・変わる教室Changing Classrooms・プロジェクトCollaborativeProjects
An Initial Approach to Integrating Technology into the Curriculum for a Non-Tech Teacher
Yoko Koike, Haverford College
Presented at the annual meeting of the Association of Teachers of Japanese, Georgetown University, April 1995 (Published in the Proceedings of the conference by the ATJ)
Abstract
This year, our college opened a multi-media lan guage facility. At this initial stage, rather than trying to build my curriculum around the new technology, I decided to use the technology to enhance my curriculum. I found that a combination of speaking assignments, class discussions by computer (using the Daedalus software), and grammar exercises done onthe computerwere helpful to the students. In this report, I would like to discuss the new technology-based activities I incorporated into the curriculum of my third-year Japanese course.
In recent years more and more schools and colleges in the U.S. are replacing old lan guage "labs" with multi-media language facilities. Many language instructors who are not trained in technology but want to take advantage of what is now available find it hard to de velop new curricula in place of ones built over years without it. This results in a situation where many of these high-tech facilities are not being used to the extent that was hoped for.
This year, in place of a small lab in a basement, our college opened a multi-media lan guage facility, the Language Learning Center (LLC), equipped with high-quality audio tape recorders, campus-wide networked Power Mac computers, VCRs and laser discs, all of which are connected with a console, the central control system. Before this year, the extent to which I had used technology in my Japanese instruction was limited to audio and video tapesand aJapanese writing program on the com puter. Therefore, making use of this new facility seemed to require serious rethinking of my entire curriculum.
Though I sensed the tremendous potential, I did not know what the newly available technology could actually do for the goals I set for my teaching. At this initial stage, rather than trying to build my curriculum around the new technology, I decided to approach it in such a way that the technology would assist my curriculum. In this report, by mainly looking at three new activities in the curriculum of the third-year Japanese course, I would like to discuss the initial approach I took as a Japanese instructor with limited experience in technology in trying to integrate it into the curriculum.
This year I was in charge of the intensive second-year course and the third-year course. I chose the third-year students to start out with, because, from the experience of our previous year together, I already knew that we had a workable relationship for this kind oftrial and error experiment. That number of students in the class, 10, also seemed manageable. The third-year students used Part III of Japanese, the Spoken Language, (JSL), as their textbook in the first semester.
Activity 1 Speaking Assignment
(1) Speaking Assignment
In the intermediate courses, it is especially important that the students are provided with opportunities to pay attention to the accuracy of their speech in order for their speech not to fossilize after they reach a point where they manage to communicate. This year, in addition to the writing, reading, listening and chatting assignments, students were given, for the first time, a weekly speaking assignment which I believed would further help my goal of developing all four skills of my students. The assignment was to prepare a recorded tape of a task based on the text of the week, either interms of grammar or context or both. (see Appendix: Task of each week)
In week two, for example, my students worked on the Lesson 25A in JSL, the theme of which is a job interview, while they learned potential forms. I asked the students to prepare a tape that they were supposedly sending to a Japanese company in Tokyo asking to be considered as acandidateto be interviewed for a position at their office. They were asked to use as many new words, expressions and forms in the lesson as possible. They were also reminded to be appropriately polite for the situation in the Japanese cultural context.
(2) Listening Exercise
Thanks to the high quality of the console system, this weekly speaking as signment led to more listening and speaking exercises in class. In the class at the Language Learning Center (LLC), I paired the students. The task I gave them was to pretend to be Japanese executives and listen together as a pair to the tapes made byothers and discuss each candidate. Whilethe students listened to the tapes of their classmates, they made use of an on-line dictionary, MacJDic, on the computer when they heard words they did not recognize. Each student then prepared a statement to support a candidate. After they finished, the systematthe consolewas switched from the pairing channel to the group discussion channel so that they were all connected together and listened to each tape, which was followed by the comments of the student who supported the candidate.
