[The 1st Online Roundtable Discussion]

 

Theme: 

Impacts of Globalization on English & English Education from Global Perspectives: U.S., Japan, South Korea, and Indonesia

 

Speakers:

Dr. Randall Sadler (U. of Illinois, USA),

Dr. Kilryoung Lee (Hankuk U. of Foreign Studies, South Korea),

Dr. Yuji Nakamura (Keio U., Japan),

Dr. Nugrahenny Zacharias (Satya Wacana Christian U., Indonesia).

 

Moderator:

Ju Seong (John) Lee (U. of Illinois, USA)

 

Date:  

November 19th, 2014

 

Abstract:  

      Conversations around the importance of English are not restricted to its role as an international lingua franca or the emergence of institutional varieties, but in the debates it initiates. English has served both as an aspiration to be achieved and as a resource that provides a tool for negotiating one’s cultural identity in the age of globalization (Seargeant, 2011).

      In the fall semester of 2014, Keio Professor, Dr. Yuji Nakamura incorporated SKYPE videoconferencing in his course English and English education in the age of globalization: East Asia Perspectives. This course explored the ways globalization affects language policy and English teachers’ practices in the classroom. Further, this course provided authentic and interactive learning experiences for students by employing technology, which allowed for an in-depth understanding of the topic.

      Teleconferencing can increase student engagement in course material and offer exciting opportunities for creating active and interactive learning lessons. It can enhance traditional learning by incorporating a real time global learning environment, thus positively contributing to the development of informed global citizens. For example, the aforementioned class connected learners with international TESOL experts and applied linguists from different countries, which broadened participant perspectives on crucial aspects of ELT, both locally and globally.  Students were able to apply knowledge gained during the course, coupled with English language acquired from class and apply it to real-life situations by interacting with the international scholars; this interaction would have been rather restrictive without the aid of technology.

 

 

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Roundtable Discussion:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Roundtable Q&A:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Media Coverage:

Title: Language education using authentic materials and interactions with students around the world

Design by: Keio University Hiyoshi Research