The use of interactive multimedia website in learning basic Japanese / Muhammad Alif Redzuan Abdullah and Sanimah Hussin

Japanese language is one of the most popular foreign languages studied as a major or elective by students in Universiti Putra Malaysia (UPM). The learning of Japanese language focuses on four skills: listening, speaking, reading, and writing. In order to achieve competency in these four language skills, it is important for learners to first master a sufficient number of Japanese vocabulary items. This research was conducted with an aim to explore and gather information on the needs of an interactive multimedia website for the acquisition of Japanese vocabulary and grammar in UPM. The research applied a qualitative data collection method that focused on interview and observation. An interactive multimedia website was developed to enable users to learn basic Japanese words and grammar using an e-learning platform application which incorporates various multimedia tools such as animation, songs, graphic, movies, and the Internet that might prove to be successful in turning traditional classrooms into communicative and student-centered classrooms. The results of the research indicates the need for an interactive multimedia website in learning the Japanese language in order to make vocabulary and grammar learning interesting, apart from facilitating independent learning among Japanese language learners in UPM

The Effectiveness of Using Computer Assisted Instruction in Teaching English as a Foreign Language in a Japanese Secondary School (Fukuoka, Japan)

This paper examines the history and the current state of computer-assisted language teaching and learning to provide a context for the present study. A discussion of teaching English using computer-mediated communication in japan is also described along with the explanation of the courseware used. The study involved one hundred eighty-six high school students learning Oral Communication 1 in a traditional classroom environment and in a computer classroom environment using Dynamic English 1 courseware. The participants were assessed quantitatively and qualitatively before and after five lessons to determine their progress and attitudes towards CALL. The students’ results were analyzed and compared. The major conclusion of the study is that CALL was most effective for those students who had a lower ability and the CALL lessons were interesting. Those students who had a higher ability found the courseware too easy for them and were likely to have lost interest, contributing to the unexpected results. A clear majority of the students would have liked to continue the CALL lessons for longer

Open educational resources : conversations in cyberspace

172 p. : ill. ; 25 cm.Libro ElectrónicoEducation systems today face two major challenges: expanding the reach of education and improving its quality. Traditional solutions will not suffice, especially in the context of today's knowledge-intensive societies. The Open Educational Resources movement offers one solution for extending the reach of education and expanding learning opportunities. The goal of the movement is to equalize access to knowledge worldwide through openly and freely available online high-quality content. Over the course of two years, the international community came together in a series of online discussion forums to discuss the concept of Open Educational Resources and its potential. This publication makes the background papers and reports from those discussions available in print.--Publisher's description.A first forum : presenting the open educational resources (OER) movement. Open educational resources : an introductory note / Sally Johnstone -- Providing OER and related issues : an introductory note / Anne Margulies, ... [et al.] -- Using OER and related issues : in introductory note / Mohammed-Nabil Sabry, ... [et al.] -- Discussion highlights / Paul Albright -- Ongoing discussion. A research agenda for OER : discussion highlights / Kim Tucker and Peter Bateman -- A 'do-it-yourself' resource for OER : discussion highlights / Boris Vukovic -- Free and open source software (FOSS) and OER -- A second forum : discussing the OECD study of OER. Mapping procedures and users / Jan Hylén -- Why individuals and institutions share and use OER / Jan Hylén -- Discussion highlights / Alexa Joyce -- Priorities for action. Open educational resources : the way forward / Susan D'Antoni

A Review of the Open Educational Resources (OER) Movement: Achievements, Challenges, and New Opportunities

Examines the state of the foundation's efforts to improve educational opportunities worldwide through universal access to and use of high-quality academic content

Learning Languages in a Digital World

Aleidine J. Moeller, Editor Janine Theiler, Assistant Editor I. Embracing Technology: Tools Teacher Can Use to Improve Language Learning — Introduction to the section: Frauke Hachtmann, Katie Hayes, Leyla Masmaliyeva, Malia Perkins 1 Rich Internet Applications for Language Learning — Dennie Hoopingarner and Vineet Bansal 2 Leveraging Podcasting for Language Learning — Dan Schmit 3 Using PowerPoint Templates to Enhance Student Presentations — J. Sanford Dugan II. Teacher Education and Professional Development: Agents of Change — Introduction to the section: Silvia Betta and Janine Theiler 4 Preparing for the ACTFL/NCATE Program Report: Three Case Studies — Susan Colville-Hall, Bonnie Fonseca-Greber, and Isabel Cavour 5 Preparing Teacher Candidates to Integrate Technology in the Foreign Language Classroom: A Teacher Educator’s Perspective — Elvira Sanatullov-Allison and Marat Sanatullov 6 Training Elementary World Language Teachers to Use an Immersion-based Approach: Modeling and Methods Instruction Delivered via Video/DVD — Jean M. Hindson 7 Action Research on a Technology Integrated Elementary School Foreign Language Methods Course — Marcia Harmon Rosenbusch and Hsueh-Hua Chuang 8 National Board Certification in World Languages: A Worthwhile Journey — Meg Graham 9 Enhancing Learner Self-Efficacy through Continuous Self-Assessment: Implications for the Foreign Language Classroom — Javier Coronado-Aliegro III. Teaching Culture through Divergent Paths — Introduction to the section: Gabriel Cote and Amy Struthers 10 Japanese Language and Culture Learning through E-mail Communication — Yuki Ozawa 11 A Road Less Traveled: The Chemin de Saint-Jacques from LePuy to Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port — Lisa Signori, Steven M. Gardner, and Carlos Mentle

Distance instruction in medical terminology for occupational therapy students in Yokkaichi, Mie, Japan

This project is a plan for using a special web-based learning project to teach medical terminology through distance education between University of Loma Linda and Humanatec Rehabilitation College

International Usability, Design Guidelines and Effectiveness of a World Wide Web-Based Instructional Program for High School Students in a Cross-Culture Learning Environment

The recent growth of the Internet and the World Wide Web (WWW) has resulted in a vast array of on-line courseware and educational Web sites. Unfortunately, as a large percentage of this information is written in English, non-English speakers are unable to access it. Information written in other languages is likewise unavailable to many native English speakers. Therefore, in order to maximize the usefulness of educational material on the Web, it is necessary to design and implement cross-cultural, bilingual or multilingual Web sites and instructional programs. This study was designed to contribute to the area of bilingual learning on the Web. The researcher developed and evaluated three types of mathematics courseware: an English-only version, a Japanese-only version, and a bilingual version. While both the bilingual and English-only courseware enabled Japanese students with a basic knowledge of English to learn both quadratic equations and mathematical terms in English, the research found that the bilingual version was the most effective courseware for learning both mathematics and English simultaneously. Formative and summative evaluations were conducted in order to improve the program and determine the effectiveness of the bilingual courseware. As the courseware was implemented and evaluated, design guidelines were generated and the issue of courseware usability was explored