Integrating internet/WWW: Using and creating materials on-line

2nd Conference on Teaching of Japanese Language and Culture
University of Alberta, Edmonton, Canada
July 9, 2000

Keiko Schneider, Saboten Web Design
kschnei@sabotenweb.com

Summary

Internet and World Wide Web seems to be changing our ways of communicating and obtaining information. For Japanese teachers teaching overseas, it is full of exciting, up-to-date Japan. However we also should know that our pedagogical goals in our curriculum takes more weight than bells and whistles of using this new technology.

This presentation will explain how we can integrate Internet/WWW into our curriculum without time-consuming development on teacher's part. It will involve discussion of e-mail listserv for both professional development and class use; exploration of materials available on WWW; creation of a short on-line exercise

1. Listserv

1-1 About Listserv

Most Japanese teachers use e-mail as a communication tool. Listserv serves a group of people with similar interest. If you become a member, you will be reading series of e-mail messages posted by other members. When you post a message, it will go to a central computer from where your message is distributed automatically to all members. There are quite a few listservs that might be interest to participants of this conference. Examples of listserv that serve as professional development and networking purposes are introduced.

Nikoniko Net
http://web.mit.edu/jpnet/nikoniko/index.html

Japanese Teachers and Instructional Technology
Write to LISTSERV@LISTS.PSU.EDU
and, in the text of your message (not the subject line), write:
SUBSCRIBE JTIT-L

Japan Teach
To subscribe to Japan Teach, send a message to jpnteach@ssd1.cas.pacificu.edu
and put "subscribe" (WITHOUT the quotes!) in the SUBJECT field.

Japan Teach-J
To subscribe to Japan Teach-J, send a message to jpnteach-j@ssd1.cas.pacificu.edu
and put "subscribe" (WITHOUT the quotes!) in the SUBJECT field.

Nihongo
To subscribe, send a message to Listserv@utkvm1.utk.edu
with no subject and the line: SUB Nihongo <your real name>

Yamada Language Center at University of Oregon has a list of listserv that might be of your interest
http://babel.uoregon.edu/yamada/lists/japanese.html

If you are brave, try FLTEACH, Foreign Language Teaching Forum (about 100 messages a day)
Send a message to: LISTSERV@listserv.acsu.buffalo.edu
In the message put only the following: SUBSCRIBE FLTEACH firstname lastname
Example: SUBSCRIBE FLTEACH Snow White

LOTE-internet from Queensland University of Technology, Australia
http://rite.ed.qut.edu.au/cgi/lyris.pl?enter=lote-internet&text_mode=0

1-2 Invitation to senseiOnline

The list hopes to serve as an online community of those who are concerened with Japanese language/culture education. It will help networking, sharing ideas and supporting each other. Possible topics would be software and hardware issues, showing and using Web pages as a material, using listserv as a class mana gement tool, using chat sessions, e-mail penpal projects, making Web page as projects and syllabus, creating Web-based materials, on-line assessments, delivering class partially or totally on-line, related announcements, "Somebody, help!" and non-computer related issues that concern the members are welcome.

Current members include teachers of Japanese (Elementary, Immersion, Middle/High School, Community College, University/College, Other Education Institutions), English teachers in Japan, CALL specialists, Language Lab Technicians, Engineers, Web Designers, Graduate Students and eager learners of Japanese. Geographic locations are US, Canada, Japan, Australia, UK, Europe, Russia, West Indies, Mexico, Southeast Asia, Central Asia and the list is expanding. Those who have non-educational domain will be asked to verify the interest/involvement in Japanese education, but it is soley for the purpose of eliminating the chance of spam activity. People without educational institution shouldn't be discouraged in joining the list.

Also we have a monthly online forum called Benkyoukai. We invite list members to contribute a short paper and have an online, moderated chat session through World Without Borders. ( http://www.worldwithoutborders.com)

Previous topics have been:
-"Cultural Liberation: East-West Biculturalism for a New Century" by Steve McCarty, Kagawa Junior College, Japan
- "Making CALL Count (Improving CALL and On-line Activities)" by Greg Dablestein, Brisbane Grammar School, Australia
- "Enhancing language learning through electronic reading" by John Fahey of University, Texas at El Paso

Links to previous sessions' chat transcripts are found at http://www.sabotenweb.com/bookmarks/about/senseiOnline.html

Future events are:
July 27 (tentative, but almost sure): "Teaching Anime (TBA)", Yasuhiro Omoto, University of Michigan
August 24 (tentative): "Synchronus vs Asynchronus on the Web (TBA)", Cys Bronner, World Without Borders
Septemeber 21 (tentative): " Web-based Online Assessment (TBA)" Carly Born and Joanna Hollis, Monterey Institute of International Studies

More info can be found at http://www.sabotenweb.com/bookmarks/about/senseiOnline.html or contact Keiko Schneider at kschnei@sabotenweb.com

1-3 Starting a Listserv Using a Free Service: eGroups.com

It used to be a cumbersome procedure talking to a server if you wanted to set up a listserv. Now free online services such as eGroups.com is making it easy to set up and manage a listserv in the Web interface.

