電気通信大学 ASE & AE2Y I: More notes about summaries & outlines・要約、あらすじの付記

Hello!

How are you? Here are some more notes for all of you about summaries and outlines. 

About summaries

Think of a summary as a statement of purpose (SOP) about your presentation or writing topic. It should be a compacted version of every aspect of your topic. 

First, show some background to the topic:

例えば：There have been many great partnerships, as well as rivalries, in the history of science and technology. Perhaps no rivalry was greater than that between Thomas Edison and Nikola Tesla.

Next, show a connection between the background and what you will present or write about:

There have been many great partnerships, as well as rivalries, in the history of science and technology. Perhaps no rivalry was greater than that between Thomas Edison and Nikola Tesla. While both figures are crucial in the development of the practical application of electricity to everyday life…

Then, come in with what you will directly present or write about:

There have been many great partnerships, as well as rivalries, in the history of science and technology. Perhaps no rivalry was greater than that between Thomas Edison and Nikola Tesla. While both figures are crucial in the development of the practical application of electricity to everyday life, this presentation/report will show that Edison may have been the greater figure given the numerous applications of electricity he made possible through his inventions.

This summary runs to only 71 words in total, but it captures completely the background to the topic, and the presenter's or writer's purpose with the topic.

This is what you should try for in the final versions of your summary writing.

About outlines
As I mentioned in class, the language in an outline should be cut down to the minimum - no complete sentences and only keywords and key phrases. An outline really is a guideline of points for your presentation topic, so it should be as concise (簡明) as possible.

Look at this example of a completed outline, with a title. This is what you should try for in your outline writing. While this example is a little small, you can expand it on your screen:

I have labeled what each of the sections, main ideas/subheadings, supporting points, and details of supporting points mean, and how they are organized together in the outline. 

This is what the final versions of your outlines should look like - keywords and key phrases only! 

I hope these notes can help you with your summary and outline writing. Good luck!

Image: Copyright-free photograph from Apple Photo Gallery. 

電気通信大学 AE2Y I: Spring semester final presentation & writing assignment・前学期期末プレゼンテーション・作文

Hello!

How are you? Today I will show you our spring semester final presentation & writing assignment. 

While as before, I have given you the handout about the assignment, I am posting it here as well to help remind all of you about what you can do for the assignment.

Topic & task

Think about a problem or controversy (問題、議論) in an area of science or technology – for example, a problem in research, or technological application - and prepare a short presentation, with a written reaction, about it.

You can choose to make a one-sided reaction, or two-sided argument, for the problem or controversy. 

Here are some examples of some problems or controversies:

• False data in the research of Haruko Obokata and the trouble of her research institute 
• The use – and misuse – of private data by social media companies such as Facebook
• The ways in which social media has spread fake news and other false information
• The pros and cons of internet access by children and younger people
• Earthquake building construction in Japan and whether it is good enough

You do not have to limit yourself to one of these topics – but these are good examples of problems or controversies in science and technology.




This time, write a little more than before: A separate, short 2-3 paragraph reaction about the same topic - basically a written version of your presentation topic. You also have a choice this time of handwriting or typing up on Word about your reaction. 

Guidelines

Like before, you have a choice of making an A3-sized poster or short Power Point display. We will use the same guidelines as we did in the presentations we have done so far this semester.

Deadline (締め切り) 

We will do these on July 17th (7/17), so you have three (3) weeks to do these. 

Good luck! I look forward to seeing, and reading about, your arguments and reactions to your choices of topics.

Image courtesy of Shutterstock.

東京理科大学 A英3: Writing assignment 3 (The Small Book of Big People・The Stories of Science)・作文3

Hello!

How are you? Today I will show you our 3rd writing assignment (作文3) - comparing and contrasting (比較対照している) different important people, discoveries, or inventions in science and technology. 

