Google

In this modern era, knowing, understanding and able to operate the modern technology well is very beneficial for students' study progress. It was because in most institutions or schools they required the students to do many of their school work on the computer or even search something independently on the internet. So, teaching the children as early as possible about the computer skill is one of the best things to do to prepare them for the fierce school competition, besides study hard and smart of course. However, parents and school still need to be aware of the danger of letting the young children use the technology without proper supervision from the adult around them.

There are some advantages that technology had which can help students' study progress: firstly, students can study more actively; secondly, they learn to collaborate with others; thirdly, they can get feedback easily and quickly as they don't have to wait for a longer period of time waiting for teachers answer; and the fourth, they can connect to the many professional people on their field. 

Although technology is good for many reasons; we shouldn't forget that there are negative things that we must consider such as, first that it can make students lazier to study because they think that they can get the answers of the problem quickly from the internet rather than reading book for hours. Second, some students may cheat when they do their work or in other words, they may plagiate other people work. Third, they may become less focus on their study because they get distracted with other stuff on the internet or computer. And lastly, it may also be able to make students' writing skills decrease because everything can be obtained from the internet quickly.

All in all, in my opinion, there are always advantages and disadvantages of everything in this universe, not least with the use of technology in education. So, we must educate our children and make them aware the danger of using it the wrong way.

My Translation_Indonesian's Folklore_Penyesalan Bangau Angkuh (I.T Cert - Fiction)

The picture was taken from Google

On a sunny morning, a crane arrived at the river. He was looking for food. He knew that there were fish which could be eaten in the river. Then he walked along the river gracefully and beautifully. Lots of small fish passing by in front of him.

"There are so many small fish here. But, does an elegant crane like me have to eat the little fish, "said the Crane, arrogantly. The little fish just keep poking around in front of him. However, the crane did not take any notice of it. He wanted to find a bigger fish.

"I'd rather enjoy this view while waiting for the bigger fish that passes in front of me." said the Crane. He really enjoyed the view of the river with gurgling water. Occasionally he closed his eyes enjoying the breeze that caressed his fine fur, not realizing that there were many large fish passing by in front of him. He only realized when his legs stumbled on a fish that was passing by.

"Well, there's a big fish going by!" said the Crane. But, he thought again and again. What a beautiful beak! Should I eat that big fish with it? "I might break my beak if I ate it. Ah, I'd better wait for the smaller fish to pass by in front of me, "said the Crane.

The crane is unaware, when the day begins to scorch, all the fish will go to the middle of the river. Not a single fish passed back in front of him. Crane's stomach begins to feel hungry. He was confused on how to catch the fish in the middle of the river. "I can’t go down the river. It's too deep and could harm me, "said the Crane. "Really, I have not been lucky today," he continued.

That day, the Crane returned to its nest with a hungry stomach. It's all because of his pride. He should not ignored the opportunity that comes in sight. Crane is aware of his stupidity. "Tomorrow I'll come back to the river again," muttered the Crane.

The moral message from this folklore is that we should not waste any opportunity that come along in front of us, especially with boasting.

For the original Indonesian sources please go to dongengceritarakyat

Keliling Bali Selatan (I.T Cert - Adventure)

Padang-Padang Beach, the picture was taken by my classmates

Beberapa bulan yang lalu, tepatnya bulan April, saya dan teman-teman se-prodi Pendidikan Bahasa Inggris (UNTAG Banyuwangi) mengadakan study tour ke Bali selama 3 hari. Hari itu adalah merupakan hari yang sangat ditunggu-tunggu oleh semua mahasiswa-mahasiswi, everyone was very excited karena itu merupakan our first trip together as a classmates and unimates.

Singkat cerita, kita sepakat untuk menggunakan Midas travel untuk mengantar kita berkeliling di Bali, kita menginap di Fave Hotel Kuta Square yang letaknya sangat strategis sekali untuk sekedar berkeliling on foot untuk menghabiskan free time kita yang sangat singkat di daerah Kuta & Legian. Kita juga memutuskan untuk mengunjungi 8 destinasi wisata yang berada di Badung, Gianyar, Bangli dan Tabanan selama di Bali. That's crazy! Only 3 days and we've to visit 4 regencies!

