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Home: UEC Technical English Resources

UEC Technical English
Resources

Important dates:

- Fri. May 22, 2020 - 1st Zoom classes
- Fri. June 19, 2020 - Oral Reports Day 1 (1st half of class)
- Fri. June 26, 2020 - Oral Reports Day 2 (2nd half of class)
- Fri. July 10, 2020 - PWT-R test (Congrats for all your hard work!)
- Wed. 7/22 On-Demand Make-up (補講) class  (see WebClass for more details)
- Fri. July 24, 2020 - Technical presentations Day 1
- Fri. July 31, 2020 - Technical presentations Day 2
- Fri. Aug. 7, 2020 - Technical presentations Day 3

- Fri. Aug. 14, 2020 - Last class (final wrap-up and review)
- Mon. Aug. 17, 2020 -
new icon Students will receive end-of-semester surveys directly sent from a company named 教育ソフトウェア. Surveys should be completed by the beginning of September, on a date to be determined later.
「学生による授業評価 -- アンケートのオンライン実施」


Technical Presentation Assignment:

1) Research, prepare, & present a 3-4 minute
(<2.5 min. will be considered unacceptable) technical presentation on a science topic of your choosing (the same topic as your oral report is ok!), using PowerPoint, Keynote, etc. Please prepare from 6 to 10 slides, follow the IBC (Introduction, Body, & Conclusion) format, and please remember to begin & end your presentation properly, including asking for questions! For planning purposes, it's a good idea to prepare an outline (概要).

It's OK to use notes, but please don't read them word for word, or your classmates (and teacher) will be VERY bored! laughing icon If you read your script and do not have eye contact with your camera at least 50% of your presentation, you will be stopped. So it's a good idea to memorize most of your presentation.

Technical presentation schedule  new icon

2) Please remember that to ensure readability, text color must contrast highly with its background. It's usually best to use dark-colored text on a light-colored background. But if you use a dark-colored background, be sure to use light-colored text (just remember: "dark on light", or "light on dark"):


text & background color
Image credit: kmeverson.org

Please also try to use at least 30 pt. font size on your text.

3) On days when students are not presenting, they'll be expected to listen to the other presentations attentively, ask questions as necessary, and fill out the A4-size technical presentation evaluation form (MS Word version will be posted at WebClass). Please submit to WebClass by midnight on the 2 class days when you are NOT presenting.

4) Presenters need to submit to WebClass their presentation PDF by midnight the day of your presentaion. If using PowerPoint, to make a PDF, click on “File,” then “Export,” then “Create a PDF.” (no .pptx files, please)


Sample technical presentation pdf <--(Please remember to show the logo or name of UEC on your title slide, and include an outline slide with at least 3 points in your "body," as shown in this pdf!)

PowerPoint 2016 for Windows のトレーニング

Good luck, relax, and do your best (頑張ってください)!! As Tony the Tiger would say, "Have a grrrrrrrreat technical presentation!" smiley face


Frosted Flakes & Tony the Tiger Kellogg's Japanese Corn Frosty
Q: Tony, what do you think of Kellogg's Frosted Flakes?
A: They're GR-R-R-R-REAT!!!
(click link above to hear Tony's voice)

Dictionaries:

The Free Dictionary (where you can check both American & UK pronunciation):
http://www.thefreedictionary.com/

Merriam-Webster Dictionary:
http://www.merriam-webster.com/

Jim Breen's WWWJDIC Japanese Dictionary Server (E<-->J):
http://nihongo.monash.edu/cgi-bin/wwwjdic?1C (日本語で)

Space ALC Dictionary (E<-->J):
http://www.alc.co.jp/ (日本語で)

Translation Tools:

Google Translate 翻訳:
http://translate.google.co.jp/ (日本語で)

Weblio 英語翻訳
http://translate.weblio.jp/ (日本語で)


Rikai Translation Tool:
http://www.rikai.com/perl/HomePage.pl?Language=Ja (日本語で)

Creating/giving a presentation:

Graphic of the IBC (Introduction, Body, & Conclusion) format 

Beginning & Ending Your Presentation

Sample presentation outline

Gary's Relaxation Technique

Guy Kawasaki's 10/20/30 PowerPoint (PP) Presentation Rule:
YouTube video explanation: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=liQLdRk0Ziw
Text version: https://guykawasaki.com/the_102030_rule/

Presentation tips from Garr Reynolds 

Funny videos on how & how NOT to give a presentation: smiley

Presentation Bad/Good Examples
Tips on Giving Oral Presentations
How Not To Give A Presentation (You probably won't be able to understand the beginning or end of this video, so to save time, cue over to the 0:30 min. mark.)