As an example - look at the picture above. It is Pierre and Marie Curie, the famous husband-and-wife physicist and chemist. Both of them won Nobel Prizes, with Marie Curie winning two prizes - one in physics and another in chemistry. 

She is the only woman to ever win two Nobel prizes, and the only person to ever win in two different sciences. Is it possible that she might have achieved more than her husband? Or is it possible that her husband might still have been greater, because he made it possible for her to do research at a time when it was very difficult for women to work in the sciences? What do you think? 

While I have already given you the handout about the assignment, I will post it here as well as another way to help remind you about it, and what you can do for it.

Task


You have a choice between two (2) different topics. Choose one (1) of these:

1. Compare and contrast (比較対照して) two (2) different important people in science or technology to each other. Compare the two people you admire and respect, and who are important to you and how you think about science and are interested in it. But which person do you think might have had the overall greater impact? Think about this and make this the basis of your comparison and contrast.


I will gather your writing on this topic into The Small Book of Big People book I have talked about before in class.

2. Compare and contrast two (2) different important related scientific or technological discoveries or inventions in their impact to each other. Compare two important discoveries or inventions in science or technology within the same or similar field, especially those that may have gotten you interested in science and technology. Which discovery or invention do you think might have had the overall greater impact? Think about this and make this the basis of your comparison and contrast.


I will gather your writing on this topic into another book called The Stories of Science.

How much to write

I would like you to write as much as you can, because your work may be published

(出版した) on both this blog and in The Small Book of Big People and Stories of Science books. 

I would like to see maybe 3-4 paragraphs' worth of writing - the more, the better. You can write more than this if you can - and I encourage you to do so!

Deadline (締め切り)

It will be at the beginning of the class on July 9th (7/9), so I want you to bring in a first draft (下書き) on that day in your notebooks in pencil. I will then show some more guidelines in class with language and other points of comparison and contrast, changing things about the draft as you need to, then write to the finish and turn in your work on 7/9. 

Good luck with this! I hope you can have fun with this, and enjoy writing comparisons and contrasts about people, discoveries, or inventions in science and technology. 

See you next time!

Image: By Unknown - hp.ujf.cas.cz (uploader=--Kuebi 18:28, 10 April 2007 (UTC)), Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=20426111

特別ポスト: 東京理科大学 A英1 Totem pole short stories・トーテムポールの物語

Hello!

How are you? Today I have posted some selected stories that you all wrote on totem poles. I was impressed with what you did on these and am sharing these to show your great work! So let's start! 

Once, there was a dog who was brave and fought against any difficulty. He always looked forward and wasn't terrified of anything. 

One day, he was walking along the river. He saw a cat who was teased by a lion. He tackled the lion and saved the cat from the lion. This story is told all over, and the pole for it symbolizes the dog's courage. 

That was great! Now here's another one:

There was a raven which flew over a village. One of the villagers carried some food, and was called over by another villager to talk a little. But he soon noticed that his baggage was a little lighter. The raven had robbed it! 

The leaders of the village decided to watch out for the raven, but at any moment it could steal it, it didn't miss it. 

Here's another!

Once there was a bird who was a liar. He sometimes deceived everyone, so he was disliked. One day, when he was flying around in the sky, his wings got damaged and he fell into the forest. He cried for help as loudly as possible, but no-one believed his words. 

Here's one more:

Once there was a dog who was hungry. He didn't eat anything for a long time. 

One day, he walked especially heavily. Then, there was a big tree which had a lot of fruit. He wanted to eat it, but the tree was high, so he couldn't reach it. He tried to jump, but finally, he ran out of energy. 

The king of the trees, who watched the scene, felt sorry for the dog, so he thought of a good idea. The idea was for the dog to become a high tree which was situated next to the big tree with the fruit. 

So now, he became a totem pole which could reach for the fruit, and is enjoying a lot of fruit in heaven. 

I hope you could enjoy these and be proud of your work. Take care!

