SteveMcCarty

SteveMcCarty, 6 months ago to linguistics

Nippon dotcom just reported that a "survey found that Japan currently ranks eighty-seventh out of 113 non-English-speaking countries and regions for English language abilities. This is a fall of seven places from last year and relatively low among Asian countries." In a discussion I saw, one Japanese noted that IT competitiveness is also declining. Another stated that the problem was actually that Japanese do not need English.

Some Japanese professors have agreed with me that Japanese do actually need English. Poor IT is also connected to this, because English is essential in IT. Our son is a key person in one of Japan’s top global companies because of his combination of systems engineering and ease with foreign languages.

Japan's economic future depends on tourism and increasing foreign residents. In my bilingualism and intercultural communication classes with English majors now, students understand the need.

@Bilingualism @linguistics

Teaching and all: https://japanned.hcommons.org

SteveMcCarty, 7 months ago to histodons

Deeper and deeper into #Japanese #culture and people, I went into the #Kyoto Imperial Palace for a special performance of #Gagaku (雅楽), imperial court #music and #dances of #Asian mainland origin that have been performed there since the Heian Period over a thousand years ago. An acquaintance who is a Shintō priestess (see photo) from Nara played two types of traditional flutes that sustain an eerie or higher-worldly atmosphere. The relatively slow and deliberate movements of the mostly male dancers in many-layered gorgeous contumes stand in contrast with the frenetic tempo of modern #entertainment. We experience #time as the pace of transformation, and that brief time transfixed with the Gagaku performance was but an interlude from an ancient era in a workday preparing for university classes and a keynote address. Photos will have to suffice to evoke the special atmosphere.

Publications on Japan: https://japanned.hcommons.org/japanology

@religion @histodons

#Japan #Asia #Asianists #religion #history

Gagaku performance
The author with a Shintō priestess acquaintance, and other Gagaku performers in the background
Another Gagaku scene

SteveMcCarty, 7 months ago to academicchatter

My keynote address for the Contemporary Studies in Management (CoSiM) online conference is on Sunday the 26th from 9:10 AM Central European Time.

ABSTRACT: This presentation opens a window into the process of applying for a research grant offered jointly by the governments of Japan and India. Grant proposals could be a genre for publications of reference to younger scholars. A grant is not just fixed-term funding but a whole process of organizing researchers and a proposed vision that maps onto the procedures and conditions set by the agencies offering competitive grants. Dimensions addressed include documentation and publications (see the forthcoming Proceedings paper), the cultures involved, intercultural communication challenges, and definitions for the research topic of humanizing online educational experiences.

The slideshow is at https://www.researchgate.net/publication/375797879 or https://www.academia.edu/109561709

Attend by Zoom? (20 min.): https://us02web.zoom.us/j/89074638223

@academicchatter @edutooter @OnlineEducation

SteveMcCarty, 7 months ago to psychology

Myriad unwritten rules of #Japanese #relationships, not written in books about #Japan.

Distance works in time as well as space. Frequency of contact indicates closeness, so contacting someone often can be a transgression. Rather than 'getting to know you better,' they can maintain the same distance as the circumstances when you first met. Thus, many foreigners say they can't make friends with Japanese.

Much use of silence. Large private self vs. small public self. The same act, such as posting one's photo & real name online, falls into the public #self of Westerners but the private self of Japanese.

Most Japanese are undemonstrative of emotions & affection. Standing close or touching them can easily be taken as a sexual or presumptuous invasion of their private realm.

Japanese feel personal space palpably. They make a cutting #gesture when passing someone closely.

Extreme #intercultural #communication & cross-cultural #psychology!

@psychology

Start at https://japanned.hcommons.org

SteveMcCarty, 7 months ago to philosophy

Re-evaluating various things lately, this was a job for Philosophy Path (哲学の道) along the eastern mountains of #Kyoto. Writers have asserted that Japan doesn't do #philosophy, mais non. To be sure, Mahayana #Buddhist #ontology eludes our grasp.

Furthermore, the #nature #symbolism that does the heavy lifting in real #haiku is not metaphysical or #abstract. For #teaching #haiku, winning contests, or more about the criteria for real haiku in #languages other than #Japanese, see "Internationalizing the Essence of Haiku Poetry" at https://www.researchgate.net/publication/323187189 or https://www.academia.edu/35927186

Thus, I was #walking along the #path and not #philosophizing per se, but just absorbed in the scenes like these captioned #photos, and that was quite refreshing.

