Tokoro: Learning Japanese with Ease

Assignment #1 - Background of Tokoro, a modern Japanese language instruction website

This page was created on 18 April, 2007.

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Introduction
Tokoro, which means "Location" in Japanese, is a website that will teach the visitor about the Japanese language and culture in detail, in an entertaining yet comprehensive manner. It will consist of online lessons that will start from elementary grammar and vocabulary, teaching how to both read and write Japanese characters. The "teaching" language of the website will be in American English and although it will be understandable to any English speaking audience, the website will utilizie only American English vocabulary.

Target Audience
The target audience consists of anyone who is interested in studying Japanese language and culture. Tokoro is especially helpful for people who are self-motivated and interested in the subject matter enough to regularly access the website and follow along with the lesson plan. People who simply have no time to attend Japanese classes at a high school or university may use this website to study Japanese on their own, independently from a teacher or classroom and at the leisure of their own available time during their busy schedules. This website is expected to comprehensively address Japanese language and culture in a way that is accessible to anyone who is interested in learning about the language and culture of Japan. Tokoro is especially geared towards people who want to learn a language in a fun and engaging way, using visual and audio media to supplement language lessons. Since it will use Japanese cartoons and pop culture as learning tools, this website will appeal more towards a younger audience of teenagers and young adults who are interested in Japanese entertainment and pop culture. Nevertheless, the material is accessible to anyone who is interested in Japanese entertainment regardless of age. No specific gender is targeted.

Expectations
My readers will expect a comprehensive language-learning tool that covers not only elementary but more intermediate topics. The information will be presented in an entertaining and innovative manner, incorporating Japanese cartoons (manga) and other pop culture references into the lessons. The website will also provide interesting information about Japanese food, celebrities, fashion, and animation. I hope this website will be used as a learning tool and also as a reference for those studying the Japanese language independently. Therefore, users are expected to return regularly to this website in order to complete lessons in chronological order. This website will also provide useful hyperlinks to related resources such as reliable Japanese-English dictionaries. Changes in external websites and resources will grealty influence updates to this website. As more outside resources are created, links to these resources will be constantly updated to reflect these increases.

The Virtual Classroom
By 2010, language skills and knowledge about cultural differences will be even more valuable than they are now due to increasing globalization. As greater emphasis is placed upon efficiency and convenience, the Internet serves as a powerful and valuable tool for learning a language without having to commit to the inflexible demands of a regular class schedule. As a result, I predict that an increasing number of websites teaching language and culture will develop in the future. Therefore, there will be a great number of sources to complement my project and these language-teaching websites will be highly valued for their efficiency and convenience. In addition, these language websites will become increasingly comprehensive, offering full, interactive language lessons online using multimedia and online tutors who send personalized comments and answer questions. This is in contrast to merely providing basic grammar tutorials or only focusing on the reading and writing aspect of the language without providing speaking practice and personalized feedback on pronunciation. In order to accomplish this Internet interfacing opportunity with a Japanese language instructor, Tokoro will need to staff the site with Japanese proficient tutors who are willing to provide feedback on assignments submitted electronically by students.

These changes are catalyzed by the increasing prevalence of multimedia integration into the Internet. Language-learning websites will become more like virtual classrooms, providing comprehensive and interactive education within the convenience of the user's home. The learning material will change continually in order to address new Japanese or American English slang or other similar updates in cultural references for both cultures. Additionally, the presentation of this material may change drastically over time as the creative possibilities of Internet technologies develop and as educational methods for improved teaching of languages develop. Tokoro will strive to use current educational methods to improve upon its teaching style.

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