Perfect reading for this time of year, Seth Godin has collated the ideas of seventy big thinkers into an ebook that should help us reflect on this year and look forward to next year. He writes:
Now, more than ever, we need to shake things up. Now, more than ever, we need a different way of thinking, a useful way to focus and the energy to turn the game around.
Available as a free download, it is certainly something to keep you thinking over the holidays.
A tweet from @2nihon the other day alerted me to tangorin, another online Japanese dictionary that I was not aware of. There are quite a few online dictionaries out here, for a variety of languages. Some of them are not so good but there are some excellent dictionaries for Japanese that not only provide meanings, but also example sentences, kanji and kanji stroke order.
If you're looking for good Japanese online dictionaries, these ones work for me...
Denshi Jisho - Good simple to use dictionary. Will accept words in roomaji or kana script. Usually provides useful example sentences to help get the meaning you are looking for. Whatsmore, it automatically optimizes for the iPhone or iPod touch, making it easy to use on these devices.
Tangorin - Although I haven't used this one much as yet, it seems quite comprehensive and simple to use. It allows you to search for words, kanji, examples and even names or classical Japanese. It also gives you the option to sign up, create a profile and build vocabulary lists. One of the best things I have found for this site is the ability to search for different verb forms. If you enter a verb form it will put it into example sentences for you, thereby allowing you to better understand the structure and how it is used.
Jim Breen's WWWJDIC - A fairly comprehensive dictionary that provides meanings, examples and even links to google, google image or wikipedia results for the Japanese word. It is not really visually appealing in its layout but can provide some very useful information on words or phrases.
I haven't used EnglishJapaneseOnlineDictionary for a while but did use it with classes a while back. It could be better than it was before.
For something different, try one of these:
Although it is a little hard to navigate around, Wapedia has a variety of lists. Lists of abbreviated words like ファミコン (famikon), English words of Japanese origin and gairaigo or words that have originated in languages other than Japanese, like Dutch and Portugese. For example, did you know the Japanese word for 'swing' (ブランコ) comes from the Portugese word? Or, the word ランドセル (randoseru), meaning backpack / knapsack, comes from the Dutch word.
Another interesting site is Rikai. It has a cool little tool that allows you to hover over a kanji or word in the page, revealing the reading and meaning for the kanji or word. If you type the address of a Japanese site into the 'box' on the front page it will redirect you to that site and again allows you to place the cursor over a word to reaveal its meaning. Although not 100% effective, it is pretty good.
If your still thinking about Japanese Dictionaries in general, you really should read @rainbohill's post on eduFire, How to Choose the Best Japanese Dictionary.
Posted via web from Js Nihongo
A tweet from @2nihon the other day alerted me to tangorin, another online Japanese dictionary that I was not aware of. There are quite a few online dictionaries out here, for a variety of languages. Some of them are not so good but there are some excellent dictionaries for Japanese that not only provide meanings, but also example sentences, kanji and kanji stroke order.
If you're looking for good Japanese online dictionaries, these ones work for me...
Denshi Jisho - Good simple to use dictionary. Will accept words in roomaji or kana script. Usually provides useful example sentences to help get the meaning you are looking for. Whatsmore, it automatically optimizes for the iPhone or iPod touch, making it easy to use on these devices.
Tangorin - Although I haven't used this one much as yet, it seems quite comprehensive and simple to use. It allows you to search for words, kanji, examples and even names or classical Japanese. It also gives you the option to sign up, create a profile and build vocabulary lists. One of the best things I have found for this site is the ability to search for different verb forms. If you enter a verb form it will put it into example sentences for you, thereby allowing you to better understand the structure and how it is used.
Jim Breen's WWWJDIC - A fairly comprehensive dictionary that provides meanings, examples and even links to google, google image or wikipedia results for the Japanese word. It is not really visually appealing in its layout but can provide some very useful information on words or phrases.
I haven't used EnglishJapaneseOnlineDictionary for a while but did use it with classes a while back. It could be better than it was before.
For something different, try one of these:
Although it is a little hard to navigate around, Wapedia has a variety of lists. Lists of abbreviated words like ファミコン (famikon), English words of Japanese origin and gairaigo or words that have originated in languages other than Japanese, like Dutch and Portugese. For example, did you know the Japanese word for 'swing' (ブランコ) comes from the Portugese word? Or, the word ランドセル (randoseru), meaning backpack / knapsack, comes from the Dutch word.
