SteveMcCarty

SteveMcCarty , 2 months ago to random

One more batch of striking photos of the temples Nanzenji (南禅寺) and Eikandō (永観堂) along the Eastern Mountain Range of Kyōto or the Path of Philosophy (哲学の道).

The first batch, including climbing up the huge gate of Nanzenji, is at https://hcommons.social/@SteveMcCarty/115706568145190275

It hasn't been reported in the Japanese language news, but I heard sirens and ducked into the back of Nanzenji to walk along a little-known path along the mountainside by the old canal that runs from Lake Biwa to provide fresh water to Kyōto. But the rescue trucks went to the exact same place, and I saw rescue crew looking into the canal, and men going up with at least one stretcher. I didn't stick around, though, and I left, past gawking East Asian tourists. What did they want to see? I just wanted a contemplative walk, but it was an odd coincidence.

Open access publications on Japan: https://japanned.hcommons.org/japanology

#Japan #Kyoto #autumn #maple #leaves #nature #culture #travel #Buddhism #Buddhist #temple #sightseeing #photography #photos

Bamboo patch outside the major Zen temple Nanzenji
The old aqueduct, part of the canal I mentioned, contrasts with the rest of the temple complex
Climbing up the steep stairs to the top of the huge gate of Nanzenji, there was this bilingual sign, always good advice ;-)

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SteveMcCarty , 5 months ago to random

I'm a longtime professor in Japan and live near Kyoto. Here is some flower power at Kyoto Botanical Gardens, a huge park by the river Kamogawa that is easily accessed. I previously gave more info and showed photos from its big greenhouses, at permalinks https://hcommons.social/@SteveMcCarty/115186088262057479 and https://hcommons.social/@SteveMcCarty/115191307143320552

If you like these, there are plenty more!

Publications on Japan: https://japanned.hcommons.org/japanology

#Japan #Kyoto #garden #nature #travel #flowers #sightseeing #photography#photos

Asian varieties of water lilies
Roses, too
Something like a hibiscus, with a weeping willow tree in the background

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SteveMcCarty , 7 months ago to Religion group

A place can be historic without being old, as is usually the case here in Asia. The Thai royalty shared with Japan and two other countries ashes that had helped prove that the Buddha was a historical person. I certainly accept that there was a Gautama or Shakyamuni, but in graduate school I uncovered all sorts of loving embellishments: a huge lore of legends, stories of past lives, miracle birth, and dreams, all rich in symbolism of spiritual growth.

We went to Nagoya to see my wife's mother, and we participated in a ceremony for her late father at Kakuōzan Nittai-ji (名古屋の覚王山日泰寺), which houses the relics shared by King Chulalongkorn. The temple uniquely belongs to no religious sect, yet all the Japanese Buddhist sects take turns providing the head priest to Nittai-ji, which means Japan-Thai temple. It was built in 1904, and it's in the big city, yet it looks quite imposing with the summer sky.

#Japan #Thailand #Thai #Nagoya #Buddhism #Buddha #religion #history
Religion group histodons group

Gifts from Thailand inside the main hall of the temple
Aim was off in the bright sunlight, but the summer season of giant lotuses is starting
Mt. Ibuki between Nagoya and Kyoto from the train, with newly planted rice in the foreground

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SteveMcCarty , 8 months ago to random

Green and more green: the season of new leaves in Japan. At Kyōto Imperial Palace (京都御所) I went into the former residence area of Emperors. Plus, from the northernmost subway station in the city, I walked around Treasure Pond (宝ヶ池公園), where I spotted a shy doe, oh deer!

It was during this season that my haiku in Japanese was published in the national Asahi Haidan, with a circulation of about eight million households at the time:

若葉には 枝に世界が 回るやう (全国版朝日俳壇)
To young leaves
The world seems
To spin on a branch

For criteria on making or judging real haiku in languages other than Japanese, read:
"Internationalizing the Essence of Haiku Poetry":
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/323187189

Download my published haiku, the Bilingual Haiku Scroll (和英俳句の掛け軸), with some of my best Kyōto photos representing the four seasons:
https://researchmap.jp/waoe/works/30809211/attachment_file.pdf

#haiku #poetry #Japan #Kyoto #palace #pond #green #leaves #trees #Emperor #Imperial #garden #architecture #culture #travel #sightseeing #photos #photography

Former Imperial garden and pond.
Treasure Pond in northernmost Kyoto City. It's amazing to step out of the subway into an environment like this.
Doe in Kyoto City: the poor dear must have felt stalked, sorry!

