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Setting up a High-Tech Language School?

Posted by Cliff on from the effective-use-of-technology-to-enhance dept.

Bakerybob writes "My wife and I are currently setting up a small Japanese language school, and I am in charge of all of the technical aspects, with a small but not tiny budget. What would Slashdot recommend as technologies we could use to improve the student experience (and hopefully to interest more students in the school!)? We have the easy bases (free Wifi access for students, a stunningly poorly designed homepage, and a few cheap computers lying around for them to play on between classes) covered, but I'm sure there are a lot of better ideas out there. Has anyone used Moogle? What about online lessons via webcam? Give it your best shot, revolutionary thinkers!"

2 of 332 comments (clear)

  1. English school by Viking+Coder · · Score: 4, Interesting

    How about a broadband connection to a computer in Japan where there are people in a similar age-group who are trying to learn English?

    Microphones and webcams are pretty cheap. Yahoo Instant Messenger is probably more than adequate for your communication needs.

    Have the Japanese-speaking people speak as much English as they can, and have the English-speaking people speak as much Japanese as they can.

    Nothing beats talking to a real human.

    --
    Education is the silver bullet.
  2. Not PDAs, iPods! by OECD · · Score: 4, Interesting

    Seriously, some schools are using iPods.

    Aside from the standard "My pencil is yellow" fare, you cold load them up with popular Japanese songs (and traditional ones.) Mini-immersion, if you will.

    The iPods even have some PDA functionality, so you get that, too.

    PLUS, for c. $250 per pupil, you can add some serious 'polish' to people's perception of your school. "You get an iPod? To keep?" You'll be amazed at what that does to their willingness to fork over the big dollars! (There's almost certainly a discount for schools, too.)

    Heck, set up a 'podcast' exchange with a Japanese english school. (Podcasts are recordings meant to be downloaded for later listening in the iPod.) Have the Japanese students do three minutes of dialog in Japanese, and in exchange the Yanks do three minutes in American.

    OR, distribute lessons in podcast format, and charge people for distance-learning! (OR, distribute them for free and charge for the testing!)

    Good Luck!

    --
    One man's -1 Flamebait is another man's +5 Funny.