Hey all, how’s it going? I have some fun news to share: in the depths of this economic crisis, Shinobu and I bought our first stock! After the big crash last week we borrowed $5,000 from her mom and bought 35 shares of Apple, Inc (AAPL). I am now a part owner in that great company! We found a securities company here in Toyama (Nomura) through which we got the stock. It was very easy- set up an account, dump money into it, then give them a call. Once we get our security code mailed to us (any day now), we’ll be able to trade from home via the Internets.

Apple has been growing by leaps and bounds the past few years, as many of you know from my frequent propaganda mailings (which worked for some, but not for others- you know who you are!!!!). They are a leading tech company that makes great stuff, and they’ve been doing very well even though other tech companies haven’t. Earlier this year their stock was trading at over $200 per share. Recently, thanks to the multiple crashes, the price went down to under $100. Time to buy! Shinobu really snatched on this opportunity, and thanks to her mom, we were able to create some cash. Naturally we are very grateful to her and will repay with interest!

The only down side of this purchase was that the moment we bought it, the stock was at its highest point in the past few weeks (116). Apple came out with new notebook computers last Tuesday, and I thought that that announcement would send the stock up, but instead it went down! Complicated story… Anyway, we’re now checking our “portfolio” (he he) each day, and it’s kind of exciting. Lest you think I’m crazy to invest in such hard times, I’ll have you know that I basically have followed the advice of Warren Buffet:

“A simple rule dictates my buying: Be fearful when others are greedy, and be greedy when others are fearful.”

This is a fantastic article, and I highly recommend you read it if you’re interested in a hopeful take on our current economic disaster. 

Anyway, that’s about it. We’re now excitedly checking all the financial news with renewed interest. We’ll see how it goes. Like Buffet, I’m extremely confident that things will turn around, especially with O in the White House. It’s nice to know we’ll be able to benefit from that.

Oh, and don’t forget- for your next computer, buy Apple! The new MacBooks are amazing! Don’t believe me? Just check out this fascinating mini-documentary on how they made the new machines: 

On a hot hot HOT day in July (Saturday the 13th, to be exact), Luke and papa participated in the annual Yatsuo Triathlon. This was my 2nd time, having previously done it in 1999. Of course it was Luke’s first time. I did the “athletes” course, which consisted of a 750 meter swim in the pool (where Shinobu works), followed by a 16km bike ride on a hilly course, and finishing with a 5km run. Luke did the kid’s course: 100m swim, 2km bike, 1km run. 

Oh, did I mention it was a VERY HOT & HUMID DAY? 

The week before I practiced each day with Luke. His difficult point was riding a bike, especially with going up hills. Since there were a couple of inclines on the kid’s bike course, Shinobu and I were rather concerned. Using his old kiddy bike, there was no way he could ride up even a slight hill, so a few days before the race we ended up buying him a new bike! “It’s an early birthday present”, we told ourselves. This new bike had 5 speeds, so he was able to go up hills better, but would it be enough? We were worried…

Papa’s race started at 9 am. The swimming was very hectic. Since it was in a pool, each swimmer had to go down and back three times (150m), making sure to duck under the lane divider each length. The start was staggard, but since there was such a difference in ability, it wasn’t long before guys were passing and lapping each other. It was a nightmare ducking under the lane dividers, as there were often several swimmers pushing and shoving for position! I had to take care not to get kicked in the face. 

After the swim, I ran outside and down to the bike changing area. I had my spot, and proceeded to change into bike mode. I wasn’t rushing, knowing it would take all I had and more just to survive the entire distance on the HOT HOT HOT day. Luke and Shinobu were cheering me on. When they saw I wasn’t rushing, they started teasing me: “Hurry up, Papa! You’re too slow!!!” they shouted. It was funny. 

The bike course was a ride through the foothills of nearby Yamada village. The first part was this VERY LONG incline, and boy was it a killer. After that it got better, and the final bit was going down that long incline. That was fun! 

The running course was thankfully flat and simple- just three laps from bridge to bridge on the Ida river, next to the pool. Still, it was HOT HOT HOT, so this part of the race was very difficult. Thankfully they had water stops, so I made sure to douse myself in ice cold water frequently. While cooling me off, this also made my socks and shoes very squishy and heavy! I shuffled along, leaving a trail of watery footsteps behind. 

Finally I finished! I was very happy that I could make it. Immediately, however, I climbed up a hill to watch Luke come in on his bike. Shinobu and I cheered him on, as you can see in the video. We were really proud of him! He ended up with a gold medal for his trouble, a prize given to all the kids who finished. He’s only seven years old, and already he’s gaining a lot of great experience, not to mention health and fitness. 

In the end we all had a good time despite the heat. We’re looking forward to doing the race again next year.

Here’s the video. Please leave a comment and let us know what you think.

