This study examined the hypothesis that video presentational style, as well as prior student knowledge of, and interest in content, influences student involvement in video lessons and this, in turn, influences learning. In two sessions, college students viewed two videos on the life and works of the poet and painter Yosa Buson. The two videos were similar in content, but different in presentational styles; one was artistic and the other textbook-like. The degree of student involvement while watching the videos was assessed Their prior knowledge of and interest in the content were also evaluated. Results showed that while student learning was most influenced by prior knowledge, the degree of student involvement in video lessons varied according to their interest in the subject matter. Moreover, student video preference was related to their degree of involvement, and different patterns of causal relationships emerged during the two sessions. These results are discussed in relation to differences in presentational styles.

View full abstract

Interactive Streaming REAS have been developed for supporting personalized online learning by reusing existing streaming video. Interactive Streaming REAS have been developed in addition to already-developed functions for Streaming REAS. Streaming REAS is the Web questionnaire system with streaming video. The purpose of this research is to describe the newly developed functions, and the authoring method of Interactive Streaming REAS and to examine the effectiveness of Interactive Streaming REAS. Interactive Streaming REAS can create an interactive online content with branching style where different streaming video can be shown according to the reply given to the previous question or the result of web test quizzes, differing from the conventional one way streaming video. Interactive Streaming REAS also have a function to display slides and web pages in conjunction with distribution of streaming video. Fifty-five university students in Experimental Group were given a task of learning by streaming video with branching style which is produced by authoring of Interactive Streaming REAS and of answering the questions for survey of evaluation of learning by streaming video with branching style. Forty-eight university students in Control Group were just given a task of learning by conventional streaming video and of answering the questions for survey of evaluation of learning by conventional streaming video. As the result of evaluation of Interactive Streaming REAS, it was recognized for university students as an effective system for supporting their personalized online learning with streaming video.

View full abstract

Mobile-phones have rapidly been spreading among Japanese young people, and it is often argued that mobile-phone mail should have various influences on them. The purpose of this study was to examine how correlated the use of mobile-phone mail would be with senior high school students' friendships. We conducted a survey of 520 students. The results showed the amount of mobile-phone mail use was positively correlated with the number of friends who were not close to the students, while there were no significant correlations as to the friends who were close to them. Furthermore, it was suggested that the frequent use of mobile-phone mail would not increase the students' conformity and decrease their independency. These do not imply the harmful effects of mobile-phone mail on friendships.

View full abstract

In this study, the authors have investigated the present situation of computer education in a kindergarten. What we wish to show in this paper is a comparison study of Japan and China about computers in preschool education. The following results are obtained: First, in Japanese, kindergartens used computer with children account for only 5.3% of the total use, while it makes up 34.5% in China. Secondly, there are some significant differences between Japan and China. The answer to support "a computer is effective for the intellectual development of children" in China is significantly higher than that in Japan, t(168) = 2.16, p < .05. On the other hand, the opinion such as "it is not necessary for kindergarteners to use a computer" in Japan is considerably higher than that in China, t(165) = 223, p < .05. These results lead to the conclusion that there are many positive opinions to use computer in Chinese preschool education.

View full abstract

This study shows a result of the survey on the present condition and problem of using ICT in school education. The authors conducted a questionnaire survey to the teacher of leader who promotes using ICT in school education (ICT leaders). As a result of the survey, there are three influences for using ICT in school education. They're "putting ICT equipment in order", "ICT equipment administration" and "school network administration" . On the other hand, three influences are different from what other teachers expected. There're four problems for using ICT in school education. They're "coping with the gap in teacher's skill in using ICT", "decreasing the time for administering ICT equipment and burden", "making a full curriculum which incorporated using ICT" and "building up the system which supported using ICT".

View full abstract

This paper proposes a new theory of communication incorporating next generation media and its application to English education at the university level. Recently in Japan, need for so-called communicative English education is growing stronger, in correspondence with which there have been some interesting theories of communication. However, such theories are far from being functionally adequate, because they are confined to language alone without realizing the limitation of the role of language in communication. This paper attempts to correct these existing theoretical frameworks for a more functional model of communication. When applied to English education, this new theory should bring forth an adequate assessment methodology together with an effective teaching methodology. There are several important issues highlighted in this paper including "meta-communicative dimension", which is considered essential for the conceptualization of communication thus defined. This paper is to be contributed as one applicable education in general, although it focuses on English education.

View full abstract

An environment that uses educational TV programs for a class with internet and television rose than before. However, there are still teachers who are not going to use educational TV program. We hypothesized that a lesson which used educational TV programs gives a good influence on the teacher and the learner, and We clarified this by a study. We wanted to contribute to the use and promotion of educational TV programs for good lessons by inspecting our hypothesis. As a result of this study, teachers were furnished with teaching design ability and teaching development, and students were furnished with organizing ability. And, in evaluation of the organizing ability of the learner self-evaluation and the teacher evaluation, We understood that there was considerable correlation.

View full abstract

This practicum "World Youth meeting", International Collaborative Project has been proceeding since 1999 and gaining considerable popularity due to its international features. The main objective of this study is to clarify the procedure of the way to enhance the effective collaborative English presentations of Japanese and overseas Students. These presentations are results of collective effort in education of media literacy, information practice, and language study. The internet fundamental advancing year by year also influences the activities. In schools in Japan, it is a new idea to teach to make public speeches while interacting with the audience. Now teachers have to improve new competences to teach this skill in different fields of education such as English, Information and Japanese, in more integrated ways. It is clear that these activities surely help students to improve English communication and Information management and communication technology.

View full abstract

We have performed a new type of the third nation technical training in Thailand in February, 2004. Trainees are the Papua New Guineans and the trainers and lecturers are both from Japanese and Thai sides. Major field of training is focused on the distance education with the use of televised communications. The Distance Learning TeleVision Station which is located in Hua Hin, under His Majesty the Kings project, has a lot of useful and valuable techniques as well as much know-how in this field. In Hua Hin there are several schools in which lectures in the class room are televised. From Hua Hin therefore the educational programs from the kindergarten to university levels are sent to all over Thailand through satellite technology. Papua New Guinea (PNG), on the other hand, has a lot of difficulties in education with the shortage of social infrastructures and geographical reasons. In order to solve the problems this nation started the curriculum reformation in 1994 already. To help the reformation and to solve the educational difficulties in this country the pilot project with the use of TV programs started in 2002 with the aides of SONY-JICA Partner project The Hua Hin's satellite project in Thailand is the model of this pilot project held in PNG. In order to perform the project in PNG it was necessary to train the technical persons, the management persons, and teachers who worked together in PNG. Present author had arranged the training program and performed the operation, under the deep and kind help of Thai side especially with the Distance Learning Foundation in Bangkok The difficulties during the training and operation for the training are also summarized in this paper.

View full abstract

In Japan, the video production for learning had not shared enough. The author analyzed the curriculum of the subject "Media Production and Analysis" in Western Australia and examined The learning method of media literacy by video production. 1 Main outcomes of this subject are "Media Ideas", "Media Production", "Responses to Media" and "Media in society". 2 Basic points of learning matter of media literacy are "Code and convention", "context" and "Audiences". 3 Teacher assess through student's video production and their report about process and analysis. The author set three points and left for the future is the development of Japanese curriculum using video production.

View full abstract