Mike Byram: Purposes and approaches to foreign language education

Date: June 28, 2011 (Tuesday)
Time: 6:00pm - 9:00pm
Location: Umeda Lifelong Learning Center
Entrance fee: Free for JALT members and members of the co-sponsoring groups
1,000 yen for others.

Purposes and approaches to foreign language education: universalism or particularism?

The main focus of this talk will be whether language teaching can be 'universal' or has to be 'particularistic' i.e. with the purposes and aims /objectives specific to each country. This will lead onto dealing with the model of intercultural　communicative competence (Byram, 1997). The talk will include a question and answers section.

This event is co-sponsored by Osaka JALT, the Framework & Language Portfolio Special Interest Group (FLP SIG), and the East Shikoku Chapter in cooperation with Osaka University Research Institute for World Languages.

Registration by email is necessary (by June 14th)
Contact Fergus O’Dwyer (FLP SIG/Osaka University): flpsig@gmail.com

7th Annual Tech Day Plus at Hannan University

Date: Sunday, June 19, 2011
Time: 10:00 AM - 5:30 PM (registration opens at 9:30)
Location: Hannan University's main campus (Kintetsu Kawachi Amami station)

Fee: ¥1000 JALT Members (Free for full-time student members), ¥1500 Non-members (¥500 for full-time student non-members)

The themes of Tech Day are simplicity and practicality -- ideas that language teachers and learners can use either in or out of the classroom. In addition to our "Tech" presentations that will take place in fully equipped computer labs, we'll have a wide range of other presentations on non-technical topics in the "Plus" room.

Steve McCarty, Osaka Jogakuin College professor, will give the opening plenary session "Online education and virtual organizations". McCarty was elected president of the U.S.-based NPO World Association for Online Education several times from 1998: http://waoe.org. See his bilingual online library: http://waoe.org/steve/epublist.html

We are also proud to have these presenters (in alphabetical order):

Simon Bibby - Investigating student preferences, proficiency and usage patterns: PCs versus cell phones

Chris Brizzard - Creating podcasts with Audacity

Kelly Butler & Michael Wilkins - Teaching paperless

John Campbell-Larsen - Creating a Video Corpus

Harry Carley - Working with Wikis, Technology in Teaching

Nat Carney - Online textual analysis tools useful for working with EFL Writing

Mark Donnellan - A blended approach: The use of CALL tools in EFL lessons / An introduction to electronic textbooks

Jean-Paul DuQuette - Evaluating Online Games for Language Learning

Craig Gamble - Educational advantages of using Dropbox in your classroom

Floyd Graham, Anthony Lavigne, & Gary Fogal - Global English made accessible and meaningful for EFL learners
Myles Grogan - Simple text animation for class websites / Recipes for Wired Teachers - Online!

Troy Guze - How to protect sensitive data on your computer with encription

William Hogue - Course websites with Google Sites / Flip your classroom with Google / Google Forms for homework?

Christopher Johnston - Practical motivational strategies for Japanese university students

Laura Markslag - Name cards: Motivating classes through individual accountability / Own it! How digital movies help learners use English meaningfully

Stuart McLean - Computerized flash card sites: when learning and monitoring learning

Junko Omotedani - Classroom listening comprehension activities based on the processes of listening

Michal B. Paradowski - InfoVis Interfaces: Moving beyond the corpus in the language and culture classroom

Andrew Philpott - Motivating students using CALL

Bob Sanderson - Extensive Reading Online

Gabrielle Wallace - Just "act" natural: Speaking naturally beyond grammar and vocabulary

Bill White - English Central for the Blended Classroom

Josh Wilson - Think like a video game designer to build better courses

Brian Wojtowicz - Lesson idea enhancements using online video clips and images

The schedule of presentations can be downloaded HERE.

Asian Conference on Language Learning & Technology in the Classroom

DATE: June 10-12
TIME: 9:00 a.m. to 6:30 p.m.
LOCATION: Ramada Osaka (Umeda)
FEE: ¥50,000

The International Academic Forum in conjunction with its global partners is proud to announce the Inaugural Asian Conference on Language Learning, to be held from June 10-12 2011, at the Ramada Osaka, Osaka, Japan.

The aim of this International Conference is to encourage academics, scholars and practitioners representing a exciting diversity of countries, cultures, and religion to meet and exchange ideas and views in a forum encouraging respectful dialogue. By bringing together a number of university scholars working throughout Japan, Asia, and beyond to share ideas, ACCL 2011 will afford the opportunity for renewing old acquaintances, making new contacts, and networking across higher education and beyond.

For more information please see http://www.acll.iafor.org/ and http://www.actc.iafor.org/

Gender Awareness in Language Education Conference

Gender Awareness in Language Education Conference:

Exploring Gender and its Implications

DATE: May 28th, 2011
TIME: 9:45 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
LOCATION: Kyoto University
FEE: Students 1,000 yen, JALT Members 2,000 yen, Non-members 3,000 yen

GALE will be holding a one day conference on May 28th at Kyoto University. This conference is an opportunity to share  research as well as exchange ideas on different aspects of gender and language education.

For more information including venue access and the conference program, please click HERE.

An Evening with Dr. John Read

Date: May 20, 2011 (Friday)
Time: 6:00 pm to 8:30 pm
Location: Umeda Lifelong Learning Center, Room 3
Fee: Free for JALT members (Although ¥500 donations are recommended)
¥1000 for one day members
(All proceeds will be donated to charity to help vicitms of the Tohoku disaster)

Osaka JALT is proud to sponsor a talk by Dr. John Read of the Univeristity of Auckland. Dr. Read will be passing through Osaka on his way to give the plenary speech at the 2011 PAN SIG conference in Matsumoto, Nagano.

Dr. Read is the author of Assessing Vocabulary, published by Cambridge Univerisity Press.

The Osaka Municipal Lifelong Learning Center Umeda is located on the 5th floor of the Osaka Eki Mae Dai 2 Building in Umeda.

Even if you can't make it for Dr. Read's presentation, please feel free to join us for dinner at Satoyama dining restaurant http://r.gnavi.co.jp/k593000/ on the 17th floor of the Terminal Building (near Hankyu Umeda station), starting from about 8:30. Dinner buffet is just 2500 yen for 90 minutes, and nomihodai (all you care to drink) is an additional 500 yen. Please email osakajalt@yahoo.com to reserve a place for dinner, or give us a call at 080-3789-6394 on Friday if you have trouble finding us.