Images: Top & bottom - by Jerzy Strzelecki - (Top) Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0, http://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=3112589/(Bottom) - http://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=3112590   

東京理科大学 A英1: Ukiyoe・浮世絵

Hello!

How are you? Today let's look at ukiyoe (浮世絵)! The picture at the top is a classic one by  Kitagawa Utamaro, one of the most famous ukiyo-e artists, called Three Beauties of the Present Day (寛政三美人). 

Do you think ukiyoe still has any impact on Japanese culture today? Perhaps in manga or anime? It might not seem that way - but ukiyoe did have a big impact on Western art in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. 

Activity/preparation

Look at the pictures below. What do you think of them? Do you think that manga and anime were influenced (影響した) by ukiyoe? What do you think of the impact that it had on Western art that you see below? Take some notes about your impressions of these pictures.

Bamboo Yards, Old Kyoubashi Bridge (Utagawa Hiroshige) 

Nocturne: Blue and Gold – Old Battersea Bridge (James McNeill Whistler) 

Sudden Shower Over Shin-Ohashi Bridge and Atake (Utagawa Hiroshige) 

Bridge in the Rain (after Hiroshige) (Vincent van Gogh)

Have fun with these! (But before you go, here's one more picture to enjoy!)

Shiba Zoujouji (Kawase Hasui) 

See you next time! 

Images: Top - Three Beauties of the Present Day - By Utamaro - cgH3Mn22MIBngA at Google Cultural Institute maximum zoom level, Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=21880055/Bamboo Yards, Old Kyobashi Bridge - By Utagawa Hiroshige (歌川広重) - Online Collection of Brooklyn Museum, Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=3790943/By ジェームズ・マクニール・ホイッスラー - Livre Peinture de paysage, de Norbert Wolf, Taschen, 2008. ISBN 9783822854655, パブリック・ドメイン, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=8616218/Sudden Shower Over Shin-Ohashi Bridge and Atake - By Utagawa Hiroshige (歌川広重) - Online Collection of Brooklyn Museum, Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=226069/Bridge in the Rain (after Hiroshige) - By Vincent van Gogh - rwGc5ZWvzXZ0vA at Google Cultural Institute, zoom level maximum, Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=13523165/Bottom - Shiba Zojoji - By Kawase Hasui, scanned by W.Schmidt - Collection Walter Schmidt, Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=23985180

All images uploaded for educational purposes. All rights reserved on photographed images to the copyright holder(s). All rights on compositions ultimately reserved to the artists’ descendants.

電気通信大学 ASE & AE2Y I : Final presentation project & preparation board notes・期末プレゼンテーションの準備、付記

Hello!

How are you? This is a post for both my ASE and AE2Y I students on my board notes today in our classes.

Special note to my AE2Y I students - good job today on your presentations! I have not gone through your written reactions yet, but will do so over the next 1-2 weeks. But I'm confident that you have done good work on these as well.

So here are all my board notes for today. While I have labeled the notes by the class, all sets of notes can be useful for students in both classes:

ASE I

AE2Y I

I hope these notes can help all of you in both classes. Take care!

Images: Personal photographs. All rights reserved. 

電気通信大学 ASE I: Spring semester final presentation topics・前期末プレゼンテーション

Hello!

Our spring final presentation topic will be your choice! Like the second presentation topics, these will also be individual projects, but on a special time schedule on the presentation day.

Semester topic review

Here is a review of the topics of this semester:

• Comparison of important people in science & technology
• Comparison of key inventions/discoveries in science & technology

Deadline (締め切り)

We will do these on July 10th (7/10), so you have four (4) weeks to prepare these. That will seem like a long time, but we will go through topic selection and review, plus presentation practice that I will coach you on. 

This process is very important, because I would like to see you make the best presentations you can. I know that some of you, and maybe many of you, had never done presentations in English before this class. Because of this, I want to guide and coach you so that you can make the best presentations you can to this point - that is why we will take time to prepare and practice! 