Publications on #Japan, #Asia, and East-West #comparative #culture: https://japanned.hcommons.org/japanology

@philosophy

Nanzenji in early autumn colors.
Eikando, one of the greatest temples for changing leaves, starting soon.
Gate to the temple Honen-In.

SteveMcCarty, 7 months ago to academicchatter

Deleted my #X #Twitter account because of its evil owner, so call me ex-X as I cross it out of my nice life here in #Japan! Thanks to @dangillmor for the nudge. I'm a stickler anyway about living by #academic #ethics: https://japanned.hcommons.org/academic_life

I'm in the #Humanities Commons instance, and we have free profiles like https://hcommons.org/members/stevemccartyinjapan that include a link to the old blue bird of Twitter, and members are increasingly leaving, so our admins at @hello might want to reconsider having that item in the next version of profiles.

What can I do with all this new free time besides taking contemplative hikes in Kyoto? I'm still looking for a wide range of informants and academic colleagues, as I should have big news on #international #collaboration in 2024. I'm looking for #friends in fields such as #online #education, #bilingualism, #language #teaching with #technology, #journalism, #interculturalcommunication, and #Asia.

A little positive reinforcement goes a long way!

@academicchatter

SteveMcCarty, 7 months ago to psychology

Dr. Markus Launer, Professor of Management at Ostfalia University of Applied Sciences in Germany is "looking for a psychologist to research the topic Mood and Intuition. Urgently. Do you know someone? For now it is a presentation at CoSiM Conference on Sunday Nov 26, later a global study."

CoSiM is the 7th International Conference on Contemporary Studies in Management, a free online conference throughout global time zones from November 24th-27th. I'll be presenting a keynote address related to international grantsmanship and intercultural issues, specifically between India and Japan (where I live permanently). I accepted his repeated request after all the deadlines, but still could submit a short Proceedings paper, so you need not necessarily be deterred by the suddenness. The conference homepage is https://institutfuerdienstleistungen.com/en/7th-conference-2023

His requested topic is very specific, but if you could do something similar, or recommend another [email protected]

Thank you!

@psychology

SteveMcCarty, 7 months ago to linguistics

The 7-5-3 festival (七五三) started in the Heian or Muromachi Period to pray for the survival of #children, and, like many practices, spread from the aristocracy eventually to all citizens.

Age three for #girls is especially adorable, and our 3/4 #Japanese granddaughter just went through that rite of passage, posing in a #festival kimono.

With deaths in both families this year, it was moved from a Shintō shrine to a #Buddhist temple, reflecting the division of labor served by the two #religions in Japan. We could thus do it up on a mountain in our city (between Ōsaka and Kyōto) and see changing leaves of #autumn early.

All major ceremonies are finally accompanied by a restaurant meal, and the Japanese-style food and service, by normal standards in Japan, were superb.

Our granddaughter, nearly three, also seemed to start realizing that my English and the usual Japanese were different languages (technically, nascent metalinguistic awareness and bilinguality).

@religion @linguistics

Mountain temple in early autumn
The author and red maple leaves
Japanese banquet

SteveMcCarty, 7 months ago to histodons

Dear family friends here in #Japan, a sumi-e (墨絵) ink painting artist and a Paris chanson singer invited Chisato and me to a unique event in #Osaka. An iemoto of #Japanese dance Nihon buyō (日本舞踊の家元), renowned for onna-gata female roles, led a tribute to #Ukraine, with the heads of lettuce representing skulls, a stark demonstration for #peace. Then singers performed a variety of genres in Japanese, French, English, and Italian, with a skilled electric piano accompaniment - bravo!

Stunning videos of the singers of about a minute each cannot be included here, but they are at https://www.facebook.com/waoesteve/posts/6711984225547767

It is typically Japanese to combine the traditional with the modern, European with Japanese artistic sensibilities. Many venerable cultures have a sense of time that is more cyclical than linear. In Japanese religion the tendency to agglutinate rather than to choose and exclude is seen in #Buddhist syncretism.

