Introduction.

“literally agreement, harmony, hence derivatively a citation of parallel passages, and specifically an alphabetic arrangement of the words contained in a book with citations of the passages in which they occur.” – Encyclopedia Britannica, 11 ed.

A concordance’s function is basically to bring together, in other words, to ‘concord’ passages of text which show the use of a word. It is a type of index arrangement, working in a similar way to the verbal index found at the back of textbooks, in other words, it searches for instances of a word or phrase and comes up with each case of it. Whereas an index in the back of a book will show words in alphabetical order but only refer to them, the concordance will show each instance of each word together in the context from which it came.

Did you know?
Hugo de Saint Charo (d.1262), who employed 500 monks to assist him, compiled the first concordance, to the Vulgate Bible. In 1448, Rabbi Mordecai Nathan completed a concordance to the Hebrew Bible. It took him ten years. Conrad Kircher did a couple of years later 1599 saw a concordance to the Greek New Testament published by Henry Stephens and the Septuagint in 1602. Mr Marbeck published the first concordance to the English bible in 1550, according to Cruden it did not employ the verse numbers devised by Robert Stephens in 1545 but “the pretty large concordance” of Mr Cotton did. Then followed the notorious Cruden’s Concordance and Strong’s Concordance.

Concordances are frequently used as a tool in linguistics that can be used for the study of a text, such as:

• comparing different usages of the same word
• analysing keywords
• analysing word frequencies
• finding and analysing phrases and idioms
• finding translations of subsentential elements, e.g. terminology, in bitexts and translation memories
• creating indexes and word lists (also useful for publishing)
  

http://www.iatefl.org.pl/call/j_soft23.htm

http://www.melta.org.my/ET/1999/main6.html

For the Teacher

As a linguistic informant

One important application is to use the concordance as a resource tool to inform teacher appreciation of linguistic usage. A study of the syntactic patterns of the concordance lines would indicate how many connectors are typically not used in sentence or clause but commonly occur following the subject. Take example, suppose this time a teaching wanted to refresh his/her memory on the use of For and since. Concordances of the two words would quickly reveal that for typically followed by a period (for three years, etc.) while since is followed by a point in time (since 1987, etc.)

As a source of input for teaching.

In using the concordance as a source of input for teaching, as opposed to simply as an informant on usage, teachers can generate authentic instances of usage to present to students when teaching a particular language point. Thus, for example, when teaching the contrasting uses of the present progressive and the present perfect tenses, instead of teachers trusting to their intuitions and making up examples to illustrate contrasting uses, these can be derived from a concordance. Similarly, in presenting new vocabulary, concordance can provide examples of authentic contextualized language. For example, if a student is having difficulty with distinctions of meaning involving the modals can and could, then the teacher can call up instances of usage of these two modal forms and by means of the examples conduct an analysis of the differences.

 As Input for Materials Development

One potential problem with using concordance directly as described above is that not all of the examples might be appropriate for teaching purposes. This is where an advantage to be had in preparing concordance-based teaching materials in advance. For examples, inappropriate examples can be deleted or all of the examples illustrating one particular usage of a word can be grouped together. This sort of editing can be easily be done by converting the concordance file into a word processing format.

For the Learner.

Error Analysis.

A guided use of the concordance by the learner is in error analysis and correction. In this activity, the teacher indicates errors in student writing which can be investigated and corrected with the help of the concordance. This is a good activity to begin concordancing with, as it gives learners specific language items to investigate, but at the same time allows them to work out how their use of language differs from that of the concordanced material.

 Serendipity Learning.

The easiest, most obvious and most autonomous learner application of concordancing is to allow learners to use the concordance as and when they wish for whatever purposes they wish, This type of usage has been referred to as ‘‘serendipity learning’’ (Johns, 1988). Learner decides to look at some examples of the present progressive. This newly acquired awareness perhaps leads the learner to look up these other uses in a grammar book or to ask the teacher about them. Example of serendipity learning, here a student starts by browsing down word frequency list, which most concordancers provide this be rather like browsing the pages of dictionary. The student notices that the word experience, which had been learned as a non-count noun and occurs in the plural as well as in the singular form.

Inductive learning.

One issue in the use of concordance-based materials, that of the application of inductive or deductive reasoning. Concordance material can be used in both ways. If teacher explains that he/she teaching the contrast between the present continuous and the present perfect tense, explains the difference in meaning, and presents concordances to illustrate both, this is a deductive.

 “Beyond Concordance Lines: Using Concordances to Investigate Language Development” from our OTL book by Arshad Abdul Samad from University Putra Malaysia.

