１０月（じゅうがつ）7日（なのか）のアクティビティ(activity)

There are 4 activities today. If you cannot finish all of them, do the rest at home. 

Use your time efficiently. Do Activity 1 as a group, and do Activities 2 to 4 individually.

1. Discuss what makes a good blog in groups of 3-4 people.(15 min.)

At the end of the semester your blog will be evaluated not only by your teachers but also by you and your classmates. We will use the results of your discussions today as a basis for deciding the criteria that will be used to evaluate the blogs at the end of the semester.

• Look at the blog evaluation category and discuss what makes a good blog in groups of 3-4 people. (5-6min.)
• Post the result of your discussion in the comment box on the blog evaluation category page. (Only one comment per group, but make sure to include each of your group members' names in the comment so that we know you have participated.

2. Re-read your previous blog entries and make corrections on any mistakes you find. (10 min.)

• To edit your blog, click the edit button which will direct you to the editing screen.

3. Make comments and respond to the comments you have received if any. (15 min.)

• Please read your classmates' blogs (at least 3) and leave comments. If you already have comments, respond back to those who have commented on your blog.

4. Post a new blog entry on your blog in Japanese. (20 min.)

• Write a blog entry in Japanese.
• If you have no idea what to write, you can write about what you did on the weekend or your daily schedule.

Blog Evaluation Categories

1. Language

2. Content

3. Layout

4. Communication

5. Consideration

6. Frequency

7. Others

Activities on September 30th (９月３０日（月）のアクティビティー)

Today, complete activities 1-4. (If you do not finish them in class, finish them at home). 

1. About the Blog Project (5 min.)

• We will start a blog project today. First, read a post titled "Blog Project," which illustrates the purpose of this project. You can click the link or you can find the entry by scrolling all the way down and you will see the entry titled “Blog Project.”

2. Creating a Blog (15 min.)

• Scroll down this page and you will see a post titled: “How to Create a Blog Account.” Read this and create your blog.  If you have successfully created your blog account, help out your nearby classmates. Please try to come up with a unique blog title. Avoid a title like "My Japanese Blog," which is too general.

• Once you have started your blog, click "View blog" and then send the blog’s URL address (e.g. http:example.blogspot.com) to your instructor.(Matsui: kml2168@columbia.edu, Eguchi: se53@columbia.edu, Park: parkjisuk3@gmail.com, Tatsumi: nt2358@columbia.edu).

3. Write a Self-Introduction in Japanese (30 min.)

• In hiragana, write a first draft of your self-introduction. (Do not publish it online yet). For those who do not want to use their real names, you can use a pseudonym. If you  have questions or technical problems, we encourage you to get help from each other. An instruction for changing the language setting to Japanese on Apple computers can be found on today's handout "How to type Japanese words in Hiragana and Katakana."
• After writing your self-introduction, form groups of 2-3 students to peer edit your self-introduction. (Is your hiragana written correctly?) *If the hiragana appears too small on the page and it's difficult to read, press the “Apple/command” key and the “+” key together, (For PC users, press the “Control” key instead of the “Apple/command” key) and the characters will get larger.

• After everyone in the group has read and corrected each others’ self-introductions, click “publish post” which then allows your post to be published.

4. Post in English (or your native language) (10 min.)

• Write in English (or your native language) about why you chose to study Japanese, 
what you are excited, and what you find difficult after the first 4 weeks of the class.

*If you use an online translator, such as Google Translate, you can read your classmates' blogs in any language (See "べんりなリンク(USEFUL LINKS)" in the right column), so it doesn't have to be in English.

How to Create a Blog Account

In order to create a new blog account, please follow the instructions,
1. Go to http://www.blogger.com to create your blog.

• In order to receive comments from as many people as possible, please select "Settings," then "Comments," and choose either "Registered Users" or "Users with Google Accounts" under the "Who can comment?" section.

• If you want to know how to type Japanese, please click the link listed on the right side.
• If you already have a blog account that you can use for this project, you do not have to open a new account.

2. Send your blog address (URL) to the instructor.

• If you have trouble creating a new account, please let the instructor know.

3. Post a blog entry regularly.

• If you have no idea what to write, please see the following suggested topics.

I can read Japanese!
I'm speaking Japanese!
Reasons I am studying Japanese
My dream
My Japanese friends
Japanese grammar vs. English grammar
Speaking vs. Writing
Listening vs. Reading
My daily schedule
I have no time to study!
I spent so much time studying, but..
My hobbies
My classmates
What I like/dislike about Japan or Japanese
Daily news
Japanese writing system
Kanji
Japanese vocabulary
Favorite lab exercise
Vocabulary quiz
My favorite Japanese TV show, movie, or anime

• You can also use pictures and videos!

(Evaluation)
At the end of the semester your blog will be evaluated by the instructor, your classmates as well as yourself. We will discuss the criteria of evaluation in the middle of the semester.

ブログプロジェクト(Blog Project)

Blog Project:

Welcome to the Blogging Project! For this class we would like you to keep a blog because it provides a place:

1. To share/express your happiness, surprise, excitement, and/or frustration, as well as any questions you might have, while learning the Japanese language (or any other topics).

* While studying new grammar and words is very important when learning a language, it is equally important to actually use the language in a real life context. You must not wait to express yourself only when you think you have mastered the language because language learning is basically an ongoing process. In the beginning you may use English or any other languages to express yourself, but we recommend that you gradually switch to Japanese whenever you feel comfortable enough to express yourself in Japanese.

2. To communicate with your classmates and other people outside of class.

* Language learning is not limited to what you do for the course but also includes what you do and experience outside the class. For this project we will ask you to form a group with three or four students. The purpose of the group is to encourage and monitor each other (e.g., leaving a comment on each other’s blog and making sure everyone is following the schedule). We will ask you to change groups once or twice during the semester.

* We will also share links of your classmates' blogs as well as blogs of students in other sections, other levels, and other schools, so you can see what other people think and feel about Japanese language learning (as well as other topics). You are also encouraged to leave comments on these blogs.

* We know that your Japanese language is very limited, but you can convey your intended meaning more effectively by utilizing other resources such as pictures and videos. Remember that people utilize not only language but also other resources such as tone of your voice, music, body language, picture, color, font style and size for communication.

3. To reflect on (or evaluate) what you have done so far.

* Sometimes it is challenging to see our own progress or growth. Blogs help you to look back and see how you have changed through the course of your Japanese language learning.