Another interesting site is Rikai. It has a cool little tool that allows you to hover over a kanji or word in the page, revealing the reading and meaning for the kanji or word. If you type the address of a Japanese site into the 'box' on the front page it will redirect you to that site and again allows you to place the cursor over a word to reaveal its meaning. Although not 100% effective, it is pretty good.
If your still thinking about Japanese Dictionaries in general, you really should read @rainbohill's post on eduFire, How to Choose the Best Japanese Dictionary.
Posted via web from Js Nihongo
Inspired by the Cogdogblog to use cooliris as a presentation tool and by Muza-chan to explain the story of 'Manekineko", I searched Flickr for "Maneki neko" and created the wall below, with help from Cooliris for developers (not that I've ever imagined myself as a developer).
"Maneki neko" are often seen as you enter shops, businesses or even homes. The Japanese verb 'maneku' (招く・まねく) means to invite and that is what the cat is doing; inviting good luck or customers into the business or home. If the right paw is raised, the cat is inviting in luck, if the left paw is raised, then the cat is trying to draw money (customers) into the business. Each of the two types of cat has a different kanji character on its chest. One is the character for luck and the other for money. Have a look at the photos in the cooliris wall below and look for the difference (click on a picture and then the icon at the bottom of the wall, in the middle, to start the slideshow).
For the story behind the "maneki neko", read Old Japanese Stories - the real Maneki Neko.
Posted via web from Js Nihongo
Whilst trying to work out a way to embed some listening and speaking practice (Japanese) into our Yr9 class wiki, as their Yearly Examinations are fast approaching, I came across a link to Yodio in my delicious bookmarks. I had toyed with the idea of trying to add audio to google maps (I still have no idea if you can do it or not) and also creating another video like this one (with Windows movie maker) for listening comprehension but Yodio seemed to be what I was looking for.
Yodio is very simple to use. Once you've registered, it allows you to:
I love it when students take an idea (or piece of work) and run with it.
On the class wiki page the "Task" came under the banner "Time to CREATE!!!", and they did. The task was given during a unit of work on descriptions and body parts and is as follows:
Scenario: You are a Japanese newsreader presenting the evening news. The item you are reading is in relation to a new species of animal that has been recently discovered in the mountainous forests of central Japan.
Task
Part A: Write the description of your ‘new species’ for the news report, before getting it checked by the teacher.
Part B: Practice reading the report before either (i) recording yourself saying it OR (ii) make a video of the news report.
Students were given the option to work in 2s or 3s. Below is one finished product. Admittedly, the students who created the embedded video chose to bypass the "before getting it checked by your teacher" instruction, but they were immediately forgiven. The video is in Japanese.
This week was a week for exploring effective ways to use the simple introductions we have been doing in our Year 7 Japanese lessons (Year 7 only have 1 lesson per week of Japanese so we don't get through a lot of content). The ability to indicate your name, age, phone number and where you live is useful but there's not a lot you can do with it (I thought). In the first class of the week I went back to the trusted "business card" creation exercise on the laptop. In other words, use Microsoft publisher to create a business card that displays information about yourself in the target language. However, not satisfied that this was the best way to engage the students in an activity designed to create something with the target language, I had a look around...
For reasons since forgotten I came up with Yu-Gi-Oh (a Japanese manga that has spawned, amongst other things, a trading card game) and stumbled across what I was looking for: Yugioh Card Maker. This site allows you to very easily create your own Yu-Gi-Oh trading cards. The 'description' box was used by the students to indicate the name, age, phone number (even monsters have a phone number these days) and city in which the character lived - all in Japanese (roomaji).
In order to 'save' creations to the Yugioh card maker site you do need to register; however, we simply used the "PRTSC" (print screen) button on the laptops, pasted the image into paint and then trimmed the edges to what we wanted. My own 'masterpiece' is above. The act of creating the cards only took about 5 minutes as we had previously revised, and written down, how to indicate all the things they were required to include.
I knew this activity was going to work the moment I asked the students to explain to me what Yu-Gi-Oh was. Several were obviously right into it and ready to share what they knew. This proved infectious as before long some students had created 2 or 3 cards. My next task is to work out the easiest way to display the cards on the class wiki site.