Pada hari keberangkatan, kita diharuskan berkumpul di campus pukul 21:30 dan dijadwalkan berangakat tepat pukul 22:00, however tepat jam 22:00 masih ada yang belum datang, alhasil kita berangkat agak telat beberapa menit, meskipun begitu kita tiba di Tanah Lot Bali masih sangat petang kurleb 04:30an which isn't too bad. After a long bus ride, we cleaned ourselves and took shower here. We'd to pay a few thousands rupiah to use the bathroom which was okay.

On the first day, after we had our breakfast, kita berkunjung ke cultural park TAMAN NUSA di Gianyar. Di Taman Nusa kita dapat melihat miniatur-miniatur rumah adat se-indonesia, berbagai tarian daerah, lagu-lagu daerah dlsb. Menurut saya Taman Nusa merupakan versi mini dari TMII Jakarta. Kemudian, perjalanan dilanjutkan ke salah satu desa terbersih peringkat 2 di dunia yaitu Desa Panglipuran yang lokasinya terletak di Bangli. Dari sini kita meluncur ke Kintamani tepatnya danau Batur yang keindahannya sangat terkenal itu for lunch as well as enjoying the beauty of it. Setelah menikmati keindahan beberapa tempat wisata tersebut we went for a little shopping in Cening Bagus. Cening Bagus merupakan pusat oleh-oleh khas Bali semacam Krisna tapi menurut beberapa teman saya di Cening Bagus harganya lebih terjangkau dan bersahabat. After shopping, we went for dinner and went back to hotel straight away.

Uluwatu, the photo was taken by me.

Hari ke-2 kita mengunjungi Water Blow in Nusa Dua. From there, kita mengunjungi pusat peribadatan Puja Mandala yang didalamnya terdiri dari 5 rumah ibadah yang berjejeran, meliputi Pura Jagat Natha Nusa Dua, Gereja Katolik Paroki Maria Bunda Segala Bangsa, Wihara Budha, Gereja Protestan dan Masjid Agung Ibnu Batulah. Lokasi dari Puja Mandala berdekatan dengan Water Blow dan di dua tempat ini pengunjung tidak dipungut biaya masuk. Tidak hanya disitu petualangan kita, dari sana kita ke Padang-Padang Beach dan lanjut ke Pura Agung Uluwatu. The view in Uluwatu temple is really stunningly beautiful and I really do enjoy my visit there. It's gorgeous!

Pura Ulundanu, the picture was taken by me.

Hari ke-3, we checked out early in the morning right after breakfast, however I forgot what time was that. BTW, from the hotel kita pergi ke Krisna for last minute shopping and I could see that everyone was happy about that. I guess, I was the only yang tidak belanja banyak. :-P Seahbis shopping, perjalanan dilanjutkan ke Pura Ulun Danu Bedugul. Tempat ini lumayan jauh dari pusat kota Denpasar ataupun Kuta, it took us awhile to get there from Kuta. Pura Ulundanu merupakan salah satu tempat favourite saya di Bali, the view is amazing and the fresh air is so very refreshing. We also had a nice lunch buffet there. Unfortunately our visit was only last about an hour because of the heavy rain that came pouring so suddenly. It's really unlucky!

Because of the heavy rain dan juga jadwal tournya sudah selesai, maka itulah akhir dari perjalanan kita. It was a happy memory! I really enjoyed that trip and hopefully someday I'll have the chance to visit Bali with my friends again. :-)

Advantages of Keeping the River Clean (I.T cert - Conservation / Environment)

The photo was taken by me at Hutan Pinus, Songgon.

We've to know the importance of maintaining the cleanliness of the river because keeping the environment clean is very useful for all of us as it could creates a safe, clean, cool and healthy life. Generally, many people especially in my country "Indonesia" use the  river in their day to day life such as taking a bath, washing their clothes, watering their plantation and so on. Furthermore, many children, specifically in the rural area also use the river for their entertainment such as swimming or just splashing around with their friends.

I think, our environment will be better if everyone is aware and responsible for the cleanliness of the river. So, we must educate our children as early as possible about the importance of keeping our environment clean, particularly the river. 

The picture was taken by me at Kalibendo plantation.

There are some of the benefits of maintaining the river clean such as water becomes cleaner and safer to use, the environment becomes cooler and fresher, it can make us free from water pollution, it can reduce the risk of getting the diseases caused by unhealthy environment and it could make us feel good and calm in doing our daily activities.