⇒ Publications on Japan and Asian Studies:
https://japanned.hcommons.org/japanology

@histodons

Iemoto of Japanese dance leads an anti-war demonstration for Ukraine.
Sanshiro sings.
Leaflet for a cosmopolitan event in Osaka.

SteveMcCarty, 7 months ago to religion

A long train ride to Nara and hiking many kilometers around Asuka Village, the cradle of Japanese civilization. The Asuka period ca. 592-710 marked the introduction of Buddhism, Mainland-inspired reforms, and a change of the country name from Wa (倭) to Nippon (日本).

I went to three early 7th Century sites. Okadera was one of the earliest temples, later Kūkai's Shingon, with a large statue of him as a pilgrim.

Ishibutai Kofun means stone stage, the largest megalith in Japan, probably the tumulus of Soga no Umako, a promoter of Buddhism and a reformer with Prince Shōtoku. Dolmen - rock slabs over graves - were common around the ancient world, but the ones at Ishibutai must weigh tons.

Tachibanadera commemorates the birthplace of Prince Shōtoku. It is rich in historical artifacts and beautiful with a field of cosmos blooming now. There is a formation in the temple 二面石 meaning two-faced rock. I'm tempted to use it like an emoji 👺 .

#Japan #Nara #Asuka #Buddhism

@religion @histodons

Ishibutai Kofun megalithis tumulus
A ceiling in the temple Tachibanadera
2-faced rock - we all know that kind

SteveMcCarty, 7 months ago to academicchatter

College for intergenerational mobility provides another perspective with which to champion higher education: "The deep inequity of the anti-college movement," Jose Luis Alvarado (The Hill, 10/28/23): https://thehill.com/opinion/congress-blog/4281108-the-deep-inequity-of-the-anti-college-movement

We have looked to MOOCs, OERs, open access publications, and online education generally to widen access to higher education for those disadvantaged by the digital divide as well as for learners worldwide who are not affluent enough to access f2f higher education.

Although Dr. Alvarado's article is closer to my experience than you'd imagine, I relied upon the merits of millenia of academia for a series on the academic life, including "The Idea of the University"; download from: https://hcommons.org/deposits/download/hc:26460/CONTENT/academic_life_series.pdf

Comments on Dr. Alvarado's article or the above?

#OpenAccess #OER #Education #HigherEducation #HigherEd #AcademicMastodon #AcademicFedi #OnlineLearning #DistanceEducation #OnlineEducation #OpenEducation #multiculturalism

@edutooter @academicchatter @OnlineEducation

SteveMcCarty, 8 months ago to religion

I've been surrounded by people of #Japanese and Asian heritage since my 20s in #Hawaii, so it's an odd feeling to see mostly foreign tourists in #Kyoto on a weekday. They seem to be fanning out to places I go for walks but are less spectacular than the famous temples you pay to enter. In the future I think much of #Japan could be like Hawaii, with tourism and immigrants like myself attracted to the relatively well-preserved culture and nature.

On a typical spur-of-the-moment walk, I spent no money except on a short train ride and walked through the tourist street past Gion, through Yasaka Shrine and Maruyama Park to the temple Chion-In. It's a headquarters of a major Pure Land sect with numerous parishioners, some tending to their ancestors, unlike either the open air museum type of temples or Zen centers.

I slipped into Kyōto and back home just before an explosive thunderstorm. Limited to four photos and captions, here is a bit of the flavor of Chion-In.

#Buddhism
@religion

Pagoda of Chion-In.
Pond of summer-blossoming giant lotuses, while leaves are starting to change to autumn colors.
Sect founder Saint Hōnen (法然上人).

SteveMcCarty, 8 months ago to academicchatter

Veteran academics have grown used to pulling up the stakes of our yurts. In 1998 I noted in an online keynote address from Japan to the U.S. that EdTech early adopters were like so many masterless samurai roaming from site to site, so I founded the World Association for Online Education.

Like the migration from X to Mastodon, I anticipate a #migration from commercial to open source research repositories. Slideshare was acquired and monetized, although we did not sign up to have our IP sold. AcademiaEdu has gotten more restrictive to non-payers and non-members, while greater prestige alone might not sustain non-member access to ResearchGate. The reach those two offer for free is unsurpassed at this time.

