My opinion of this week(502):
Challenge to Cyber University
According to a newspaper on November 27, the advisory council for admission
of new universities has decided to approve to set up a cyber university
which conducts all instructions by using internet without any conventional
face to face teaching at class. Such cyber school is the first one of that
kind which is approved by the Ministry of Education and Science in Japan.
Many of such cyber colleges already exist in other countries such as US
regardless the fact whether they are officially approved by a country or not.
Some of such cyber schools also already exist in Japan, too, although they
have not been approved so far by the Ministry of Education and Science. The
Ministry approved to set up the school under several reservations. Nevertheless,
the approval itself means a lot at the moment.
It is expected that such cyber universities will increase in number from
now on in accordance with further development of web environment.
I don't know what kind of reservations were presented by the Ministry, but
one of the critical point is that how the cyber school can proceed teaching
at class without using conventional face to face teaching at class room.
Teaching methods differ each others on class subjects and/or on degree,
namely on undergraduate or graduate class.
But when it comes to face to face teaching, it is just a nominal one at any
rate. Teaching is made in a big class room which accommodates an hundred
students at a time. Teachers usually make lectures in one way without much
question and answer session in any classes. There are only two tests at most
at the middle and the end of the term in order to evaluate the understanding
of students. This especially true with most of Japanese college. It is not
a face to face teaching at all in any sense as far as most Japanese colleges
are concerned.
Contrary to such traditional teaching, there are correspondence learning used
at some colleges. They are officially approved by the Ministry and have been
an established method of teaching at present.
Cyber schools are kind of such corresponding schools as a matter of fact. But
the teaching method and process of cyber school is much more advanced than
those of corresponding school by all means.
Teachers can provide all sort of teaching materials including text books
through internet to participating students. Registered students can send his
reports and thesis by using all kind of efficient methods such as e-mails,
BBS, BLOG, home page and so on. Teachers can even let students participate
in debating sessions among all students and monitor what's going on to
evaluate each students.
Communications between students and teaching staffs are expected to be
much more intense compared with any traditional teaching in the past.
However, the important point here is that the effectiveness of such cyber
teaching will heavily depend on computer literacy of both students and
teaching staffs at cyber colleges. Such information literacy is requested
more with teaching staffs rather than students as a matter of facts.
Students are requested to keep PC of his own and to be good at using them
of course. This is an minimum condition as far as the capacity of students
are concerned.
But teaching staffs are requested to have much higher and wider information
literacy to teach all students so that they can learn efficiently and
effectively at such cyber classes. All sort of hardware and software to
conducts teaching will surely be provided by the college. No worry about
it. But the whole system will work efficiently on when the information
literacy of teaching staffs is good enough at cyber colleges. Their good
capacities concerned with teaching subjects are not enough for the success
of class. Their PC and information literacy is rather primary concern as far
as this kind of cyber schools are concerned.
The cyber university approved at this time is a good start for cyber
teaching in a new web age. I strongly recommend young people to challenge
to attend to such school now.
2006/12/2
Tadashi HAYASE
My opinion of this week(503):
Governor Game of dominoes
Three governors has been arrested one after another recently due to
collusive bidding in Fukushima, Wakayama and Miyazaki Prefectures.
Asahi Newspaper described this as Governor Game of dominoes.
Although the case is different, Shintarou Ishihara, Governor of Tokyo
caused another game as such. He was criticized for staying at very
expensive hotels several times when he went abroad in recent months.
In addition to it, Tokyo Metropolitan office paid travel expenses
to the governor's 4th son who was in charge of some art work for
Metropolitan office project abroad.
When the issue came up at press conference, Governor Ishihara denied
criticism by himself saying there was no illegality involved at all
as far as those matters are concerned. "All are done in accordance
with the rules of Metropolitan office", he said in the press
interview.
It is not only the matter whether it is legal or not legal. The issue
is whether it fits to common sense of general citizens of Tokyo. How
can they understand the Governor stayed at such an expensive hotels
although it is necessary to do so to conduct official works of
Metropolitan Office? I personally have some great doubt about it as
one of a citizen of Tokyo.
As to use of his 4th son for some art works, the Governor said in the
press conference. "What's wrong with it? He is a famous artist by
himself." No press men questioned him to his comment.
If I were there, I might have asked him. "So what, Governor Ishihara?
Is that the whole reason why he had been appointed to the work?
He expressed to participate in coming third term Governorship election
next day. I just wonder how can he stand against the wave of game of
dominoes which happened one after another recently.
2006/12/9
Tadashi HAYASE
My opinion of this week(504)
Early fate of Abe administration
Following the approval at the House of Rerepresentative, Revised Fundamental
Education Law has passed at the House of Council on Dec.15 and it has become
the official law now. All opposition fronts resisted the pass of the law at
the House of Councils by submitting no-confidence motion against Abe
Cabinet at the House of Representative but the non-confidence resolution was
rejected by overwhelming majority of coalition of Liberal Democratic Party
and Komeitou Party.
When it comes to the contents of the law, it seems that there are no big
difference concerning basic philosophy and principles between ruling
Liberal Democratic Party and opposition Democratic Party of Japan. Both
basically admits the necessity to teach children love and dignity to
their country and to their home province. I also have no objection about it
personally,
But there were a number of problems as to the process to reach the goal
as far as this law is concerned. Several serious issues such as neglect
of core curriculum at high schools, bullying suicide case at school and
fake town meetings for discussing the Education Law itself have been
disclosed all over Japan. The demand from opposition front to the
Government authorities to show countermeasures on each issues
are quite necessary and reasonable. All issues are closely related with
the basic education philosophy and principles of this country. They are
to be clarified first before discussing the revision of Fundamental
Education Law.