There are many more benefits of maintaining the cleanliness of the environment, therefore we must be aware of the importance of keeping the environment dirtless which we can start from our own home, such as sweeping the yard frequently, cleaning the ditches of our homes regularly, throw the garbage in the rubbish bin and so on.

So, let's do it now! :-)

Pergaulan Bebas Dikalangan Remaja (I.T Cert - Social)

Remaja adalah mereka-mereka yang berumur antara 13 sampai 19 tahun. Seperti yang kita ketahui bahwa golongan ini belum dikategorikan ke dalam kelompok dewasa dan juga biasanya sudah bukan lagi disebut sebagai anak-anak. Masa remaja adalah merupakan masa transisi seseorang dari masa kanak-kanak menuju kedewasaan. Masa ini biasanya juga merupakan masa-masa yang paling kritis dalam kehidupan seseorang karena dalam periode ini seseorang akan mencoba banyak hal-hal baru baik itu sesuatu yang positive maupun negative sebagai sarana untuk menemukan jati diri mereka yang sesungguhnya atau bisa juga hanya untuk coba-coba saja.

Ketika kita membicarakan tentang pergaulan bebas, kita biasanya akan langsung mengasumsikan bahwa pergaulan bebas itu sebagai sex bebas. Hal itu sebenarnya juga tidak salah karena pergaulan bebas disini pengertiannya lebih luas lagi yang salah satunya merupakan berhubungan sex sebelum menikan serta berganti-gantinya pasangan. Pergaulan bebas juga bisa diartikan sebagai hubungan antar sesama yang tidak sesuai dengan norma / aturan-aturan yang berlaku disuatu tempat bisa juga pergaulan yang telah melampaui batas-batas kewajaran. Beberapa contoh dari pergaulan bebas adalah maraknya sex bebas dikalangan remaja kita, bullying terhadap orang yang dianggap lemah, dlsb.

Faktor-faktor yang bisa menyebabkan remaja terjerumus ke dalam pergaulan bebas menurut saya  adalah sebagai berikut: pertama biasanya karena kurangnya kasih sayang dan perhatian dari orang tua, jadi mereka berusaha mencari perhatian dari orang lain seperti teman dan orang-orang disekitar mereka; ke-2 karena faktor teman, bisa jadi mereka terjerumus ke dalam pergaulan bebas karena terbawa arus oleh tema-teman dekat mereka yang kebetulan menyukai kebebasan dan hidup dengan gaya bebas tanpa aturan; ke-3 karena faktor lingkungan, kemungkinan lainnya adalah mereke tinggal di daerah yang sangat bebas dan norma-norma ketimuran kurang dijalankan oleh ligkungan sekitar dan yang ke-4 karena faktor kurangnya sadar diri dari seseorang tersebut sehingga menerima apa saja informasi atau sesuatu yang baru diterimanya tanpa memilah-milah terlebih dahulu mana yang baik dan tidak.

Akibat dari maraknya pergaulan bebas sebenarnya bukan hanya berdampak pada remaja itu sendiri melainkan juga akan berdampak kepada orangtua dan juga bangsa. Dampak terhadap remaja bisa dipastikan akan mempengaruhi performa belajar mereka, kesehatan, masa depan (future career), dan yang menyedihkan mereka bisa juga dikucilkan dari lingkungan sekitar. Sedangkan dampak bagi orangtua adalah mereka akan rugi secara finansial dan emosianal karena seperti yang kita ketahui bahwa membesarkan, merawat dan mendidik seorang anak tidaklah semudah membalikkan sebuah tangan tapi penuh dengan perjuangan. Dan dampak bagi bangsa itu sendiri adalah hilangnya generasi penerus bangsa yang baik dan kompeten yang sangat dibutuhkan demi kelangsungan negara ini.

Kita dapat melakukan hal-hal berikut untuk meminimalisir pergaulan bebas dikalangan remaja sedini mungkin: edukasi para remaja tentang bahaya pergaulan bebas, orangtua seharusnya  menjaga komunikasi lebih intens dengan putra-putri mereka sekaligus lebih perhatian terhadap kegiatan mereka baik didalam maupun diluar rumah, membuat mereka lebih aware dari bahaya pergaulan bebas, ajarkan mereka tentang pentingnya kedisplinan dan juga perlunya berhati-hati dalam bergaul.

