Ingolingo is a downloadable program that helps students build vocabulary in a foreign language. The trial version of the software is free, and includes the languages of English, German, Dutch, French and Spanish.

The unique thing about Ingolingo is that it uses visuals to prompt answers from the student. By using pictures and not only direct translations of words, students start to form a direct mental connection between the sound and the object, feeling, condition, etc. that it refers to instead of just equating it with a word from their native language. The choice of words taught by Ingolingo is based on the frequency of use of that word in the target language. That way, students can start understanding and communicating as quickly as possible. Another technique utilized by the software is the learning of the words in context, so students can quickly start to form sentences instead of being stranded with a jumble of disconnected words. Lastly, the interface of Ingolingo is colorful and bright, with a modern look that is attractive to any student user.

Ingolingo would be best used as a supplement to classroom foreign language instruction, since there is truly no substitute for actually hearing and using the language with another person who speaks it. However, it could be used to learn and drill new vocabulary words, and for a change of pace from the regular classroom activity routine.

The Japancasting podcast deals with topics related to ESL (English as a Second Language), ELL (English Language Learners), TESOL (Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages), and JSL(Japanese as a Second Language) students and teachers. It is regularly broadcast by Steve McCarty, a professor at Osaka Jogakuin College and president of the World Association for Online Education (WAOE). Subjects covered range from cultural issues in Japan and America that may affect how students learn in the classroom to methods of bilingual education. Because McCarty is the head of  WAOE, technological advancements are often covered in the podcasts as well.

In the Web 2.0 Technologies for Research podcast, many different new and free technologies are discussed. One of these is the website service Odeo. Through this site, subscribe to, download and listen to millions of free podcasts, mp3s, music files and more. What is especially important to note is that through using Odeo, one can listen to podcasts without having to download iTunes or purchase an expensive iPod. Also, Odeo has a voice message function where listeners can submit audio comments they have recorded using a microphone to others with an Odeo account. Lastly, content availible on Odeo can also be placed on websites for free, allowing teachers who upkeep a class page to make it more interactive with the media availible on Odeo.

In her presentation, Karen Richardson gives educators an overview of copyright law and blantantly points out where many teachers may knowingly or unknowingly breach the Constitution. However, she also gives an alternative way to get around these copyright catastrophes by using materials availible through a network called Creative Commons.

The Creative Commons website provides a place for people to share different materials including pictures, media presentations and information under certain licensure guidelines without the usual limits of copyrights. Everything created and shared on the network is free, which is great for teachers who may have only a little to work with when it comes to both time and money. Using the images and other things availible on the Creative Commons website, teachers can create interesting and inspired lessons without having to be afraid of breaching copyright law. Also, they can easily upload and share their own creations with other educators around the country, which is just as important as being able to find materials to use. By sharing these files, teachers can network and communicate with people all over the globe, making learning a more rich, interactive process for all involved.

In his presentation, Clarence Fisher makes several interesting points regarding the potential use of technology in the classroom. He has his students write in blogs to share their thoughts and questions with pupils from around the world, and teaches them to use useful, free tools such as Flickr, Podcasting, Wikispace and Edublogs. The children aren’t just let loose on a world of interconnected information; he arms them with skills in internet safety as well, to keep them from being taken advantage of in a variety of different ways.

While not a specific technologic advancement, Fisher mentions the importance and convienence of networks many times throughout his talk. He highlights the fact that with networks, students can be ‘pro-sumers’, producing information at the same time that they are consuming it. In this way, learning becomes a collaboarative process, with each student learning from another. And in this way, the classroom walls pose no boundaries, as students are able to communicate with people from around the globe at all times.

 Learning is a dynamic process, and, as Fisher mentions, it is a team effort. Not only to the students and the parents have to work together for the benefit of the child, but the entire community has to offer a wealth of information for children to draw from and contribute to. Learning is also a lifelong process and as we teach others, we should remember to continue learning and contributing ourselves.

As anyone who has ever looked at a document written in Japanese can tell you, the myriad of characters words are written in can be quite confusing even to the experienced Asian language scholar. It is generally said that even in order to read a Japanese newspaper, one must know about 2,000 kanji, or characters. Repeated practices and drills are needed in order to memorize so many symbols, and that is where websites like Java Kanji Flashcards 500 come in.

This website contains a completely free for use Java applet that helps students memorize the 500 most occuring kanji in everyday Japanese written work. It generates flashcards for quizzes without requiring the student or the teacher to make paper ones by hand, thus saving on both time and materials. Perhaps the list of characters used by the applet on the website could even be modified to allow for more specialized kanji lists, like lists of medical terms, animals, or place names.

While it is my belief that a foreign language can be learned best only by practicing dilligently face-to-face with native speakers and those experienced with the language, computer software can be a good source of vocabulary development and listening practice. There are many different programs out there, all published by different manufacturers and each taking a slightly different approach to language learning, although the methods used are pretty much the same in all. However, the Rosetta Stone program has won praise in the linguistic community for years, and the improved Version 3 was just released in the end of August 2007.

Using this program, teachers can have their students practice drills with words, playing interactive games that are more interesting than rote memorization. Rosetta Stone also has a microphone option with advanced speech recognition technology, which may help with pronunciation, but is still no substitute for a human instructor. The newest version uses situations common to every day life, such as shopping and asking directions, and colloquialisms are sprinkled thoughout the dialogs to give a natural feel to the discussions. Finally, the new Adaptive Recall feature keeps detailed notes on a student’s progress, allowing teachers to monitor pupil’s individual needs to discover weaknesses that could be remedied with classroom instruction.