Here is some good news: My first ever research article has been formally published! I’m very psyched. The article is entitled “Web 2.0 in the ELT classroom: An introduction”, and it was published in the JALT2007 Conference Proceedings. It’s all about how teachers can make use of some very cool online resources and technologies for improving the way they teach and developing their professional skills.

This article is based on a presentation I gave a year ago at the annual JALT conference of language teachers in Tokyo. While the article only appears online, still- a publication is a publication, and it’s a good start for me. I am interested in this area of teaching and learning, so this piece was part of my overall effort to develop this interest into a marketable skill. I really want to be a university professor, so publishing is part of what I need to do more of in order to get that kind of job.

To download the full article, just click here.

In case you are not interested in reading the entire thing, here is the abstract: 

With the rapid development of the Internet, emerging technologies are reshaping the context of web-based information and creating numerous opportunities for enhanced classroom practice and professional development. Blogging, wikis, podcasting, and social networking are a few examples of so-called Web 2.0 technologies that language teachers are currently exploring. While early adopters have made impressive use of these new tools, many ELT instructors remain on the outside looking in—wanting to know more, but overwhelmed by the rapid pace of change. This article challenges the assumption that only those already in-the-know can keep up with educational technology. For educators new to the Web 2.0 evolution, clarity and direction is provided through defining Web 2.0 in layman’s terms and introducing key technological concepts such as folksonomy, RSS feeds, and syndication. In addition, a theoretical foundation for a technology enhanced pedagogy is outlined, one that places Web 2.0 within a social constructivist and connectivist context. Finally, an overview of relevant technologies applicable to ELT is provided, along with successful classroom usage models and links to online resources. 

 

Does this make sense to you? If not, ask me some questions by leaving a comment below.

I’ve been meaning to refresh the appearance of this site for the longest time, and now finally I’ve gotten around to it. I hope you like the new design, based on the “Just Lucid” theme created by Theme Lab. I really like the simplicity and elegance of it.

One new feature is a revamped Photos page. It displays photos and slideshows much better than before. Check it out! Just click on one of the thumbnail images to bring up a bunch of photos. Click on the first one and you can see a cool slideshow.

I’ve also made the video clips more accessible by adding links to recent ones in the right column. Clicking on one of these will allow you to see them over at Blip.tv, where they are being hosted. You can also subscribe to them via iTunes.

So, there you have it. If you notice more changes in the coming days, know that I’m still tweaking things here and there. Finally, please continue leaving comments! I love reading them. Let me know what you think of this new look, and if there are any other features you’d like me to incorporate. 

Papa

I am at work now, taking a break after teaching three straight classes. I’m surfing the news, and what do I see? Another earthquake has hit Japan!

Major Quake Hits Japan and Indonesia

(CNN) — A magnitude 6.9 earthquake rattled Japan on Thursday, within minutes of a magnitude 6.6 earthquake in Indonesia, the U.S. Geological Survey said.

There were no immediate reports of damage or injuries from either quake, but both prompted tsunami warnings, although Japan’s Meteorological Agency predicted it would be small, about 50 centimeter (20 inches).

The Japanese quake occurred at 9:21 a.m. (0021 GMT). The USGS initially classified its magnitude as a 7.2, but later reduced it.

The quake’s epicenter was offshore, about 80 miles (125 km) south-southwest of Kushiro on the northern Japanese island of Hokkaido, and about 21.7 miles (35 km) below the Earth’s surface.

Earthquakes between magnitude 6.0 and 6.9 are considered “strong” by the USGS.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration said neither quake posed a Pacific-wide tsunami threat. However, “earthquakes of this size sometimes generate local tsunamis that can be destructive along coasts located within a hundred kilometers of the earthquake epicenter,” the administration said.

 

Ha! That’s news to me. Didn’t feel a thing. So, no worries! Here’s a Google Map of about where the quake hit, off the southern coast of Hokkaido, which is obviously way way way far away from us:

Wow! It’s been over one month since my last blog post! Ouch! Same old story- busy busy busy. My excuse this time is a PhD proposal I’m trying to write over the summer break. Anyway, a lot has happened in the past weeks, so I’ll redouble my efforts at getting you all caught up.

First, lets go back to early May- Luke has just started elementary school, and one of the first big events in the school calendar was soon upon him: Sports Day. What is Sports Day? Well, imagine the Olympics, only held within one school. The student body divides into 3 or 4 teams, each of a different color. They paint this elaborate mural of a team mascot, usually of some ferocious animal. Then, everyone practices practices practices for weeks leading up to the big day. There are “real” sports like relay sprints, and more game-like events such as chicken fights, an obstacle course, and tossing bean bags into a basket. It’s all rather surreal to my eyes. I managed to capture a bit of this experience and have edited together in a rather cheeky way. I hope you like it!

