Activities on October 2nd (１０月２日のアクティビティー)

Today, complete exercises 1-4. (If you do not finish them in class, finish them at home). Those who have time, complete exercise 5 as well.

1. About the Blog Project (5 min.)

• We will start a blog project today. First, start by reading the post titled “Blog Project”, which illustrates the purpose of this project. Scroll all the way down and you will see the entry titled “blog project.”

2. The Development of the Blog (15 min.)

• On this page, if you scroll down you will see the post titled: “How to Open a Blog Account.” Read this and develop your blog.  If you have successfully opened your blog account, help out your nearby classmates.

• Once you have started your blog, send the blog’s URL address (e.g.,
  http://tanoshikunihongo2012.blogspot.com)to your instructor.(Matsui: kml2168@columbia.edu, Eguchi: se53@columbia.edu, Park: parkjisuk3@gmail.com, Tatsumi: nt2358@columbia.edu).

3. Write a Self-Introduction in Japanese (30 min.)

• In hiragana, write the first draft of your self-introduction. (Do not publish it online yet). For those who do not want to use their real names, it is also fine to use a pseudonym. For those who do not know how to type in Japanese, click on the “Japanese and Computer” link on the right-hand side of this page. If you still have questions or technical problems, we encourage you to help each other.

• After writing your self-introduction, form groups of 2-3 students to peer edit your self-introduction. (Is your hiragana written correctly?) *If the hiragana appears too small on the page and is difficult to read, press the “Apple/command” key and the “+” key together, (PC users press the “Control” key instead of the “Apple/command” key) and the characters will get larger.

• After everyone in the group has read and corrected each others’ self-introductions, click “publish post” which then allows your post to be published.

4. Post in English (or your native language) (10 min.)

• Write in English (or your native language) about why you chose to study Japanese, also include what you are excited, and what you find difficult after the first 4 weeks of the class.

*If you use an online translator, such as Google Translate, you can read your classmates' blogs in any language (See "べんりなリンク(USEFUL LINKS)" in the right column), so it doesn't have to be in English.