2010年3月29日月曜日
Vocaroo Online Voice Recording Widget
Does this work? Please give it a try!
Also, what happens if I embed two of these in the same blog post...
So...it seems like the recording gets deleted as soon as the web page refreshes.
So, what use is this?? It seems only good for listening to your own voice momentarily.
We need an easy free service for online voice recording! Of course, I know we can always download something like Audacity or use Voice Thread, but it would be nice to have something simple like a Blogger Widget that could easily embed voice bites into blogs.
Is Multimediacy the new literacy?
In the article in the link below, Jarche questions the supremacy of text-based literacy as the main media of sophisticated thought and communication.
http://www.jarche.com/2010/03/literacies/
What is considered "competence" as a member of an intellectual community changes over history, and literacy in the traditional sense is changing recently with the emergence of web technologies.
Will more college instructors be assigning "visual multimedia essays" soon? I would definitely be open to the idea of my students creating an "argumentative movie" that introduces a thesis and then argues it with voice, visuals such as images or embedded videos of documentary footage or interviews, and text of quotes and subtitles to tie everything together.
My fluency with visual media such as iMovie or Windows Movie Maker is still not high, but many of our students are coming quite adept. I want to try making one on Voice Thread or other media.
I made movie-making an option for a group presentation task last term, but all groups resorted to Google Presentation slides with movie and photos rather than the more complex movie productions.
If you know of good multimedia "academic essay" type projects by high school or college students, please leave the url in your comment!
http://www.jarche.com/2010/03/literacies/
What is considered "competence" as a member of an intellectual community changes over history, and literacy in the traditional sense is changing recently with the emergence of web technologies.
Will more college instructors be assigning "visual multimedia essays" soon? I would definitely be open to the idea of my students creating an "argumentative movie" that introduces a thesis and then argues it with voice, visuals such as images or embedded videos of documentary footage or interviews, and text of quotes and subtitles to tie everything together.
My fluency with visual media such as iMovie or Windows Movie Maker is still not high, but many of our students are coming quite adept. I want to try making one on Voice Thread or other media.
I made movie-making an option for a group presentation task last term, but all groups resorted to Google Presentation slides with movie and photos rather than the more complex movie productions.
If you know of good multimedia "academic essay" type projects by high school or college students, please leave the url in your comment!
2010年3月28日日曜日
Boys and academic reading
In the New York Times today, an op-ed article explored why American high school boys seem to have lower reading scores and grades compared to female students. It suggested that they may get bored with the materials they are required to read, so promoting more adventure and gross-out may help.
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/03/28/opinion/28kristof.html?th&emc=th
In my case, I think my confidence as a reader developed mainly by pleasure reading of suspense/spy (Clancy, Clussler, Grisham), horror (Steven King), fantasy (Tolkien) and science fiction (Dune series), which was stuff lying around home from my Dad's tastes when I was in junior high and high school...so I would go for the "spice up the reading list" theory.
Of course, the literary fiction I read in my high school English classes--the usual like Catcher in the Rye and Grapes of Wrath helped as well, but not for self-sustaining addictive reading, which is probably what makes the difference between minimal readers and the avid.
My son, age 6, is a good reader for his age, but I really need to work on our reading shelf...
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/03/28/opinion/28kristof.html?th&emc=th
In my case, I think my confidence as a reader developed mainly by pleasure reading of suspense/spy (Clancy, Clussler, Grisham), horror (Steven King), fantasy (Tolkien) and science fiction (Dune series), which was stuff lying around home from my Dad's tastes when I was in junior high and high school...so I would go for the "spice up the reading list" theory.
Of course, the literary fiction I read in my high school English classes--the usual like Catcher in the Rye and Grapes of Wrath helped as well, but not for self-sustaining addictive reading, which is probably what makes the difference between minimal readers and the avid.
My son, age 6, is a good reader for his age, but I really need to work on our reading shelf...
2010年3月24日水曜日
Should "Willingness to Communicate" be the primary goal of language instruction?
I was reviewing some literature for a paper on self-confidence of Japanese language learners and read this article again.