However, in principle, and as circumstances change, a respository such as Humanities Commons @hello becomes more attractive.

Profile: https://hcommons.org/members/stevemccartyinjapan

Latest: "Dual Nationality in Japan: Learning to Love Ambiguity" - download from https://doi.org/10.17613/myhj-yk78

@academicchatter

SteveMcCarty, 8 months ago to psychology

"Dual Nationality in Japan: Learning to Love Ambiguity" - new upload to Humanities Commons, which has a Mastodon instance.

Dual nationality is in the news again in Japan, where parents of happy-go-lucky haafu kids don't want the light to shine (haafu has a mostly positive meaning). Deeply in Japanese culture, custom is stronger than law, and so is unspoken consensus. Nearly everyone benefits from dual nationality. Though it is against the law, no country wants to lose productive young citizens by forcing them to choose. The issue has been smoked out by cases of famous people. In the 2020 Olympics, haafu Sky Brown - raised in Japan - competed for the UK. Naomi Osaka renounced her American citizenship to compete for Japan. She illustrates the strain of having to choose between national allegiances or parts of one's multicultural identity.

Download the article from: https://doi.org/10.17613/myhj-yk78 or directly:
https://hcommons.org/deposits/download/hc:60050/CONTENT/dual_nationality_in_japan_updated.pdf

#biculturalism #multiculturalism
@psychology @Bilingualism

SteveMcCarty, 8 months ago to mythology

The Kashihara shrine (橿原神宮) area of Nara is a cradle of Japanese civilization formerly known as Yamato. I especially didn't want to miss the archaeological museum, so a couple of its treasures are included here. The shrine is dedicated to the legendary first Emperor Jimmu (神武天皇). The Buddhist temple Kumedera (久米寺) near Kashihara Jingū is a Shingon temple, but it predates the founder Kūkai. It was where Kūkai found the indecipherable Mahāvairocana Sūtra (大日経) that justified his precious voyage to Chang'an, as I alluded recently in the journal paper "Translation Issues in the Rapid Transmission of Esoteric Buddhism from India to China to Japan" at https://www.researchgate.net/publication/371965557

See more details in the photo captions.

#Japan #religion #religions #Shinto #Shintoism #Buddhism #Kukai #Nara #archaeology

@religion @histodons @mythology

Bookmark publications on Japan and Asian Studies: https://japanned.hcommons.org/japanology

At the Nara Prefectural Archaeological Museum (奈良県立橿原考古学研究所付属博物館), Haniwa terracotta figures from Kofun Period tumuli around 1,500 years ago.
A most exquisite figure that I think is an angel in the hagiography of the Buddha, found in the ruins of a Nara Period temple. No hairstyle today can match this!
The Medicine Buddha Yakushi Nyorai (薬師如来), the main object of worship at Kumedera.

SteveMcCarty, 8 months ago to mythology

I've published less on Japan than on online education and bilingualism (the lens through which I view English teaching). Unlike repeated media stereotypes, the more one knows a culture as individuals, the less one can generalize.

Shikoku Bilingual Guidebook
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/349683547

Buddhist Syncretism in Japan
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/323239561

Translation Issues in the Rapid Transmission of Esoteric Buddhism from India to China to Japan
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/371965557

Symbolism of Fire in Greek and Japanese Creation Myths
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/374535104

Symbolism of Air in Greco-Roman and Japanese Creation Myths
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/357511649

Internationalizing the Essence of Haiku Poetry
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/323187189

East-West Cultural Differences in Basic Life Stance
https://www.academia.edu/44784139

Exploring the Contrast between East Asian and Indo-Western Ways of Thinking
https://www.academia.edu/62511123

Legend of the Woman Diver
https://www.academia.edu/36072919

#Japan @religion @histodons @mythology

Bookmark: https://japanned.hcommons.org/japanology

SteveMcCarty, 8 months ago to academicchatter

From a JournaIism class I recall a distinction between timeless and current (IIRC) articles, whereby for example an article of timeless interest is scheduled, but then new news comes up that is time-sensitive and needs to be reported ASAP, so the timeless article can wait.

I find an analogous phenomenon in Academia. Some fields are more timeless; publications have a long tail and stand the test of time, whereas publications in fields responsive to rapid changes in technology or social trends have a much shorter shelf life.

