LECTORA INSPIRE AS AN AUDIO VISUAL MEDIA IN TEACHING ENGLISH

Erwin Hari Kurniwan

Universitas Islam Kadiri Kediri, EAST JAVA

Abstract

Teacher plays greater role to bring about students especially for their academic achievement. Relating to students’ achievement, teacher needs to be creative in creating an interesting media as a source of teaching learning process. Many teachers get confused when they adopt or create the media, which appropriate with the teaching learning process. Rank (2011:1) says that ICT is now widely used in the teaching and learning of English, as it is in all areas of the curriculum. However, as most English teachers would acknowledge, there is still much more to do to make effective and enjoyable use of the technology.

One of media used by the teacher is audiovisual media. There are many audiovisual adopted, adapted or created by the teacher. The teacher can get it from internet, create using power point, or buy the e-learning media from publisher.  Nowadays many software used to create audiovisual media. One of the software used to create this media is by using Lectora. Lectora is an e-learning development tool, also known as authoring software, developed by Trivantis Corporation. By using this, teacher can create an interactive media that can be used in the classroom, on-line in web, and self-study by students. By using this media, teacher can create and collaborate among the visual, audio, audiovisual content and test in a single file. It is also used for the conversion of Microsoft PowerPoint presentations into e-learning content. Lectora also enables users to utilize an array of multi-media files to create more engaging content.

This paper mainly discusses the basic guideline on how to work with Lectora related to creating the pages consist of visual, audio, audio visual and test in a single file. From this, the teacher is able in selecting material, editing material, and publishing it into a single file opened by students’ PC or laptop with adobe flash player only.

Key words: audiovisual media, teaching English, and Lectora

A.                Introduction

Now days we enter to the 21^st century categorized by the emergence of second wave of globalization. As we know that globalization was stimulated by industrial technology and by information and communication (ICT).  The development of ICT has led teachers to take new perspective in their teaching. They are now posed to more challenging world, which requires that they be literate in ICT, and skillful in using ICT based resources and facilities in their teaching (Suherdi, 2012:2). Realizing that teachers plays greater role to bring about students related to their academic achievement, teacher needs to be creative in creating an interesting media as a source of teaching learning process. Teaching creativity to everyone is vitally important if we desire a good life for all. Creativity is typically seen as an inherited disposition. (Bartel, 2014)

Knowing how to manage ICT from an ever-widening array of resources and in proliferating formats is essential. To be fully prepared to function productively in a technology-oriented society, students must develop not only fundamental computer skills but also proficiency in using a variety of technology tools to solve problems, make informed decisions, and generate new knowledge. The development of these skills, as in other basic areas of knowledge, is the responsibility of the schools and their instructional staff. Yet many of our teachers and educators lack the necessary skills themselves to be comfortable in playing a leadership role in the integration of technology into classrooms. Many teachers get confused when they adopt or create the media, which appropriate with the teaching learning process.

Rank (2011:1) says that ICT is now widely used in the teaching and learning of English, as it is in all areas of the curriculum. However, as most English teachers would acknowledge, there is still much more to do to make effective and enjoyable use of the technology. It is the purpose of this book to provide a very diverse set of inspirations and starting points so that we can make full use of this considerable potential. According to Ranasinghe and Leisher (2009), integrating ICT into the classroom begins when a teacher prepare lessons that use ICT in meaningful and relevant ways. Technological aids should support the curriculum rather than dominate it. Ranasinghe and Leisher say that ICT should assist the teacher in creating a collaborative learning environment. Capper (2003) points out that many teachers who have access to the technology will not use it because they do not have technical knowledge and are satisfied with their current approach to teaching. He says that these teachers either find many difficulties while using technology or they do not have sufficient time to gather relevant lessons supported by technology. An effective integration of teaching aids and methodology elevates the learning environment.

Teachers needs to be familiar with the media. There are some medium used, such as visual, audio and audiovisual.  One of popular media used by the teachers is audiovisual media. There are many audiovisual adopted, adapted or created by the teacher. The teacher can get it from internet, create using power point, or buy the e-learning media from publisher.  Nowadays many software used to create audiovisual media.

Lecora is a new software applied in Indonesia. Lectora is an e-learning development tool, also known as authoring software, developed by Trivantis Corporation. By using this, teacher can create an interactive media that can be used in the classroom, on-line in web, and self-study by students. By using this media, teacher can create and collaborate among the visual, audio, audiovisual content and test in a single file. It is also used for the conversion of Microsoft PowerPoint presentations into e-learning content. Lectora also enables users to utilize an array of multi-media files to create more engaging content.