I have some more video projects nearing completion, so I hope it won’t be another month before I can post them! I also want to get you all caught up with family news, so I’ll be posting about that soon.

Hey, instead of a video clip, I have something new this time: a “Voicethread” featuring photos and commentary from a typical morning at our home. Voicethreads (from Voicethread.com) are a new and cool way of sharing photos. Not only can you hear (or see, if I had used a video camera) me, but you can also leave text, audio, or even video comments (if you have a camera attached to your computer). So, have at it, folks! Click the big triangle play button below and check out how I spend my busy mornings. Click the Comment button to leave your own words or voice. Lets see if we can get a bit of a dialog going!

By the way, I’ve been using this service with my Video Production students lately. To see some of the Voicethreads they’ve produced, just click here. This was our class’ first go at making Voicethreads. On a fine day in May I gave them cameras and told them to go out and take at least 50 pictures. As a result, each thread is kind of the same, but at least you’ll be well acquainted with the neighborhood around our school! We are currently working on another Voicethread project- students have to introduce some aspect of traditional Japanese culture in English. This one will be good!

Finally, we’ve had some good family news of late, and I’ll be blogging about that shortly…

Summer is here in Toyama, and it’s time to go into reruns! I’m really busy these days, so I thought I’d post an old video of a trip we made to Tokyo Disneyland in March 2006, before Max was born and only a few months after Shinobu was released from the hospital following her heart operation. I hope to get back with some more current video clips soon, but until I can manage that, I hope you enjoy watching some of our old stuff. This trip was the result of a promise Shinobu and I made to each other as she recovered in the hospital after her heart attack in the summer of 2005. We thought then, “boy, won’t it be great if we can take Luke to Tokyo Disneyland?” It was a happy thought that helped get us through a tough time. So, when the trip finally came to pass, it was extra special. Just seeing the excitement on Luke’s face brings back great memories!

OH! One error to correct: Shinobu’s birthday is March 12th, not the 11th. Opps!

It’s 10am now, Sunday morning, and we’re watching on the news that a major earthquake has hit the Iwate region of Japan (clear on the other side of the country from us). We didn’t feel a thing and are perfectly fine. More later as I learn about it…

Update: 10:48am
I’ve just found an English news report about the earthquake. Here it is:

Strong earthquake hits Japan
1 hour ago

TOKYO (AFP) — A powerful earthquake measuring 7.0 on the Richter scale struck northern Japan Saturday, the meteorological agency said.

The earthquake hit in Iwate prefecture, some 500 kilometres (300 miles) north of Tokyo, and rattled buildings in the capital.

Television footage showed buildings also shaking in northern cities of Japan. Bullet trains were automatically shut down as a precaution.

The quake had a depth of 10 kilometres (six miles), the agency said.

There was no immediate word on potential damage or casualties, and the agency did not issue a tsunami warning.

A new earthquake warning system kicked in for the quake, with public broadcaster NHK flashing an alert moments before it struck.

Japan endures some 20 percent of the world’s powerful earthquakes. It has built an infrastructure intended to withstand tremors.

So that about tells the story so far. Here is a map of the Iwate area. You can see we are VERY FAR AWAY, so DON’T WORRY!

For our next family video clip, this time we focus on our house, especially with our recent landscaping efforts. This spring Shinobu’s dad (a champion bonsai grower), has been helping us plant new shrubbery. We’ve been working hard each weekend on various little things, and the place is really beginning to shape up!

During the beginning of May we were browsing around a local garden store and happened on a great deal- a huge (4m) Japanese Maple tree for only about $400. We took one look and just knew, “that tree belongs in our front yard!” We hurried up and bought it before we could change our minds, and a few days later, on May 9th, the tree was delivered to our home and planted. I didn’t have to work that morning and captured the entire event on video. I hope you enjoy this little clip. It’s kind of cool to watch the guy plant the tree.

If you’d like to see a higher quality QuickTime version of this clip, just click here. If you right click on this link and choose “Save As”, you can download the file and watch it on your computer. Finally, all of our videos can be seen on the newly updated Videos page.

Don’t forget to leave a comment! Thanks.

Hey! At long last, here is the video I promised that covers Luke’s entrance ceremony into elementary school. This took place on April 7th, 2008, and it was a big deal, as all these ceremonies are here. Parents came all dressed to the T, including many women who dolled themselves up with expensive haircuts and kimonos.

The ceremony was supposed to start at 9:30 am, but as you can guess, were were “late” again, like we were for Luke’s recent kindergarten graduation. Actually, we were half and hour “early”, but somehow managed to be the last ones to arrive! Oh well. 15 years in this country and you’d think I’d get the timing down one of these days…

I had my camera in hand, of course, and was able to take some good video. I hope you enjoy this little clip. I tried to keep all of the interesting parts (cultural things) and cut out the boring ones (overly long speeches).