Rosetta Stone can be purchased online at the company website for personal, organization or school use.

Podcasts are mainly used for entertainment; however there is another side to these audio presentations that can be useful in the classroom.

Some podcasts online are on educational subjects, such as snippets of foriegn language instruction, discussions on classic novels, and current news items. Most podcasts are offered as free downloads through the Apple iTunes program, and can then be used in the classroom as fodder for a discussion, or supplementary vocabulary, depending on the subject and unit being taught. There are even podcasts with guided work out routines, so it could be played over the speakers in the gym during physical education class. The possibilities are endless.

However, just downloading the podcasts already availible online is only half of the opportunities availible. Teachers could make lectures and recordings of lessons into podcasts easily, and post them online for students to download. Pupils could then review the lesson, or go back and take more detailed notes over a previous lecture. Study guides and tutoring could also be offered this way, but it is imperitive to remember that a computer is never a substitute for one-on-one interaction with students. It must be used only as a complement to regular classroom instruction.

Those interested in podcasts can find instructions on Apple’s website.

The software program Write:OutLoud by Don Johnston Incorporated allows students to dictate a paper or other composition assignment to their computer though the use of a microphone. Words said by the student appear on the screen, no typing or keyboarding neccessary. Write:OutLoud is mainly used in special education for children with speech/language difficulties, or orthopedic impairments that hinder them from using a word processor normally, but this software could also be of use in the regular foreign language classroom. Students could, upon being given a topic for a speech or other dissertation, begin speaking into the microphone. Their words would be saved in as a document, and turned into the teacher for evaluation. This way the teacher can see what each child can say on certain topics without having to make the time to sit down with each pupil individually during the class period, which can be a quite extensive process. Voice recorders are also an option, but the sound quality can be poor except with the higher end models, and the teacher could have the students read their speeches and correct them as a follow up assignment. In this way the project is multi-faceted, building not only oratory skills in a foreign language, but also writing skills.

Those interested in receiving more information can visit the Don Johnston Incorporated website here.

The Canon Wordtank G90 is a new, amazing tool for students of Japanese. First of all, students are able to look up specific characters, called kanji, by writing them directly on the screen with a stylus pen. This is helpful because even if a student were to come across a character that they have no idea how to read, they could attempt to copy it down on to the machine itself and then choose the correct character from a list of possibilities provided by the computer.

The Wordtank G90 also includes a Chinese/Japanese dictionary for more advanced students. Scholars of Japanese who would like to expand their knowledge into Chinese for purposes of business or leisure will have an easy time doing so by utilizing this dictionary in their studies. Granted, the dictionary is stronger when doing English/Japanese and Japanese/English translation, but the addition of a few Chinese collections greatly expands the functionality of this device.

While it may not be the best for translation work, this handheld dictionary is a wonder for students of business Japanese and Chinese. It weighs in at almost $350, and can only be bought in Japan, but it is certainly a worthy investment for the serious student.

Those interested in more about the Canon Wordtank series can visit the Canon website at http://www.canon.com, and choose Japan from the map on the main page.

My instructor for my technology integration course asked us the other day to find out who were the 3 most prominent people in educational technology today. As he says in his own blog post on Alvin’s Educational Technology Blog, there is no concrete answer, or any listing in a textbook. Educational technology is an area that changes so fast that it is nearly impossible to produce any written document that would still be current upon its completion and publication.

So, after doing a bit of web searching on my own, aided by Google, I came up with 3 people that are, in my opinion, very influential in the world of educational technology, even if they are not the so-called most prominent.

First is Timothy J. Magner, Director of Office of Educational Technology in the U.S. Department of Education. If any one is influential in this realm, it is certainly him. He controls and is knowledgeable about all the standards regarding teaching and use of technologies in public schools, and works closely with the rest of the offices in the Department of Education which helps to spread the news of new, useful technology. Also, he could be a powerful ally when it comes to allocating funds to individual groups in order for them to be able to purchase new technologies and upgrade the old ones.

Next is Don Knezek, current CEO of the International Society for Technology in Education. As the head of ISTE, he is responsible for helping school districts create standards for educational technology in the classroom, and is doubtlessly one of the first to find out about new prototypes and experiments in computers and other assistative technologies. ISTE is also international, so unlike Mr. Magner mentioned above, Knezek has a wider range, and policies distributed and released by his company reach across the oceans, which is especially important now with our economy becoming increasingly globalized.

Last, but certainly not least is Bob Hoffman, General Editor of the online Encyclopedia of Educational Technology from Sand Diego State University’s Department of Educational Technology. (You can check out his Encylopedia at http://coe.sdsu.edu/eet/.) As the editor of this gigantic database, he has control over how every type of technology is categorized and explained, which can have a great deal of influence on how much (or how little!) it is used. Needless to say, Hoffman is not the only one working on this project, and the myriad of other individuals assisting him to write its entries are worthy of mention as prominent individuals in educational technology as well.

Now, many may and will disagree with me, and feel free to do so. However, there is no real concrete answer, abd no official top ten list of who’s-who in educational technology. So it is very well possible, taking into account how quickly things change in this realm of teaching, that the three people I listed above are forgotten by tomorrow in favor of the inventors of a revolutionary new product or a fresh operating system.