Jadi kesimpulannya, pergaulan bebas merupakan sesuatu yang bisa diminimalisir jika orangtua, anak serta lingkungan sekitar bahu-membahu dalam menanganinya. Edukasi para remaja tentang hal ini sejak dini supaya mereka siap dalam menghadapinya. Thanks!

Tari Gandrung (I.T Cert - Culture)

My classmates' picture at Ijen crater (Winda)

Gandrumg adalah merupakan salah satu tari traditional yang berasal dari Banyuwangi, Jawa Timur, Indonesia. Tari gandrung awal mulanya diadakan untuk menunjukkan rasa syukur warga Banyuwangi khususnya para petani atas panen padi yang didapat dan juga atas penghormatan terhadap Dewi Sri sebagai Dewi Padi yang membawa kesejahteraan bagi masyarakat.

Saat ini tari gandrung banyak di tumjukkan pada saat ada hajatan seperti orang nikahan, khiatanan, tujuh belasan dlsb. Tari gandrung juga ditunjukkan untuk acara penyambutan para tamu lokal ataupun internasionaldi hotel-hotel yang ada di Banyuwangi, selain itu tari gandrung juga dipertunjukkan dalam pembukaan acara-acara resmi yang diadakan oleh instansi pemerintahan maupun swasta sebagai acara pengenalan budaya lokal maupun sebagai hiburan semata.

My classmates' picture (Winda & her dance partner)

Tari gandrung pada umumnya ditarikan oleh para remaja  putri tetapi dalam prakteknya penari gandrung tersebut terkadang akan berpasangan dengan penari lelaki pemaju atau biasa disebut dengan "paju".

Tari traditional gandrung ini dalam pertunjukkanya selalu diringi oleh musik traditional khas Banyuwangi yang disebut lagu Oseng. Tari gandrung juga sangat populer dan dikagumi oleh semua kalangan masyarakat di Banyuwangi dan karena kepopulerannya di sini ada juga event yang dinamakan "Gandrung Sewu" yand diselenggarakan setiap satu tahun sekali di Pantai Boom Banyuwangi dan pagelaran ini ditarikan oleh 1000 orang penari. Para penari yang menari di festival Gandrung Sewu ini merupakan para pelajar dari kabupaten Banyuwangi sendiri.

The picture was taken by me at Watu Dodol Banyuwangi.

Banyuwangi juga dikenal dengan sebutan Kota Gandrung. Patung Gandrung dapat dilihat diberbagai tempat di wilayah ujung timur pulau Jawa ini, seperti di Gumitir, di pantai Watu Dodol dlsb.

The Benefit of Learning to Read for Younger Children

Reading fluently at the early stage of children life is very beneficial for their overall cognitive development. Many educators believe that early reader has better  chance of success on their studies. Read More.

Ijen Mountain

Ijen mountain is one of the many famous tourist attractions in Banyuwangi regency. Many people visit Ijen mountain for several reasons, for example people go there for refreshing, others go there for some exercises and generally most people come to Ijen for its main attraction which is very famous around the world which is none other than to see the magnificent Blue Fire.

For those who go to Ijen mountain for refreshing, they definitely have chosen the right place to go. Ijen mountain has cooler air compare to the other part of Banyuwangi regency and the weather in the area at least approximately 5 to 7 degrees cooler. Besides the exceptionally good weather that Ijen has, it also has many small shop for visitor to drink the coffee or just hanging out with friends and family. Further more, they can go there to visit the the sulfur mining site as well. Ijen mountain has a very beautiful landscape as well as scenery, so it's the perfect place to stroll around.

Ijen mountain is also an excellent venue to do some exercises. Visitor could walk up the mountain to have some light exercise and enjoy the superb view it has to offer, but commonly many people go there to do hiking and also for mountain biking. So in my opinion, Ijen is really amazing place to visit at anytime we fancy.

For many visitor they go there because of their curiosity to witness God's astonishing creation and its main attraction called "Blue Fire" and as everybody knows that there are only two in the whole universe. Guest may visit the mountain at night time in order for them to be able to see the magnificent blue fire. For those who never seen this, please do come and visit, you will never regreted it.

Ijen mountain located in Licin Banyuwangi, it takes approximately about one and half hour from the heart of the Banyuwangi City. Visitors may ride their own motorbike to get there and if it isn't possible they may hire a car or go there through a travel agency. Since Banyuwangi famous for its tourism so it's not a big deal to get such stuff very easily.