Anyway, I’d appreciate a quick comment below if you can see it. I really like getting comments on our videos. It’s a fun way to stay in touch. For example, do you have any questions about Japanese customs after watching this? Or any observations on how they do things over here? I’d be very interested to know what you think. Finally, feel free to share this clip with anyone you think would be interested.

Bonus question: Can you find Luke in this picture?

Finally, as always, if you’d like to see a higher quality QuickTime version of this clip, just click here.

In Japan we’ve been dealing with super high gas prices for years, while those of you in the States (dad, mom, Vi, DT, et al), have been living a life of comparative ease- until now! Check out this article in today’s NY Times. Wow! I was shocked when I saw that photo- up to $5.69 for a gallon of gas in the USA???!!! What is that??? This is way way higher than just last year, when I visited you all. I remember feeling shocked when I saw $2.70/gallon; now it’s averaging over $4???? How are you dealing with this?

Here in Japan, gas prices just shot up again. I figured it out, and we’re up to about $5.89/gallon ($1.55/liter). We’re dealing by driving a lot less. I’ve been riding my bike to work almost every day. Thankfully it hasn’t been raining much… But what about you guys? How do you manage with such insane prices? Let me know by leaving a comment below.

Hey, check out Max’s new outfit? Cool, eh? She’s a supermodel in the making!

Wow, its been a long time since I posted anything in this blog! Perhaps you’ve been wondering what we’ve been up to this past month or so. Well, of course we’ve all been busy. Here’s a quick update on what happened with us during April 2008, from young to old:

Max
Max had a tough month health-wise, and by extension, so did we all. She seemed to always be in cold-mode, with a cough, runny nose, and sneezing that came and went like a rising and falling wave. At one point it got so bad that she had to be hospitalized for two nights! Turns out she caught a stomach virus thing that prevented her from being able to eat. She couldn’t even drink milk, so she was on an IV for a while. This helped her recover quickly, and we were so relieved when she came home. Of course Shinobu and I were exhausted (we took turns staying over night with her in her room). This led eventually to us catching colds as well! Bad Max!

Luke
Luke was the only one who didn’t really get sick. His big news was starting elementary school (school begins in the spring in Japan). I’m currently working on a video of that opening ceremony, so look for that soon. His (and our) schedule changed- he has to wake up at 6:30am and leave the house at 7:15am sharp. He walks the mile to school with other neighborhood kids (they don’t do school buses here). That means mama and papa have to wake up earlier, too. No more late-night TV. We all try to hit the sack around 10pm now. This has actually been a very good thing.

Oh, and some other cool Luke news: He participated in another swim meet, and won 1st prize in three events! Of course, he was the only kid in his age group to swim, but hey! A win is a win is a win. He got to stand on the podium, hear the music play, and receive a certificate. Basically, Shinobu is training him on a pace ahead of other kids. He’s doing stuff now (like the 100 meter individual medley) that boys usually don’t attempt for at least another year or two. We’re hoping he gets ahead of the game and can flourish in the coming years due to all the extra experience he’s gaining. I think he really loves these competitions because we always buy him a new Wii game afterwards! After that last meet, we went and got him the new Lego Star Wars game, and we’ve enjoyed playing it a lot together.

Shinobu
Besides dealing with Max and suffering through a cold, Shinobu’s life has really gone according to her basic routine. She is totally family centered, so she has stayed real busy getting Luke adjusted to elementary school. In addition, she has reorganized our private lesson schedules. We now have all of our young students come to our house. This saves us a drive to the community center, where we were renting a room a few nights each week. I REALLY like this new system. It has saved us time and energy, and we can offer our students a better service since we have computers, the Internet, and a lot of extra materials at our home. Shinobu has really taken to teaching English, and I wouldn’t be surprised if she does more of this in the future. She’s a natural teacher and does a great job. It’s really interesting to see her work- she teaches English like she taught aerobics, if that makes any sense! No, the kids are not doing jumping jacks and counting off! He he he… I mean she breaks things down into manageable, easy-to-understand bits, like she used to do when teaching a combination of dance moves. She really is awesome, and she knows it, too!

Papa
Me? Ha! I am so so so busy these days, as usual. April is a killer month, as I have to deal with getting a new school year underway. I set things up at work so that I don’t need to spend a lot of time and energy on lesson prep, but at the beginning, there is always extra stuff you need to do to get the big balls rolling. On top of that we had the Max situation at home, and a job opportunity suddenly appeared that really took over what little creative energy I had left. Yes, I have applied for a new job, for an associate professor position at Okayama University. They need an English teacher with e-learning experience, and since that is right up my street, I decided to go for it even though I don’t have a lot of publications. We shall see if it works out or not! By the end of the month everything came to a head, and that’s when I got really sick. I had a strep-throat kind of thing for a while, and I’m just now getting over it. Fortunately the weather has been great lately, and I have been riding my bike to work a lot. I’m feeling better, and hope to put more creative energy into this blog very soon.

