Outline of the JOINT Online Courses

Content-Based Instruction for Advanced Japanese was most recently offered in Spring 2015. Click here for more information about the course.

Evaluating and Integrating Technology for the Japanese Language Classroom was most recently offered in Winter 2015. Click here for more information about the course.

Reading Strategies and Classroom Instruction was most recently offered in Spring 2013. Click here for more information about the course.

Basic Concepts of Japanese Language Teaching was most recently offered in Spring 2012. Click here for more information about the course.

Designing a Business Japanese Curriculum was most recently offered in Fall 2011. Click here for more information about the course.

Maximizing the Effectiveness of Your Advanced High School Japanese Course was most recently conducted in Fall 2009. Click here for more information about the course.

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Description: Courses in the JOINT program typically take place over a 6-week period plus a technology orientation and extra time for project work. The courses are a mix of working on one’s own and interacting in pairs and with the class in real-time online video conferencing. Participants work on assigned readings and lectures independently and also engage in collaborative learning, working in pairs or groups that include both native and non-native-speaking teachers. Assignments and evaluations are individualized to accommodate the differing needs of the participants. Participants will have an opportunity to share the materials they create with the broader Japanese language education community after the end of the course.

Courses are taught by experts in Japanese language education and facilitated by experts in online instruction and Web 2.0 technologies.

Costs to participants are low, normally $95 per course. Two units of graduate credit from the University of Colorado are available to participants who wish to earn credit, at an additional cost to the participant of $60 per credit. Certificates of course completion are given to all participants by the American Association of Teachers of Japanese (AATJ).

Required Technical Background for Participants: Participants should be familiar with basic Internet features such as looking for information, reading online materials, downloading materials, sending and receiving emails, and online chatting. Experience with using Skype (voice and/or webcam) and a collaborative writing tool such as Google Docs or wiki would be a plus. A fast Internet connection (Ethernet or wireless) will be needed to work on various online activities. Modem connection is not recommended. Participants who do not have a webcam and microphone built into their computers will need to purchase one for course participation (the cost for this equipment is usually less than $25).

System Requirements: In order to be able to participate in group discussions using Adobe Connect Pro, your computer should meet the following requirements:

Windows:
1.4GHz Intel® Pentium® 4 or faster processor (or equivalent) for Microsoft® Windows® XP, Windows 7 or Windows 8; 2GHz Pentium 4 or faster processor (or equivalent) for Windows Vista®
Windows XP, Windows Vista, Windows 7, Windows 8
512MB of RAM (1GB recommended) for Windows XP, Windows 7 or Windows 8; 1GB of RAM (2GB recommended) for Windows Vista
Microsoft Internet Explorer 7, 8, 9, 10; Mozilla Firefox; Google Chrome
Adobe® Flash® Player 10.3

Mac OS:
1.83GHz Intel Core™ Duo or faster processor
512MB of RAM (1GB recommended)
Mac OS X, 10.5, 10.6, 10.7.4, 10.8
No Adobe Connect Add-in support for Mac OS X 10.5 (Leopard). Users on Leopard can attend meetings using a browser.
Mozilla Firefox; Apple Safari; Google Chrome
Adobe Flash Player 10.3

How to Sign Up for JOINT Courses: If you are interested in participating in one or more of the online courses that are offered, please complete the online application form that is posted when a course in a topic you are interested in is offered .