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Japanese Language Tutoring Software For Lab Environments?
It's Freezing in here asks: "I'm involved in a study to set up a multimedia language laboratory for teaching Japanese. The most difficult aspect that I'm finding is actually locating a good software suite to supplement a Japanese language curriculum. The question of my day is: Can anybody recommend an excellent multimedia software package for teaching Japanese to foreign students (mainly Arab) in a language lab setting? It must scalable as well. I'm specifically looking for a package that includes pronunciation practice, placement testing, intro, middle and advanced levels, and tons of audio/video along with practice questions. As a benchmark, I'm using the Ellis Academic Series package. I'm well aware that most people don't gain fluency in a language by sitting in front of a computer, so please don't pound that issue. I appreciate Slashdot readers' advice. Thanks!"
Those who are just interested in learning japanese check out jwpce (text editor for typing japanese), Kanji gold (flash card program), Pera Pera Penguin(PDF files covering different japanese phrases)
Are there any opensource versions of the ellisWEB software he points to? I've been looking for something like that - hope I'm not too offtopic here.
This is a good program is designed specifically to teach Arabic-speakers Japanese Too bad it's $179.
Repeal the DMCA!
i was recently on a plane, and saw this in the SkyMall catalog.
I haven't used it, but it looks like a decent product, if you search some, you can probably find a better description, but i don't care.
Need a Catering Connection
from the konishi-wa-ogenki-desu-ka dept.
That should be konnichi, not konishi.
Anyway, some friends of mine at Michigan State developed this game, a useful Kanji flashcard game. Something like this with a larger vocabulary and a better-rounded dictionary (some characters only have the on-reading or the kun-reading, but not both) would be an excellent tool to work with in a student lab.
"Mod, mod, mod...and another troll bites the dust."
It got a near-hysterical review on Mondo 2000 back in the day and was worth all the crap I had to go through to get it.
It shows up on eBay these days.
It's Christmas everyday with BitTorrent.
There really are no good computer-based tools for teachning Japanese. Trust me on this, I've got a degree in Japanese and I've seen them all. None of the tools offer a significant advantage over paper flashcards or textbooks. Sometimes low-tech is the best. You may hear glowing reviews of these tools, but I bet you 1000 quatloos that none of them are actually fluent. The computer tools are wonderful for giving you the belief you know some Japanese, without actually teaching you any valuable language skills.
You must understand that the Japanese, despite their reputation, are technophobic, particularly older Japanese. The current crop of teachers are from the pre-computer era and have been notoriously slow to adopt ANY computer tools into the curriculum. Let me give you an example. When Netscape 2 came out with Japanese support for the first time (1993 I think), I arranged a demonstration on how to read the Asahi Shimbun online, in our school's computer lab. When I discussed the plan with the lab manager, she had a fit. How DARE I put such a frivolous application as a web browser on their computers! Everyone knows that web surfing is not a serious academic application of computers! I was only permitted to perform the demo if I agreed to remove Netscape afterwards.
Anyway, the tools situation is better at higher levels. Japan is one of the most wired countries, it has incredible amounts of text and video available online. There is a wealth of native language materials online that are excellent for improving fluency. But nothing out there will translate it for you automatically, the auto-glossing tools like WWWJDIC are intended to supplement your own language skills.