Oh! One cool thing that happened in April was my participation in a Web 2.0 conference in the States via Skype. A professor at Penn State University gave a talk at an event about the changing nature of education in the 21st century, and during his presentation he chatted with me via Skype. I was able to talk about how I use Web 2.0 in my teaching. It was all very cool, and I ended up with a good experience. I really enjoy presenting and hope to do more of it this year.

So, that’s about it for now. I’ll be posting some video clips soon, so stay tuned for those. Take care, everyone!

After ALOT more work than I thought, I’ve finally finished editing and posting all of the New Zealand study trip videos. To make them easy to see, I’ve embedded a video player below. Scroll through all the clips on the right, then click on any one you want to see. I don’t actually appear in many of them, but you do often hear my voice from behind the camera. At the very least you’ll get an idea of what my “work” was like during our trip. Alternatively, you can see the whole lot over at our Blip.tv webpage.

I’m very glad this project is nearly behind me. All I have left to do is create and burn the DVD, which I’ll give as a present to all the participants. Its taken a lot of effort to get this done, but I have really improved my video editing and blogging skills. I will put this new knowledge to good use in the coming school year with my video class students, some of which went on the NZ trip with me.

Clips I haven’t posted on this blog yet include the following: Punting on the Avon (a very relaxing ride on the main river in Christchurch), Akaroa day trip (where we went swimming with dolphins), Farm visit (to an actual working sheep farm), Farewell lunch (chronicling our last day of classes), Studying at King’s Education (some scenes of what academics were like for our students), Inside Christchurch Cathedral (a look inside this gorgeous city landmark), Christchurch parks (a photo slideshow), and Wine tour (where Mr. Kawahata & I explore the wineries of Waipara Valley). This last one is very cool! I really learned a lot about wines on this excursion. Anyhoo, if you check out some of these video clips, please leave me a comment! Aciu labai!

That’s me on the right, posing in front of the Christchurch Cathedral on the 1st full day of our study trip. My colleague Kuniaki Kawahata is on the far left.

Hey! Long time no post. Life is finally getting back to normal for me, with the New Zealand trip gradually receding to the back of my conscious mind. I still have some more videos to edit and a DVD to produce, but that’s about it. The school year begins in a couple of weeks, and my mind is filled with the annual rites of spring.

One of those rites is graduation ceremonies. As you may know, the Japanese school year begins in April and ends the following March. We had our thing at TCFL last week, and this week, on Tuesday, Luke had his kindergarten graduation ceremony. That’s right, no typo- Luke, a six year old boy, graduated from kindergarten! They hold these ceremonies after every level of school, and boy, what a production it was! So, without further ado, check out this little nugget of Japanese culture:

UPDATE: Hey! I’ve just reposted this clip over at Blip.tv

so you can now see a much bigger and better version! No more YouTube for me! Yay!!!

For a higher quality viewing experience, click here to watch a QuickTime version of this clip.

UPDATE: (4/9/08) Oh! I’ve just discovered Adobe Photoshop Express, and I’m totally geeking out about this new web-based photo application. Here is a test album. Can you see the photos of Luke’s graduation?

Luke graduates from kindergarten

UPDATE: (4/5/08) I‘ve just refreshed all of the video clips in this post with bigger and clearer versions. Check out all my my hard work from the past two weeks!

I finally got back home from New Zealand on Monday, March 10th. It was a very smooth journey, and I can’t speak highly enough about Singapore Airlines. The planes were modern and comfortable, and the built-in video on demand system made the time fly by. We left Christchurch at noon on Sunday, then flew nearly 10 hours to Singapore. I measured time in movies and TV shows… “Okay, only two movies left…” This really helped! I would get up and walk around between shows, and I really enjoyed catching up on some films I hadn’t seen. While at Changi Airport I managed to get in a workout and a shower at a gym there. What a huge place that airport is! It’s a massive shopping mall. At 1 am we boarded our flight to Osaka. This was the hardest part of the trip because for us it was really 5 am! We had pulled an all-nighter, so once we got on the plane, everyone fell instantly to sleep. From Osaka to Toyama was a six hour bus ride, so by the time we got back at 3pm, it was the culmination of a 36 hour journey! Smooth and long… I took the next day off (yesterday) and got some rest.

Overall the trip was a great success. We had only a couple of minor problems, and they were dealt with quickly before they became bigger trouble. A couple of students didn’t get on quite well with their homestays, but that is par for the course. After a tough first week, my health improved a lot, and I started to really enjoy my time. I think I made the best of it, but I also spent too much money eating out. I couldn’t resist, as there were so many great restaurants to choose from.