Sample presentation by Japanese university students:

Original page @ YouTube: http://youtu.be/_TfOUZJDsWc 

Sample presentation by Garr Reynolds:

Full-size video @ YouTube: https://youtu.be/9g8T8MsFIp0

Online reference sources for scientific research:

VOA Learning English (Science & Technology)
TED Talks (Science)
TED Talks (Technology)
Popular Science (Science)
Popular Science (Technology)
How it Works (Science)
How it Works (Technology)
Wired Science
National Geographic (Science)
Popular Mechanics (Science)
Popular Mechanics (Technology)
Newsweek (Tech & Science)
New York Times (Science)
New York Times (Technology)

Google Scholar is a useful tool for broadly searching for scholarly literature & technical articles in your field of research interest, including from academic publishers, professional societies, online repositories, universities, and other websites. To get the most out of Google Scholar, here are some helpful search tips.

Class notes/miscellaneous resources:

Skimming and Scanning reading skills 

Discussion skills

Questioning techniques

Prefixes, roots, & suffixes

Summary (要約) writing:

How to write a summary

Homework assignment (to be submitted by Thurs. 7/16): 
1) Write 75-word summary for this academic article:
Useful iPad Tools for the EFL Teacher

(more details at WebClass)

Quizlet study exercises & games for the PWT-R test:

I class:
25-Word Study Set #1, I class, Units 0, 3, 4, 7, 8, 10-12, & 14

25-Word Study Set #2, I class, Units 15-17, 33, 34, 37, & 38

50-Word Study Set #3, I class, Units 0, 3, 4, 7, 8, 10-12, & 14, 15-17, 33, 34, 37, & 38

Easy ICT PWT-R Quizizz Challenge new icon
(no need to sign up for a new account!)
E classes:
25-Word Study Set #1, E classes, Units 1-3

25-Word Study Set #2, E classes, Units 4-7

50-Word Study Set #3, E classes, Units 1-7

Easy ENG PWT-R Quizizz Challenge new icon
(no need to sign up for a new account!)

PWT-R (Program-Wide Test on Reading):

100-word PWT-R study list for I class
100-word PWT-R study list for E classes

WebClass Login Page (to access QuickWrite exercises)

Oral Report Assignment:

Research, prepare, & present a 2-minute oral report on any science topic of your choosing.

Please follow the IBC (Introduction, Body, & Conclusion) format in organizing your oral report, and remember to begin & end your presentation, including asking for questions.

It's OK to use notes, but please don't read them word for word, or your classmates (and teacher) will be VERY bored! smiley If you read your script and do not have eye contact with your camera at least 50% of your presentation, you will be stopped. So it's a good idea to memorize most of your oral report.

Please remember, this is an "oral" report ("oral" means speaking), so no PowerPoint, Keynote, or visual aids will be permitted. But you'll have a chance to use presentation software with your technical presentation in July & August.

And there's no need to get nervous, but if you feel yourself getting stressed, here's a good way to chill out: Gary's Relaxation Technique

Good luck & do your best (頑張ってください)!! smiley


Grading criteria:

Class participation & attitude - 20%
PWT-R - 10%
Homework - 10%
Oral reports - 10%
Presentations - 20%
Writing - 30%

Class Participation: 

This class requires active participation. You must be prepared to think and discuss topics covered in the class using English only! Class participation will count as 20% of your final grade.

Homework Assignments: 

Please submit your homework to WebClass with an MS Word file. A sample  textbook homework submission form will be furnished by your teacher in WebClass. Please organize your answers neatly and remember to include your name in the MS Word file name. You are expected to turn in ALL homework assignments on the day they are due, and late homework assignments will receive a 20% automatic deduction for each week they are late.

My main teaching philosophy: Edutainment!! laughing icon

edutainment venn diagram




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