End of Term Writing Task

Improving Students' Interest in Writing by Journal Writing Activity

(I) The ability to write in English correctly is very valuable for the long term students' literacy development. This is true because in the future they will be expected to write in all kinds of form such as writing their university thesis, their school assignment, business letter, application job letter and official letter. (R) Many students understand that writing skill is very crucial in their life time as whatever career and job they undertake in the future, they definitely will have to write something at some stage of their working career. Being able to write standards English will make the students' life even smoother because it will help them to express themselves in the written form very easily and clearly. (G) However, for many students, writing is one of the most difficult language skill to master and for them, learning to write is extremely challenging. (F) This essay will demonstrate a creative idea in improving students' interest in writing by journal writing activity. A journal is some form of notebook in which daily or regular writing is recorded. So, I believe that journal writing activity is an excellent tool to help to improve students' interest in writing because it is a way to establish their writing routine, to spend their free time productively and also to be creative.

Journal writing activity is a superb tool to help to improve students' interest in writing because it is a way to establish a writing routine. Like many other routines in people's life, fostering students' interest in writing also require some efforts to do so. Giving a journal writing activity is one of those efforts to foster their interest in writing in a fun and engaging way. Writing a journal can also help students to write in a regular basis and it is a fun too as they basically can write anything they want and there are no rules or whatever on this kind of activities. By writing regularly, students are making a start in improving their writing skill and also making it a habit to write down their thought and mind. So, all in all, giving a journal writing activity is a good way to help students to increase their interest in writing because love in writing can also be built by habit.

Journal writing activity is a great tool to help to improve students' interest in writing because it is a productive way to spend their free time. It is obviously true that writing a journal is one of many methods of passing our spare time effectively and productively instead of just playing online game or other kinds of boring activities. When writing a journal, students can still enjoy doing other stuff such as listening to their favourite music and at the same time, they also learning how to organize their thought in a written form. So, in general, journal writing activity is one of the best way in helping students to improve their interest in writing because it is a productive way to spend their free time with.

Journal writing activity is a wonderful tool to help to improve students' interest in writing because it is a way to be creative. This kind of activity can give the students the freedom to choose any kind of topic they want to write. They can write about their daily account from when they are at school, home, playing with their friends, something they saw on the bus, or they even can write lists of things they want to do for entire week. Having creative outlets rightly and privately theirs is good for their writing progress as they will be feeling free to write just whatever without being afraid of getting it wrong. So, journal writing activity is an excellent way to help students to increase their interest in writing because they are free to be creative.

In summary, I believe that journal writing activity can help improve students' overall writing skill as it helps them how to organize their thought better, it gives them the freedom to write anything and it also helps them build their writing habit. I personally think that journal writing activity is good for the students' personal writing development because it is a technique to establish their writing routine, to spend their free time productively as well as to be creative.

 

Tugas CCU_Opinion Essay

Low VS High-Context Culture

In many Western cultures like American and European countries, people generally speak in a low-context communication style. They ordinarily explain the intended message in a straightforward manner, clearly and explicitly, so that the listeners will understand them easily. These types of exchanging information are good for a number of reasons.

First of all, I think that exchanging ideas in a low-context culture can avoid some misunderstanding between the speakers from different cultural background. It is obviously true because in a low-context communication, people will typically clarify what they really meant and say the precise words instead of being uncertain and ambiguous. Therefore, this types of communication could prevent confusion and misinterpretation among the listeners. Moreover, in my personal opinion, speaking in a low-context culture allows both speaker and the listener for more flexibility and adaptability. For example, if there are uncertainty to what the other party are talking about, the listener would then be able to ask directly and the speaker could reiterate the subject more openly and plainly. In addition, speaking in a low-context culture could help foster mutual understanding among people across cultures. However, some people think that speaking in high-context communication is better because they speak economically and just say what is needed to say without being particulars. Although it may be true in some respect, it is really difficult to expect other people to understand us without being told what we really want, unless we come from similar cultural background. So, speaking clearly and explicitly is a good alternative of communicating with others.

In conclusion, I personally believe that communicating in a low-context culture are good in a sense that it could prevent some confusion and misunderstanding between the speakers, it allows both speaker and the listener for more flexibility and adaptability and I also think that it could help foster mutual understanding among people across cultures.