Tablets in the Classroom
Since the debut of the iPad, tablets have captured the imagination of consumers. In just one year, the iPad surpassed even the most optimistic of projections to define a brand new product category and become the best-selling gadget of all time.
But are tablets ready for the classroom? By looking at all that tablets offer in the context of student behavior and some of the recent trends in education, it’s clear that tablets are ready for the classroom.
Four of our FIA OJT trainers have been using Tablets in the classroom.
Chris uses an ASUS Transformer 101 running Android
· How do you mainly use it in the class room?
Firstly, I use the tablet for administration and communication (e-mail). It came with an Office suite (docs, spreadsheets, and PowerPoint presentations) app. pre-installed. For in-class use, I often use the Japanese-English dictionary app which also allows me to save words in lists for my own study. I also use an app to access an online English dictionary. Occasionally I may need to show a website or a YouTube video, play a song, etc.
· Recommended Apps or Websites that you commonly use?
I have a lot of apps so I`ll just mention my top 5:
1. Aedict - Japanese-English dictionary. Easy to use and gives lots of examples of the word in Japanese and English sentences. Also allows you to save words to user created lists which can generate vocabulary quizzes.
2. Free Dictionary - app to access an online English dictionary. Useful for checking spelling and finding out different meanings or usages of a word.
3. AnkiDroid - flashcard app. You can make your own sets or download sets others have made.
4. Tunein - streaming radio app that lets you listen to radio from around the world. It is handy to have some online radio stations lined up to show members where they can go to listen to foreign music/talk, which members can listen to during their commute.
5. BBC news app - puts headlines on your desktop and links to articles.
· Your thoughts on using tablets in the classroom?
Before I got my tablet I had only seen PCs used in other locations. When I decided to bring my tablet with me to work I didn`t have a clear idea of what I was going to do with it other than admin. and showing self intro pictures. Once I got the feel of it and started getting apps, the possibilities started to dawn on me. But also, once the initial novelty wore off it became just another tool; good to have when I need it, but not something I use all the time. One thing it is particularly useful for is demonstrating to members the kinds of apps they can get for their own smart phones. I always encourage members to use English for their own reasons and try to build English into their daily lives. Apps on a smart phone is a convenient way to do that.
Michael uses an iPad 2 with 3G
· How do you mainly use it in the class room?
When I was in WHQ3, the iPad served as my main email hub since it centralized all my accounts in a single location. I also used it to record attendance with Google Documents. As for classroom use, reliable and speedy internet access allows my to use pictures and videos in the classroom. There are also a number of apps that I make use of (see the next question).
· Recommended Apps or Websites that you commonly use?
Google Earth has become my new atlas and it's free too. For basic grammar there's Grammar Jammers, very similar to the old Schoolhouse Rock songs if you're old enough to remember. For games, there are Boggle, Scrabble and Four Letter Words (not what you're thinking) which help bring out new vocabulary and spelling. The last three are pay apps, though Four Letters does have a lite version.
· Your thoughts on using tablets in the classroom?
Like anything in the classroom, how effective it becomes depends on how you make use of it. There are certainly a number of useful apps out there just waiting to be discovered to be sure. The interface is the main selling point, let's be honest, the touch screen just makes things fun.
Stephen uses an Android Samsung Galaxy Tab with 3G
· How do you mainly use it in the classroom?
With Yazaki's network so restrictive, I would circumvent this by using the tablet for image searches and YouTube videos (handshake guide, telephone etiquette, etc.). Later, I incorporated task-based learning into the classroom.
For example:
1. After a brief practice on asking for directions, the student would be assigned the project ''Directions - To Hakata, Fukuoka''
2. Using the tablet, they would then have to research the necessary components for the trip (Transfers, Time, Fare cost)
3. The conversation practice, performance, and review would then incorporate their findings.
·Recommended Apps or Websites that you commonly use?
1. DropBox - For file storage needs including time-sheets, photos, videos, and other documents. Can sync with other teachers.
2. Google Docs - Great when the work PC might only include an outdated, Japanese language-only version of Office
3. Hyperdia - For general Japanese train and bus schedules.
4. YouTube - 'Nuff said
5. BBC Learning English - Great website from the BBC that provides amazing ELT services including audio, video, and reading content. Especially useful when going over idioms.
6. Google Translate - 'Nuff said
· Your thoughts on using tablets in the classroom?
Tablets in the classroom can provide an invaluable asset for everyone. It's a conversation starter, and can help push your students to think outside the box. Unfortunately, It's not all positive. It's very possible to become trapped in a "Hey, watch this video for 30mins" cycle. But overall, I believe the benefits outweigh the cons.
Ryan uses an iPad 2 with 3G
· How do you mainly use it in the class room?
I use my iPad for both administration and as a teaching tool. I do my attendance on it and I am currently making some forms into fillable PDF forms that I can do right on the iPad. And skip printing out. Go green. As a teaching tool, I tend to use it more in my location that doesn’t have internet access. In WHQ2 I prefer to use the big screen of the laptop for things. But if I decide to show a video clip on the fly without preloading it, I always grab my iPad. It’s just so much quicker, especially for loading videos.