B.                Discussion

1.                  Audio Visual Media

Media actually plays an important role in teaching learning process. Through various and skillful uses of media, learning material can be more interesting and easily transferred. Arsyad (2011) emphasized that learning process can become more dynamic and will reach the required target if it is added with media, such as audiovisual, printed, projector, film, games. Yassaei (2012) added that the most popular way to create meaningful context in teaching English is by using media, which can be presented in various formats, such as, printed, audio, and visual.

Audio visual media can be gotten from TV, VCD/DVD, Youtube, or creating. According to Gilakjani (2011), the difficulties faced by EFL learners in classrooms are lack of motivation, lack of exposure to the target language, lack of emphasis on pronunciation by teachers and the influence of sounds and rules of learners’ first language on English. Most of the EFL teachers are aware that native speakers’ accent, rhythm and intonation used in the audio materials pose a difficulty to the undergraduate students. In this context it is important to have an awareness of students’ approach towards audio-visual aids and resources. An understanding of students’ views on these teaching aids gives scope for necessary modifications in the classroom teaching-learning process for effective audio- visual enrichment. Since audio-visual resources are designed and introduced to improve the language proficiency of the students, an  understanding of how these resources are effective in classroom learning environment would be beneficial while designing and integrating audio-visual resources

2.                  Teaching English using ICT

The perspectives of the technologist, social scientist, and critical analyst offer teachers food for thought about their roles in the changing world of technology. Some members of the profession have adopted the stance of the technologist, projecting and promoting great possibilities for the future while highlighting the successes of today’s on-line learning opportunities for English language learners (Chapelle, 2003:19).

In planning the lesson they are going to teach, teachers identify, review and selct ICT media that suit their teaching agenda. Now, in teaching phase, they should put the plans into practice. While in teaching stages, there are three stages most relevant to language teaching: modeling, practicing, and performing.

Suherdi (2012:98) states that while many Indonesian schools are not well-ICT equipped, it is wise to start with, what is possible to take the best advantages of ICT-based resources. English teaching cannot be alienated from ICT simply because the teachers do not want to. It is  now a must and hence it is compulsory for teachers to be familiar with ICT and for teachers colleges to incorporate ICT in their teaching learning process in order to make their students deserve to get for their better future.

3.                  Lectora Inspire

Lecora Inspire is a new software applied in Indonesia. Lectora Inspire is an e-learning development tool, also known as authoring software, developed by Trivantis Corporation. By using this, teacher can create an interactive media that can be used in the classroom, on-line in web, and self-study by students. By using this media, teacher can create and collaborate among the visual, audio, audiovisual content and test in a single file. It is also used for the conversion of Microsoft PowerPoint presentations into e-learning content. Lectora Inspire also enables users to utilize an array of multi-media files to create more engaging content.

This paper mainly discusses the basic guideline on how to work with Lectora related to creating the pages consist of visual, audio, audio visual and test in a single file. From this, the teacher is able in selecting material, editing material, and publishing it into a single file opened by students’ PC or laptop with adobe flash player only.

The first use of Lectora Inspire is to make presentation as like in Microsoft Power Point. This is done simply after we open the Lectora Inspire, we can choose the lay out New Blank Title, Design Wizard, or My Template. In this case, I suggest you to choose New Blank Title, because we can choose the layout based on our desire. Still in Title 1, you can click menu design and you can choose title theme as you like. In this section, you can also add image or sound in the title page.

Graphic 1 Designing Title Themes

After that we can change the logo and course title as we like just by clicking the logo and clicking delete button on the keyboard. Now toy can add image/logo by clicking Insert menu and then clicking image. Now you can choose the logo/image as you like. Before drag it to the position, you should click position and size menu, then click on maintain ratio to release the weight and height ratio when you want to resize the image/logo as you like. Now you can resize by editing the size in height and weight value or by dragging the image to the size you need. You can change the Course Title by clicking twice and type the title you want.

   

Graphic 2 Changing the Logo

Now decide how many pages you want to perform in your presentation. For example you need 5 pages, includes test page. Now you can click Page 1 in Title Explorer, then click menu Home, after that click Page several time as the pages you need.

          

Graphic 3 Adding Pages in Course Title

The following section, you can give connection button to relate among the pages in our presentation (make hyperlink). Click insert menu, after that click button, choose the style of button. After clicking next we can determine the number of buttons you need the align button, and the spacing between buttons. After clicking next, we can rename the button, choosing the color, and rollover button. Do this section to all button we need. After all, drag the buttons to the area we want to stick them. Now we should give action in order we can make hyperlink among the buttons. Now select one of the buttons, go to Action menu, click on Action and Target. Then, you can choose Go To and determine to what page the shortcut link it.

