1. Topic
THE USE OF ADOBE FLASH PLAYER TO IMPROVE STUDENTS’ VOCABULARY ABILITY OF NARRATIVE READING COMPREHENSION FOR SEVENTH GRADE STUDENTS
2. Introduction
In Indonesia, English is the foreign language to learn at Elementary School, Junior High School, Senior High School, Universities and most of the Kindergarten. The goal of English teaching is developing ability of communication in language, both spoken and written. The ability to communicate includes listening, speaking, reading and writing. An English teacher must be creative to improve, adapt, and adopt or create something new about teaching technique/method applied while teaching the students. Each teacher definitely uses some certain teaching methods or techniques for their guidance, but each the teaching method/technique also has strength and weaknesses.
Based on general fact found on the field, there are many Indonesian English teachers that still use the old method for all of parts of language teaching and learning which is inappropriate to use nowadays. It has happened since long time ago and whether there are many new teaching methods techniques that have been found nowadays, it doesn’t change the fact that Indonesian teachers seem like to use those old method. Moreover sometimes teachers will face many problems in the middle of their teaching process and it could come from many factors. Today the technology has been improved and developed in our life; people use the technology to support their activities. Almost of humans life has been supported by technology and it happens in education filed too, in this case especially for English language teaching. Sebastian Brooke (2003;http://iteslj.org/techniques/Brooke-Movie.html) in Internet TESL Journal also stated that; “The English language teaching profession is one that consistent seizes upon and adapts new technologies to classroom use.
Today, most classrooms have monitors and movie players available for teachers to make use of in their lesson planning and students’ feedback regarding the use of movie clips and films in the language class is very positive. Teaching reading is one of the duties that has to be conducted by teachers of English to improve the students’ reading ability in English. In Curriculum 2013, there are some competence standards and basic competences which have to be reach by students in learning English. In the seventh grade of junior high school, for reading skill, the students have to understand the meaning and the moral value that is attached in reading comprehension especially in narrative text.
Reading is one of English four skills. Reading is not passive process, which reader takes something out of the text without any effort or recognizes what is on the pages and then interpret it, a process in which understands the meaning and can find the important message of the text. The aim of teaching reading is to help students to find the information they want quickly besides to show the students that understanding just a few words is often sufficient to get the message. So, the teacher have use appropriate strategy, technique and tools in Teaching Reading that is used by a teacher may be influence the students’ result in Reading learning.
Teaching English is taught for more than twelve years, for six years at Elementary School, the first class of SMP (Junior High School) up to the third class of SMA (Senior High School) and even at the University for some semesters. Although teaching English is taught so many years, it does not mean that the result of teaching is satisfactory, especially in reading. The fact that many students especially in Junior High School sometimes are unable to get complete understanding of the text in teaching reading. This might be caused that the students feel bored when the model of text in a paper were given to them. It is may not interesting for them. So, the teaching reading can’t be effective and many of those students do not know the essential information needed to understand a word, including how a word combines with other words.
Based on the condition above, the English teacher may be able to use the appropriate method, technique or tools to solve the problem in teaching reading. Flash is just another tool that can help engage pupils, just like story telling or using music in the teacher’s lessons can help to engage them. According to Wikipedia, “Adobe Flash, formerly known as Macromedia Flash is a multimedia platform used to add animation, video, and interactivity to web pages. Flash is frequently used for advertisements, games and flash animations for broadcast. More recently, it has been positioned as a tool for “Rich Internet Applications (RIAs)”. Adobe Flash is maybe useful, more effective, interactive and interesting in teaching reading in some level of education especially in Junior High School. By using this program English teacher could develop quiz, games, interactive story in teaching reading. So, it can increase the students’ interest and maybe improve the students’ ability in comprehension of the text. These are the reasons why the writer tries to apply Adobe Flash in teaching reading of the Junior High School. The writer hopes by using this program, the students can more interested in reading learning and improve their vocabulary ability in reading comprehension of the text.