It’s also great for word games and EFL related apps.
· Recommended Apps or Websites that you commonly use?
I have several apps and websites that I use. First for administration, I use Docs to Go for word and excel files. I find it to be the best for keeping the original format. For PDFs, I use PDF Expert just because it can do fillable PDFs. Of course Drop box to sync my files. I use iMailG HD for my email. As a teaching tool, I mostly use nihongodict.com for a very good dictionary and of course Google translate. I often use YouTube especially when it come to presentations. Google maps with street view is always fun to look up locations. For game apps I use Four Letters, Words with Friends, Hanging with Friends and PopWords!
· Your thoughts on using tablets in the classroom?
I resisted the the first iPad after I got iPad 2, I love it. It’s almost always next to me. I think it is very useful in the classroom and the learning potential is endless. As they start to add to iTunes U, tablets will be even more useful. It already has presentations and classes from many famous Universities. It is also getting a lot of textbooks in electronic format allowing you to do things with textbooks that you would never imagine.
I truly feel that someday it will be normal for students and/or teachers to have tablets in the classroom. It is the future and the future is starting now.
Have you been Japanified?
Before reading below, look at the picture.
Which two are a match?
If you chose middle and left, then you have Western thinking. For Westerns we tend to concentrate on the outside. Westerners notice the shapes and immediately make the match. It has something to do with English using plurals forms so Westerns tend to count things, for example the corners.
If you chose middle and right, You think like a Japanese. Japanese mostly has no plural forms so the sides tend to be irrelevant. They look what’s inside rather than what’s outside. This may be why we often think “How did he get her?” when seeing couples.
If you chose right and left, are you OK?
This was on some TV show here. It is not fact, it is meant as fun. Don’t take it personally.
Teaching Tips Pt. 3
Column by Jon Gingerich
Mistakes 15-20
Different Than and Different From
This is a tough one. Words like “rather” and “faster” are comparative adjectives, and are used to show comparison with the preposition “than,” (e.g., greater than, less than, faster than, rather than). The adjective “different” is used to draw distinction. So, when “different” is followed by a preposition, it should be “from,” similar to “separate from,” “distinct from,” or “away from.” e.g., My living situation in New York was different from home. There are rare cases where “different than” is appropriate, if “than” operates as a conjunction. e.g., Development is different in New York than in Los Angeles. When in doubt, use “different from.”
Bring and Take
In order to employ proper usage of “bring” or “take,” the writer must know whether the object is being moved toward or away from the subject. If it is toward, use “bring.” If it is away, use “take.” Your spouse may tell you to “take your clothes to the cleaners.” The owner of the dry cleaners would say “bring your clothes to the cleaners.”
Impactful
It isn't a word. "Impact" can be used as a noun (e.g., The impact of the crash was severe) or a transitive verb (e.g., The crash impacted my ability to walk or hold a job). "Impactful" is a made-up buzzword, colligated by the modern marketing industry in their endless attempts to decode the innumerable nuances of human behavior into a string of mindless metrics. Seriously, stop saying this.
Affect and Effect
Here’s a trick to help you remember: “Affect” is almost always a verb (e.g., Facebook affects people’s attention spans), and “effect” is almost always a noun (e.g., Facebook's effects can also be positive). “Affect” means to influence or produce an impression — to cause hence, an effect. “Effect” is the thing produced by the affecting agent; it describes the result or outcome. There are some exceptions. “Effect” may be used as a transitive verb, which means to bring about or make happen. e.g., My new computer effected a much-needed transition from magazines to Web porn. There are similarly rare examples where “affect” can be a noun. e.g., His lack of affect made him seem like a shallow person.
Irony and Coincidence
Too many people claim something is the former when they actually mean the latter. For example, it’s not “ironic” that “Barbara moved from California to New York, where she ended up meeting and falling in love with a fellow Californian.” The fact that they’re both from California is a "coincidence." "Irony" is the incongruity in a series of events between the expected results and the actual results. "Coincidence" is a series of events that appear planned when they’re actually accidental. So, it would be "ironic" if “Barbara moved from California to New York to escape California men, but the first man she ended up meeting and falling in love with was a fellow Californian.”
Nauseous
Undoubtedly the most common mistake I encounter. Contrary to almost ubiquitous misuse, to be “nauseous” doesn’t mean you’ve been sickened: it actually means you possess the ability to produce nausea in others. e.g., That week-old hot dog is nauseous. When you find yourself disgusted or made ill by a nauseating agent, you are actually “nauseated.” e.g., I was nauseated after falling into that dumpster behind the Planned Parenthood. Stop embarrassing yourself.
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Spring Events at Sempuku
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May 3rd to 5th
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Monthly Poll
Previous Poll Results ('What type of Keitai do you use?')
This Month:
Do you want a Tablet?
· Yes, an iPad.
· Yes, an Android based tablet.
· Yes, a Windows based tablet.
· Yes, any will do.
· I don’t need or want one.
· I already have one.
Ask your students!!! Vote by email fiappc@gmail.com or visit http://www.fia-first-hand.com
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