                    

Graphic 4 Giving Action to the Button

Now you  can fill every page with what we desire to present related to teaching learning process. We can add picture, mp3, format, text, flash format, or even movie from your file, or YouTube. In this case, click on the page 1 in Title Explorer, then, click on the Insert menu, then click on the media we want. The process is similiar to every pages we need.

After all, you can go to View menu and click on Preview to test the result. When you feel satiesfied with it, you can publish it into exe format, CD Rom, or other format. Here just go to Home, and choose publish. Enjoy, the presentation can be created sucessfully.

The second function is to make a Test or Survey. First click on test and Survey menu. After that click Test. Now go to Menu Test, choose behaviour, click Show Feedback for Each Question if you want the student get feedback every time he answer every question.if you do not want to give response as like corrent or wrong please do nor click on it.  Click on Student Must Answer Each Question when you want student to answer all question before he submit the result. Click on time test if you want to give limitation time in doing the test.

Graphic 5 Giving Feedback to the Test

Now click on the result menu in test menu. Click on Grade the test if you want to give passing grade for the test. You can determine the passing grade by editing the Lowest Passing Score. After that on Test result, click on show Test Result to show the rusult of his test wheter correct or wrong, and click on Only Show Score in Result if we just want to see the score without confirm his work whether correct or not.

Graphic 6 Giving Passing Grade and Score Result

After that click on Page 1 in the Title Explorer in the Test 1. Click on Test&Survey, then click on Add Question. Determine the model of the test. If we would like to choose the multiple choice you can choose Multiple Choice. Now click on . The other models are: True and False, Multiple response, Fill in the blank, etcetera.

Graphic 7 Deciding the model of test

Now fill the question in the form as in graphic 8 and determine the correct answer by clicking select choice to edit, and click on the correct answer. Do not forget to give Point Value for each question. Click OK.

Graphic 8 Filling the test

If you need a text to support test, put  a text above the question as like filling the text in the page. Click on Insert menu then Text Block. Fill the text Block in the page with the text. You can type as like in Microsoft Word.

Graphic 9 Example of the test with text

You can edit the last page of the test with some word to guide the student what to do after finishing doing the test as in Grapic 10. After all we can test it and publish it into exe format or other format.

Graphic 10 Example the Last Test Page

The third function is to import presentation form other format. In this time, let’s import from power point presentation. Open Lectora Inspire, click on File, then Import, the choose PowerPoint. Choose the file that you want to import. Then click on OK. Now decide the New Title Name and new Title Location to save the file. Then click on Next. Decide the title Size of the pages that you wish to import, decide the transition among the pages, and images format of the pages. And Click OK

 

Graphic 11 Process of impoting PowerPoint

C.                Conclusion and suggestion

Teachers are in demand for being professional. One of the qualities that shows teachers’ competency is their ability in ICT.  ICT enhances the development of teachers as they can make a use of it for teaching devices and as the tool for material providence. Teacher is benefited from the existence of Lecota Inspire. The software gives the opportunity for teachers to select, to modify, and even to create the media for classroom benefit. To be sure, teachers can use Lectora Inspire not only before teaching but also during the teaching-learning process as well. However, teachers have to be accustomed to using any tools provided in the Lecora Inspire. Furthermore, teachers should not have the feeling of easily satisfied of what has been mastered in Lectora since that there are still lot of facilities that are still needed more training in using it. Teachers or users of Lectora Inspire are recommended to share their knowledge and skills to their peer teachers for the better fluency of maximizing it.

References:

Arsyad, A. (2011). Media Pembelajaran. Jakarta: PT. Rajagrafindo Persada.

Bartel, M. 2014. Teaching Creatively. Retrieved from https://people.goshen.edu/~marvinpb/arted/tc.html

Capper, J. 2003. Complexities and Challenges of Integrating Technology in the Curriculum. TechKnowLogia.

Chapelle, A.C. 2003. English Language Learning and Technology. Amsterdam: John Benjamins Publishing Company

Gilakjani, A. B. (2011). A study on the situation of pronunciation instruction in ESL/EFL classrooms. Journal of Studies in Education, 1.

Ranasinghe, A. I. & Leisher, D. 2009. The Benefit of Integrating Technology into the Classroom. International Mathematical Forum, 4, (40), 1955-1961.

Suherdi, D. 2012. Toward the 21^st Century English Teacher Education: An Indonesian Perspective. Bandung: Celtics Press.

  Yassaei, S. (2012). Using Original Video and Sound Effect to Teach English. English Teaching Forum, 1, 12-16.