In sharing my works as a cluster specialist this week, publications on Bilingualism, ancient Japan, and the Academic Life in historical perspective seem to make time stand still, compared to Online Education, which is sensitive to trends in educational technology.

#Journalism is only mentioned in my Profile https://hcommons.org/members/stevemccartyinjapan and Journalism page https://japanned.hcommons.org/journalism - but it has given clarity to my academic writing.

Comments?

@academicchatter @histodons

SteveMcCarty, 8 months ago to philosophy

Re: "Is there such a thing as 'Japanese philosophy'?" by B.V.E. Hyde, Big Think (10/10/2023): https://bigthink.com/thinking/does-japanese-philosophy-exist

This is multifaceted, the answer depending on the perspective, but I think that the most basic answer lies in the phrase itself: Japanese philosophy.

At a mundane level, everyone has a philosophy that governs their decisions, e.g., whether to seek freedom or escape from it, as most do.

Having read Plato's complete works, I think Socrates, Plato, & Aristotle had great originality. Otherwise, the article makes a good point about Greek philosophy, Buddhism & Confucianism turning into sources of authority rather than philosophy.

My view is that Indo-Western thought is abstract, but East Asian thought is concretistic. E.g., haiku are often philosophical, but nature symbolism does the lifting rather than abstraction like metaphysics. See "This is Asia: Exploring the Contrast between East Asian and Indo-Western Ways of Thinking" at https://www.academia.edu/62511123

@philosophy

SteveMcCarty, 8 months ago to linguistics

In my cluster of specializations, English-Japanese Bilingualism makes solid research on Japan possible, while living the Academic Life as the basis -- publications introduced yesterday at https://hcommons.social/@SteveMcCarty/111205174544628483 -- and collaborating globally as well as amplifying works through the technology of Online Education.

Bilingualism is a branch of Applied Linguistics, adjacent to Intercultural Communication, which describes my 40+ years of daily life in Japan. I teach Bilingualism and Intercultural Communication classes in Osaka. My wife speaks only Japanese, while my speaking English to our sons helped them become amazingly successful in Tokyo.

I specialized in Japan in graduate school, and have endeavored to publish in Japanese, with or without help. 著作リンク集: https://japanned.hcommons.org/chosaku

My publications on Bilingualism and Bilingual Education have been widely studied. E.g., PhD theses have cited my definitions of terms. See many articles at: https://japanned.hcommons.org/bilingualism

@Bilingualism @linguistics

Steve's wife in her 50s
Mailbox
Speaking English to our 3/4 Japanese granddaughter

SteveMcCarty, 8 months ago to academicchatter

For Open Access Week, Humanities Commons has unveiled remarkable plans for 2024 in "What Is A Repository For?" at https://building.hcommons.org/2023/09/26/what-is-a-repository-for

Like the migration from Twitter to Mastodon, I would like to find that Humanities Commons - in my case: https://hcommons.org/members/stevemccartyinjapan (with nearly 10,000 downloads) - does better than ResearchGate - https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Steve-Mccarty (31,600+ reads) - or AcademiaEdu - https://wilmina.academia.edu/SteveMcCarty (31,500+ views) in connecting repository content with researchers and other readers, interactively. Perhaps browsing is more convenient than downloading, and commercial outfits have a stronger imperative to connect people.

Humanities Commons has many genres to select from, and I have uploaded content in 24 academic and creative categories. Successful research grant proposals seem like another possibility, and a research diary format would suit our India-Japan project on humanizing online educational experiences.

@hello @academicchatter
#hcommons #HumanitiesCommons #Mastodon

SteveMcCarty, 8 months ago to academicchatter

After yesterday's introduction - at https://hcommons.social/@SteveMcCarty/111199063511775995 - let me start the highlights with the broad area of the Academic Life, since I'm categorizing next week's presentation (see photo) that way, stretching the boundaries further than before:

"U.S. Culture and Multiculturalism" slideshow (for Thai visitors at Kindai University, Osaka):
http://dx.doi.org/10.13140/RG.2.2.17056.35847