Macintyre, Clement, Dornyei and Noels (1998). Conceptualizing Willingness to Communicate in a L2: A Situational Model of L2 Confidence and Affiliation. Modern Language Journal, 82.
Noting that there are language learners who are quite competent, but avoid communication, what this paper proposes is that "willingness to communicate" (frightfully abbreviated as WTC-like the World Trade Center) ought to be the primary goal of language instruction rather than "competence". In other words, we shouldn't be only helping our students to be "able" to use English for intercultural communication, but to actually "want to" to use it. As the authors put it, "a program that fails to produce students who are willing to use the language is simply a failed program."
Their definition: Willingness to Communicate is "the probability that a learner will use the language in authentic interaction with another individual, given the opportunity."
Another interesting quote is "In the past, emphasis on grammatical skill produced students with rather high linguistic competence but did not concentrate on authentic use of the language. Current emphasis on communicate competence may pose a similar problem, producing students who are technically capable of communicating, particularly inside the classroom, but who may not be amenable to doing so outside of the classroom. We suggest that a suitable goal of L2 learning is to increase WTC. By engendering a willingness to communicate, language instruction may achieve its social and political goal of bringing cultures into contact and nations together."
I've had similar thoughts, but what exactly does this entail?
First of all, whether a person is willing to communicate or not in a L1 or L2 in a certain situation is influenced a large number of variables including personality, motivation or lack thereof for the communication, perceived competence (=confidence) in the language, and the interpersonal environment (group size, scary, judgemental people etc.). For example, if I attended a departmental meeting and had a chance to make a comment or ask a question, would I raise my hand and speak up in front of my colleagues? My willingness to do so would be based on many things.
However, for learning a language, the act of using the language is essential, so it makes sense to say that teachers should design their courses so that students feel motivated and willing to use the language, and that those opportunities to use the language are easily and abundantly available so that students who seek to communicate can do so. Instruction to improve competence in the language has to be combined with incentives and opportunities to increase willingness to communicate.
So, what does that mean in my teaching context? Do my students feel "willing to communicate"? Or do they feel unwilling? Fortunately, it seems that most of the students in my classrooms seem willing to try to communicate as well as they can.
A survey of students at ICU who just finished their 1st year of intensive ELP showed:
"I am more interested in learning English than when I started at ICU"
n=365
Strongly Agree =110 (30%)
Agree = 165 (45%)
Disagree = 75 (20%)
Strongly Disagree = 14 (5%)
So...75% of our students are MORE interested in learning English. That is good.
And...25% felt they became less interested in learning English. What does that mean?
Either it means they were already highly interested in studying English when they started, or their interest decreased due to some reason. Hmm...
Also, going back to my literature review on "confidence," how does willingness to communicate relate? Obviously, if language learners are confident (or comfortable) that they can communicate (=have L2 self-confidence), they are going to be more willing to try to communicate. And if they try to communicate and succeed, that builds their self-confidence. The two psychological states create a mutually reinforcing positive cycle.
Obvious? Perhaps. Easy to do? No. Due to differences among learners, it is not always easy to design learning environments and tasks that meet the needs of all in terms of supporting the positive cycle of willingness to communicate (want to do it), confidence (believe I can do it), and competence (can do it).
They survey mentioned above had a "confidence" question, so I'll crunch the numbers here:
"I am now more confident in my English ability than I was in the Spring term."
n=365
Strongly Agree =120 (33%)
Agree = 195 (52%)
Disagree = 41 (12%)
Strongly Disagree = 8 (3%)
Based on these results, which are difficult to interpret due to the lack of qualitative comments attached to them, 85% are more confident, but 15% are not. We could pat ourselves on the back for the results, but to me, it is somewhat baffling how 50 of our students could study English intensively at a rate of 10 class hours per week for 30 weeks (300 hours) and not feel more confident. Either they were already confident when they came in, or they were influenced in some way to make their confidence weaker. Next year, it would be nice to have a survey item that confirms which case it is.
So, what factors make students more confident or less confident in their English learning or usage? That is the paper I am writing right now...based on long interviews with 15 students at the end of their first year.
