Welcome to UVA Japanese program!
This is a semester long project for First Year Japanese. In this project, I would like to have a shared space where all of you can freely express your thoughts/opinions/comments/feelings towards your study of Japanese. Wouldn’t it be nice and encouraging if you can share your happiness, excitement, frustration, questions, or information with others?
I am also interested in communicating with you more often. I would like to know more about your learning styles, process of your learning, your feelings about study, or your interests. So don’t limit yourself; you can also talk about personal interests, interesting information, and more. Write whatever you want to express or want to share with others. There is no rule/restriction of what to write, what vocabulary/materials to use, or length of your postings. It is all up to you.
The purpose of this project is to express yourself and to communicate with others using Japanese/English. Don’t worry about making mistakes when you write in Japanese. The only requirement is to post your entry once a week in Japanese and to visit other students’ pages (also students of other universities!) and leave your comments as often as you can. You are also encouraged to post more entries in any language.
Design your blog site as you like!
Please open your blog and post your first blog entry by 9/14 (Fri).
1) Go to http://www.blogger.com
Select "Settings" from the top tabs. Click "Formatting" and select "Japanese" for "Language" so that you can type Japanese.
In order to receive comments from as many people as possible, please select "Comments" and choose "Anyone" for "Who can comment" section.
Go ahead and post the first entry now!
Post a link to the class blog site http://uvajapanese102.blogspot.com/ on your page.
2) Send your blog address to me (ts2fn@virginia.edu).
If you have trouble opening a new account, please let me know.
3) Post your blog entry once a week.
Here are some topic ideas about your blog entries if you cannot find a topic to talk about. These are just sample ideas and you can talk about whatever you want.
The reason why I am studying Japanese
My secret study tips
What I like/dislike about Japanese class
What I want to do in class/with Japanese…
I am confused! Help!
I was happy about… /frustrated at…/excited about…
I am super busy with…
My family/Japanese friends/classmates/roommate…
My favorite websites/TV shows/movies/music/anime/games…
My favorite food/restaurants/bars/town…
UVA/Charlottesville
My daily schedule
My hobbies
My section of Japanese 101
My new year’s resolution
4) Visit other students’ pages and leave comments.
Again, the purpose of this blog project is to enhance real, natural communication using Japanese and to encourage and support each other with not only your classmates but also students in the other sections. Visit other students’ pages, read their entries, and leave comments! It is always nice and encouraging if someone is reading and commenting on what you have written, and also good for yourself to gain something from other students!
Go to class blog site http://uvajapanese102.blogspot.com/, click on コメント (comment) at the bottom of this entry, and try leaving a comment. Check the class website often throughout the semester; it will be constantly updated.
You can also invite your friends (related/non-related to Japanese) to the class blog website and ask them to leave their comments as well. Make sure to reply to a comment when you get one.
*** For security purposes, please keep it in mind not to reveal too much personal/sensitive information or identification of your own and others. You don’t have to use your real name either as long as you stick to the created name all the time, including when you post comments to others’ postings.