1. Go to http://www.eGroups.com/ or http://www.eGroups.co.jp
2. Click on Start a group now
3. Type of group: Moderated (moderator has to approve the message), Unmoderated (Messages will go through automatically), Announcement (Only the owner can post): senseiOnline is unmoderated, FLTEACH and Japan Teach are moderated.
4. eGroups directory: senseiOnline is NOT listed.
5. Membership: Open or restricted senseiOnline is restricted. Also ask for a confirmation if the email address looks non-educational.
6. Search for a category: World, Japanese, Language, Japanese,
7. Put group info and you are ready to go!

1-4 Classroom Application

If you want your students to find key pals.
Japan Penfriend
http://www.japan-guide.com/penfriend/index_e.mv
Pen Pal Box
http://www.ks-connection.org/penpal/penpal.html
Japan Pen Pal Association (Regular mail only)
http://www.gakubun.co.jp/JPA/index.html

If you want to find a "sister" class.
Intercultural E-Mail Classroom Connections http://www.iecc.org/

2. Web sites you can use in classroom instruction

2-1 Cyber Map Exercise ( http://www.sabotenweb.com/classes/mapex/ ) .

It is a site to practice arimasu. This site was implemented by Professor Masato Yabe in University of North Carolina at Greensboro and the result was presented in SEATJ and Digital Stream conferences. Now the presenter would like to solicit more use of this site.

I "Cyber Textbook"

II Structure of Cyber Map Exercise

1. Vocabulary introduction with audio file
2. Vocabulary practice
3. Reading signs to reinforce vocabulary
4. "Existence" structural drills
5. "Existence" production practice
6. Information Gap exercise

III. Technology used

1. Real audio
2. JavaScript (random image pick, giving translation with alert window, feedback in a window)
3. Dynamic HTML (The Game-O-Matic) http://clear.msu.edu/dennie/matic/

IV. Implementation at University of North Carolina at Greensboro by Masato Yabe

I would like to thank Japanese Instructor Masato Yabe of University of North Carolina at Greensboro for collaboration on this project by implementing this site in his curriculum. I also like to thank his 27 students in the elementary Japanese class (Fall 1999, JNS 101-01) and 11 students in the intermediate Japanese class (Fall 1999, JNS 203-01) at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro for their participation in this small study. ありがとうございました。

Research Question # 1 How do students feel about using computers for learning direction and location?
My Yabe did not recall any one particular student who seemed reluctant to use the computer program during the class. Please read the section in Feedback From at the above site or upcoming proceedings.

Research Question # 2 Is it easier for an instructor to use the computer program than using the blackboard, and/or a photocopy of a map?
Mr. Yabe introduced the cyber map exercises as a part of my classroom material. Using the computer program was a fun activity, and the students and I saw what was technologically possible. In the computer lab, I had to use the blackboard anyway since the main computers monitor did not work properly.

Research Question # 3 What are the advantages and disadvantages of using the computer program?
Advantages: The computer program could motivate learners if used creatively. Also it could be easily assigned as homework or a review material since students could access the program from anywhere, anytime. Moreover, some of them were quite honored to see our campus map on the Internet.

Improvements needed:
- More attractive graphics for a map, not just a green square with Japanese letters inside as a building.
- More maps
- Expand to "Giving Directions" from "Existence" Exercise (as Mr. Yabe did with Intermediate class)
- On to REAL COMMUNICATION

2-2 Introduction to Japanese Online. ( http://www.sabotenweb.com/classes/ijo/ )

This site is incomplete in development, but the concept is complete. It is designed so that different teachers can take advantage of this material. It is designed to be used as a prerequisite course to any Japanese class online or the first segment of Japanese 101 online. It teaches to make a computer Japanese capable and Japanese keyboarding by romaji by teaching hiragana.

Acknowledgement The audio files included in this site are taken from MIT JP NET project (http://www-japan.mit.edu/ ) and Professor Yasuhiro Omoto's page at University of Michigan. (http://www-personal.umich.edu/~yomoto/ ) I thank their generosity to use their permission to let me include their work in this site. ありがとうございました。