3. Objective
The objective of the study is to show whether there is significant difference between vocabulary ability of reading comprehension for seventh grade of Junior High School before and after taught by using Adobe Flash Player.
4. Review of Related Literature
4.1 The Definition of Adobe Flash Player
Adobe Flash Player, formerly known as Macromedia Flash, is a software program used to create and manipulate graphics and animation. It is one of the most common programs used for creating animated web pages, video players, and audio streaming applications. Flash files are traditionally in the SWF format, or Shock Wave Flash, though many other types of files can be viewed or manipulated with this software. The latest version of Adobe Flash Professional CS5.5, (by Hartoyo 2012).
According to Wikipedia, “ Flash manipulates vector and raster graphics to provide animation of text, drawings, and still images. It supports bidirectional streaming of audio and video, and it can capture user input via mouse, keyboard, microphone, and camera. Flash contains an object-oriented language called Action Script and supports automation via the Java Script Flash Language (JSFL). Flash content may be displayed on various computer systems and devices, using Adobe Flash Player, which is available free of charge for common web browsers, some mobile phones, and a few other electronic devices.
Adobe Flash Player is the standard for delivering high-impact, rich web content. Designs, animation, and application users interfaces are deployed immediately across all browsers and platforms, attracting and engaging users with a rich web experience by (www.adode.com).
So, in my opinion Adobe Flash Player is one of software program that consists more than one media, such as manipulate graphics, animation, video players and audio streaming application. By using this program, not only seeing and reading but also listening.
4.2 The History of Adobe Flash Player
Flash originated with the application SmartSketch, developed by Jonathan Gay. It was published by FutureWave Software, which was founded by Charlie Jackson, Jonathan Gay and Michelle Welsh. SmartSketch was a drawing application for pen computers running the PenPoint OS. When PenPoint failed in the marketplace, SmartSketch was ported to Microsoft Windows and Mac OS. As the Internet became more popular, FutureWave added cell animation editing to the vector drawing capabilities of SmartSketch and released FutureSplash Animator on multiple platforms. FutureWave approached Adobe Systems with an offer to sell them Future Splash in 1995, but Adobe turned them down at that time. Future Splash was used by Microsoft in its early work with the Internet (MSN), and also by Disney Online for their subscription-based service, Disney’s Daily Blast. In 1996, Future Splash was acquired by Macromedia and released as Flash, contracting “Future” and “Splash”. Flash is currently developed and distributed by Adobe Systems, as the result of their 2005 purchase of Macromedia (http://www.slideshare.net/…/adobe-flash-history-and…)
Flash as a software has developed significantly since two years ago. Not only has it been upgrated twice, Macromedia was also bought by Adobe. Flash player is now installed on all new machines and most websites use Flash in various forms, from forms and advertising to games and educational resources by (Johannes Ahrenfelt 2008).
According to Johannes Ahrenfelt (2006), “In the past Flash was often used in the development of e-learning by Flash experts well-established in the world of hard coding. The learning curve has always been steep and the use of Flash by the average person has been rare. But this has changed recently as the development of e-Learning in Flash has been made a little easier, more insightful and most importantly, more accessible to teachers. For example templates and components such as learning interactions”.
4.3 The Definition of Reading
Reading is one important way to improve your general language skills in English as stated by Mikulecky (1996:1), such as reading helps you learn to think in English, reading can enlarge your English vocabulary, help you to improve your writing, reading is a good way to find out about new ideas, facts, and experiences.
William Grabe (2002:9) explains that reading is the ability to draw meaning from the printed page and interpret this information appropriately.
So, the writer concludes that reading is fundamentally a linguistic process to get information or message from the printed page.