 Using Concordances to Investigate Language Development” by Arshad Abd Samad. “The language corpus offers a useful resource in language pedagogy.” According to (Woolard, 2000), concordance was used as the basis of dictionaries and teaching materials and now it has been improved by the use of concordance software The article is about the language development based on data in

The Objective of the quiz: This UJI ICT is a test to evaluate our knowledge on ICT and also our level of ICT knowledge through the assessments or quizzes.

Feedback:There are three levels of UJI ICT provided in this test. First level is ‘peringkat asas’(basic level), second is ‘pertengahan’(middle level) and ‘lanjutan, (further level).Each of those levels is included with 30 objective questions and the time given to us to finish each quiz is 30 minutes. All the students are requested to take ‘peringkat asas’, the basic level test and then we can continue to next level if we wish.The test are conduct in a very comfortable way because they fast and no dely. My result on this test is 20/30(as stated below).The other ability is immediate feedback (marks) and marking scheme to check our level of ICT

This is Online Quiz Result Summary

Feeling: While taking this test, I was having some language problem because the test is conduct on Malay language and I don’t have ICT basic on Malay. Most of the ICT subjects that I took are in English language and I used to exposed ICT terms in English. Some of the terms are very uncommon and I find hard to guess the meaning of them. This is the reason I am not really satisfied with my marks on this test. However I enjoy taking this test because it is such a good test to know my level of ICT and I can recognize my ability on ICT.

Security Features: The security features of this test are good, because the questions are private and only the candidates know their questions

   First of all I would like to Thank both my lectures Mdm. Zaini and Datin Norizan to introduced Blog to us through this entire course. HAPPY!… I learned how to blogging.

            Eventhough is a part of assignment for this specific course, what I can say is, I learn more than just to completed this task First of all blogging improved my writing skills on English. To improve our English, first of all we have read and write and of course speak the language as well. Through my posting in Blog I improved my writing skills and this helping me in Written Communication course. Whenever we are asked to completed a posting we searching for information related with the task, take the useful information and write our text for posting. These help me to improve my essay writing because I learned a lot about sentence structure and spelling.

            Furthermore Blogging gave me usefull learning experiences. I learned how to open a blog for myself, decorate my own blog, posting the post. It is such a useful activity where I am able to prepare myself to become a good user of ICT world.

            Before completing the blogging activities we need to make sure that our text are related with the requirement (for assignments) or the appropriate vision (personal blog). This is to make sure that your posting is not out of topic that criteria that required.

            Along the journey of blogging, I faced problem on decorating my blog because this is my first blong on my life. However I overcame this with my friend’s helps and my own research to decorate blog. Normally my friends and I will exchange our ideas and comments of our blog.

            Im going to complete this SKBP course but my experience and the knowledge that I learned through this course will never come to end, Thanx to my lectures again! I would like to continue using Blog to write about interesting things about  my Program and our University.

Thank you.

            For our Third Posting I was given some challenging task to complete, however I managed to publish this posting. In this posting, we have to collect information from online database according to the topic that u chose from 5 main topics that given by our lecturers. We are requested to collect information from online which hosted at the Tun Sri Lanang Library.

What is online database? Online database is a well structured collection of records or data (collection of organized information which included wide information in various form such as articles and journals). Cyber Café at Tun Sri Lanang Library provides us facilities on online database.

    The topic that I chose for my third posting is The Impact of Using ICT in Education. I gone through few articles related with this topic on Online Database under SCOPUS (http://www.scopus.com/scopus/search/form.us/) and OxfordJournal (http://www.oxfordjournals.org)

Below are the articles that I came across related which Impact of Using ICT in Education

First Article: Promoting Creative Thinking through the Use of ICT by Wheeler.S, Waite.S, Bromfield.C (taken from SCOPUS)

    This article tells us that the use of the web based technologies such as internet in promoting learning giving good result for schools. Using ICT in education can result social interaction, group work, student achievement in curriculum or academic level.

Second Article: The effective combination of hybrid usability methods in evaluating   educational applications of ICT, Issues and challenges by Tselios.N, Avouris.N, Komis. V.

This article discussed about evaluation of information and communication technologies (ICTE Application) in education. Various clases  of  ICTE application based on different theoretical perspectives can evaluating education.

Third artical: How Do You Keep Up-To-Date (publish by Oxford Press)                                          

This article discuss that ICT helped to get up-to-minute news through Internet. Education is one of the aspect discussed and how does ICT up to date education in various ways.Also there are about explaination bout advantages of blogs, journals and search engines for education’s purpose.

