東京理科大学 情報工学科技術英語: Final presentations・期末発表

Hello!

How are you? Here is our final presentation assignment. 

Once again, I am very sorry to post this later than what I had planned! While we still have a lot of time left in our course this semester, I had intended to post this on the day of the class this week. Please accept my apologies once again on posting this late!

Topic & task

Select an area or issue of AI (artificial intelligence), IT, the internet or the World Wide Web – for example: 

• a technical area of AI or IT – for example, how AI or IT can play a role in different areas of society and culture, such as medical care, or education, or even the arts – or –

• a general issue about the pros and cons of regulating the internet by governments or public or private organizations – or –

• a specific issue on the internet/WWW – for example, how to regulate fake news and spread of misinformation, or whether or not governments should intervene wherever there is any publicly harmful content on the internet

Along with this, develop a short, 5-6 minute presentation about your topic, including methodologies and results, and also your opinions and suggestions, on implications and directions of what your topic subject is about.  

As one example – on the issue of regulation of the internet: If you believe that the internet does not need to be regulated by local or national governments, state your opinion about it – but do not stop there. Exactly why, in your view, does it not need to be regulated? What research and studies, or journalistic investigations, can you find about the dangers of outside organizations regulating the internet?

Or by contrast – is regulation by bodies such as government organizations, or even through governmental law-making itself, necessary to keep the internet and WWW a safe area? What actions of internet regulation on such public levels have been taken in some countries?




Guidelines

You have a choice of making a Power Point or other digital display, as we have done before, with a summary that shows some background to the area or issue with any research or investigative reports about the area or issue, plus a statement on what you will focus on in your presentation. In addition, you will also develop an outline for your topic showing main and supporting ideas, and points of details of the topic.

Deadline (締め切り) 

We will turn in the summaries and outlines, and do the presentations, on January 22nd (1/22), so you have more than one month to do these. 

During our planning and preparation time, I will allow you to bring in your devices (laptops and/or tablets) and work in class, with my guidance and some supporting paper material and blogposts, to develop your summaries, outlines, and spoken presentation delivery. 

Good luck! I look forward to seeing your choices of topics, and helping you to develop them. 

Image: By Kevin Jarrett - https://www.flickr.com/photos/kjarrett/8295289152/, CC BY 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=24031884

東京理科大学 A英3: Writing assignment 6・作文6

Hello!

How are you? In this post, I will introduce our 6th writing assignment (作文6) for the year - writing our opinions on news and issues topics (時事問題) of your choices.

Topic

You have a lot of freedom with topic choices for this writing assignment. Choose any news item, or an issue in society – in Japan or another country – that you have an opinion about. 

But if you have trouble thinking of a topic, here are some choices for you. Look at these and choose one (1):

• The aging population (老齢人口) of Japan and what older people need for their support
• Social media and its problems (for example, fake news, or selling of people’s personal data by Facebook or other social media sites)
• Issues and/or things that need improvement for your university student life
• Possible problems and/or issues connected with the 2020 Tokyo Summer Olympics
• Voting rights (投票権) for 18-year-olds in Japanese elections (選挙)

For an extra challenge, here are two topics that are even deeper, and also even more timely and important. One of these we have already looked into today - about hikikomori. But I will give extra points to students who try for writing about these topics – and I will have supporting blogposts for these topics:

• Hikikomori and their needs for social adjustment (社会適応) in Japanese society
• Refugee issues (難民の問題) and what refugees need for immigration (移住) to Japan

I am gathering writing on these topics into a book called Voices & Ideas - this is a book about student opinion writing on news topics and social issues. The best of your writing on this topic could go into this book, so write to the best you can! 

How much to write

I would like you to write as much as you can, around 3-5 paragraphs' worth of writing - but of course if you can write more, go for it!

Deadline (締め切り)

It will be December 17th (12/17), so I want you to work on your first draft (下書き) in class from now in your notebooks in pencil. Bring your drafts to the next class. 

I will try to talk to as many of you as I can to review your drafts, and you can change things about the draft as you need to, then write to the finish, print the final version out, and turn in your work. 

Good luck with this! I look forward to reading your great writing on these issues!

Image: By Skagens Kunstmuseer - Lisette Vind Ebbesen med en kopi af dagens avis, CC BY-SA 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=56159623

東京理科大学 情報工学科技術英語: Issues of the internet - Facebook-Cambridge Analytica scandal・インターネットの問題「フェスブック・ケンブリッジアナリティカスキャンダル」

Hello!

How are you? Today here is another video about an issue that is still timely, and indeed is ongoing - the Facebook-Cambridge Analytica scandal that began in 2014. This will go with what we have been reading about issues of the internet - this time about data mining.  

While data mining itself is not against the law, the Facebook-Cambridge Analytica scandal is an example of data mining gone into questionable and possibly illegal areas. 

Activity/homework

Watch the video below. Watch it as many time as you need. (If you have any trouble watching it directly here, go to the link here, or look for "Facebook's Cambridge Analytica data scandal, explained" on YouTube at https://youtu.be/VDR8qGmyEQg)

I hope this will add more understanding about this issue to your reading. 

