An adaptive learning system is proposed that incorporates a Bayesian network to efficiently gauge learners' understanding at the course-unit level. Also, learners receive content that is adapted to their measured level of understanding. The system works on an iPad via the Edmodo platform. A field experiment using the system in an elementary school…

This study explores ways of using Facebook as a tool to improve the pragmatic competence of students of German as a foreign language in Japan. Nine students of a textbook-based German class (CFER level A2) voluntarily participated in this blended learning approach, in which they were assigned weekly online tasks aimed at eliciting speech acts…

In this exploratory study, the author examines both students' and teachers' perceptions of Moxtra, a cross-platform cloud collaboration service, as a blended learning tool in a language course. Participants were 242 first-year students studying General English and 8 teachers at the Bunkyo English Communication Centre (BECC) at Hiroshima Bunkyo…

Recognizing how essential communication technologies have become to language learners, the TESOL Technology Standards Task Force set three goals for learners (Healey et al., 2011): 1) demonstrating skills in technology for a multilingual world, 2) using technology appropriately and ethically, and 3) using and evaluating technology for language…

Provides an overview of inservice teacher training programs in Japan, which have few links to formal distance education programs. Teachers' growing use of computer communications networks is reviewed as a self-teaching method, and future directions are suggested. (Contains nine references.) (EAM)

For the first time, the annual conference of the European Association for Computer-Assisted Language Learning (EUROCALL) took place in Sweden. The conference took place at the Faculty of Education on historic ground on the old fortification walls of Carolus Dux from the 17th century right in the centre of the city. This year's host comprised the…

Describes the comprehensive curriculum and school infrastructure of information technology education in elementary and secondary schools in Japan. Compares Japan's educational computing with the United States and considers the future of educational information technology in a networked environment. (Contains 13 references.) (LRW)

The instructional media created by microcomputers interconnected by modems to form long-distance networks present some powerful new opportunities for education. While other uses of computers in education have been built on conventional instructional models of classroom interaction, instructional electronic networks facilitate a wider use of…

Reviews trends in computer assisted instruction (CAI) in Japan, focusing on authoring languages and mathematical model-based courseware development. The scale of personal computer use and types of courseware used in elementary and junior high schools is described, and an example of an intelligent CAI system is given. (Author/LRW)

Discussion of information technology in Japan includes historical background, government-initiated movements for school reform backed by computer networks, and the introduction of an information technology course in senior high schools. Describes a nationwide open education project in Korea and the state of cyber universities supported by the…

The educational potential of computer networks will be realized only when educators stop focusing on technical connections and start asking how educational activities that are supported on computer networks can make a significant contribution to education. Computer networks can contribute to accomplishing educational goals in language arts (by…

Discussion of the use of electronic networks for learning activities highlights the Noon Observation Project in which students in various locations measured the length of a noontime shadow to determine the earth's circumference. Electronic pen pals are discussed, and the roles of the network and of the class are described. (LRW)

Describes three projects that use technology to adapt curriculum to a global approach: (1) kindergartners using a videotape to see a Japanese child; (2) eighth graders using Macintosh networked workstations to produce hypermedia presentations on community issues; and (3) a high school class using a computer-based telecommunications system to…

This assessment of the status of computer assisted school automation (CASA) in Japan begins by describing the structure of the Japanese educational system and the roles of CASA in that system. Statistics on various aspects of computers in Japanese schools and the findings of several surveys are cited to report on the present state of educational…

Following a brief overview of the Japanese educational system and its programs for handicapped children, the role of microcomputers in Japan's schools is described. Most secondary and some elementary schools in Japan have acquired computers to enhance the processes of learning and teaching. In schools for the handicapped, computers are also being…