Comments on: ELT and Technology in Japan: The vision versus the reality

By: Mika

Mika — Sat, 08 Dec 2012 12:11:19 +0000

This is definitely a suerpb piece of content! We have bookmarked it and mailed it out to many of my close friends simply because I know they will enjoy it and help pass it on, thank you very much!

By: » The 29th ESL/EFL/ELL Blog Carnival sharonzspace

» The 29th ESL/EFL/ELL Blog Carnival sharonzspace — Fri, 29 Jun 2012 08:54:28 +0000

[...] 1)ELT and Technology in Japan: The vision versus the reality [...]

By: Aki

Aki — Fri, 15 Jun 2012 04:11:57 +0000

Yes, one of the reasons behind the reality is related to our cultural background. Japanses are very slow to accept new systems or new ways of doing something and even persist in precedent.

By: Paul Raine

Paul Raine — Fri, 15 Jun 2012 00:47:16 +0000

Thanks for your comments Beth! Yes, I agree, technology for technology’s sake can be more of a hindrance than a help. Then again, the extent and variety of communication conducted with technology in the 21st century is mind-boggling: Twitter, Facebook, e-mail, blogs, text messages, Skype, even phone calls and faxes! I would even go so far to say that technology IS communication. On the other hand, you’re right; sometimes it’s better to unplug and get back to basics with no distractions.

By: Paul Raine

Paul Raine — Fri, 15 Jun 2012 00:39:39 +0000

Hi Phil, thanks for your comment Yes, ‘superstitious security policies’ – that’s a great way of putting it! Yes, in my experience too on the admin side of education, some institutions are resistant to technological change and prefer to continue with traditional paper-based methods, even though they are cumbersome and inconvenient. I don’t think the reason behind this is purely financial, although that’s often part of it. As you say, corporate culture tends to be slow to change.

By: Paul Raine

Paul Raine — Fri, 15 Jun 2012 00:32:22 +0000

Hi Aki! Thanks a lot for your comment. Yes, it seems like South Korea is ahead of the game when it comes to educational technology, and Japan is being left in the dust. Apparently South Korea intends to eliminate paper text books by 2015, a far more ambitious project than anything I've heard about in Japan. But I think the pedagogy, as well as the technology, has to be innovative and effective. We mustn't lose sight of that fact.

By: Aki

Aki — Thu, 14 Jun 2012 16:03:45 +0000

The reality is shocking. I had no doubts that high technology was available in Japanese higher education institutions. I watched a TV program before that featured the use of Kindle even in primary schools in South Korea. I don’t know if the totally paperless education is good or not, though. It’s a shame that Japan is a “low technology” country in educational instisutions. The article is interesting !

By: Beth Konomoto

Beth Konomoto — Thu, 14 Jun 2012 15:51:39 +0000

Hi Paul, thanks for addressing this issue. While I have the same experience as you teaching in a variety of Japanese classrooms, I also feel that if you are teaching conversation, you don’t necessarily need a lot of technology in the class. Maybe the lower tech institutions are thinking that if the students really want tech availability they can get it on their own outside of class and hence save the institution money. They also may not have the staff to deal with technical problems. I love using technology in class, but I have also completely ignored it for many lessons on purpose to get the language flowing rather than fiddling with technology.
Keep up the good work!

By: Philip

Philip — Thu, 14 Jun 2012 12:12:19 +0000

Its not just schools. I’ve seen companies pay though the nose for outdated conferencing technology when they could get the same or better results with web technology in some cases for free. They were nable to due to I’ve various and at times almost superstitious security policies.

By: Paul Raine

Paul Raine — Thu, 14 Jun 2012 11:10:21 +0000

Thanks a lot for your comment Wayne! Yes, the disparity between the technological sophistication of classrooms in the UK compared to the average classroom in Japan is baffling. One of the universities I worked at (University A) built a brand new building while I was there, and still chose to install blackboards as opposed to whiteboards (let alone smart-boards). I think Japanese university lecturers do a lot of “chalk and talk”.