See you next time!

Image: By David Whelan - https://www.flickr.com/photos/davidpwhelan/26614834084/, CC0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=58020376

Video uploaded from YouTube. I do not own the rights to the content. All rights reserves to the copyright holder(s). uploaded for classroom purposes only. 

電気通信大学 AE2Y II: Topic 4 writing assignment component

Hello!

How are you? Here is our 4th writing assignment component.

I call this a component, which means like a section or part, because after this writing we will go onto a presentation component on the same topic in January. (I will say more about that later!)

Topic & task

Take your 3rd assignment abstract topic and now develop it into a fuller paper. You do not have to select a different topic – instead, expand and develop the same topic more fully.

Guidelines

I would like you to type up your paper, with some guidelines that I will show you.

Deadline (締め切り) 

It will be on December 17th (12/17), so you have three (3) weeks to do these. 

Special note:
For this assignment, I will allow you to do some of the work in class, so bringing a laptop or tablet to class will be important. I may also think about having us work in a computer room for a change of environment. 

Good luck! I look forward to reading about, and seeing, the fuller versions of your written abstract topics as papers. 

See you next time!

Image: Courtesy of PANPOTE/FreeDigitalPhotos.net.

電気通信大学 ASE II: Presentation topic 4・プレゼンテーション 4

Hello!

How are you? Today I will introduce our 4th presentation topic - on Japan and the future. 

Topic

Here you can present about scientific, technological, social, or cultural trends and issues that you see could happen in Japan in the future.

This is a little different kind of topic as this will be more of an imagined sense of what you feel or see for Japan in the future – though any data you can find and show will strengthen your content, and you should work to make a basis in fact.

You must work towards a two-sided argument about what you see or believe for Japan in the future – things such as technological or scientific breakthroughs, but also some social and economic difficulties and dangers that you believe Japan should take care for, and work to avoid.

Deadline (締め切り)

We will do these on December 18th (12/18), so you have two (2) weeks to prepare these. Aim to make a presentation of around 5-6 minutes, including a Q&A from others you will present to.

Guidelines

1. Prepare a summary (要約) about what you want to present on. The summary will be due on December 11th (12/11).

2. Finalize your presentation outside of class and be ready to present on 12/18!

Good luck! See you next class!

Image: By ころぞう - Self-photographed, Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=2149120

東京理科大学 A英3: Hikikomori・引きこもり

Hello!

How are you? Here is a post to go with our theme of issues. Here is an issue that is big in society, and has been big for some time - hikikomori. What are your views about hikikomori and what they might need to re-enter society? 

Activity/homework
Click on this link. It's a short Japanese news documentary about hikikomori and the efforts of a special school, called One Step, that intervenes (取りなして) in family situations where there are hikikomori, and tries to help them take the first steps to integrate (溶け込む) back into society. 

Watch the video from the link as many times as you need to. When you are finished, answer these questions in your notebook about the different parts of the video: 

1. Where is the man living, and how long has been living in his room?

2. How does his parents feel about his situation?

3. How much money have they lost because of his situation?
4. How did he react when the One Step School people tried to interview him? 

5. What were some of the things that the man had written in the letters? 

6. What was his job? 

7. What did Hirooka-san from the One Step School say about hikikomori?

8. According to the newspaper story in the video, about how many hikikomori are there? 

Task 

Now look at your notes and write 1-2 paragraphs about what you think of what 
hikikomori need. What are your ideas about how they can re-enter society? 

If you believe that hikikomori are not society's problem and that they should not be given 
any help, give your reasons why.

I know this is also a deeper topic than what some of you have done before - so I will give 
some extra time to you for trying with this topic.

Good luck! Take care!

Image: By S. Schmidt (Benutzer: lonestar84, eigenes Foto) - Self-photographed, CC BY-SA 2.0 de, 
https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=8530805

東京理科大学 A英1: Interesting sports・面白いスポーツ

Hello!

How are you? Today, let's look at some interesting sports in some different countries. 

Activity/homework 
Watch these videos, and answer these questions in your notebooks. 

First - here's a video of a popular sport in Ireland called hurling. What do you think of it? It's a very fast sport - so watch it more than once! What other sport is hurling like? 

Now answer this question: What skills do you think you need for hurling? 

Next - here's a sport some of you may have heard of from Thailand - muay thai. What do you think of it? It's also fast - so watch the video more than once! What other sports is muay thai like? 

Now answer this question: What skills do you think you need for muay thai?

Finally - this is a sport I watched as a child in Australia - Australian rules football. What do you think of it? It's another fast sport - so watch it more than once! What other sports is Australian football like? 

Now answer this question: What skills do you think you need for Australian football? 

Have fun! See you next time!

Image: By Flickerd - Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=63288605
Videos uploaded from YouTube. I do not own the rights to the videos. Uploaded for educational purposes only. All rights reserved to the copyright holder(s).