The next step is to create dialogues and, having just discovered another comic creation website (Bitstrips), I have a couple of ideas...
Why use and teach how to use Information & Communications Technology in our classrooms? After all ...
Yeah but ... hang on ... What if we don't integrate technology into our subject area? Are we not doing our students a disservice?
Social media is everywhere. For me, it has opened up my world on an educational level and made me think critically and analytically far more than any professional development day could ever hope to have achieved - BT (before technology). Now, the professional development day (with social media included) is a winning formula. It enhances PD by allowing us to learn, connect, interact and engage in thought provoking conversations.
If our classroom is the student's "professional development day", why not include those ICTs that enhance the thinking, sharing and collaborative process that will help our students to think critically and analytically. Students use social media already, but we need to show them how to use it to help them learn and grow. There are many applications, sites and tools that can be seamlessly woven into lessons to enhance learning, not simply to satisfy ICT outcomes. Our plan is to show you as many of these as we can and hopefully also the results of these.
But first...
Consider this ...
Rummaging through the internet in an attempt to find the latest on pets in Japan, I was reminded of the story of Hachiko. This is the true story of a loyal dog that, for years after its owner had died, continued to turn up at the same time each day to Shibuya station in Tokyo where Hachiko had regularly met the owner on his return from work. The story of this faithful dog (Akita breed) spread and eventually became a well known story that came to symbolise loyalty and faithfulness.
A reminder of this story continues to wait patiently outside Shibuya station, in the form of Hachiko's bronze statue, and is a popular meeting point. Further testiment to the importance of this story to the Japanese is that the stuffed remains of Hachiko are preserved in the National Science museum of Japan (Ueno in Tokyo). Every year on April 8th a rememberance ceremony is held at Shibuya station in honour of Hachiko and "man's best friend".
In 1987 Hachiko's story was told in the successful Japanese movie "Hachiko Monogatari".
とうとう(meaning finally - with some negative connotation) the American version of the film was released in Japan on August 8th - the Japanese number 8 is pronouced 'hachi'. Here is the Japanese trailer for that movie, starring Richard Gere as Hachiko's owner.
Posted via web from Js Nihongo
I am a fan of the wiki and use Wikispaces with a variety of classes and in a variety of ways. Basically I began using it as a site where students can access the information they need on a particular topic. A place to put summaries and tasks they needed to complete. Now I am in the process of trying to take it to the next level and harness more of the wiki's potential by creating a place where students can work together to create the information that they need as well as present their own creations and digital portfolios. Somewhere to share, to pool knowledge and to discuss issues.
Currently I use wikis in different ways for different year groups.
The next step was to provide feedback on the students' pages. This is when our Diigo class group became the tool of choice. With a Diigo Educator account, I have been able to create a class group for my Year 9 class. The class group is closed but we share bookmarks and there is a Group Forum to discuss sites and Japan related topics. This private Diigo Group could be the key to effective feedback for learning as it allows me to highlight text and add comments on web pages (including the students' wiki pages). These comments are only visible to those in the class group. Students can see the comments on their own page and on those of others in the class. They have simple but effective feedback and (if they wish) can see if others in the class are making similar mistakes.When I first began learning a language, teachers rarely used "realia" to liven up the classroom or make the learning more relevant. I will forgive this as back then it was not that easy to get your hands on up to the date items that enhanced the teaching of language and culture. However, the days of faded newspapers is long gone. The internet has provided an avenue for classroom teachers to access real life and up to the minute articles, images, videos and more that can help bring the target language and culture into our students' lives. But, if you're after images of the 'Tanabata festival' in Japan or of a particular Japanese food, you can get so much more if you know where to look...
Searching on Flickr will reap rewards, especially if you search particular groups (related to the target language). Try these ones for Japanese:
To further enhance viewing these images (or any images / video), use Cooliris
Beyond Flickr: Over the past few months I have discovered bloggers and photographers in Japan who can bring Japan to you via their images and stories. Most can also be found on flickr, but you should really check out their sites...
Further to this, yesterday (July 11 2009) two photographers set out to capture 100 smiles in a day, somewhere in Tokyo. A great concept. Have a look at A Hundred Smiles.