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SteveMcCarty , 9 months ago to random

The unique Buddhist temple Otagi Nembutsuji (愛宕念仏寺) deep in a canyon in northwest Arashiyama in Kyōto has had a long and complicated history, but its distinctiveness today stems from the 20th Century when a head priest commissioned the carving of over a thousand stone rakan (羅漢, based on arhats, adept disciples of the Buddha). Each statue is unique, unlike the stereotype of Asians, and some are really funny. The moss in this shady side of the mountain also adds to their character, sometimes like hair.

#Japan #Kyoto #sculpture #travel #sightseeing #unique #Buddhism #funny #humor #photos #photography

More stone arhats, looking so real
Unusual belfry of Otagi Nembutsuji
Pagoda and arhats, with the one on the right looking like us tourists

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SteveMcCarty , 9 months ago to random

Enjoy various scenes around Arashiyama, the area of Kyōto with the most nature and traditional Japanese architecture: 1) The legendary Moon-Crossing Bridge (渡月橋), 2) Yaezakura (八重桜), a late-blossoming type of sakura with many petals, 3) Traditional architecture deep in a mountain canyon, and 4) The little-known lookout over the river and gorgeous gorge.

#Japan #Kyoto #Arashiyama #nature #architecture #sakura #travel #sightseeing #photos #photography

Yaezakura (八重桜), a late-blossoming type of sakura with many petals
image/jpeg
Little-known lookout over the river and gorge

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SteveMcCarty , 9 months ago to Religion group

We visited a hidden Christian village (隠れキリシタンの里) in the nearby mountains, where the faithful hid their Christianity from the Shōgunate. They lived in remote areas, such as our city halfway between Ōsaka and Kyōto. The chapel museum (first photo) preserves their Edo Period history. They arranged with a Buddhist temple to give it their support in return for hiding their religious symbols among those of Buddhism.

Coincidentally, my previous post was about a Shintō shrine with a rare 3-legged torii gate, which some sources attribute to hidden Christians viewing them as the Trinity. However, the torii allude to the three-legged crow Yatagarasu, which I found goes back to Chinese and Korean mythology.

We also visited the nearby reconstructed factory site (史跡新池ハニワ工場) that produced early 6th Century haniwa terracotta figures entombed as companions of Emperor Keitai in the huge Imashirozuka Kofun raised-mound tumulus.

#Japan #religion #history #Christianity #Buddhism

Religion group histodons group

Driving up narrow one-lane mountain roads in the pouring rain was an adventure in itself. I joked that this nearby retro cafe was also hidden, yet the parking lot was full, so I parked further up a narrower mountain road in a place even more hidden.
Haniwa factory
Terracotta shrine maiden o-miko-san (お神子さん)

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SteveMcCarty , 11 months ago to Religion group

New publication! Don't miss my short essay "What Intelligence and Genius Actually Are" in the Taj Mahal Review: An International Literary Journal.

For those interested in the big questions such as what is life, this brief essay gives straight answers on the characteristics of life that AI can never have. For this moment I take off my academic hat and speak from direct experience. What intelligence and genius actually are is completely different from what is usually discussed, but this explanation should make perfect sense. I received personal guidance from Alan Watts, who helped transmit Zen Buddhism to the West without contradicting science. This essay fits in his lineage and is my utmost legacy of intuitive insights.