In spite of the new form of activity, this session went remarkably smoothly, partly because the students had had a session the previous week doing a similar exercise, but linguistically less complicated. In week one, I asked them to think of a famous person or a person everyone in the class would know and describe this person in three to five sentences without giving her/his name. In class, students went around the carrelsto listen to tapes to find the answers.
(3) Pronunciation/Intonation
The speaking assignment also provided a favorable setting for the usually problematic teaching task of correcting the students' pronunciation and intonation. Correction of an individual student's pronunciation or intonation in class requires an extremely sensitive approach from the instructor. I sometimes forego this correction after I weigh the possibility of embarrassing the student with a problem in front of the class.This year, every few weeks, I had individual sessions at the LLC to go over the tapes that the students made. Because of the quality of the equipment, these sessions were remarkably frustration-free. Since we listened to the tape together, it was easier for both the students and me to identify the areas in question not only of the grammar but alsoof the pronunciationand intonation. The Japanese writing program on the computer assisted these sessionsvisually.
Compared to a similar activity in class, my students practiced more for this speaking assignment because they were aware that it would be recorded permanently on a tape and that it would be listened to by their classmates attentively as well as the instructor. As for listening, it gave more satisfying experience to each student, for she was able to take her own time trying to understand what her classmates said on the tape.
Though this activity does not need the highest technology available at the LLC, I would not have been able to carry it out without the LLC. The high quality of the audio tape recorders lessened the frustration of the usually cumbersome process and made this activity manageable and enjoyable for meto do regularly and incorporate it into the curriculum.
Activity 2 Daedalus
In the intermediate and advanced classes, there are many occasions on which the instructor would like the students to be involved in a lively discussion. It often happens that certain students will speak at length while others sit quietly. In my experience, it is not easy to involve every student equally in active participation. This year Daedalus, a computer program for discussion facilitation, helped solve this problem to a degree. With the feature called "Interchange" in Daedalus, instead of using the voice, students type their thoughtson the computer and send them to the other group members. The group members see the message on their own computer screens almost immediately. They can keep concentrating on typing in their own thoughts or respond to the messages they receive.
Although they are not really talking, the program assists their thinking process in the exchanges. Unlike a similar discussion in regular classrooms, every student is given an equal time and space to express herself without having to listen to others.
Though in Interchange in Daedalus, students cannot use the Japanese writing system at present, I have found that it actually serves the purpose of facilitating the students' thinking process, for the students can concentrate on composing their messages while typing them without having to worry about the complex Japanese writing system. The drawback I see, on the other hand, is that this encourages students to simply use an English word when they cannot think of aJapanese word.
I started using Daedalus in combination with a video. While my students always ask for watching more videos and I clearly see the benefit of presenting materials on videos, I was concerned that video-watching could make the learning time passive. I have seen that after the students got used to the program, the discussion is more active and especially that students who were usually quiet in regular class discussion participated more on Daedalus. This agrees with studies that others have done on using Daedalus.*
Activity 3 Grammar Exercises
In order to reach my goal concerning accuracy, I prepare sets of exercises on grammar using the word processor, Nisus Writer. When we meet at the LLC, I asked them to fill them in on the computer. You can do the same type of exercises on a sheet of paper. However, there are some definitebenefits when students use the computer. While the students have a feeling of privacy, which allows them to feel comfortable making mistakes, it is easyfor an instructor to walk around and check their answers and help them individually. They can also correct as many times as they need; the result does not show any trace of this and comes out clean. For the same reason, both thestudents and the instructor have no difficulty expanding the original text if they want. I found this feature especially useful for demonstrating the similar forms which are being introduced in different lessons.
I usually store these exercises in the student file on the faculty server to which they can open at any computer that is networked. This way, students who missed the class can still have an access to it or I can give this as an assignment. At the end of the session, my students either print the exercises or copy them onto their own disks.
