Technology in Teaching (TnT) Workshops

Throughout the lifelong learning voyage, both teachers and learners will undoubtedly encounter new learning technologies. Keeping pace with advances in technology can pose challenges for both learners and educators. The JALT preconference Technology in Teaching (TnT) workshops are a collection of practical, hands-on sessions geared toward keeping language teachers up-to-date with these changes. The workshops are led by experts in technology in language teaching and include topics such as multimedia production, mobile learning, course management systems, and web-based educational tools. Participants are encouraged to bring along a Wi-Fi enabled computer to experience the hands-on sessions.
The TnT worshops are scheduled for Friday 25 Oct. You can register onsite early Friday afternoon.
Technology and Teaching workshops will be held on the 4th floor of the Kobe International Conference Center. You can go directly to the 4th floor to register/attend.Link for directions
1st Session (13:30 – 15:00)
2nd Session (15:30 – 17:00)
3rd Session (17:30 – 19:00)
• Digital video production by students, for students – ELLIOTT, D (45 mins) • Animating videos with PowToon and VideoScribe – WILSON, J (45 mins)
• Simple Technology for Language Learning – SHROSBREE, M (45 mins)
• Building an interactive website for your students – DAVIES, R (90 mins)
• LiveCode: Creating apps for your classroom – CVITKOVIC, R (90 mins)
• Working with Moodle quizzes – NELSON, F (90 mins)
• Mastering Moodle 2.x – DANIELS, P (90 mins)
• Redefining learning: Using iPads in the classroom – DANIELS, P (90 mins)
• e-Volutionary Research & Teaching with Google Apps – PATERSON, R (90 mins)
• Digital Storytelling with PowerPoint – WILSON, J (90 mins)
 
TnT Workshop Abstracts
Presenter: Robert CvitkovicTitle: LiveCode: Creating apps for your classroomWorkshop Description
‘Everyone in the World can Code’. So says the LiveCode tagline. LiveCode has a visual drag and drop interface, English-like coding language, instant results from the iterative creative process, more features than you can shake a stick at… and no price tag. And you can deploy to 6 popular platforms including Android, iOS, Mac, Windows, Linux and Server.
This full-featured programming environment allows you to create open source apps for all major platforms. Download it completely free and start making your ideas come to life.
The open source version is ideal for:
• Creating and distributing open source apps, games and utilities
• Building in-house systems for use by faculty
• Creating utilities to crunch, analyze and reformat data for research
This workshop will introduce participants to the world of LiveCode. Please go to www.runrev.com and install your community edition before arriving and begin programming today.Bio: Robert Cvitkovic has worked for 5 years at Cyber University, Japan’s first completely online fully accredited university. He has received a MEXT grant to study the effects of motivation and learning outcomes in educational games. His current interest lies with the power of games to keep learners engaged.
Presenter: Paul DanielsTitle 1: Redefining Learning: Using iPads in the classroomWorkshop Description
Are you interested in using Apple’s revolutionary technology in your classes, but don’t know where to start? Join us for a hands-on workshop to learn how iPads can enhance your language teaching. Participants will have a chance to try out a selection of apps and activities and reflect on how iPads can be used to create motivating, engaging and student-centered learning tasks.Title 2: Mastering Moodle 2.xWorkshop Description
This hands-on workshop will cover the basics of setting up a Moodle course that can be used to augment language learning activities. The first half of the workshop will introduce the basics of how to create courses, add content, and manage assignments. The second half of the workshop will demonstrate several 3rd party Moodle plug-ins that were designed specifically to support language learning. The plug-ins will include a video-board plug-in, a slideshow plug-in and a voice-shadowing plug-in. The presenter will discuss how Moodle plug-ins can be used with mobile devices to aid in uploading images, audio and video to Moodle activities. Finally media storage options that make use of cloud storage and APIs will be presented.Bio: Paul Daniels is a professor at Kochi University of Technology. His research involves CALL, ESP and project based-instruction. He also develops Moodle plug-ins and mobile apps for language learning.
Presenter: Renaud DaviesTitle: How to Create an Interactive WebsiteWorkshop Description
Current online technology can augment and build on traditional forms of social learning, giving birth to an improved and more multifaceted approach to second language acquisition that complements the increasingly technological and learner centered classroom. The purpose of this workshop is to demonstrate how free online technology can be utilized to create an interactive learning environment for your students. Participants will learn how to create a simple and mobile friendly interactive website using a free website builder called wix. Participants will be introduced to a variety of free tools which can be easily embedded into their site allowing for a more interactive, creative and autonomous learning experience for students. The workshop aims to introduce both simple and more complex tools so as to cater to both the tech savvy and non-tech savvy in the audience.Bio: Renaud Davies is an instructor at Hiroshima Bunkyo Women’s University. He is very active creating online curricula for students and has a ‘Teaching and Learning with Technology’ blog which can be accessed here: http://eslrenaud.wordpress.com/.