Needless to say, a series of fake town meetings is the most serious
concern for the process to pass the law at diet. It basically infringes
the principles of the democracy.
Prime Minister Abe himself is then General Secretary of Koizumi Cabinet
who took leadership to hold such town meetings all over Japan. He
announced to cut off his three months salaries to punish himself for such
mistakes. The same punishment was applied to several other ministers
concerned.
I was quite surprised to hear the announcement. Is that all? Is that all
for such dirty fake process of administration? I can't beliet it.
I do now believe and hope very seriously Abe administration will be
over in short period of time some time next year.
2006/12/16
Tadashi HAYASE
My opinion of this week(505):
Advantage and disadvantage to live in net society
I receive so many number of junk mails everyday. I have never counted the
numbers exactly but the number easily exceeds three hundreds everyday.
Personally I think it natural phenomenon for my mail address is disclosed
at various web sites including home page, BBS, Blogs, Mailing List and so on.
So I am obliged to accept it. I sometimes get angry, of course, with the
fact that how many stupid people exist in net world who keep sending such
evil mails without getting tired at all. But all I have to do is to start
deleting such junk mails when I open mail box every days. It's now a kind
of easy routine work in my life.
I set so many mail addresses which are not to be received from mail
server one by one whenever I receive such junk mails at first. But I stop
it now for I cannot catch up to avoid so many number of junk mails I
receive everyday. All I have to do now is to delete so many junk mails
everyday.
The deleting work itself is rather easy. It doesn't take much time to select
so many junk mails at first glance. After selecting such mails by the use
of control keys, I can delete them all at once. It takes only five
minutes or so and I probably do such deleting process twice a day whenever
I open my mail box.
Many of my mail friends has changed their mail address in order to avoid to
receive such junk mails. But I don't do it because it is obvious that I will
receive so many junk mails again soon or later although I change my mail
address. I sometimes ask myself why I have to do it? The answer is that I
don't want to lose with this silly but easy game.
There are many people who get shocked and worry too much about such junk
mails although they are only a few in numbers. I understand it of course.
But I usually advise to say that they should not worry too much about it.
They can make some actions not to receive such mails and have to keep doing
such actions any way. But some of them get very nervous with it. Some people
even stop mailing itself in some extreme case. I think that it doesn't
make sense.
Regardless such disadvantages of net work society, we enjoy getting so
much advantages on the other side of coins living in this net world.
Some people forget about such advantages and worry only about disadvantages.
We are getting so much advantages by participating in net works in our
daily life and we have to accept some disadvantages as a necessary cost
to get such big advantages.
Those people who keep sending such junk mail must be punished by some
laws or rules. But the best immediate solution is to just neglect them
without getting nervous about it.
2006/12/23
Tadashi HAYASE
My opinion of this week(506):
Ranking of IT keywords in 2006
Kurumin san, one of my Yahoo SNS friend, introduced the ranking of IT
keywords in 2006 by Tokyo IT Newspaper at her diary several days ago. It
is very interesting which follows Sumo Ranking system. I quote them as
follows:
IT Keywords Ranking
East West
Yokoduna (Grand Champion) You Tube Google
Oozeki (Champion) Mixi Web2.0
Sekiowake(Junior Champion) Google Earth Windows Vista
Komusubi (Sub Junior Champion) MNP One-segment Broadcasting
There are more words coming under the above major ranking but I avoid to
show those details for that is not main purpose here. My purpose to pick up
this topic is to check how much I personally involved with those keywords
in my net life this year.
One of the predominant feature of keywords of this year is that there are
only a few words which are related with net services provided by Yahoo.
High ranked keywords such as You Tube and Google Earth are from Google,
of course.
Mixi became very popular word which represents the word of net community.
Their stock was listed in the first section of Tokyo Stock Exchange Market
in September this year. They are well known not only among member of
SNS of this firm but also among general public because of very high
stock price in the first day of stock exchange. The word Mixi and SNS
may be No.1 topic in IT industry in this year.
Most of those keywords have been introduced in various ways in our PC
club and I personally tried to explain about them to member people in
one way or the other throughout this year.
I did not notice the fact that Yahoo started a new SNS service called
Yahoo Days in July until Mikan san, my net friend, sent me an invitation
mail in early September. I immediately started Yahoo Days SNS by
inviting many of my PC club members and several net friends and Yahoo
Days became major everyday work since then.
In connection with diary for Yahoo Days, I started Yahoo Blog in the
middle of September. I already opened it November 2005 but I did not
do anything about it. But I got some new friends in Yahoo Days and in
Yahoo Blog and enjoyed them very much since September of this year.
Our PC club has utilized Infoseek ML (Mailing List) in the past four
years in order to exchange various information about club activities.
But in addition to this e-mail communication, I have started another
Web mailing list system in Yahoo Group in December to support and
complement the present mailing system. This will become another
important tool for better communication for our PC club members.
I personally enjoyed my net life in this year very much. I look
forward to expanding many other activities in coming new years.
Yahoo will continue to provide the major platform for my net life
and Google will provide some more very exciting new stages as they
did in this year.
2006/12/30
Tadashi HAYASE
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