4.4 The Definition of Teaching Reading Comprehension
Teaching reading comprehension is conveying or guiding the students to get some important message or to get meaning from reading text as stated by Wardaugh in Croft (1980:355). Based on the Dinas Pendidikan dan Kebudayaan Jawa Tengah (2002:1), the aim of teaching reading is to develop the students’ reading skills so they can read English texts effectively and efficiently. Based on those explanations above, teaching reading have to teach in all level of students especially at this study in seventh grade of Junior High School.
4.5 The Use of Adobe Flash Player to Improve Students’ Vocabulary Abilityof Narrative Reading Comprehension
Nowadays, teaching reading by using paper-based learning makes students feel bored in the process of learning. So, it can affect their results in reading skill. We need to teach all children using a range of teaching styles depending on what skill you would like your class to develop. At the same time, we also need to consider what methods or tools we can use to engage the class.
According to Johannes Ahrenfelt (2006), “Flash is just another tool that can help engage pupils, just like story telling or using music in your lessons can help to engage them”. While, SEOs (Search Engine Journal) adds that work with Flash, the boundaries of text-based code have been broken and commercial websites are likely to become much more interesting.
Therefore, Adobe Flash Player (Multimedia Flash) can assist the English teachers of the Junior High School in teaching reading comprehension and make the students excited to learn and master well in comprehension of reading. Besides they can see the model of text, the students can also see about interactive story, pictures, play the game and answer the quiz that related to the topic of reading. By Adobe Flash Player, students also can enrich their vocabularies ability by games, quiz, and the video of story telling. It can make Junior High School’ students excited and interested in reading learning and they are more easy to understand , remember about the content of the text. Besides that, they Are more easy to tell the story by using their own words and more enthusiastic to do some questions or quiz.
5. Analysis
Flash is a good technology to use if you want to make a big graphical impression. Concrete evidence still points to the fact that most web users utilize the web to find information. The following aspects are what are most important to them:
– Quality of content
– Speed
– Ease of navigation
– Usability
There are some Weaknesses and Strengths of Adobe Flash by Flash Web Design (www.suestudio.com).
The Weaknesses of Adobe Flash Player:
- Download time and bandwidth
Sites designed with Flash take a long time to download and consume vast amounts of bandwidth. Not all users have a high speed connection. Flash forces users with dial-up connections to spend long lengths of time waiting for the site to load.
2. Usability constraints
In Flash sites designed with an older version of Flash
3. Internationalization is complicated
Local websites must enlist a Flash professional to translate content.
4. Search Engine Constraints
Search engines use text within a site to help index and rank a site. Typical search engines (or spiders) cannot index content within Flash movies. Only some large search engines (e.g. Google) have some Flash indexing capabilities but they are still very limited. You will definitely have a hard time achieving high rankings with a Flash site. If you can afford the time and expense, one solution to this problem is to have a second search-engine friendly HTML version of your site as well.
5. Plug-In required
Flash movies still require a separate plug-in installation in order to run in most browsers. Many companies do not allow their employees to install applications on their computers. This will deny Flash site owners access to a portion of their potential customers.
6. Distraction
Distracts attention from the content of your site – this is debatable. Some say it enhances the content. It can delay the users’ ability to get what they came for – information.
7. Hard to update information
Can not easily update with new information – if your site will need to be constantly updated with new and current information, you will not be able to do it yourself. You will need the actual Flash document to make changes. Flash content tends to be created once and then left alone.
8. Print Problems
If your site is based around delivering text-based information to the viewer, then don’t distract or delay them from getting what they want with unnecessary animations. Printing and selecting text in Flash movies is often not as simple (or familiar) to users as that on HTML sites.
The Strengths of Adobe Flash Player:
- Presentations
When you need to show a presentation, for example a demo of your product, Flash would be an excellent technology to use.
2. Games
Flash Technology can be used to develop interactive games.
3. Enhance User’s Experience
Flash can enhance the user experience. By using subtle animation and audio you could well leave the user wanting more – wanting to make contact with you, or buy your product or service. The key is to use it intelligently, not to overload the browser with bulky graphics and color.