See "What Intelligence and Genius Actually Are" at ResearchGate, free for anyone (just scroll down): https://www.researchgate.net/publication/389489782

Or for members of Academia Edu: https://www.academia.edu/127952812

Japanese translation: 「知性と天才の本質」:
https://researchmap.jp/waoe/published_papers/49286705?lang=ja

Religion group psychology group

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SteveMcCarty , 11 months ago to linguistics group

Scenes from the keynote address, speaking from Ōsaka to Sarajevo. On the spur of the moment, I pulled out an uchiwa fan (団扇) to show cuteness from Japan to Eastern Europe, and I had it take bows at the end. The character on the fan is our city mascot, based on an terra cotta figure from 1,500 years ago found in the huge Imperial tumulus (古墳) here.

The screenshot of part of a slide shows the point I made about how revolutionary AI can be. Just as we have been Googling to get information when needed, without having to remember it, foreign languages and even knowledge itself could become like an accessory that younger generations rely on AI for. There is no telling how this will play out, but I know that internalized (身についた) knowledge constitutes my expertise, and the Japanese language has enriched my identity and relationships.

#technology #culture #Japan #kawaii #cute #AI #knowledge #Japanese #language #identity #linguistics #philosophy

AcademicChatter group philosophy group linguistics group

A big challenge for the future of knowledge, which to me is more like a verb than a noun, knowing or expertise.
Steve McCarty at age 75.5

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SteveMcCarty , 11 months ago to EduTooters group

The Association of Online Educators in Eastern Europe might have taken some inspiration from the World Association for Online Education that I founded in 1998. Now they have invited me to present a keynote address at their annual conference in Sarajevo. The topic is "AI Challenges for University Educators," and it is relevant to all teachers and learners. I have not mentioned AI before, but I have been using it (not for writing!), and I need to understand such technologies for the EU-Asia grant project for intergovernmental digital partnerships.

The presentation slideshow is available by scrolling down the page at http://dx.doi.org/10.13140/RG.2.2.22632.58882

If you are interested in the field of online education, be sure to study "Online Education as a Discipline at https://www.researchgate.net/publication/353073973

#OnlineEducation #education #teaching #learning #acquisition #knowledge #expertise
EduTooters group AcademicChatter group

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SteveMcCarty , 1 year ago to EduTooters group

The Indo-Pacific European Hub for Digital Partnerships (INPACE), funded by the EU and partners India, Japan, South Korea, and Singapore (2024-2027), helps to implement the intergovernmental digital partnerships signed by heads of state in recent years. It has been an honor, but I haven't felt confident of being deemed worthy amid experts in cutting-edge technologies. However, recently I'm starting to receive recognition, which is always a surprise.

The following was sent to all of the international project members and refers to an article of possible interest to readers here: "Our esteemed expert in the Digital Education and Skills Working Group, who is the President of the World Association for Online Education, Steve McCarty from Japan, has shared an interesting article on online education. To be inspired, read the full text": https://www.researchgate.net/publication/353073973

#OnlineEducation #digital #education #skills #technology #EU #Japan #SouthKorea #Singapore #government

EduTooters group AcademicChatter group

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SteveMcCarty , 1 year ago to AcademicChatter group

A major reason why people just look at photos or scroll by is that most people are using mobile phones. Most of my social media friends are in Asia. So I asked the Poe AI chatbot for the global situation:

Mobile Phone Access:
Asia: Approximately 90% of internet users access the web via mobile devices.
Africa: About 80% of internet users primarily use mobile phones for access.
Latin America: Roughly 70% of users access the internet primarily through mobile devices.
North America and Europe: Mobile access is around 50-60%, with many users still relying on PCs for various tasks.
PC Access:
North America and Europe: Higher percentages (40-50%) still use PCs, especially for work or detailed tasks.
Asia and Africa: PC access is significantly lower, often below 20-30% as mobile devices dominate.

This makes it difficult for us writers to have people read our works. Nevertheless, statistics confirm that readers globally enjoy my works: https://japanned.hcommons.org/inventory

#mobile #PC
@academicchatter

SteveMcCarty , 1 year ago to linguistics group

Recap of recent publications: nearly 40,000 reads on ResearchGate, over 35,000 on Academia Edu, ~25,000 downloads on Knowledge Commons, and ~8,000 on the Japanese government's ResearchMap, plus unknown reads of paper publications and at publishers' Websites. Here are most of the wide variety of publications that are still fresh from the past year!

