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Use of Information Communication Technology in Japanese Classes
by Kiyotaka Horii, Japanese Teacher, Nishimachi International School
Last October I was given the opportunity to participate in an international conference on twenty-first century learning at the Vienna International School (Vienna, Austria): “Keeping the Edge in a Changing World.” Apple Computer, as sponsor, organized this one-time event around the question of “how international schools can use technology [IT] to inspire new ways of teaching to address the changed learners who are sitting in schools today.” The issue is a vital one, and the conference attracted teachers in a wide variety of disciplines from international schools across the globe.
We all know technology is here to stay. Schools the world over are integrating or have already integrated technology into classrooms to greater or lesser degrees. We should expect those levels to increase and start to think of computers and handheld devices as “study tools” of the future, on a level with (but by no means replacing) traditional classroom tools, namely, pencils, erasers, and notebooks. Rather than be swept under by an IT tidal wave, we as educators should be looking at ways in which to maximize the benefits of IT in the classroom, recognizing the rich opportunities it affords students for individual learning, communication, and expression.
The question is how.
We have to look first at our so-called changing learners in the classroom. The twenty-first century is already in full swing. The children born in this first decade are very different from those born as recently as twenty years ago. This is a generation that has been exposed to computers and virtual worlds from birth. With seemingly limitless intellectual curiosity and imagination, children are able to soak up the information fed to them like sponges. They master more in the way of “information skills” and information processing at an early age than most adults can appreciate based on their own (more limited) experience.
To say the student of today is obsessed by technology is an understatement. But I don’t think the prognosis is all bad. There is an opportunity here, I believe, to channel the medium in ways that will get it to work for us in teaching. To illustrate what I mean, it might be easier if we take an example we’re all familiar with, namely, Nishimachi.
There were two things that attracted me, as a teacher of Japanese, to Nishimachi: The first was its highly respected Japanese-language program with its strong emphasis on reading, writing, listening, and speaking, in addition, of course, to the dynamic cultural component.
The second was Nishimachi’s commitment to advanced Information Communication Technology (ICT). Students at the school, from kindergarten up, are exposed to a wide variety of IT equipment and applications in well-planned and age-appropriate learning environments. As students progress from year to year, their computer skills get increasingly more sophisticated, ranging from simple word processing to complex graphic design.
I believe we have all the ingredients we need for the selective and skill-specific application of technology to language learning at Nishimachi. By integrating our rich resources—in IT and in the Japanese-language program—I think we can go a long way toward providing a more “natural” and thus interest-sustaining learning environment for the “changed learner” of the twenty-first century.
What would a fusion of traditional Japanese-language education and IT involve?
For one thing, we would enhance language learning by applying key IT elements like speed, tempo, and timing to language-learning tasks. The goal is to get and keep student attention and interest on turf they’re familiar with—theirs is a fast-moving world—not to mention making the more tedious aspects of traditional language learning, such as memorization or drills, more “fun.” By meeting students halfway, I believe, we can create a richer, more efficient learning environment.
On the student benefit side, we would expect to see a more positive attitude toward language studies, better retention of material, an increase in motivation, improved communication skills, and greater self-confidence. ICT benefits the program and program organizers as well. Teachers would have more classroom time for progressive study plans that involve improvised classroom activities, e.g., starting a debate or discussing social phenomena, as ways of getting students to utilize skills and stretch imaginations.
Here are some of the ways in which I am already using ICT in my classes.
- Presentations Created by Keynote and Pages
Students in third grade and above write book reports using word processors and presentation tools such as “Pages” and “Keynote.” In the process of producing their reports, students analyze and discuss the writing sequence (e.g., what element will come first, what will follow, and so on) and talk about perspective before writing their first draft. This series of stages tests critical thinking as well as linguistic skills. In order to make sure classroom tasks are clear to students, I also use this type of presentation software to explain the goals of a particular unit of study. Students then know exactly what is expected of them and how to set about reaching their goals. - Memorization with Kanji Flash Cards
They say the best way to memorize kanji is using flash cards. Flash-card learning functions best if the cards are created by the students themselves. However, this is not efficient. (It takes too much time to create a set of cards containing the hundreds of words they need. And imagine how much paper would be involved!) But what if you were able to import kanji or Japanese words to computers or portable music players such as iPods? A group of my students did this kind of trial, and we discovered that, with the new technology, some students, who heretofore showed little interest in kanji, suddenly started to study more.
Because kanji characters imported to computers and iPods are saved in the jpeg format, they can be shown on the screen by projectors. During classroom practice, students can look straight ahead—rather than lean over a book on their desks—when reciting aloud. I am finding that if we do this kind of practice at the beginning of each class, the student’s mind automatically—and instantly—switches to the Japanese mode. This gets each class off to a positive start and warms students up for more demanding tasks as the class period unfolds.
I have been developing the strategies described above as part of an ongoing exploration of the potential of IT in the language classroom and hope to continue these efforts in future. I believe each teacher has to utilize his/her creativity to devise strategies that promote successful and effective learning for students. It is my goal to offer the best learning environment, using the IT tools of today, for the children of tomorrow.