Posted via web from Js Nihongo
Language Mosaic
Originally uploaded by acjeppo
Ok... been playing with Big Huge Labs again.
I wanted to create a poster for the hallway to replace the mangy old map we had hanging up (I'm still keen on putting another map up), so I went back to the trusty mosaic creator. Using images found through Creative commons search, as well as the newly created Flickr group - Images to teach Language (thanks to Alice Ayel), the mosaic creator was kind enough to produce the image seen in this post. But that's not all...
I then went to Block Posters. This is a site which will enlarge your image; the poster we created ended up 2ft by 2ft but it could have been larger. The quality of the original images will determine how clear it turns out and the end product can be downloaded as a pdf file. Ours turned up as 12 A4 sheets (this can also be adjusted). We then printed each page in colour, trimmed the edges and laminated each page before putting them up on the wall as a large collage. Even though it does not appear as one large image (more like a jigsaw puzzle), it is still quite effective. So, if you're looking for decorative ideas for your classroom or departmental area I recommend Block Posters to create eye-catching posters.
Further to the previous post, it's probably about time I embedded the following SlideRocket presentation into my own blog. Thank you to Isabelle Jones for already having done so on her site.
Journey to Japan
Originally uploaded by acjeppo
It's that time of the year again when we are trying to attract students to study languages as an elective. So, having already created some motivational posters (see here), it was time to head back to BigHugeLabs to try their "Movie Poster" creator. Attached is one of the movies I have now starred in. Now let's see how it does at the box office...
It's getting colder here in Sydney which means our 'kotatsu' has even more of a Japanese feel about it. A 'kotatsu' is a Japanese heated table, usually placed near the TV - or at least in the living room. It is kind of like a square coffee table but one that you sit at on the floor. Underneath it are heat globes to keep your legs nice and toasty. The blanket is draped over the kotatsu, beneath the table top. And... just like in Japan, we have our little bowl of 'mikan' (mandarines) perched on top.
Not long after I presented to Japanese teachers in Sydney on Saturday and briefly mentioned wikis, Alex Blagona gave a presentation to Language World 2009 (UK) on using wikis in the MFL (LOTE for those here in Australia) classroom. The presentation was apparently inspiring and very practical. The slideshare presentation below is well worth a look if you are using wikis or considering using them in your language classroom.
A couple of months ago I had the opportunity to volunteer as a presenter at the annual Japanese Teacher’s Conference in Sydney. I was at the stage where I felt I had the confidence to get up and share my Web2.0 journey with my Japanese teaching peers, so I took the plunge and yesterday I presented to my peers for the first time. I loved the experience and felt like I’ve grown a little bit more as a result. After the conference and the presentations I saw, I am more convinced that "Teachers teaching teachers" is definitely the way to go.
Whilst preparing for the presentation I was determined to remain aware of what I had learnt from seeing other presenters in the past few years - and not repeat the mistakes that I had perceived in them. For me, proof that reflection is an important part of what we do. See this post here for clarification on that point. Also, as there are so many fantastic resources out here, I decided it may not be the best strategy to bombard people with information, though it’s very easy to do that without knowing it. So, I decided to try to take people with me on the journey that brought me to a place where I was talking to my peers about how to use technology with language students.
I began by explaining RSS (for visual learners) and readers like Google Reader and Bloglines, before moving on to the power of a PLN and where to go to start building your Personal Learning Network. I suggested that delicious and diigo (diigo groups in particular) were great places to start to do this, also briefly explaining about twitter. Some Web2.0 tools we can use in the classroom with language students was the next stopover and so, at that point in the presentation, I switched over from my version of death by powerpoint to the presentation wiki. I had also intended to show a couple of my class wiki as an example of how I use them but ran out of time; so for those who were at the presentation yesterday (and anyone else out there) check out Year 7 Japanese here.
Of the sites shown in the presentation, Voki seemed to be the biggest hit, and so it should be. It is a great site to get students to practice their speaking skills in a language and gain confidence in using the target language. For other sites I found useful last year, check out this post.
Thanks to all those who attended the presentation and for the positive comments. All feedback is appreciated so please let me know if you have any suggestions on how I could improve for next time.