“Interview with Steve McCarty”
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/386424805
Japanese translation: スティーブ・マッカーティとのインタビュー（日本での教授としての業績）
https://researchmap.jp/waoe/misc/48628107/attachment_file.pdf
“English Education and Bilingual Education in Japan” (Japan Times interview)
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/381519445
"Healing Symbolism in the Japanese Legend of the Woman Diver"
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/381003736
“Film Review: ‘Snack Sakura’ Reflects Ambiguity of Japan’s Vintage Nightlife"
https://unseen-japan.com/review-snack-sakura-documentary
"Teacher Training to help implement the Japan-EU Digital Partnership" (Seoul slideshow)
http://dx.doi.org/10.13140/RG.2.2.21112.25606

#Japan #EU #digital #TeacherTraining #education #English #documentary
@linguistics EduTooters group @academicchatter

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SteveMcCarty , 1 year ago to linguistics group

From here in Japan I was honored by this tribute from The Worthy Educator in the U.S.: "Steve McCarty gets celebratED for receiving the second annual Veteran Teacher Voices Interview from The College and University Educators research group of the Japan Association for Language Teaching! We celebrate Steve for this recognition of his impressive career in higher education!"

The Web page with links is at https://www.get-celebrated.com/post/steve-mccarty-receives-second-annual-veteran-teacher-voices-interview-from-jalt

Or I suggest that you go straight to the interview, available to non-members of ResearchGate by just scrolling down, at https://www.researchgate.net/publication/386424805_Interview_with_Steve_McCarty_on_his_professorial_accomplishments_in_Japan

The interview is not just about my project initiatives and publications but also about foreign language issues such as the long-term effects of AI on language acquisition.

#Japan #Education #HigherEducation #interview #bilingualism #English #ForeignLanguages #LanguageLearning #career #publications
linguistics group AcademicChatter group @japan

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SteveMcCarty , 1 year ago to EduTooters group

My Website with homepage https://japanned.hcommons.org/ is at Knowledge Commons, formerly Humanities Commons. They have recently introduced a more detailed KC Works system of metadata and information on research repository deposits. The template of our profile pages allows for self-introductory and networking information as well as our deposits in the KC [Knowledge Commons] Works repository of academic and creative works. I have 85 deposits in a wide range of 25 genres or categories.

The new KC Works system also allows for editing and adding information, so I have gone through the 85 deposits, updating some of them especially to make the content more immediately accessible. Visitors to the deposit pages can usually see a PDF file of the content or download it, but if not, click on the Details tab and then the URL.

My Profile Page including the KCWorks deposits is at https://hcommons.org/members/stevemccartyinjapan

#KnowledgeCommons #Education #OER #humanities #mastodon

EduTooters group AcademicChatter group @hello @japan

SteveMcCarty , 1 year ago to linguistics group

New publication: "Interview with Steve McCarty" [on his professorial accomplishments in Japan].

The College and University Educators research group of the Japan Association for Language Teaching has honored me with their second annual Veteran Teacher Voices interview on my teaching career in Japan. I critique the foreign language teaching profession, discuss future trends of increasing foreigners in Japan, the need for English, and long-term effects of AI on language acquisition.

I believe educationalists will find this article interesting: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/386424805

和訳 - Japanese translation which I edited: スティーブ・マッカーティとのインタビュー（日本での教授としての業績）: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/386464138

Publications on bilingualism and language teaching: https://japanned.hcommons.org/bilingualism

#TEFL #Japan #Japanese #LanguageEducation #LanguageTeaching #LanguageLearning #bilingualism #InterculturalCommunication #FacultyDevelopment #career #retirement #InternationalMarriage #OnlineEducation

linguistics group EduTooters group AcademicChatter group

SteveMcCarty , 1 year ago to linguistics group

Late in my last semester teaching, here are three photos of autumn colors on campus in Ōsaka.

Soon I will be honored by the College and University Educators research group of the Japan Association for Language Teaching with an interview article about my teaching career. This is after the 2022 book chapter on my relationship with Japan and my research discoveries. The forthcoming interview is mostly about my professorial accomplishments, but it also includes personal happenings. My summation of how the foreign language teaching profession took a wrong turn around the 1990s in Japan will be controversial.

