Hi, Tech
I’m not a JET. Even though I may help out my wife–who is a JET–with the occasional eikaiwa, I’ve never been in a Japanese school as a teacher. I’ve never come up with a lesson plan about the progressive tense, never made a worksheet on gerunds, never recited vocabulary words for a classroom full of students. These are perhaps not the best qualifications for someone getting ready to offer advice to JETs.
I am, however, a big fan of technology. I’m a web designer and work on a computer most of the day, so I know a little something about technology, too. Even though I’ve never signed a JET contract, I can Google “JET contract” in two seconds flat.
As I’ve watched my wife and my other JET friends work as assistant language teachers for the past two years, I’ve realized a “computer guy” like myself (read: nerd) might have something to offer the JET community. I’ve often been able to give advice when these ALTs talk about scouring through dozens of websites to find good teaching resources, struggling with making a worksheet with pencil and paper or fretting about what kind of computer to get. No reason, then, for me not to offer this same advice–tips on how technology can help you do your job–here on SagaJET.
There are a lot of reasons you might not want to take my advice, though. Like I said, I’m a web designer, not a JET. My perception of how technology can make JET life easier is just that: my perception. Much of what I think will be helpful advice might be either something you already know or something you don’t care to know. Also, since there is a big variation in how tech saavy JETs are, a lot of what I write could be pretty elementary for those of you running your favorite Linux distro (things should be just about right for those of you who don’t know what a “Linux distro” is, though). So, take my advice with whatever sized grain of salt you think appropriate. If I can help even a few JETs, then mission accomplished. If not, I still get to write about technology, which is like letting that creepy math teacher at your school tell you all there is to know about snack bars.
Keeping those caveats in mind, let’s go ahead and get started. Welcome to the first installment of “Hi, Tech.”
First installment, you say?
That’s right, my ambitions are so grand (and my free time so sadly, sadly unfilled) that I’m going to declare this a weekly series before I’m even done with the first episode. Kind of like George Lucas and Star Wars, only without lightsabers.
Also unlike Mr. Lucas, I don’t have the whole plot for this series mapped out yet. I know I’m going to post a new article every Wednesday. I also know that, while I have a few good ideas for future articles, I’m eager to hear what you want to learn about in future installments and what you think about the current ones. To that end, comments will always be open on all of these articles so you can leave your thoughts in electronic form (you have to be registered to post comments, but that’s a one-minute process, or it’s already done if you’re registered on the SagaJET message board). Or, if you’re the e-mailing type, you can reach me at webmaster@sagajet.com.
Where to from here?
You’re going to need two tools to get the most out of upcoming installments. First, you’ll need a computer, any computer. It doesn’t even have to be your computer, although next week I’ll be covering what to look for in buying yourself a computer if you do want it to be your computer. Second, you’ll need a web browser and access to the internet (helpful for reading this website, I hear). Also, it wouldn’t hurt to have a willingness to give feedback or contribute to a discussion on the topics covered, since multiple viewpoints will almost certainly be better than just mine. That’s it. Odds are you already have these things, so you should be all set.
I thought there was going to be advice?
Remember back in the first paragraph I said I was going to offer advice to JETs? And remember how I haven’t actually offered any advice yet? I should fix that before the end of the first installment. So, here it is, quicky advice to hold you over until next week. If you haven’t already, check out SagaJET’s links page, which has a huge list of websites you may find useful (including some really nice sites about teaching English).
Once you check that out, leave a comment or send an email if you want to see a specific topic covered in the future.