I've been a bit busy the past week or so as on top of the usual end of term assessment writing, marking and reports, I have been preparing for my first PD presentation. As part of the preparation for that presentation I have begun to use Animoto more in class and have prepared a short video to highlight what it is. Animoto is great for putting short videos together and even better if you grab an educator account as it allows you and your students to make longer videos with images, text and audio. Simple to use but effective. Students can include the target language in written or spoken form in their movies. Here's the one I prepared earlier ...
Over at Big Huge Labs (Flickr toys) they have some great tools to help spice up your photos; turn them into posters, calendars, even jigsaws. Anyway, I've been playing around with the 'Motivator' to help spice up the classroom and corridors around the language classrooms. The ulterior motive is of course to spark the student's interest in learning a language and help students to see its relevance.
It should be noted that I was able to produce these materials with funds provided by the Australian Government through the Languages Program.
So far it has worked pretty well and there's been a positive response from the students, especially to the tongue twisters we have put up. The picture here is one sample of what you can do. There are a couple more on my flickr page. Feel free to use them and create some more ...
Breakfast conversation yesterday taught me something new. Commenting on the fact that the year seemed to be flying by and it was already March, I was informed of the following Japanese expression: 一月はいく、二月はにげる、三月はさる (ichigatsu wa iku, nigatsu wa nigeru, sangatsu wa saru) Literally this means: January goes, February flees & March departs (leaves). In Japanese the first sounds in each of the pairs of words (January / go, February / flee, March / depart) are the same, making it an easy expression to remember. As a means to tracking each day and trying to get something out of them, I have been part of the Twitter365 group. A photo a day – most days, hence the picture for this post is February’s montage. Another great way of trying to make the most of your day is, for those with an iPod Touch or iPhone, download the app – Gratitude. Then, once a day, type in what you are grateful for. Helps keep things in perspective.
Searching through my bookmarks for a site to help me with some inspirational lessons for Year 8 Japanese, I came across MapSkip. Although I had no recollection of actually bookmarking it, it seemed to be kind of what I was looking for.
What I was looking for was a site with maps that you could add placemarks and write content into the marker. Like google maps but more... On examination I found several reasons to like MapSkip:
Honmei-choko, giri-choko & eko-choko.Chocolate, chocolate everywhere...
The Japanese have always been pretty good at adapting ideas from other countries to use in their own land, or re-package and even re-sell. In fact, as part of the modernisation process of the country people were sent all over the world to look at school systems, political systems, etc - but we'll leave that for another time. Valentine's Day seems to have appeared in Japan in the mid 20th Century and since then has been turned into a marketer's dream. How's it work ...
February 14th is Valentine's Day. This is the day that girls / women give chocolates to boys / men. "Honmei-choko" refers to chocolates given to boyfiends. On top of that there is also "giri-choko". The word "giri" in Japanese implies an obligation of some sort. Therefore, "giri-choko" are given to the boss or males who you wish to show "gratitude" to. This could well include people (ie a section head or boss) that you really do not like. An ideal quite typical of relationships between people in Japan. "Eko-choko" is new to me, but apparently an attempt to make the wrapping of Valentine gifts more ecologically friendly. The Japanese are renowned for using copious amounts of paper to wrap presents.
But wait there's more... March 14th is when commercialism is taken over the top. That's the day, known as "white day", when males return the favour and buy confectionery (originally marshmellows, hence the name "white day") for the females who they received chocolates from. I assume that this can get complicated.
It seems I was naive in thinking that I would squeeze out at least a couple of blog posts during the holidays. Term 1 is off & running ... But before we get too far into it, and having been tagged a while back by Jess McCulloch, I thought I could at least get one simple post in to start off the year. After all, it wasn't that long ago that I only associated the word 'tag' with schoolyard games (more specifically, being hit hard by a tennis ball).
Anyway, this first post is all about 'me'. 7 things you may not know about me & weren't really worried about in the first place. Mind you, I have enjoyed reading other blogs in this meme. As you build your Personal Learning Network (PLN) and discover the value of it, this kind of meme adds a little bit more to the connections being made. So, here goes ...
Flickr/acjeppo
Twitter/ajep
YouTube/ajJB2
Del.icio.us/acjeppo
MyBlogLog/acjeppo
Blog/ajep
Diigo/acjeppo