Macintyre, Clement, Dornyei and Noels (1998). Conceptualizing Willingness to Communicate in a L2: A Situational Model of L2 Confidence and Affiliation. Modern Language Journal, 82.
Noting that there are language learners who are quite competent, but avoid communication, what this paper proposes is that "willingness to communicate" (frightfully abbreviated as WTC-like the World Trade Center) ought to be the primary goal of language instruction rather than "competence". In other words, we shouldn't be only helping our students to be "able" to use English for intercultural communication, but to actually "want to" to use it. As the authors put it, "a program that fails to produce students who are willing to use the language is simply a failed program."
Their definition: Willingness to Communicate is "the probability that a learner will use the language in authentic interaction with another individual, given the opportunity."
Another interesting quote is "In the past, emphasis on grammatical skill produced students with rather high linguistic competence but did not concentrate on authentic use of the language. Current emphasis on communicate competence may pose a similar problem, producing students who are technically capable of communicating, particularly inside the classroom, but who may not be amenable to doing so outside of the classroom. We suggest that a suitable goal of L2 learning is to increase WTC. By engendering a willingness to communicate, language instruction may achieve its social and political goal of bringing cultures into contact and nations together."
I've had similar thoughts, but what exactly does this entail?
First of all, whether a person is willing to communicate or not in a L1 or L2 in a certain situation is influenced a large number of variables including personality, motivation or lack thereof for the communication, perceived competence (=confidence) in the language, and the interpersonal environment (group size, scary, judgemental people etc.). For example, if I attended a departmental meeting and had a chance to make a comment or ask a question, would I raise my hand and speak up in front of my colleagues? My willingness to do so would be based on many things.
However, for learning a language, the act of using the language is essential, so it makes sense to say that teachers should design their courses so that students feel motivated and willing to use the language, and that those opportunities to use the language are easily and abundantly available so that students who seek to communicate can do so. Instruction to improve competence in the language has to be combined with incentives and opportunities to increase willingness to communicate.
So, what does that mean in my teaching context? Do my students feel "willing to communicate"? Or do they feel unwilling? Fortunately, it seems that most of the students in my classrooms seem willing to try to communicate as well as they can.
A survey of students at ICU who just finished their 1st year of intensive ELP showed:
"I am more interested in learning English than when I started at ICU"
n=365
Strongly Agree =110 (30%)
Agree = 165 (45%)
Disagree = 75 (20%)
Strongly Disagree = 14 (5%)
So...75% of our students are MORE interested in learning English. That is good.
And...25% felt they became less interested in learning English. What does that mean?
Either it means they were already highly interested in studying English when they started, or their interest decreased due to some reason. Hmm...
Also, going back to my literature review on "confidence," how does willingness to communicate relate? Obviously, if language learners are confident (or comfortable) that they can communicate (=have L2 self-confidence), they are going to be more willing to try to communicate. And if they try to communicate and succeed, that builds their self-confidence. The two psychological states create a mutually reinforcing positive cycle.
Obvious? Perhaps. Easy to do? No. Due to differences among learners, it is not always easy to design learning environments and tasks that meet the needs of all in terms of supporting the positive cycle of willingness to communicate (want to do it), confidence (believe I can do it), and competence (can do it).
They survey mentioned above had a "confidence" question, so I'll crunch the numbers here:
"I am now more confident in my English ability than I was in the Spring term."
n=365
Strongly Agree =120 (33%)
Agree = 195 (52%)
Disagree = 41 (12%)
Strongly Disagree = 8 (3%)
Based on these results, which are difficult to interpret due to the lack of qualitative comments attached to them, 85% are more confident, but 15% are not. We could pat ourselves on the back for the results, but to me, it is somewhat baffling how 50 of our students could study English intensively at a rate of 10 class hours per week for 30 weeks (300 hours) and not feel more confident. Either they were already confident when they came in, or they were influenced in some way to make their confidence weaker. Next year, it would be nice to have a survey item that confirms which case it is.
So, what factors make students more confident or less confident in their English learning or usage? That is the paper I am writing right now...based on long interviews with 15 students at the end of their first year.
