Five first year foreign language majors from Osaka University look back at the academic year and talk about their experiences and observations.

A look at a (possibly) misguided call to bring fear and threat back to the classroom. Discussed: Why tough teachers get good results, Joanne Lipman, Wall Street Journal. http://bit.ly/toughteacher

The conscious and unconscious role of cultural and personal values in English language education. Where do we draw the line? At a certain point, discussion of cultural values becomes a necessary component of foreign language education. How do we deal with it?

What is a coordinated program and what is it good for? How much coordination is enough and how much is too much? Clarity of purpose or chafing at the neck?

With everyone about to start sketching out their letters to Santa, we thought it might be interesting to share some of the tools and toys we use regularly, from wheels, to hardware, to software. Maybe you’ll get an idea for a teacher on your list.

Can you make a teacher? Excellence or effectiveness? Objectives? Wrestling with the conundrum of teacher training.

A more detailed look at various ways teachers and students can communicate, share, and exchange work online. Google Drive, Survey Monkey, Edublog, Wordpress, Moodle, and Edmodo.

Getting information online for students. Down to the basics of getting information online for your students, as well as some advice on arranging for digital submission of their work.

A look at the beginning of the second semester. How does the new start affect our students, our teaching, and our sanity? Maybe we'll get it right this time.

From Ditto to Download - Part 1. We've come a long way since the days of the wonderfully banana scented blue ditto handouts to digital downloads. Or have we? What's the reality of digital information sharing in 2013 Japanese university classrooms?