4. Freedom
Flash provides a degree of freedom of development that’s not found elsewhere. In Flash, you simply place the object where you want it on your canvas and move on.
5. Browser Compatibility
With Flash, you no longer need to worry about which browsers your page will render correctly in and which will choke on it. Your page renders the same way – correctly — in all browsers.
6. Greater Interactivity
Flash allows you to incorporate sound into your pages (speech, background music) using mp3 and way files. You can also directly import digital video into Flash. There are other tools, such as Windows Media Player, Real-Player, and QuickTime that can incorporate sound. However, the Flash player plug-in penetration is now at around 97%. Compared to Windows Media Player plug-in at 59%, Real-Player plug-in at 56% and QuickTime player plug-in at 41%.
7. Greater Control
Flash gives the designer the ability to adjust the entire display size based on the browser size and, in doing so, keep your images and text clean and unpixelated. This will increase in importance when people begin to frequently surf the Web from sources other than desktop computers.
8. Easier Font Handling
With Flash you have the ability to embed any font you wish and have it display in the client browser regardless of whether they have the font installed on their machine. You no longer have to convert fonts to images in order to maintain the font for display on varying user systems.
9. Stand-Alone Movies
Flash allows you to play movies as stand-alone presentations called projectors. Projectors are Flash movies that come complete with an embedded player — you don’t even need a Web browser to play these Flash movies. You can burn Flash projectors to CD-ROMs or DVDs.
6. Conclusion
Based on this study, we know that Adobe Flash Player, formerly known as Macromedia Flash can be used to develop websites that have a level of visual impact from the graphical point of view. It can be used in other applications as well, such as presentations. Adobe Flash Player can assist the English teacher to create interactive teaching reading in the class especially in Junior High School by adding animation, interactive story, games and quiz. It is also stated by Hartoyo (2012), “By using this program English teacher could develop quiz, games, interactive story, or other things usually called Computer Assisted Language Learning (CALL)”. Adobe Flash can enhance pedagogy by targeting the way pupils want to learn and are used to learning. So, it may be can be useful and assist the English teacher in making interactive and effective studying, especially in teaching and learning reading and the students may be more excited, interested, enthusiastic and interactive in the process of learning. Besides that, they are more easy to comprehend and remember about the content of the text, they also are more easy to tell the story by using their own words. Besides they can see and learn about the model of text, they can see about the video of interactive the Junior High School makes the interactive story by using Adobe Flash Player in their teaching reading in order to the students do not feel bored in teaching learning, so they can enrich their vocabulary. But, before creating it, the English teachers may have learn more about Adobe FlashPlayer well.
7. Bibliography
Ahrenfelt, Johannes. (2006-2008). Using Macromedia Flash in the classroom: is it just ‘flash’ or can it be useful?. Retreived on August 2nd2014, from: educationforum.ipbhost.com/index.php?showtopic=7240.
Depdiknas. (2007). Kurikulum KTSP Bahasa Inggris. Jakarta: Depdiknas.
Dinas Pendidikan dan Kebudayaan. (2002). Materi Pelatihan Tingkatan Kemampuan Guru bidang Study Ebtanas (Bahasa Inggris). Jawa Tengah.
Grabe, William and Fredricka L.Stoller. (2002). Teaching and Researching Reading. London: Pearson Education.
Hartoyo. (2012). Information and Communication Technology (ICT) in Language Learning. Semarang: Pelita Insani.
Islam, Rafiqul. (2010). Adobe Flash History and Basics–Presentation Transcript. Tasawr Interactive. Retreived on August 2nd 2014, from: www.slideshare.net/teksymmetryan/adobe-flash-history-and-basics.
Miculecky, Beatrice.S and Linda Jeffries. (1996). More Reading Power. USA: Addison – Wesley Publishing Company.
Sue Studios Holistic Web Design. (2003-2009). Flash Web design: Strengths and Weaknesses. Retreived on August 2nd 2014, from: www.suestudios.com/articles/article18.htm.
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