Pre-conference Skills-up Workshops
Thursday, Nov. 22nd, 1:00 - 5:00 pm
NON-NOVICE
The non-novice workshop features the following three sessions:
1. Integrating Moodle resources and activities into language classes
Peter Ruthven-Stuart – Future University, Hakodate
Preferred audience: Pre-Intermediate = people who have used Moodle a little / people who have access to Moodle system but want more guidance / people who don't have access to a Moodle system but have used it before and are considering getting their own Moodle course.
In this workshop, participants will learn how to integrate a cohesive set of Moodle tasks into face-to-face classes. The target audience is people who have used Moodle a little, and want to learn more about how to blend Moodle into their regular language classes. There are two parts to this process: first is the pedagogical design of the string of activities and how these relate to the goals of the class; the second part is the technical job of creating the tasks. The audience will be shown some "real-life" examples of most of the standard, and some nonstandard, modules.
2. Word™ and Excel™ practical hints and tips
Jean Ware – Tokai University
Preferred audience: For both Novice and Non-novice users
Come and upgrade your Word™ and Excel™ skills. Some of the Word topics that will be discussed include: removing all formatting, using styles to format longer documents, working with text and images, including manipulating string bean images, resizing & compressing images, organizing photos using tables, and then comparing and merging documents. Some of the Excel topics will include: auto-filling cells, using formulas to calculate dates & count survey responses, conditional formatting to highlight important information, and using Word's Mail Merge to create individual student attendance reports.
3. Research data management using SPSS
Ian Isemonger – Kochi Women's University
Preferred audience: Non-novice
This workshop is for people who have not used SPSS before (or who have very little experience with it) and who want to know how to get started. I will deal with issues of inputting or importing data and connecting to databases (I will not deal with database development in this workshop). I will then deal with issues of data management – things like dealing with missing values and recoding data. Following this I will talk about getting "a feel" for one's data. This will include, most importantly, issues of distribution – skewed data, data spread, the role of extreme values and outliers, etc. – as well as looking at the more general aspects of descriptive statistics such as means, etc. I will then point out some of the more basic options available for inferential statistics (there may not be a lot of time for this), and then take questions.
NOVICE
The novice workshop features the following three sessions:
1. Producing an engaging message using PowerPoint
Patrick Hafenstein – Macmillan Education
Preferred audience: The presentation would suit novices and semi-professional PowerPoint users.
This presentation will walk teachers through making a PowerPoint so that it is more than just a title and bullet points. It will show teachers how to present information so that it has a strong visual impact, sparks the audience's imagination, and also makes it an interactive and engaging experience for the listeners. In 60 minutes you will look like a PowerPoint professional and not a clumsy novice. Although not essential, you can bring along your laptop for hands on experience.
2. Getting started with Moodle: An introductory workshop for language teachers
Gordon Bateson – Kanazawa Gakuin University
Preferred audience: Moodle novices and "false beginners," that is to say people who have never used the Moodle Leaning Management System or who have used it a little but feel unsure about exactly what it can do and how to use it.
This workshop will introduce the Moodle Learning Management System and give workshop participants a chance to try the system for themselves. The presenter will first give an overview of the way Moodle is set up and how it works. Then, using a course that has already been created and into which students have already been enrolled, the presenter will show the layout of a standard Moodle course page and demonstrate how students access the learning activities that have been set up. These activities include several kinds of resources and assignments, a quiz, some Hot Potatoes exercises, a glossary, a mini-survey, a forum and a database. Participants will be able to login to the course, try out the activities, and experiment with setting up their own activities.
3. Digital video in the language classroom
Mark Shrosbree – Tokai University
Preferred audience: Novice
There are several ways to use digital video technology to help language learners develop oral proficiency. First, teachers can create "Model Videos" which allow students to see some typical strengths and weaknesses common in pair work, group discussions and presentations. Second, students can produce their own videos on a range of themes, such as campus life and local attractions. Third, video allows students to watch their own performance in speaking activities and helps the teacher to assess this oral production. Participants in this workshop will be shown the technical aspects of making, editing (with Microsoft Movie Maker), and preparing videos for the Internet, along with methodological considerations and class handouts.
