JALT Event

This presentation will look at efforts to use a website to enhance curriculum. Specifically, the following needs were identified:
- An online database which would allow for the sharing of students' example sentences in a vocabulary course with future students in the same course.
- Online access of locally developed listening materials for a listening and speaking course.
- Online access of administrative and curricular files, for teachers as well as students, for all the courses in the language program.
In this presentation we will briefly outline the language program and demonstrate how the NWU curriculum website addresses specific program needs, those of teachers and students. We will also briefly outline some technical issues in developing the website and address any queries along that line that members of the audience might have. The audience will be encouraged to reflect on and contribute ideas on how websites can be incorporated into programs to enhance teaching and learning.

This year's Kansai ETJ Expo will again be held at Seifu High School, from 9:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. From 12:30 to 1:15 p.m. Osaka JALT and other Kansai area JALT chapters will meet to discuss various issues related to organizing various upcoming events.
Presentation schedule: http://www.eltnews.com/ETJ/events/expos.shtml
Map: http://www.eltnews.com/ETJ/events/exposched/2008expo/2008_osaka_venue.pdf
General information: http://www.etjkansai.com/expo/expo.html
Detailed directions: http://www.etjkansai.com/expo/map/map.html

Six of our members will attempt to utilize the growing trend of "pecha-kucha" (using 20 slides for 20 seconds each) to showcase one activity that they learned about at the recent JALT National Conference.

Our chapter will be holding its second meeting on November 15th 2008, after our very successful first meeting. This time, we will give the floor to anyone who is going to the JALT International Conference to give a summary report of their favourite presentation. The national conference is the main focus of the JALT year, and is jam-packed with great ideas and discussions. However, as not everyone can go, our next chapter meeting will be a great chance to share the new insights.
If you are interested in taking the floor to give a summary report please contact us at the email address at the bottom. We envisage a period of 10-15 minutes for each report.
After the meeting, we will have an early evening session and perhaps we can enjoy supper, or a longer evening together after the meeting.
The meeting will be held in the assembly room (2F) of EIR Manshon, less than 10 minutes walk from Niigata station. Come out on the south side of the station (not the bandai side) and walk past the Plaka buildings. Within 5 minutes you will come to a large intersection, where you can see Don Quixote on the other side, which has a large videoscreen. Cross the road and walk on the other side of the road from Don Quixote. After a couple of minutes you will come to a restaurant called Rococo. EIR Manshon is directly next to Rococo. This is a private building, so if there is no one there to let you in when you arrive, just call David Coulson on 09065040192.

Recent technological advancements are not only influencing our personal and work lives, but are also making waves in the world of education. The terms blogging, wiki-ing, podcasting, and vodcasting may still be unknown to some students (and teachers), but they are being seriously considered by language teachers around the world for application in the classroom and use in self-access learning. Podcasting is one concept that many oral communication teachers are experimenting with. Podcasts, and other forms of online listening, provide a wide range of authentic and pedagogically-driven listening materials for use both in and out of the classroom. And with the necessary tools, students can even make their own podcasts. This presentation will consider the latter notion of podcasting – student-authored podcasting – and will discuss the pedagogical and social benefits, and potential pitfalls, of incorporating podcasting into classroom activities. Through a discussion of her own experiences of using podcasting in the classroom, the presenter will consider the pros and cons of classroom podcasting, the necessary stages before beginning a podcast project, and several ideas for designing podcasting activities. Participants will also be encouraged to think about possible uses of student-authored podcasting in their own classroom settings.
Kristen Sullivan is a Lecturer at Shimonoseki City University. She is interested in the use of technology for educational purposes in and out of the classroom, and has conducted numerous classroom research projects involving online listening and student-authored podcasting. She is co-author of the oral communication textbook Impact Conversation recently published by Pearson Longman.

While published ELT materials will continue to dominate the language classroom, technology has undisputedly made significant inroads into collaborating with language education, resulting in "b-learning", or blended learning. This presentation will first bring you up to speed on what b-learning options have evolved over the past several years, and which are available in Japan, and then will focus on how to use b-learning to increase English practice outside of class, facilitate classroom management, provide continuous assessment, encourage autonomous learning, and support the integration of both language and technology skills. Please join us for our ninth meeting of the year.
More information is at our websites at http://jalt.org/groups/Nagasaki and http://www.kyushuelt.com/jalt/nagasaki.html or look for our Nagasaki JALT and Friends Facebook Group, or simply sign up for our monthly e-mail newsletter at http://www.kyushuelt.com/jalt/nagamail.php3 All welcome!

Join us for our annual year-end/Christmas party. Chat about the year gone, and the year ahead, in an informal setting with other chapter members. We'll provide light snacks; please bring a bottle of something you'd like to drink and share with other attendees. Bring a friend, too!
We will also be running a book swap—a great chance to clear some space off your bookshelves, or find something new to read over the New Year break.