2010年3月17日水曜日
Nice Online Learning Resources / Learning Centre (University of South Wales)
We should have something like this at ICU.
http://www.lc.unsw.edu.au/olib.html
Nice lists of key skills and suggestions for writing, reading, discussions, presentations, and exams.
http://www.lc.unsw.edu.au/olib.html
Nice lists of key skills and suggestions for writing, reading, discussions, presentations, and exams.
2010年3月16日火曜日
Is ICU creating life-long English readers and writers?
ICU is a leader in English education in Japan.
People from other universities tell me this, and I feel it as an instructor in the ELP here. The students show generally high satisfaction on surveys, and companies seem to appreciate the quality of our graduates. ICU's leadership in the field also seems supported by the fact that many top universities like Tokyo U. have recently initiating programs similar to ICU's ELP and college of liberal arts. We get good students and drive 'em hard with a demanding curriculum similar in many ways to a college writing class in the US, and most students thank us for what we do.
ICU is doing many things well, but one question I asked myself today was: Are we nurturing lifelong writers and readers? After students leave the ELP, are they independent readers who know the joy and reward of reading in English and seek out new books on their own? Are they independent writers who know the value of writing for various life purposes (not just university assignments)? Or are we creating students who see English as something they do only as needed for grades or job requirements??
This question was born from a research group on reading/writing I am part of, and weighed heavily on my mind today as I attended a faculty discussion on the future direction of English education at ICU.
I want to do a survey of ICU students to see whether they have really developed as readers and writers in English. Where and when would I do that? One idea is to send an email survey to some of the seniors who I taught several years ago in the first year program.
Are you a regular reader of English books? Why or why not?
Are you a regular writer of English in any way? Why or why not?
I wonder what they would say. If many of them answer "No" and have no identity as a reader or writer in English, can we really say that are English language program at ICU has been successful?
Also, I wonder what they will say about their identity or awareness as readers and writers in Japanese?
Hm...
People from other universities tell me this, and I feel it as an instructor in the ELP here. The students show generally high satisfaction on surveys, and companies seem to appreciate the quality of our graduates. ICU's leadership in the field also seems supported by the fact that many top universities like Tokyo U. have recently initiating programs similar to ICU's ELP and college of liberal arts. We get good students and drive 'em hard with a demanding curriculum similar in many ways to a college writing class in the US, and most students thank us for what we do.
ICU is doing many things well, but one question I asked myself today was: Are we nurturing lifelong writers and readers? After students leave the ELP, are they independent readers who know the joy and reward of reading in English and seek out new books on their own? Are they independent writers who know the value of writing for various life purposes (not just university assignments)? Or are we creating students who see English as something they do only as needed for grades or job requirements??
This question was born from a research group on reading/writing I am part of, and weighed heavily on my mind today as I attended a faculty discussion on the future direction of English education at ICU.
I want to do a survey of ICU students to see whether they have really developed as readers and writers in English. Where and when would I do that? One idea is to send an email survey to some of the seniors who I taught several years ago in the first year program.
Are you a regular reader of English books? Why or why not?
Are you a regular writer of English in any way? Why or why not?
I wonder what they would say. If many of them answer "No" and have no identity as a reader or writer in English, can we really say that are English language program at ICU has been successful?
Also, I wonder what they will say about their identity or awareness as readers and writers in Japanese?
Hm...
2010年3月11日木曜日
小説の中の「父と息子の関係」が気になるこの頃
息子は４月から一年生。いろんな意味でもう独立した人間である。これからどんな人生の歩んでいくのかとても楽しみなのだが、今後父親としてどのように接していったら良いのか気になるところである。
そのためか、最近小説を読むと親子関係を見るのが面白い。
春休みになって気晴らしに大学と関係ないアメリカの大衆派Bestseller小説を何冊か読んでいる。
The Associateは法廷物の名匠John Grishamの最新作だが、過去の作品（The Pelican Brief, The Client, The Rainmaker, The Runaway Jury, The Innocent Manなど)に比べ今一つ引き込まれなかった。
しかし、その中の親子関係は面白い。主人公のKyleはYale大学法学部の新卒である事情（父親に簡単には言えないことが起き。。。）によりアメリカ最大の企業法弁護士事務所に入ることを選び年棒２千万円で大企業の尻拭い法務を行うエリートになる。彼の父親は小さな町の小さな法律事務所を経営していて、共同経営しながらKyleが庶民と正義のための弁護士活動をすることを願っている。卒業式間近の二人の会話：
"I've changed my mind about employment. I'm going to Wall Street. Scully & Pershing."
