The Power of Desktop
Videoconferencing
Judi Franz, UC Irvine
Akemi Morioka, UC Irvine
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Shimizu-sensei sent to UCI through a special
project sponsored by the Japanese Ministry
of Education 2001-2002
Sought out Japanese instructors and
observed several classes
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Shimizu-sensei returns to position at
Namerikawa High School in Toyama
Prefecture in early 2002
In October of 2002, the first Japanese Video
Conference is held between 12th graders in
Japan and UCI students who are taking a
range of 1st-4th year Japanese language
class
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In March, 2003, Shimizu-sensei started a new
job at Toyama College of Foreign Languages
Students “meet” 7 times during Fall and Spring
quarters, 3 times during Winter quarter
Additional interaction via online message
board when it was integrated into curriculum
Some UCI students have traveled to Japan and
participated in the JVC from the other side, and
one student from Japan came to UCI, as well
Monday pm
Tuesday am
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As of January, 2007 the JVC moved to the
Humanities Instructional Resource Ctr.
Use PolyCom and Skype for group and
individual interaction
iMacs using built-in iSight cameras in Irvine
PCs running Windows XP and external web
cams in Toyama
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Build confidence
Increase motivation
Lower affective filter
Non-verbal communication
Cultural exchange
Negotiation of meaning
Synchronous vs. asynchronous
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UCI students speak in Japanese, and
students in Japan speak English most of the
time. However, there is frequent codeswitching.
Content has been determined sometimes by
Shimizu-sensei and sometimes by UCI
instructor, depending on research and
curricular issues
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A new school year in Japan, discussion of blood type
Education system
How to treat other people
New Year’s traditions
Over-arching Theme: Journey/Travel
 Images of Japan, Nature and Geography
 Things to do in Japan
 Staying in Japan −Living Accommodations
 Cultural Difference ‘Enryo - hesitation/reservation due to
consideration for others’
 President Obama
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Lower affective filter
Build confidence and self-efficacy (helping partner
with English)
First-hand information
Cultural exchange
Authentic, genuine communication
Negotiation of meaning
Increased motivation for learning Japanese
“Language learners are not just communicators
and problem solvers, but whole persons with hearts,
bodies, and minds, with memories, fantasies, but
embodied experiences, emotional resonances, and
moral imaginings.” – Kramsch, 2006: 251
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Survey conducted Spring 2008
Results somewhat mixed regarding preference
for group or individual interaction
Technical issues sometimes interfered
Enhanced understanding of both language
and culture
“I've found JVC to be very interesting and fun. It's an interactive and different way
for us to learn to communicate with people who speak the language we're trying to
learn. We also get a sense that we are helping them out, as well. I feel like
everyone benefits from it. Having a targeting (sic) discussion also helps us to learn
more about each other’s culture, and we can therefore lose any stereotypes we
may have about one another.
Also, we get to learn to be patient with one another. If my partner stumbles in
English, we can work together to find the right word.
And if I stumble in Japanese (which is more likely), we can find a meeting ground
to discover what it was I was going to say.
All in all, JVC is a very innovative way to make learning about Japanese culture
and language really stick in one’s mind.”
“When we were first told that we would have to participate
in JVC meetings, I was rather intimidated and nervous
since I lacked confidence in my Japanese. But when we
finally started and I saw a friendly, smiling face from the
other side of the camera, I felt immediately reassured.
Talking to everyone these last couple of weeks has been
incredibly fun and being able to meet and make new
friends has made me very happy.”
The first time I did JVC, I was kind of nervous if not irritated,
especially because I feel that my Japanese speaking is not very good
compared to my class mates. However, as time went on, I began to get
used to initiate a conversation in Japanese and enjoy it overtime.
Although learning and being competent in the language is still a long
way to go, and I am sure I will run into more obstacles; nonetheless, I
will continue to do so with confidence. JVC has provided such kind of
confidence to me. In addition, JVC also provides a 1 hour "escape" from
the ordinary Irvine life style that I am living in everyday. I was able to get
a glimpse of the Japanese life style that my conversation partners have.
the jvc meetings are very good.
they are a good way of interacting with native japanese speakers.
i learn a lot from our one-to-one conversations.
I'm glad that we are able to practice our japanese speaking skills with
them as well.
it would be good if they could think about the topic and talk about it
more. sometimes there are pauses during the conversation, when we should
be talking about the topic we were assigned. sometimes our conversation
goes off topic and we don't have time to ask our questions.
it would be good if they initiated questions for us to answer as well.
i usually am the one to ask questions first about something about our topic.
when i ask questions they are good to answer in english, and they are
helpful in answering my questions. i have many questions about japan, so i
am glad to have their help.
i think the one-to-one conversations work well for our learning
JVC meetings are a great way to enhance our speaking abilities! The people we
Speak to are always friendly and sociable, so it’s not difficult to get along. It really
tests our knowledge of the Japanese language and is similar to a simulation of
what might happen if we were to tour Japan and had to get through with whatever
we know at that point. It’s intimidating though because the students there are
extremely skilled in the English language, but it encourages us to get better and
to study more. Personally, the sessions go on a little too long and learning in class
seems like it should be more of a priority, but they’re fun nevertheless.
I really enjoy JVC and I feel that it is helping me speak quickly in
Japanese. I think one of the most important things is to converse in
Japanese quickly and without translating from English. I also enjoy
meeting new people and listening to what they have to say about the topics
we've had. Lastly JVC also helps the TCFL students speak English. I think
JVC is awesome!
I think that the JVC Conferences have been very valuable to my learning
Japanese. This is because I am getting a "genuine" experience of sorts by
speaking to native Japanese speakers in their own country. I was very
surprised and amazed at how good at English they are! It was also good to
have them help me on my own Japanese when I didn't know how to express
something. I also think it's lots of fun learning about the Japanese
people on a personal level by talking to them one-on-one and getting to
know them and what they enjoy in life. Overall, it is a very good
experience and I am glad that I have been able to be a part of it so far!
I think JVC is a very helpful exercise for us. We learn vocab and grammar
in the classroom, but we lack in practicing these words and phrases in
conversation. That is where JVC steps in and allows us to really practice and
use all that we have learned with a native speaker. We discuss interesting topics
with our partner, and we both get to learn different perspectives about each other.
そして、私たちは日本語をれんしゅうしながら、楽しみます！
私はJVCにさんかできて、とてもうれしいです。
“I really enjoy the JVC meeting sessions. I took AP Japanese in high
school, and the listening prompts were always make pretend chats with
Japanese students via prerecorded messages. Those were static and
pretty mechanical. But the JVC meetings are the real thing: it enriches my
learning of Japanese by letting me speak to real Japanese speakers.
Meeting people in Japanese is also an amazing experience because I get
to learn about people my age in Japan. It's my first time interacting with
Japanese students, so it is very helpful and fun.”
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Language level of students on both ends
Number of students on each side
Technical issues: how to troubleshoot, having
tech support on both sides, set up generic
accounts with easy login/passwords
Time zones, and time changes
Thank you!
Any questions?
judi.franz@uci.edu