Computers and English: A match made in Heaven

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Computers and English A match made in Heaven !

• ????????????????
• Kumamoto Prefecture High School English Teachers
  Conference
• ??15?11?13?
• ????? (Judy Yoneoka)
• ??????????
• (English Dept. Kumamoto GAKUEN University)

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Why?

• Two requirements for being in the top 5
• in the 21st century
• Computer ability
• and
• English ability

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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?

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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?

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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)

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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 worlds English users are non-native!

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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

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Examples of computer use in my English classes

• Listening
• Writing
• Speaking
• World Englishes
• American Studies
• Current Events
• Computers and English

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Approach to Computers and English (Old Model)

• Computers and English

Research
Education
Communication
Educational home pages (Multimedia, Language,
news, music, movies)
Online journals, Corpora
Keypals, home page creation, chat, presentations
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New Model
Interaction
Communi-cation
Mailing lists, BBS, keypals, chat rooms
Language, news, music, movie HPs ETC
HP creation, Presentations
Education

E-learning, Blended learning
Dictionaries Encyclopedias Resource HPS
Surveys Polls
Field work
Reference
Online journals, Corpora
Research
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As Education MaterialsLeading 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.j
  p/shukan-st/
• Englishes dialects http//classweb.gmu.edu/acc
  ent/

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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, Italy7?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

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As a Research Toolfinding 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

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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

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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

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Dilemma 1 Misconceptions

• Arts vs. Sciences
• Computersgtcomputing
• The better safe than sorry syndrome
• The Internet jungle
• Learning is not playing
• No sound, no games, no chat
• no fun!

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Dilemma 2 Lack of Resources

• No free-time use
• No time for authoring
• No specialists

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Dilemma 3 True Dangers

• Misinformation
• Internet predators
• Internet crime
• Plaigarism

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The future Towards E-learning

• US education
• Most US universities offer distance education
  programs
• High school programs are available too

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Japanese education the die is being cast

• Monbukagakusho preparations
• distance learning up to 60 credits
• lifelong learning
• Interuniversity cooperation
• general education (????)
• University/high school cooperation (????)
• The Okayama University of Science program
• University credits for high school students!

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Possibilities and Proposals 1

• Introduction to American Studies (??????)
• 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

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Possibilities and Proposals 2

• Information Processing Seminar 1
• (??????1)
• Requirements
• All of the above and
• word, excel (office)
• Hidemon, Letter chase (free typing software)
• AND MOST OF ALL
• AN ENTHUSIASTIC PARTNER !

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Other Considerations

• Time schedules
• 5th period 420-550
• School restrictions
• Convincing authorities
• And ..?

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A match made in heaven!

• The match is burning
• Shall we light a fire?
• Thank you. Comments or questions?
• judy_at_kumagaku.ac.jp