We may be able to purchase commercially prepared programs for doing this kind of exercise, but it is not always easy to find ones that meet the needs of an individual class perfectly. While it does not take much time for me to prepare the exercises, the response from my students confirmed my assumption, which was that the students would find these exercises very helpful and easy to use.
Exploratory Activities
While the activities I mentioned above are regular in nature, and I incorporated them into the curriculum, there were some others which were exploratory in nature which I tried for introductory purposes. For example, I introduced my students to Netscape and Newswatcher. As I expected, mystudents were quite excited to discover the possibilities that these programs would provide.
As the students felt more comfortable with the technology, they started reading news on Japanese newsgroups of their choice on the Internet with the help of a program called E-tomo which enabled them to read them in the Japanese characters. The students even sent their own messages, though at present the College has not solved all the obstacles in sending the messages in Japanese writing. In the second semester, the students had a brief project using a template that David Hellen from Middlebury College had developed to which they inserted the text they had written earlier, "PersonalHistory"and added their own pictures and dictionary along with brief spoken passages. I believe that these will be valuable as additional ways to enrich their experiences of learning the culture and the society beyond classroom.
What I learned in my first year with multi-media teaching:
1. Expect to take time for the students and you to feel comfortable with the new environment.
It is a change that one needs to adjust to: from blackboard and desk to carrels with tape-recorders and computers. Especially at the beginning, have a regular class at the lab for that reason. Don't assume that all the students will have no trouble using computers; some need practice. Don't give up after one failed attempt.
2. Try not to introduce many things at the same time.
I found repeatedly that when we make use of a new equipment, it is best to start with a linguistically simple task in order to have a better chance for a satisfying experience.
3. Find a way to communicate openly with your students about your immediate and long term goals in using the technology.
Let them know what you are trying to do and why. This helps especially when things do not seem to go right!
At this initial stage, as expected, there have been times when things did not go the way I had had in mind and I needed to be flexible more often than in a regular classroom about how the classes should be going. I am glad that I had started an extra means of communicatingwith my students this year, occasional letters in English to my students. In my second andthird year Japanese courses, all the classes are being conducted in Japanese and I do not permit any English on my part or on my students' part. With these letters, I was able to express my appreciation for their patience as well as communicate my immediate and long term goals for its use in classes. In class, I asked several students to read them aloud in turn so that they would not hear me speak English.
4. Prepare some extra activities in case things do not go the way you planned.
It is always a good idea to prepare some extra activities in case things do not go the way you planned, but it is essential when you are using a new technology. I was saved more than once by the printed copies I had made just in case, for there were surprises, including sudden computer crashes.
5. Be flexible and be ready to ignore the computers.
When the environment seems to be keeping the students from being actively involved, it is probably time to turn one's back to the computers. Thanks to the open space at the LLC, our students were able to simply swing their chairs around and make a circle for a regular class. I found that just as in any other classes, flexibility is the key.
6. Get your hands dirty. It is rewarding.
Three years ago, I volunteered to be the coordinator for the old language lab, with the hope that simply by being around the technology, I would learn something. It soon became clear that unless I actually used it, I would not be able to learn anything. After a year of trial and error in actually using some of the new technology ininstruction,I saw some concrete benefits and a great deal of excitement among my students. I would like to discuss this in more detail.
Before the LLC was opened last year, the College purchased a writing program which can support the Japanese writing system and installed it on the computer in my office and on a single computer at the computer center. While I was still getting used to it, I gave my students a choice of using the computer for some of the writing assignments. I was happily surprised when some students who used to work less than others suddenly produced a greatly increased volume of work on the computer. Besides the novelty of the method, this was probably due to the fact that they did not have to worry about their hand-writing or every stroke of the Kanji. The students had the same reason when I would turn to a Japanese word processor to write neat letters. This year, as I mentioned above, Daedalus helped some participate more actively indiscussion.
