My name is Jerry Talandis Jr, and I’m an English teacher working at the Toyama College of Foreign Languages, in Toyama City, Japan. This website is dedicated to helping my Writing 2 students get up to speed with blogging. The idea here is to provide Japanese EFL students to with a platform where they can write from their hearts while developing Internet communication skills they can use after graduating, ones that will help them create an “English world” for themselves beyond the confines of our school. In other words, this project is an attempt at creating and supporting autonomous learners.
This site serves as a central location for guidance and support, a place my students can come to learn about the nuts and bolts of blogging as well as finding inspiration for their adventures in writing in a foreign language. Along these lines, I will not only provide step-by-step tutorials and writing advice, but also feature examples of student work that reflect good examples of what EFL learners can do with blogging as a means for creative self-expression.
Students are free to blog on any topic of their choice, provided it is a subject they are passionately interested in. It is my great hope you will find their efforts at creative self-expression interesting and enlightening. If you do, please do not hesitate to leave them some feedback comments! I’m sure they will appreciate it.
Jerry Talandis Jr.
Toyama College of Foreign Languages
Toyama City, Japan
June 2008