During the mornings I worked on getting an article ready for (hopeful) publication in a language journal here in Japan, in addition editing videos of our afternoon activities. I still have a few more of those to go, but for now I’ll just post four of them. I don’t really appear much in them, but if you are interested in what I was up to, give them a look. They are not long and have been edited with short attention spans in mind:

Activity 2: Christchurch gondola
This was a very nice thing to do early on in our trip, as it gave everyone on our group a great overview of the entire area. Christchurch is on a plain that is right next to the Banks Peninsula, an area of land formed six million years ago by volcanic eruptions. After a short ride up a 500 meter hill, you can see the entire area. Very nice!

Activity 3: The Maori experience
One thing we learned on this trip was that New Zealand is a very young country, as countries go. It was settled in 1850 by folks from England. Of course they weren’t the first people on that land, the Maori were. At the Willowbank Wildlife Centre, on the outskirts of Christchurch, we could experience a bit of Maori culture by taking part in an interactive tour through a old-style village inhabited by Maori actors. They really brought the experience to life! We learned a lot, for sure.

Activity 4: Antarctic Centre
Did you know that Christchurch is considered the “gateway to Antarctica?” It’s true. Next to the airport they have this massive complex of offices where countries that have bases down there (USA, NZ, Italy, Japan, etc) work to prepare expeditions. Planes loaded with supplies and scientists take off from there all the time. To involve the public, they created this fascinating visitor’s center that is an excellent example of “edu-tainment.” It’s part academic lecture and part theme-park thrill ride. And there are penguins- lot’s of penguins! Very interesting, and lots of fun!

Activity 5: Horseback riding
This was a simple and relaxing activity- getting out into the countryside nearby Christchurch on the back of a horse. Personally I found the experience a bit boring, as I have ridden a horse before and wanted a bit more freedom to move where I wanted. However, almost all of our students had NEVER ridden before, so I was glad for the highly controlled (and safe) way the trek was handled.

Okay, so that’s it for now. I’m currently working on some more video clips, and I’ll get those posted when I’m done.

Hey all! I’m about half-way through my New Zealand trip, and I think it’s about time for an update on my adventures here. Overall, so far so good. The summer weather here has been quite spectacular, with almost no rain and temps in the low to mid 20s (C). That’s mid 70s for all you non-metric folk. The city is about the same size as Toyama City, with about 370,000 people. There is a HUGE park in the center of town- I heard it’s the third largest central-city park in the world. I’ve throughly enjoyed running and walking around there. I’m staying in a nice one-bedroom apartment very near to the school where our students are studying at. Besides a few design flaws, I’m very happy with it. Best thing of all is the washer and drier! I can clean all my clothes in a jiffy, which is quite a change from my life in Toyama, where we hang-dry everything, and it sometimes takes days before I can wear certain items.

My daily routine is to wake up at 7:20am, take a shower, and have breakfast while checking out the morning news and weather (it’s so nice to be able to understand what’s on the TV!). I meet my colleague Mr. Kawahata (who’s staying in an apartment above me) at 8:20, then we walk together through a small park to King’s Education. It’s only a five minute stroll, so I really appreciate the location of our hotel apartments. Once there, we sit in the entrance lobby and greet our students as they come in. All of them are staying with host families around town and bus to school. Once we’re sure everyone has arrived, we hang out in the teacher’s lounge for the rest of the morning. This is my free Internet access time, so I keep busy with email, catching up on the news, and getting some research done (I’ve been working on an article for publication). Free wireless Internet is very rare here; Fortunately the local public library has it, so after lunch with Mr. Kawahata (we alway eat out at one of the many many excellent restaurants nearby), I head off to continue whatever project I’m on. At six Mr. Kawahata and I go jogging along the Avon River near our hotel. After that, it’s dinner time, so we either go out or stay in, depending on our mood.

That’s basically it, but you know, each day is unique, so there is always something new to see and do. A few things I’ve been able to do have been to visit the local museums, go running in the super gorgeous botanical garden park, attend choral services at the Christchurch Cathedral (which is Anglican), and go to a Catholic Cathedral for Sunday mass. Last weekend, in fact, I went to my first ever (?) mass held in Latin. That was very interesting, but I realized I like the “new” style better! [Mom or dad- did you ever take me to a Latin mass when I was a child?] I’ve realized that my thing to give up for lent is not to “give up” anything at all, but to attend church more! That feels more positive to me, and I’ve greatly enjoyed this opportunity to attend services with amazing location, music, and ENGLISH!

During the week days I’ve also accompanied our students on pre-planned field trips. The first of these was a city tour around Christchurch. I whipped up the following video clip, which I posted on a new website I created for our trip. Check it out- you won’t see me until the very very end, but you can get an idea of what the city is like and an idea of what I’m doing down here. I’m currently working on more videos, so I’ll post those when their done.