Presenter: Darren ElliottTitle: Digital video production by students, for studentsWorkshop Description
From dedicated high-quality camcorders, through DSLRs and point-and-shoot digital cameras, to smartphones and cellphones, everyone has access to a video camera of some kind these days. This opens up some wonderful avenues of possibility for language teaching and learning, which you will explore in this workshop. The session will combine practical advice about hardware and software, creative project ideas and classroom materials, and discussions about ethics and security. The presenter will also help participants find the best ways of using video in their particular teaching contexts through the use of critical questions. Authentic classroom materials and videos created by students will be shared throughout the session.Bio: Darren Elliott (MA ELT, DELTA) has taught at universities in the United Kingdom and Japan and currently teaches at Nanzan University in Nagoya, Japan. He is also a freelance teacher trainer. He has published and presented on learner autonomy, teacher development, and reflective practice, particularly guided by internet technologies.
Presenter: Rab PatersonTitle: e-Volutionary Research & Teaching with Google AppsWorkshop Description
Do you feel overwhelmed by the torrent of digital information out there? Do you want to be able to manage your classes and students in a more efficient way using technology and the internet? Do you want your students to be able to manage their classwork and homework tasks in a more efficient way? If the answer to any or all of these questions is yes then this is the workshop for you! First Google Apps organisational tools for teachers, students and researchers will be covered. Then Google Apps research tools will also be explained and the productive output Google Apps will also be shown. Finally some browser plug-ins for Google Chrome will be introduced. All of these tools and plug-ins are free and platform neutral and will work on the recent versions of most popular browsers, so all teachers can take advantage of these Google Goodies on offer here!Bio: Rab completed his BA and MA at the School of Oriental and African Studies at the University of London. Currently he is working on his Doctorate in Education at the Institute of Education, also at the University of London and is researching digital / information / multimedia literacy and their effects on academic research and writing. He works full-time at ICU’s English for Liberal Arts program and part-time at the University of Tokyo’s Graduate School for Interdisciplinary Information Studies, Dokkyo University’s Faculty of International Liberal Arts and Rikkyo University’s English department. This year he was selected as an Apple Distinguished Educator.
Presenter: Forrest NelsonTitle: Working with Moodle quizzesWorkshop Description
This workshop will help teachers set up quizzes using an open source course management system called Moodle, version 2.4. Participants who bring along a wireless-ready notebook computer will be able to work within a Moodle course. Besides covering the basics of working with quizzes, participants will be shown how to work with and create their own GIFT formatted quizzes. Since grading of these quizzes is very important, participants will also be shown how to export their grade data and match it with student IDs in an Excel sheet. If possible, in the months before the conference, please send any questions to the workshop presenter at daimori (at) icloud.com. Any questions sent prior to the conference will be discussed during the workshop.Bio:Forrest Mitchell Nelson is an Associate Professor at Saitama University located 1 hour north of Tokyo, Japan. His experience in technology for education has led him to experiment with different technologies that aid teachers in the classroom. Most recently, Forrest has been working on a framework for dealing with video recordings of student classroom conversation practice, student lead discussions and presentations. He is also looking at study experience in L2 and the role it plays in motivation and possibly in streaming.
Presenter: Mark ShrosbreeTitle: Simple Technology for Language LearningWorkshop Description
This workshop will demonstrate ways in which a wide range of simple technologies, such as digital cameras, Moodle, and Windows appliations, can be used to complement more traditional methodologies. The workshop will be very practical with the focus being on ideas that teachers can take away and use in their own workplaces. As well as explaining the teaching methodologies, step-by-step guides to software and other technologies will be provided which teachers can access online. Worksheets and lesson plans will also be made available to participants.Bio: Mark Shrosbree teaches at Tokai University in Kanagawa, Japan. His interests include course design, methodology and materials development, for both general EFL courses and English for Specific Purposes. He maintains a personal website and several university homepages which hold many of the materials he has created.
Presenter: Josh WilsonTitle 1: Creating Animated Videos with PowToonWorkshop 1 Description
PowToon is an exciting new software tool that allows educators to create media with the dynamic animations and hand-drawn effects we’ve become accustomed to seeing in professional works like RSA Animate videos. Whether you are trying to flip the your classroom or just want to add spice to your presentations, Powtoon can help you create awesome animated explainer video clips that bring the wow factor to your productions. The presenter will briefly demonstrate the software and participants will make a few simple videos. We’ll have a brief discussion of the relative merits of the tool compared to keynote and PowerPoint and end with a rapid design competition in which participants will animate an explanation of a specific grammar point. Participants will leave the workshop proficient with the software and ready to start transforming their presentations into PowToons!Title 2: Digital Storytelling with PowerPointWorkshop 2 Description
Media literacy and proficiency with multimedia applications is vital to both our success as teachers and our students’ success in the knowledge economy. PowerPoint offers a surprisingly robust but uncomplicated means for teachers and students to enter the world of digital content creation. The drawing, animation, narration, and export to video functions allow users to create dynamic media with familiar tools resident in every computer lab. Similarly, digital storytelling projects engage students and motivate them to see themselves as producers of media rather than just consumers. Participants in this workshop will gain familiarity with PowerPoint animation features, learn techniques for designing effective storytelling projects, and discover how to transform their classes by replacing traditional, front-of-the-class presentations with online ‘film festivals’.Bio: Josh Wilson is an assistant professor at Kansai Gaidai University, where he teaches intensive EAP courses and American Studies. He is a proponent of educational technology with a passion for innovative design and creation tools. When not teaching he researches educational games and designs video games for language learning.