"Any particular reason?"
"It's the big leagues."
"It's a sellout."
"It's a nice firm, Dad. One of the best."
"You'll hate every minute of a big firm."
"Maybe not."
"I thought you wanted to help people."
"I've changed my mind."
"It's all about the money, isn't it. You were raised better."
すごい親子の会話です。
特に最後の"You were raised better"「そんな人間に育てた覚えはない」は厳しいです。
最近はこういう場面でどうしても自分の息子の将来を考えてしまいます。
私と息子の間でこういう会話にならないことを願っていますが。時には彼の決断に反論するのも愛情なのでしょう。
とにかく、何よりも願うのは息子が就職の時に気兼ねなく相談に来てくれることですね。
もう一冊は：
Christine by Steven King
ホラーの巨匠Kingの旧作が友達の棚にあったので借りました。この中の様々な親子関係も非常に勉強になります。ずっと押さえつけて育てるとある日怖いことに。。。Steven Kingの中でいつも本当に怖いのは幽霊でなく人間です。自分がそういう人間になってしまうんではないかという恐怖を感じさせるほど描写している人間の言動や頭の中の思いがリアルで共感できる場合が多い。人間の観察力がすごいと思います。
高校の時よく読んだSteven King...またこの年齢になって読むと味がありますね。
そのためか、最近小説を読むと親子関係を見るのが面白い。
春休みになって気晴らしに大学と関係ないアメリカの大衆派Bestseller小説を何冊か読んでいる。
The Associateは法廷物の名匠John Grishamの最新作だが、過去の作品（The Pelican Brief, The Client, The Rainmaker, The Runaway Jury, The Innocent Manなど)に比べ今一つ引き込まれなかった。
しかし、その中の親子関係は面白い。主人公のKyleはYale大学法学部の新卒である事情（父親に簡単には言えないことが起き。。。）によりアメリカ最大の企業法弁護士事務所に入ることを選び年棒２千万円で大企業の尻拭い法務を行うエリートになる。彼の父親は小さな町の小さな法律事務所を経営していて、共同経営しながらKyleが庶民と正義のための弁護士活動をすることを願っている。卒業式間近の二人の会話：
"I've changed my mind about employment. I'm going to Wall Street. Scully & Pershing."
"Any particular reason?"
"It's the big leagues."
"It's a sellout."
"It's a nice firm, Dad. One of the best."
"You'll hate every minute of a big firm."
"Maybe not."
"I thought you wanted to help people."
"I've changed my mind."
"It's all about the money, isn't it. You were raised better."
すごい親子の会話です。
特に最後の"You were raised better"「そんな人間に育てた覚えはない」は厳しいです。
最近はこういう場面でどうしても自分の息子の将来を考えてしまいます。
私と息子の間でこういう会話にならないことを願っていますが。時には彼の決断に反論するのも愛情なのでしょう。
とにかく、何よりも願うのは息子が就職の時に気兼ねなく相談に来てくれることですね。
もう一冊は：
Christine by Steven King
ホラーの巨匠Kingの旧作が友達の棚にあったので借りました。この中の様々な親子関係も非常に勉強になります。ずっと押さえつけて育てるとある日怖いことに。。。Steven Kingの中でいつも本当に怖いのは幽霊でなく人間です。自分がそういう人間になってしまうんではないかという恐怖を感じさせるほど描写している人間の言動や頭の中の思いがリアルで共感できる場合が多い。人間の観察力がすごいと思います。
高校の時よく読んだSteven King...またこの年齢になって読むと味がありますね。
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