     According to the articles, ICT are giving good impact for the Education widely. ICT promoting creative thinking, sicial interactions, good achievement for student in thier studies ang giving up-to-date information or knowledge.Information and Communications Technology is a wide  subject of studies and giving advantages for education.

Thank you

One of the most familiar computer assisted writing activity is oneline writing learning. Those who wanted to improve their writing skills can do it through oneline. There are various type of oneline teaching writing such as formal writting, creative writing, writing for education and others.There are many webside provide oneline computer assisted writing. Beside there are many software created to different wrriting purpose.

http://www.whitesmoke.com/landing_flash/grammar.html

 This is an example of writing skills software for various purpose, such as Grammar checkover, general writing, Legal writing, creative writing,medical writing, education writing and other related with computer assisted writing.

For those who would like to improve their writing skill can view and purchase this software for studies, home, business, medical and other purposes.

http://writing.colostate.edu/learn.cfm

            This is an example of URL address that host computer assisted writing activities via online. There are so many writing resources such as writing guide, writing advice, writing link, writing activities and others. This website host by Colorado State University .Those who would like to improve their writing skills, this website can definitely help them.

Thank you

http://esl.about.com/od/beginningreadingskills/a/d_cc.htm

and the second is a text online entitles Doctor Knowall from: 

http://esl.about.com/od/intermediatereading/a/rc_grimm2.htm

An Example of Reading Comprehension:

Dialogue: The City and the Country
From Kenneth Beare,
Your Guide to English as 2nd Language.
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The City and the Country
David: How do you like living in the big city?
Maria: There are many things that are better than living in the country!
David: Can you give me some examples?
Maria: Well, it certainly is more interesting than the country. There is so much more to do and see!
David: Yes, but the city is more dangerous than the country.
Maria: That’s true. People in the city aren’t as open and friendly as those in the countryside.
David: I’m sure that the country is more relaxed, too!
Maria: Yes, the city is busier than the country. However, the country is much slower than the city.
David: I think that’s a good thing!
Maria: Oh, I don’t. The country is so slow and boring! It’s much more boring than the city.
David: How about the cost of living? Is the country cheaper than the city?
Maria: Oh, yes. .
David: Life in the country is also much healthier than in the city.
Maria: Yes, it’s cleaner and less dangerous in the country. But, the city is so much more exciting. It’s faster, crazier and more fun than the country.
David: I think YOU are crazy for moving to the city.
Maria: Well, I’m young now. Maybe when I’m married and have children I’ll move back to the country.
Check your understanding with this multiple choice comprehension quiz.
More Dialogue Practice – Includes level and target structures / language functions for each dialogue