So, that’s it for now. I’ll be here until March 9th.

UPDATE: (4/5/08) I’ve reposted the video clip below to a bigger and clearer version. Check it out!

I’m typing this from King’s Education, a small language school in Christchurch, New Zealand. I’m here with as one of two chaperones for the annual TCFL study trip, an event our school conducts each year. The first day of classes has just begun, and our 17 students are off to take an assessment test that will place them in the proper levels for classes they’ll be taking for the next three weeks.

So far so good. We had a smooth trip down here, although it was very long. First we took a bus from Toyama to Osaka, then stayed at a very nice hotel near Kansai International Airport. The following morning we flew on Singapore Airlines to Singapore, a 7 hour flight. After a three hour layover, it was another 10 hours before we finally arrived at Christchurch. Everyone was so sleepy! The flights were not bad, however. The service was good, and the food was excellent, if you can believe it. They even gave us Hagendaz ice cream for dessert! There was a small video screen above each tray table, so I could watch any number of movies or tv shows. This helped make the time pass quickly.

Most of our students are traveling abroad for the first time, so they look very excited and a bit nervous. They are all staying with host families, so I suppose they are worried whether they can communicate or not with them. Each morning will have classes, and the afternoons are free for various activities. Today, for example, we’ll be taking a bus tour of downtown Christchurch. We also have trips planned to local museaums and attractions. I’ll write a bit about these in future blog posts.

I miss my family already, and I look forward to going home again, but until then I’ll make the best of this experience. More later, including some photos and perhaps a video clip or two if I can manage it. For now, let’s see if I can embed a Google Map here… Oh, great! It works. Just click on a blue pin to get more info on where I’m staying and working in Christchurch:

View Larger Map

Wow, we sure had a busy weekend! Luke went snowboarding with mama on Saturday, with papa on Sunday, and then had his first official big swim race yesterday (February 11th is a national holiday here). I took some video on Sunday, and wow! Luke was AMAZING! You have to see him go, especially when compared with three weeks ago, when he started snowboarding for the first time on a ski slope. The kid is a star, and is a natural at sports! With his mama’s tireless and excellent instruction, he has picked up the basics of snowboarding WAY FASTER than I did! And he’s only SIX YEARS OLD! Check this video out- the story of Luke learning to snowboard. It’s a dream come true to be zooming down a mountain with my son!!! I can’t express how amazing it feels. I’m really excited for the future. We’re going to have a lot of fun. I hope you enjoy watching our amazing little boy zoom as much as this doting parent has!

Again, to see this video in higher quality, click on this link to a QuickTime version of it.

Well, here’s another skiing & snowboarding video for you! A few days after our first time out, the weather became simply fantastic, so we had to go out to Cow Mountain (Ushidake) again. Shinobu’s father was able to come with us this time, and Luke was really good. I also had a chance to cruise in some powder snow, which was quite nice up at the top of the mountain. There was not enough snow at the bottom, however, so I wasn’t able to take out my new swallow-tail powder board (next time!). Anyway, here you go- more Toyama winter family fun!

Here is a higher quality QuickTime version of this video that I hope you will watch.

Hey all, long time no post. I’m back with another video podcast episode, this one focusing on our first time skiing this season. Our little adventure took place during the annual new year holidays, which lasts for three full days. New Years is the biggest holiday of the year around these parts, the time of year when everyone gets together to watch TV, go shopping, and if the weather is good, head out to the mountains for some skiing.

This clip sees our family head out to a sports shop to get Luke some new skis, as he has already outgrown the stuff we got for him two years ago. After that we headed home and tried out his new gear with our Wii Fit, this amazing balance board gizmo that allows for some amazing balance-related gaming. Finally, on January 3rd, we managed to head out to Ushidake, a small family ski area only 25 minutes drive from our house. It was Shinobu’s first time out in two years, since last year she couldn’t go due to her pregnancy. It was a cloudy day, and the snow wasn’t great, but we had a blast. Luke took a while to get the hang of it, but soon he was zooming down the mountain. How cool is it to fly down a mountain with your children? Totally way awesome cool.

As usual, I to see a high quality QuickTime version of this clip, click here.

Winter break is winding down, and since both Luke and Max have colds, we’re just basically hanging out at home these days. This gives me a chance to catch up on some video editing. Here’s a short one, of Max taking a bath. Here in Japan, people usually take baths in the evenings, before going to bed. We have a nice system down pat: Shinobu gives Max a bath (in a cute little plastic tub), then when she’s finished, pushes a special buzzer button on a control panel that sends a loud beep-beep-beep signal sounding. I come running with towel in hand, take Max, and then dry her off and get her dressed into her pajamas. Luke then usually takes his turn (in a larger tub). Anyway, Max is cute, so check her out!