My students let me know how they enjoyed the new media including the change of pace and change of space. Their faces brighten up when I say that the next day's class will be at the LLC, and the absence rate is lower on the days that we bring our class there. The technology did not make a difference in everyone's work, butit did to some. Such improvement in some individual students and the excitement in all the students have been a source of motivation for me to explore more. As in every class, we need to look at the goals we set for each session we have in the light of the overall goals. As a starter, I am satisfied with this year's experiment, for it seems tohave helped my overall goal for the course: raising the level of my students' motivation.
Final Note
A recurring question among us language instructors is: do the benefits of the use of technology justify the time you take away from a regular class? Can't we do all these in class just as easily without taking extra time and effort? Is this something we want to spend time on when we need to cover a lot of material? The newly available technology at the LLC certainly did not save any of my time this year. Instead, it demanded more thinking and more planning. Now I not only handle students' papers, but tapes and sometimes disks. However, it provided some of the better solutions I have been seeking.
I was fortunate to be involved in the two-year planning process of the new lab, during which I learned that, in order for the facility to be put to good use, the lab needs to be an inviting environment with relatively easy-to-use equipment and the kind of floor plan that allows maximum flexibility. It isalso important that for it to have helpful and knowledgeable personnel. At our college, the language faculty formed a support group which met regularly all through the year to explore the possibilities of the newly available technology.
The students definitely contributed positively to its use. I suspect that my students liked the technology partly because they are more in control. And for the same reason, we instructors might be reluctant to use it. After a year, I still look at technology as something that has a great potential but simply as an additional medium for achieving the overall goal of helping students become proficient. I also now understand better what David Herren meant when he referred to a computer as a stupid black box that needs to be told everything. We are the ones to tell it what to do, and not visa versa.
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*Kern, Richard G. : "Restructing Classroom Interaction with Networked Computers: Effects on Quantity and Characteristics of Language Production " (submitted to The Modern Language Journal)
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Level/3rd-Year Japanese
Number of Students/10
Textbook/JSL Part III L25A-L30A
Class hours/4.25 hours per week MWF (MF 1.5 hours, F 1.25 hours)
*Every Friday was set for class in the LLC (Language Learning Center)
Speaking Assignments
Week 1 Review WHO AM I?
私は、誰でしょう？
Week 2 25A SELF INTRODUCTION
potential 日本の会社に鱒ﾚ希望のため、自己紹介のテープを送る
Week 3 25B ANSWERING MACHINE 1/ REJECTION
留守'電話で、頼まれたことを、断わる
Week 4 26A ANSWERING MACHINE 2/ TRYING TO MAKE UP WITH A conditional SENIOR COLLEAGUE
留守'電話に、関係の悪くなった先輩にメッセージを残す
Week 5 26B VOICE MAIL FROM A TRIP
友達／家族に、旅行先から、声の便りを送る
Week 6 27A DEBATE/ SHOULD PARENTS STAY HOME WHEN CHILDREN ARE YOUNG?
子供が小さい時に、親は、家庭にいるべきかどうか
Week 7 27B/Fall Break
Week 8 Mid-Term
Week 9 28A
Week 10 28B MEMO TO A BABYSITTER/HOUSE SITTER
causative 留守'とベビーシッターへの注"事項
Week 11 29A QUESTIONS FOR AN INTERVIEW OF JAPAPESE IN THE
passive AREA (Passive Forms)
大学近"に住む日本人に、質問する（受け身形を使う）
Week 12 29B (Interview/No Taping)
（大学近"の日本人へのインタビュー／テープは作らない）
INTRODUCTION OF A JAPANESE SPEAKER
スピーチをする日本人を、紹介する
Week 13 Thanksgiving
Week 14 30A TALK WITH A PROF. ABOUT THE PROBLEMS THAT A causative passive FRIEND IS HAVING WITH HER HOST FAMILY
日本人の先生に友人のホストファミリーのことで相談する
Week 15 Review SPEECH (FREE TOPICS)
スピーチ （自由題）