"Understanding Intelligence and Genius" (a recent essay beyond academic boundaries):
https://www.academia.edu/96104729
or download it from Humanities Commons:
https://hcommons.org/deposits/download/hc:50812/CONTENT/intelligence_and_genius.pdf

"The Idea of the University" - in the Academic Life series at:
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/370403046 or download the series from:
https://hcommons.org/deposits/download/hc:26460/CONTENT/academic_life_series.pdf

"Lifelong Learning and Retiring Retirement Stereotypes":
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/365838087

"Setting up an Effective Google Scholar Profile":
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/322925847

"University Website Optimization and Google Scholar for Academic Recognition":
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/323005518

Bookmark: https://japanned.hcommons.org/academic_life

@academicchatter

SteveMcCarty, 8 months ago to linguistics

Rafi Saleh reviews two books related to translanguaging for the journal Applied Linguistics. In my view, his analysis displays a kind of disciplinarity whereby generalities about plurilingualism are vulnerable to criticism from various quarters, but by specifying the perspective, such as policy or ontology, differing stances can both be true.

https://www.researchgate.net/publication/374532611_Multilingual_Perspectives_on_Translanguaging_The_Invention_of_Multilingualism

#translanguaging #bilingualism #multilingualism #LanguageEducation #LanguageTeaching

@linguistics @Bilingualism

Steve's publications on bilingualism: https://japanned.hcommons.org/bilingualism

SteveMcCarty, 8 months ago to religion

Here in Japan 30 years ago, I was promoted to full professor, for publications, so my work has been all for the joy of discovery and sharing.

I've been drawn back into Online Education, a field I've been active in since 1995. I teach Bilingualism and Intercultural Communication classes. I lecture for the government, introducing Japan. Living near Kyoto, I research prehistoric to Heian Period religions in Japan. Moreover, I also publish about the academic life that I live by.

Having readers worldwide is most precious, and there is so much to share. I'll therefore have to take one field at a time and select widely read and cited publications.

Today there is only space to introduce a new book section I just uploaded: “Symbolism of Fire in Greek and Japanese Creation Myths” (2023), at https://www.researchgate.net/publication/374535104
It is bundled with another short chapter, “Symbolism of Air in Greco-Roman and Japanese Creation Myths,” to download from https://hcommons.org/deposits/download/hc:43446/CONTENT/fusion_essays.pdf

#Japan @religion @academicchatter

SteveMcCarty, 8 months ago to religion

The crowds are back in Kyoto, but I showed an American and Japanese journalist couple a scenic route with few visitors, from the temple and pond of Daikakuji through the Arashiyama area. Dan @dangillmor and Noriko-san were refreshed when we could enjoy mountain forest scenery a short walk from train stations.

The first photo shows the spacious temple Daikakuji (大覚寺) from across Osawa Pond, Kyoto's oldest man-made pond, harking back around 1,200 years to Emperor Saga in the early Heian Period. The experience of visitors is deepened when the history and lore is explained.

This is not one of the spectacular seasons, but there is some subtle beauty in early fall with leaves starting to change, and bush clover like in the second photo.

Third is the bamboo cathedral of Arashiyama.

Last is a photo by Dan of the gorgeous gorge. One of my favorite places, yet few tourists find it. I often also walk along the other side of the river through the mountain forest.

#Japan @religion @histodons

Bush clover (萩) emblematic of early fall in Japan.
Bamboo cathedral of Arashiyama
Gorgeous gorge

bryanalexandee, 8 months ago to random

Interdisciplinary life is what happens when you make disciplinary plans

SteveMcCarty, 8 months ago to academicchatter

This fall semester here in Osaka I just had the pleasure of doing something new, and university students might have thought it was cool 😎. For many years I have been giving presentations in class by iPad, and by computer at conferences. Recently I learned how to give presentations by iPhone, and it worked for a fun quiz on international marriage in Japan for my Bilingualism class.

Here are some scenes with captions from another encounter with technology, entering the Frames VR world last week with teachers by browser. It is a long story if you are interested, going back over 15 years to pioneering work. In a 2007 keynote address in a university auditorium in Nagoya, I simultaneously presented in a virtual world to avatars of participants in other countries.

