Presentations by JTAT Members


SOCALLT/ CCFLT at Denver, CO, Feb 14 - 16, 2008

"Developing Writing skills in Japanese through Web Technology "

Hiroko Sato, Rice University

One of the challenging features in foreign language education is how to make learning to write in the target language meaningful for students. This presentation will share examples in designing and developing the course where students will gain skills in writing in Japanese from the bottom up starting at the novice level.  The author applies unique web technology in delivering the course, student participation, and assessment for promoting students writing skills at all levels of Japanese. Using Rice University’s ExTemplate software, Language Exchange WIKI and BLOG, students actively participate in writing in Japanese both in class and outside class. Through these vital tools students develop their skills in writing sentences for course work at the novice and intermediate level and in writing a technical dictionary and short essays on their research at the advanced level. These tools also allow students experience exposure to new material and learning while instructors can guide them and perform assessment. In conclusion, the author will discuss both benefits and disadvantage of technology application in writing in Japanese by presenting students performance.

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ACTFL 2007 Annual Convention at San Antonio, Nov 16-18, 2007

"Increasing Student Motivation through Video Projects"

Yuko Prefume, Baylor University
Peggy Hardt, University of North Texas

Session: Sunday, November 18
               8:00 – 9:15 a.m.
               Rm. 205, Convention Center

Students’ motivation is one of the key factors in second language learning, but it seems to be a constant struggle to keep students motivated.  The presenters of this session are two professors from two separate universities who set out to make Japanese language instruction more meaningful and engaging.  They developed two different video projects in their intermediate-level Japanese classes.  The video projects correspond to the curriculums for each university but maintain a similar approach and objectives.  They will share details of the video projects and discuss the effectiveness of the projects in terms of students’ motivation and achievement. 

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ACTFL 2007 Annual Convention at San Antonio, Nov 16-18, 2007

関西弁自主学習サイト 
 <http://llarc.mit.edu/kansai>

A WEB BASED MATERIAL FOR SELF-STUDYING THE KANSAI DIALECT
 
新宮育枝  Ikue Shingu, Massachusetts Institute of Technology
畑中淳子  Junko Hatanaka, The University of Texas at Austin,
 

This project involves the creation of a web-based, self-guided, study program on the Kansai dialect (Kansai-ben), a powerful regional dialect spoken by over 20 million people in the Kansai area of Japan, where Osaka
and Kyoto are located. The project's targeted audience is English speakers with intermediate proficiency or above in Japanese. This project aims to assist students who wish to communicate with local Kansai people at work or in daily life. It will also help students learn to appreciate diversity in Japan through the understanding of the Kansai culture and local identity of Kansai people. The website helps users gain basic knowledge of the structure and intonation patterns of the Kansai dialect, and build up basic aural and
oral communication skills with Kansai native speakers. This website contains not only descriptive texts but also audio resources for the sentences and drills, and video clips from interviews with local people for the purpose of comprehension exercises. The approach taken to the particular dialect in this project can beapplied to other under-represented dialects and cultures everywhere.

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Updated on 2/28/08