Title: Project-Based Writing Activities Using Students' Computer Skills
Presenter: Mariko Miyao, Tokyo Kasei Gakuin Tsukuba Women's University

Abstract:
In this electronic poster session, the presenter will show some student-centered, project-based writing activities using computers offered to junior college students majoring in computer science.
Two examples to be shown are:
(1) student-created Web pages introducing their favorites or campus lives, and
(2) picture books or quizzes using authoring software which are later converted into Web pages for a larger audience.
The main purpose of project-based writing activities is to give students an opportunity to think on their own and become interactive in the process of creating their own works. Most students are well-motivated as they are much more active in the computer room than in regular classes, and they enjoy using resources available through the Internet such as electronic dictionaries or search engines to obtain necessary information for them. Therefore, such writing activities are quite effective in improving students' skills in English as well as computers, and encouraging interaction between the teacher and students.
The presenter will also explain her experience of creating a homemade Web site to introduce her department's English courses and student works. This project has been made possible because of a research grant allowing her to hire students to work as Web page designers.

Note: This electronic poster session is a follow-up presentation of this writer's demonstration at JALTCALL2000 (Title: Student-Centered Writing Projects Using Groupware and WWW).

Reasons for the computer-aided writing activities:

1. The teacher can utilize students' computer skills. (The students in this presentation are all majoring in computer science and know how to create homepages, can use digital cameras and other equipment, etc.)
2. The teacher can concentrate more on the content for these students, especially the second-year students.
3. The teacher can learn computer techniques together with her students.
4. The teacher can motivate students to become more active and independent in learning by offering project-based, student-centered writing activities using computers.

Benefits of writing projects with computers

1. To allow students to learn by doing.
2. To accommodate the varied learning styles and paces of learning
3. To help students find a real audience
4. To make students proficient in basic technical skills

Projects for students:
A. Web page creation
Course: English Word Processing Course (Spring semester, elective course for second-year students, usually about 20-25 students).
Students introduce their favorites, such as their favorite singers, books to read, places to visit, campus life, stores, etc. (Using 4 to 5 class hours and also their own time to revise and complete the project.)
Example Website URL: http://www.kasei.ac.jp/~student/report01/eibun01/index.html

A. 1. Preparatory activities

1. Typing in English. (Students are good at Japanese word processing and need only a small help to become comfortable in typing in English.)
2. Learning basic business letter writing in English
3. Browsing English Web sites, exchanging e-mail messages in English, etc.

A. 2. Procedure

1. Choose topics or subjects relevant to the course and appealing to students' interest.
2. Explain the project and requirements for a good/successful Web page. (overall design, content, purpose, audience, etc.)
3. Teach basic HTML commands if necessary. (It has become necessary only occasionally.)
4. Let students create their own Web pages. Ask students what topic they have chosen. (Students could change their topic halfway and need guidance or suggestions from the teacher.)
5. Upon completion of their individual pages, ask students to read and evaluate some other students' Web pages. (This way, they receive peer evaluation to improve their own Web pages.)

B. Writing original children's stories using authoring software/groupware (Study Note).
Course: Graduation project course
Students: A small group of second year students (10 to 15 students)

B. 1. Procedure

1. Show samples of stories written in the software. (Usually, student works of previous year and/or by other groups found in the database of the groupware network.
2. Have students familiarize themselves with the software. (Experiment how to write and draw, or how to use functions such as sound buttons, jump buttons, etc.)
3. Have students work on their own stories. Encourage them to write stories or games by adding illustrations, sound, photos, etc. (Video clippings could be used.)

1. Reading assignments: Assign students to read a couple of elementary books without using any dictionaries. (I use Penguine or Longman's graded reader books in the library. Level 1 and 2.) Have students read ST (Student Times), a weekly newspaper. (Students enjoy these exercise because they don't need to consult with a dictionary.
   
2. Have students participate in the student e-mail discussion lists.
   
3. Assign students to prepare and gather information regarding story-writing.

1. As with home-page creation, set the goals and deadlines for each class hour.
2. Students usually come up with very unique stories to write. Some students may need some more guidance from the teacher until they can get going on their own.

C. My experience:
C. 1. Creating a homemade Website to introduce English courses and students' activities/works
Usually, universities have official websites. Our university have been working to renew our official Website by using an outside Web designing company. In the process, our old Website linking to various pages within the university was erased. Instead of waiting for the new official Website to function, I have decided to make a Website to introduce our department's English courses, its instructors, and student works, during this spring break. This plan has become a reality thanks to a special research grant from the university which afforded me to hire three second-year students as Web designers during the spring recess just before their graduation.
URL: http://www.kasei.ac.jp/cs/English/index.html

C. 2. Creating a better computer environment to suit English language learning by utilizing the existing computer system at the university
The existing computer software and platform are not particularly suitable for the projects I have been pursuing to achieve for English language teaching and learning. However, thanks to the research grant received last year (and hopefully for two more years), I can now afford to adopt some ways of utilizing multimedia to teach English to the junior college computer science major students.
The first result of the grant money is the creation of the Website for the English courses. The next step is to find how to incorporate various tools such as video cameras, digital camera, IC recorders in teaching and learning English using computers, such as writing projects introduced in this poster session.