Computers and English: A match made in Heaven !

熊本県内高等学校英語教育研究大会

Kumamoto Prefecture High School English Teachers Conference

平成１ 5 年１ 1 月 1 ３日米岡ジュリ (Judy Yoneoka)

熊本学園大学英米学科(English Dept. Kumamoto GAKUEN

University)

Why?

Two requirements for being in the top 5% in the 21st century:

Computer ability

and

English ability

A quick survey 1 Do you know use

E-mail? Chat or messenger services? BBS (bulletin boards)? Mailing lists? Online dictionaries or encyclopedias? Online translation sites?

A quick survey 2 At your school do you have use

A computer lab? A language lab? Access to internet? Free student access after class? OFFICE (word, excel, powerpoint) MSN (AOL, etc.) messenger?

Facts about computers About 300 million computers in use in

1999

About 500 million users of Internet (and growing by leaps and bounds)

Keitai users are internet users too! (I-mode, J-Sky, EZ-web)

Facts about English About 375 million ENL users

(English as a native language)

About 375 million ESL users (English as a second language)

About 750 million EFL users (English as a foreign language) Graddoll 1995

=The most widely used language in the world!

=3/4 of the world’s English users are non-native!

Links between Computers and English

70% of Internet home pages are in English 40% of Internet users are (native?)

English speakers Iseri 2002

In Japan, over 95% of Japanese computer vocabulary is in Katakana

In Africa: Internet usage in 2001 was almost 4 times higher in English countries than in non-English countries (although the latter outnumber the former by 33 to 22) Iseri 2002

Examples of computer use in my English classes Listening Writing Speaking World Englishes American Studies Current Events Computers and English

Approach to Computers and English （ Old Model ）

ResearchCommunicationEducation

Keypals, home page creation, chat,presentations

Educational home pages (Multimedia,Language, news, music, movies)

Online journals, Corpora

Computers and English

Communi-cation

EducationHP creation,Presentations

Online journals, Corpora

Research

Mailing lists, BBS,keypals, chat rooms

Language, news, music, movie HPsETC E-

learning,Blendedlearning

DictionariesEncyclopediasResource HPS

SurveysPolls =Field

work=Reference

=InteractionNew ModelNew Model

As Education Materials“Leading students to drink”

My study page One example English conversation, games, quizzes, travel

sites, translation sites, on-line dictionaries, etc. Listening pages

Movie trailers www.imdb.com

News files and scripts http://www.japantimes.co.

jp/shukan-st/ Englishes dialects http://classweb.

gmu.edu/accent/

As a Communication Tool“Linking with the World”

Keypal sites (www.penpalgarden.com ) US ５８％、 UK １６％、 Australia １３％ Canada １１％ France １９％、 Korea １４％、 China, Italy ７％、 Germany,

Russia, Spain ５％、 Brazil, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Sweden…

Africa ？ North Korea!

Partner classes Mailing lists (Kumamoto-I) Chat PowerPoint presentations English conversation: online menus

As a Research Tool“finding information”

Translation Sites www.infoseek.co.jp Online dictionaries www.infoseek.co.jp Online encyclopedias

www.encyclopedia.com Questionnaires (polls)

Traveling Corpus research

Answering “Thank you”

Current Events: an example of blended learning

Current events home page hp A sample quiz Passwords Chat room A sample chat room day

Using excel for grading

A Chat about Chat

Three types of chat:Open chat (ICQ, excite)

can meet and talk with anyone

Semi-private chat (MSN messenger)uses a buddy list

Password chat (current events)must use the same password

Dilemma 1: Misconceptions

Arts vs. Sciences Computers=>computing

The “better safe than sorry” syndrome The Internet jungle

Learning is not playing No sound, no games, no chat = no fun!

Dilemma 2: Lack of Resources

No free-time use

No time for authoring

No specialists

Dilemma 3: True Dangers

Misinformation Internet predators Internet crime Plaigarism

The future: Towards E-learning

US education ： Most US universities offer distance

education programs High school programs are available too

Japanese education ： the die is being cast

Monbukagakusho preparations distance learning: up to 60 credits lifelong learning Interuniversity cooperation general education ( 総合学習）

University/high school cooperation ( 高大連携） The Okayama University of Science program

University credits for high school students!

Possibilities and Proposals 1

Introduction to American Studies ( アメリカ事情）

Requirements: Room with one computer per student Video/web camera with sound Home or school free access time (net café ok too) MSN messenger (free messaging software)

Or

Possibilities and Proposals 2 Information Processing Seminar 1 ( 情報処理演習１） Requirements:

All of the above and word, excel (office) Hidemon, Letter chase (free typing software)

AND MOST OF ALL:

AN ENTHUSIASTIC PARTNER !

Other Considerations Time schedules

5th period 4:20-5:50 School restrictions

Convincing authorities

And …..?

A match made in heaven!

The match is burning—

Shall we light a fire?

Thank you. Comments or questions?judy@kumagaku.ac.jp