THE TEXT ONLINE
DOCTOR KNOWALL
by Brothers Grimm
from Grimm’s Fairy Tales

There was once upon a time a poor peasant called Crabb, who drove with two oxen a load of wood to the town, and sold it to a doctor for two talers. When the money was being counted out to him, it so happened that the doctor was sitting at table, and when the peasant saw how well he ate and drank, his heart desired what he saw, and would willingly have been a doctor too. So he remained standing a while, and at length inquired if he too could not be a doctor. ‘Oh, yes,’ said the doctor, ‘that is soon managed.’ ‘What must I do?’ asked the peasant.
‘In the first place buy yourself an A B C book of the kind which has a cock on the frontispiece; in the second, turn your cart and your two oxen into money, and get yourself some clothes, and whatsoever else pertains to medicine; thirdly, have a sign painted for yourself with the words: “I am Doctor Knowall,” and have that nailed up above your house-door.’ The peasant did everything that he had been told to do. When he had doctored people awhile, but not long, a rich and great lord had some money stolen. Then he was told about Doctor Knowall who lived in such and such a village, and must know what had become of the money. So the lord had the horses harnessed to his carriage, drove out to the village, and asked Crabb if he were Doctor Knowall. Yes, he was, he said. Then he was to go with him and bring back the stolen money. ‘Oh, yes, but Grete, my wife, must go too.’ The lord was willing, and let both of them have a seat in the carriage, and they all drove away together. When they came to the nobleman’s castle, the table was spread, and Crabb was told to sit down and eat. ‘Yes, but my wife, Grete, too,’ said he, and he seated himself with her at the table. And when the first servant came with a dish of delicate fare, the peasant nudged his wife, and said: ‘Grete, that was the first,’ meaning that was the servant who brought the first dish. The servant, however, thought he intended by that to say: ‘That is the first thief,’ and as he actually was so, he was terrified, and said to his comrade outside: ‘The doctor knows all: we shall fare ill, he said I was the first.’ The second did not want to go in at all, but was forced. So when he went in with his dish, the peasant nudged his wife, and said: ‘Grete, that is the second.’ This servant was equally alarmed, and he got out as fast as he could. The third fared no better, for the peasant again said: ‘Grete, that is the third.’ The fourth had to carry in a dish that was covered, and the lord told the doctor that he was to show his skill, and guess what was beneath the cover. Actually, there were crabs. The doctor looked at the dish, had no idea what to say, and cried: ‘Ah, poor Crabb.’ When the lord heard that, he cried: ‘There! he knows it; he must also know who has the money!’
On this the servants looked terribly uneasy, and made a sign to the doctor that they wished him to step outside for a moment. When therefore he went out, all four of them confessed to him that they had stolen the money, and said that they would willingly restore it and give him a heavy sum into the bargain, if he would not denounce them, for if he did they would be hanged. They led him to the spot where the money was concealed. With this the doctor was satisfied, and returned to the hall, sat down to the table, and said: ‘My lord, now will I search in my book where the gold is hidden.’ The fifth servant, however, crept into the stove to hear if the doctor knew still more. But the doctor sat still and opened his A B C book, turned the pages backwards and forwards, and looked for the cock. As he could not find it immediately he said: ‘I know you are there, so you had better come out!’ Then the fellow in the stove thought that the doctor meant him, and full of terror, sprang out, crying: ‘That man knows everything!’ Then Doctor Knowall showed the lord where the money was, but did not say who had stolen it, and received from both sides much money in reward, and became a renowned man.
Vocabulary
peasant – farmer, worker, any non-royal who works the land
oxen – strong animals similar to cows that were used to pull carts
talers – old form of German money
to desire – to want
willingly – to do because you want to do
to inquire – to ask about
to manage – to be possible
cock on the frontispiece – picture of a male chicken (rooster) on the cover of the book
cart – wagon used to carry things and people
whatsoever – anything at all
to pertain – to be related to, to do with something
harnessed to his carriage – attached to his carriage
nobleman – royalty (i.e. king, queen, knight, duke, etc.)
fare – (first sense) food item
fare – (second sense) to do (How did you do = How did you fare?)
to nudge – to push lightly in order to indicate something
therefore – for that reason
a heavy sum – a large amount of money
to denounce – to name a person who did something
to hang a person – to kill someone using a rope put around the neck
to conceal – to hide
to creep – to move slowly and carefully
to spring out – to jump out
renowned – famous
Check your understanding with this comprehension quiz
More Grimm Brothers Fairy Tales Reading

Comprehensions
The Old Man and the Grandson
Doctor Knowall
Clever Gretel
Old Sultan
The Queen Bee

THE EXPLAINATION OF THE TEXT

The type of this text online is, reading for pleasure. It is a fairy tale reading comprehension that giving the readers an imagery of fantasy word while they go through the story. ‘Doctor Knowall’ is an uncommon fairy tale in Asia countries compared with what we have now, such as Cinderella, Snow White, Beauty and Beast and others. Those who prefer this type of story will enjoy the story and also the abstract message that author trying to tell the readers.
This reading comprehension is suitable for students and also for adults because it not only a reading text but also included some activities that let the readers work on it.
First of all, one of the advantages of this reading comprehension is, it included with difficult vocabulary (in bold) defined at the end. This help the readers improve their vocabulary and spelling skills in English. This helps readers not to look on dictionary again and again to find the meanings of some difficult words that used in this text. Besides, the readers could learn new English words that they never came across before.
Another advantage of this reading comprehension is, it included with quizzes to check your understanding of the story. The readers can work on it once they finish read the text and the can exam their understanding of the story as well.
Finally, for those who interested in fairy tales, there are few more stories included in this reading comprehension. The stories are written by the same author of ‘Dr.Knowall’.

Hope everyone will enjoy this reading comprehension.thank you

Hello Dear,

Im Mariya here…, the purpose i opened this blog is because it is part of my assignments on SKPB 1023 ICT and Language and also to improve my English language. Besides, i would like to decorate my blog as creative as I can in various way related with this course.

First of all, I would like to thank my lecturer,Pn Zaini whom helped us to successfully opened this blog. The most important thing that I learned through this blogging is the value of blog compare with other sources like e-mail, homepage, friendster and other similar with them.

My final wishes are i would like to impress my lecturer through this blog and also to get more benefit through blonging.

 Thank You.