Conference Theme: "The Right Tool for the Right Job"
June 10–11, 2011 | The Ramada Osaka, Osaka, Japan
Conference Report
The Inaugural Asian Conference on Language Learning, was held this year with the Inaugural Asian Conference on Technology in the Classroom, in Osaka, Japan. The event offered a diverse variety of papers that encouraged interdisciplinary reflection, and the forging of new relations across national borders. Around 100 registrants and speakers attended, and we have every confidence that the event will grow in 2012.
We would like to thank all the delegates who made the event so enjoyable, including conference chair Professor Steve Cornwell, conference keynotes Garr Reynolds and Jill Robbins; and featured Speakers Bill Pellowe, Roger Palmer, Brent A. Jones, Deryn Verity, Charles Kowalski and Kevin Cleary.
Keynote Speakers
Jill Robbins
Second Language Testing, Inc., USA
Dr Jill Robbins is a language geek and proud of it. She has combined her interests in technology and language as a language teacher educator, a director of language teaching and resource centers, and as a trustee of the National Museum of Language. She has taught ESL/EFL to students in the US and Japan and teaching methodology to English teachers in the US, China and Sri Lanka. Her author credits include Integrating EFL Standards into Chinese Classroom Settings, Impact Listening 2, and The Learning Strategies Handbook. Currently, she is a project manager at Second Language Testing, Inc. in Rockville, Maryland, USA.
Garr Reynolds
Kansai Gaidai University, Japan
Garr Reynolds is an internationally acclaimed trainer and communications consultant, and the author of three international best-selling books including Presentation Zen and The Naked Presenter. He's also the creator of the most popular Website on presentation design and delivery and creativity on the net, www.presentationzen.com.
Garr's approach to communication takes the principles and lessons from the Zen arts and from the natural world in Japan to reveal simple concrete tips for better communication. His fresh approach has inspired millions to communicate more clearly, creatively, and visually. A sought-after speaker and seminar facilitator worldwide, his clients include many in the Fortune 500. An award-winning designer, writer, and musician, he currently holds the position of Associate Professor of Management and Design at Kansai Gaidai University in Japan.
Garr is a former corporate trainer for Sumitomo Electric Industries in Osaka, Japan, and the former Manager for Worldwide User Group Relations at Apple, Inc. in Silicon Valley.
In 2011, Say Media in New York City named him one of the 100 most influential voices on the internet. A longtime student of the Zen arts and resident of Japan, he lives in the beautiful countryside of Nara with his wife, daughter, and two Siamese cats.
Featured Speakers
Deryn P. Verity
Osaka Jogakuin College, Japan
Deryn P. Verity has been Professor of English in the Department of international & English Interdisciplinary Studies at Osaka Jogakuin College, in Osaka, Japan since 2004. She has taught ESL, EFL, teacher education classes, and professional development seminars and workshops in the United States, Japan, Thailand, Slovenia, Serbia, Morocco, Jordan, and Hong Kong. Her Interests are sociocultural theory, understanding the language of instruction, and pedagogical grammar.
Charles Kowalski
Tokai University, Japan
Charles Kowalski teaches English and Japanese-English interpretation at Tokai University in Kanagawa, Japan. He has conducted workshops on language teaching, storytelling, and peace education throughout Japan and other Asian countries.
Kevin Cleary
Tokyo Medical and Dental University & Japan Association for Language Teaching (JALT), Japan
Kevin Cleary is Associate Professor of English at Tokyo Medical and Dental University and currently serves as president of the Japan Association for Language Teaching (JALT). He came to Japan nearly 20 years ago to pursue his ambition to teach English and has primarily taught engineering and life science students as well as lifelong learners. His research interests include technical communication by second language learners and the process of adapting texts, especially scientific articles, for language learners. Among his books are Adventures Abroad, Presenting Science, Science Square and Science Reader.
Bill Pellowe
Kinki University, Japan
Bill Pellowe is a language teacher and a web developer. He teaches at Kinki University's Iizuka campus in Fukuoka. Bill received his MA in TEFL with distinction from the University of Birmingham (UK). He has been teaching English in Japan since 1990, and has been active in web-based educational projects since 1997. Currently, Bill develops MOARS, an open source mobile audience response system, and he runs ELT Calendar, an events calendar for language teachers in Japan. He has been active in JALT, the Japan Association for Language Teaching, for 15 years; Bill was recently elected President of the Fukuoka Chapter of JALT, a position he had previously held from 1998 to 2002.
Roger Palmer
Konan University, Japan
Roger Palmer teaches at the Hirao School of Management, Konan University. He is active as a volunteer in Teachers Helping Teachers, leading seminars and workshops in Kyrgyzstan, Laos and Vietnam. He was plenary speaker on the use of Information and Communications Technology in language education at TEFL Indonesia last November, and is the co-author of iZone, Pearson Asia's four-level blended learning course. Roger is the chair of the upcoming conference, Peace as a Global Language 2011.