As always, if you’d like to see a higher quality QuickTime version of this video clip, please click here.

Here is our annual new year’s greeting card. Sending these out to everyone you know is a tradition here, as this article describes. The small photos on the card tell the story of our year, starting with Max’s birth in March. Hope you all have a great 2008!

Hey family and friends,

It’s Christmas day. From our family to yours, we wish you a very merry holiday season and a happy and healthy 2008. Christmas is a good time to look back with gratitude for all the blessings in our lives during the past year. Here are a few such moments from this year. As you watch this clip, I hope it helps you think about all the good things in your life. What do you have to be thankful for? I’d love it if you left a comment below and let me know.

If you’d like a higher quality QuickTime version of this video, please click here.

Hey, a quick note to say that I finally finished putting an audio version of my Web 2.0 presentation up on Slideshare.net, a big “YouTube-style” social networking site focused on presentations. People can upload their PowerPoint or Keynote presentations and watch those of others. It’s really an interesting place to hang out- I’ve really learned a lot. Each day they feature a few presentations they believe stand out. Guess who is being featured today?

It’s doing wonders for my page view statistics. So far nearly 800 people have watched it! I’ve gotten some very kind comments, such as these:

Thank you for this very valuable presentation!

thanks, this is a VERY well crafted slidecast…

Wow, I can tell this must have taken hours and hours of time to put together. It is very well organized and helps to present the concepts and ideas related to Web 2.0 in a way that’s easy for anyone to understand.

I wonder if a tool like Camtasia Studio would make the process of creating a slidecast easier for you? I purchased it a few months back and have used it to create a few technical screencasts. I’ve found the learning curve to be small. Of course, I haven’t experimented with adding wonderful background sounds as you did.

A big thanks for your efforts making this slidecast. Again, very well done.

This is an amazing presentation. I just discovered you in a slideshare group-I am thrilled that I did! Great work. I am excited to learn more!

Wow. This is turning into a very fine experience!

Here is the slidecast, in case you haven’t seen it yet:

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Hey! It’s me again. Hard to believe a week and two days have already gone by since the JALT conference, which you can read all about here at this little website I set up to preserve that experience. Here’s a bit on how it was like:

It was such an intense experience! From throwing up the day before, to having to redo many slides due to lack of Internet access (only to finally figure out how to connect a few hours before, thus having to frantically redo slides again at the last moment), to there being WAY more people attending than I had expected (and thus not having enough handouts), to the presence of experts whom I had featured in various slides… wow, it was all too much.

You’d think I’d be back into my normal routine again, right? Well, things are busier than ever! These conferences, I’ve realized, are all about generating new career opportunities. You mingle, go out for beers, chat during presentations, “do lunch”, and all of that creates these little openings and possibilities. It’s like an intensive weekend of gardening- you’re planting seeds all over the place. But after you do so, you have to water and cultivate those plants if you want anything good to come from them. That’s where I’m at now- working hard on following up various things. For example, I have the opportunity to get three publications out of the two presentations I did- but the catch is that the deadline for two of them is December 15th!!!! I’m also in the process of creating a video version of my Web 2.0 presentation, one that I’ll be posting shortly (I’m almost done).

All in all it’s a very busy, but very exciting time.

It’s midnight, and I’m off to Tokyo in 7 hours!!! I’m so busy and nervous now, but I can’t sleep. I’ve just finished packing and will be off to be soon. If I get a chance, I’ll be posing some photos from the event. My first ever presentation is on Saturday evening, 6pm Tokyo time (that’s 5 am EST). My slides aren’t even done, but I’m not too worried about that. I’ll have time tomorrow to finish it up.

Before I go to bed, we had some good news today: it snowed for the 1st time this season! This is the earliest I can ever remember is snowing here. We NEVER get a dump in November. Way cool! I hope this year makes up for last year, snow-wise.

Hey, I know I said that I didn’t have time to do any more new videos due to my need to study, but what do you know- I managed to find a spare 20 minutes to put this one together for you. Max has been eating “hard” food for the past 6 weeks or so, but most of that is processed heavily for babies. We’re trying to introduce “real” food bit by bit, as this clip shows. Here we feed Max a banana, but we’ve also been giving her ground up apples or other fruit. Anyway, no big deal; I just want to show you all Max’s progress. She’s doing real well overall, apart from some chronic sniffles and runny nose that seem to come and go daily.

As always, I would love for you to see a higher quality version of this clip. To do so, just click here.

In keeping with my new “short and often” approach to blogging, here’s a cute photo of Max wearing a new jumper given to her by Granda Mase (Shinobu’s dad). Yeah, it’s a bit too small, but it still looks good on her!