References:
Keynote address proceedings paper (2007):
https://www.academia.edu/39841839
Slideshow:
https://www.academia.edu/39763382
2008 interview predicting 3D in browsers as Web 3.0:
https://researchmap.jp/waoe/misc/26524185/attachment_file.pdf

#Japan #VR @edutooter @academicchatter

A VR space I set up that looks like Shizuoka here in Japan with Mt. Fuji
Another virtual world with a different presentation within the Second Life virtual world in my presentation in 2007
My avatar flying and watching my video. People in the auditorium in 2007 could see and hear this video on one big screen, while I operated the presentation slideshow on another big screen.

SteveMcCarty, 8 months ago to linguistics

Too many decades in Japan, but surprised to find that "kawaii" ([Japanese-style] cute, adorable, etc.) has become a loanword in English. Many technical or other English terms that I use are not in the Scrabble Dictionary, but kawaii is. Cuteness is ubiquitous in contemporary Japan, and apparently getting exported. The attached screenshot is from our family LINE group.

I have always advised college students to use Romanized Japanese terms in sentences if there is no English equivalent. This lengthy "List of English words of Japanese origin" would have been handy when I was teaching classes of mixed international and Japanese students. You might also find it of reference or interesting: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_English_words_of_Japanese_origin

• Steve McCarty at Humanities Commons: https://japanned.hcommons.org

@linguistics @Bilingualism @edutooter

#Japan #Bilingualism #Bilingual #LanguageEducation #LanguageTeaching #kawaii

SteveMcCarty, 9 months ago to academicchatter

"U.S. Culture and Multiculturalism": A longtime professor in Japan looks back at the U.S. in terms of culture. See this self-explanatory slideshow for Thai and Japanese university participants on what culture is, world cultures and values, and comparative culture. For example, you can see intercultural communication research findings on where the U.S., Japan, and Thailand stand on the cultural dimension of individualism vs. collectivism. The presentation aims for objectivity, so you can draw your own conclusions:
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/374143089_US_Culture_and_Multiculturalism

#Japan #Thailand #America #American #culture #values #cultures #cultural #intercultural #communication #multiculturalism

@edutooter @academicchatter

SteveMcCarty, 9 months ago to academicchatter

For those interested in online education, especially in India and Japan:

A few months ago I was pulled off the bench of semi-retirement to get back into international collaboration on online education, as alluded in my post the other day at https://hcommons.social/@SteveMcCarty/111035515074859730

I lecture for the government foreign aid agency on "Japanese People and Society," my original specialization that I've returned to with detailed posts about temples and shrines such as in nearby Kyoto. I teach a little at a university in Osaka, in a process I call career tapering: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/365838087_Lifelong_Learning_and_Retiring_Retirement_Stereotypes

A 2022 chapter on my research and career in Japan could have been enough but for my continuing interest. It is free at: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/361566172

However, a 2021 paper definitive of online education as an academic discipline, which I thought was my swan song in that field, instead provides a grounding for the new project: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/353073973_Online_Education_as_a_Discipline

"Only connect!" - E.M. Forster

@OnlineEducation @edutooter @academicchatter

SteveMcCarty, 9 months ago to academicchatter

An individual can have a dream or vision that is not just personal but expresses a deep need of the zeitgeist. It has been my fortune to conceive of such visions and, if only of modest influence, to create new realities.

In a 1998 article for the Journal of Online Education at New York University, I wrote that educators concerned with online education in the broadest sense, like so many nomadic masterless samurai, needed a real organization. My 1998 TCC online conference keynote address from Japan proposed the World Association for Online Education, to turn online education into a new professional discipline.

In mid-2023, I was asked to organize an Indo-Japanese research group towards a bi-national grant for 2024-2026. With members' input, I created a proposal, which we submitted to both governments, on Indo-Japanese Collaboration to Humanize Online Educational Experiences.

@OnlineEducation @edutooter @academicchatter

Your thoughts?

Details later. Bookmark https://japanned.hcommons.org

mguhlin, 9 months ago to random

Two New Google AI Tools: Help Me Write and NotebookLM https://blog.tcea.org/google-ai-tools/ #tceajmg #edtech #TCEA #education #teachers #learners #students #K12 #learning

Loukas, 11 months ago to random Swedish

Hey, teachers of Mastodon. Is there some kind of open platform where teachers share lesson plans and resources?

#education #school #teaching