Brent A. Jones
Konan University, Japan
Brent A. Jones is determined to spend his time on things that really matter. His advanced degrees in Language Education and Instructional Systems Technology from Indiana University have not helped him at all in his home brewing endeavors, but have come in quite handy as he nurtures two fledgling English programs at the Konan University, Hirao School of Management. He has recently designed and taught project-based courses on creativity, oral histories, peace studies and the beer industry.
Conference Chair
Steve Cornwell
Osaka Jogakuin College, Japan
Steve Cornwell is Professor of English and Interdisciplinary Studies at Osaka Jogakuin College, and also teaches on the MATESOL program for the New School at NYU. He holds an MFA from Virginia Tech., and an Ed.D. from Temple University.
Professor Cornwell is Director of Program for the Japan Association of Language Teachers (JALT), and a member of their National Board of Directors. He is also a former editor of the JALT journal. An American who has made Osaka his home, Steve also chaired the inaugural ACLL/ACTC event last year, and is a member of IAFOR’s IAB.
Welcome Letters
Dear Conference Participants,
It is my great pleasure to welcome you to these inaugural conferences on Language Learning and Technology in the Classroom. And I am thrilled to welcome you to Osaka – one of Japan’s truly great cities and my home for the last 16 years. Over the course of the conference I trust in addition to participating in some exciting academic exchanges, you will also have the opportunity to sample some of the delicious cuisine available in Osaka, and possibly, even visit some famous sites such as Osaka Castle (a 20-minute subway ride from the Ramada Hotel) or even take a side trip to Kyoto (35 minutes away).
One of our main goals in these conferences, as you may have read on the website, is to bring together academics, scholars and practitioners representing a exciting diversity of countries, cultures, and religion to exchange ideas and views in a forum encouraging respectful dialogue. By bringing together a number of university scholars working throughout Japan, Asia, and beyond, this conference will afford the opportunity for renewing old acquaintances, making new contacts, and much more.
The Asian Conference on Technology in the Classroom: "The Right Tool For The Right Job"
Where it once might have been enough to only know about email and PowerPoint, today's wired educators must know much more. And with technological advances occurring at lightning speed it can be challenging to keep up with our choices. Thus it is more important than ever to share with our colleagues as we develop appropriate techniques for using technology in our classrooms. In this age of technological innovation, ACTC2011 will examine the role of technology and its impact on the classroom.
The Asian Conference on Language Learning: "Connecting Theory and Practice"
Learning a language is something all of us have done, with many having learned a second, third, or even fourth language; however, achieving proficiency in a foreign language is not something that can be taken for granted. Instead, it is a challenge, and one that language educators are constantly grappling with, as we work to improve our craft and to help our students learn more effectively.
As language professionals, we are scholars and practitioners, and yet as educators we know that integrating the latest in theory to compliment what we do in practice can be a struggle. However, the rewards for both the teacher and the student are very high, and we are lucky within the field of language learning to have strong outlets such as ACLL2011 where we can learn from each other.
Having had a preview of the program, I am confident when I say that all of us will take many things away from the sessions. So enjoy the conference and I hope to see you at some of the events we have scheduled such as the complimentary welcome reception on Friday evening or the PechaKucha presentations on Saturday afternoon. And, if your schedule allows, please sign up for the Conference Dinner on Saturday evening. What better way to continue discussions than over a meal?!
Happy Conferencing!
Steve Cornwell
Osaka Jogakuin College, Japan
ACLL/ACTC2011 Conference Chair
Dear Friends and Colleagues,
Welcome to the inaugural ACLL and ACTC conference, an event that we hope will firmly establish itself on the conference calendar.
If this is the first time you have been to an IAFOR, then I hope you enjoy this event, organized in a celebratory spirit of intercultural, international and interdisciplinary.
There is much we can gain from being together. Our two open themes have encouraged academics and practitioners from around the globe to meet and share their respective outlooks and collective wisdom, and enjoy ourselves along the way.
This year we have seen a sharp drop in the number of academics from outside Japan, as the March 11 earthquake, tsunami and nuclear situation have caused many people to put off their trips to the country. While this means we are a smaller event than we would have expected, this intimacy will, I am sure, allow for greater and deeper personal and intellectual relationships to be formed.
My thanks to all those who have helped in the preparation for this event, in particular to Local Conference Chair Professor Steve Cornwell, who has been instrumental in shaping the event at every stage of the way, to International Advisory Board Chair Professor Stuart Picken, and to IAFOR Japan Chairman Takayuki Yamada. Also thanks to every delegate for coming, and especially those who have made the trip from abroad, and in doing so making a strong demonstration of solidarity with Japan.
Especially at this difficult time for the country, we greatly appreciate your attendance, and encourage your active engagement throughout the conference.
I look forward to meeting you all,
Respectfully,
Joseph Haldane
B.A. Hons., Ph.D., F.R.A.S.
Executive Director, The International Academic Forum