Guidelines

You can choose one (1) of these topics, but with these guidelines:

1. Comparing the achievements of unique, interesting, or special people in science & technology 

You can select two (2) important people in science and/or technology that you admire and believe to be important. They can be Japanese, or foreign, or a mix, and they can be from any area of science - for example, physics, chemistry, or mathematics - or from applied science or technology, like engineering or IT. 

Like our two presentations we have done this semester, you must present a one-sided argument about their achievements, but show which person may have had the greater impact or the longer-lasting achievement(s). 

Special note: You must present on someone different than what you did before – do not present the same thing about the same person that you already did!

2. Comparing the impact of key inventions or discoveries in science & technology

You must present on something different than what you did before – do not present the same thing on the same topic that you did also!

In this topic, compare two different scientific discoveries – it could be in any area of science you are interested in (chemistry, physics, math, or an applied science like engineering or technology like IT).

Choose two different scientific discoveries you feel have been important. Maybe they have both been important – but which do you think might have had the bigger impact on society? It could be something that has had great impact only within Japan, or in other countries, or generally around the world.

Like our two presentations we have done this semester, you must present a one-sided argument about the topic, and what you would do.

Special note: You must present on something different than what you did before – do not present the same thing about the same invention or discovery that you already did!

Good luck! See you next time - and look forward to a great and relaxing summer for a job well done!

Image: Personal photograph. All rights reserved. 

東京理科大学 A英1: Ainu greetings ・アイヌの挨拶

Hello!

How are you? Here is a post about Ainu greetings (アイヌ語挨拶).  

Activity
Let's look at these greetings! What do you think they mean? 

Iramkarapte. (イランカラプテ)     He. (ヘー)

E-iwanke ya? (エイワンケ  ヤ？)

Ku-iwanke wa. (クイワンケ  ワ)

E-re hemanta ya? (エレ  ヘマンタ  ヤ？)

K-ani anakne ____ ku-ne. (カニ アナㇰネ ____ クネ)

Check your guesses - were any of them correct, or close? 

Video 
Now here is a short video about the Ainu language. It's a chant that in a way tells the story of the Ainu. Here is only one question about it:

How similar do you think the Ainu language is to Japanese, or other Asian languages you know or have heard? What's your feeling about it? (If you watch and listen to this video directly on YouTube, you can turn on Japanese subtitles (字幕). Try it!) 

Write down what you think. Bring it to class next week!

I hope you find this video interesting.

See you next time!

(Answers to Ainu greetings at top of post)

Image: Top - By Ponting, Herbert George, photographer - Library of CongressCatalog: https://lccn.loc.gov/2009633363Image download: https://cdn.loc.gov/service/pnp/cph/3a30000/3a31000/3a31100/3a31148r.jpgOriginal url: https://www.loc.gov/pictures/item/2009633363/, Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=67741998
Video uploaded from YouTube. All rights reserved to the copyright holder(s). I do not own the rights to the video or the content within. Uploaded for classroom purposes only. 

Ainu greetings answers content courtesy of Wikitravel.

東京理科大学 A英3: Comparison & contrast with music・音楽の比較対照

Hello!

How are you? As I mentioned in our class today for your quick homework, here is something short you can do outside of class.

Homework
You will see here four short music files. Listen to each one - listen to them more than once, even as many times as you want or need.

You do not have to write a lot about them! You also do not have to know anything about the artists, or the musical genres. My guess is that you will have never heard any of this music before, or never have heard of any of these artists.

All you have to do is to listen to each piece of music, and make a short note about which one you liked the best, and why. That's all!

Let's begin! Here's the first file:

Here's the 2nd file:

Here's the 3rd file:

Here's the last file: 

I hope you enjoy this activity as homework. Take care!

Image: By NorCal Bosie - Own work, Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=3433053

Video files uploaded from YouTube. I do not own the rights to the compositions or the files. All rights reserved to the copyright holders. Uploaded for classroom purposes only.