Soon I will post a link to the article or preprint when it is available online.

See publication highlights up to now on online education, Japan, bilingualism, and the academic life, linked from my Website: https://japanned.hcommons.org

#Japan #LanguageEducation #HigherEducation #education #career #photography

linguistics group AcademicChatter group

Changing leaves at Osaka Jogakuin University
Ginkgo close up

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thejapantimes , 1 year ago to random

Europe and the Indo-Pacific, including Japan, depend on each other for peace and stability, and security challenges in one region affect the other. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/commentary/2024/10/29/japan/nato-ip4-europe-indo-pacific-security/ #commentary #japan #geoeconomicbriefing #nato #europe #southkorea #australia #newzealand #indopacific #russiaukrainewar #security #defense

SteveMcCarty , 1 year ago to sociology group

In 2019 I was invited by a national university in Thailand for a keynote address https://www.researchgate.net/publication/336529355_Disruptive_Technology_and_the_Calling_of_Humanities_and_Social_Sciences_Keynote_Address_Paper and e-learning workshop https://www.researchgate.net/publication/335012960_Thailand_e-Learning_and_Mobile_Language_Learning_Workshop_Report_in_the_Asian_Journal_of_Distance_Education

8 of their faculty members finally made it to Japan for a conference in Kyōto, so I showed them around for two days. Originally they were interested in visiting social science research centers, so I gave their university an Oxford University Press textbook Social Research Methods by Alan Bryman. I also introduced them to a Japanese international public policy professor at a national university here, and she joined us on the second day. We had such fascinating conversations that we neglected the scenery. We discussed topics such as Southeast Asia and global threats to democracy. They showed interest in my Springer book Implementing Mobile Language Learning Technologies in Japan, so I gave them a copy of it as well. I have also made the whole book available free at https://www.academia.edu/37986336

EduTooters group sociology group AcademicChatter group

Everyone enjoying Kiyomizu Temple
At another world heritage site, Nijō Castle, completed in 1603 by the first Shōgun, Tokugawa Ieyasu. But we had such interesting discussions that we neglected the scenery.
Simple and inexpensive restaurant with good Japanese style food. Since I don't drink alcohol, in order to maintain a healthy lifestyle in Japan, I could only toast with Ginger Ale.

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SteveMcCarty , 1 year ago to AcademicChatter group

After much preparation by email again this year, I gave a presentation at Kindai University in Osaka for a Thai university study abroad group on "American Multiculturalism and Global Democracy At Stake" (slideshow): https://www.researchgate.net/publication/384609656

I showed how the November U.S. election will affect the whole world, but most of the students regrettably turned out to be from undemocratic Asian countries.

I also volunteered to guide the group by three trains to Kansai University, the biggest campus in Osaka. The event was held in a "global smart classroom" (see photo). I knew where to bring the group because I had taught ICT classes to mixed Japanese and foreign students in their Division of International Affairs from 2015-2020, while also serving as their first Global Faculty Development consultant.

If you are wondering what global faculty development could specifically mean, see "Meeting Global Faculty Development Needs in Japan": https://www.researchgate.net/publication/330778631

#Japan #democracy AcademicChatter group

Early autumn beauty of ginkgo trees starting to turn yellow, and school festival lanterns
Part of the program at Kansai University was learning some survival Japanese
The "global smart classroom" with a Japanese professor joining us while away in Europe

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thejapantimes , 1 year ago to random

Japan's Foreign Ministry on Friday announced a budget request that included ¥66.2 billion ($457 million) to strengthen efforts to respond to information warfare. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2024/08/30/japan/politics/foreign-ministry-budget-request/ #japan #politics #foreignministry #budgets #aid #misinformation

jeffjarvis , 1 year ago to random

A class on code-switching. https://www.tiktok.com/t/ZTNQf16pu/

SteveMcCarty , 1 year ago to EduTooters group

I have been invited to join the Indo-Pacific European Hub for Digital Partnerships, the INPACE Project, funded by the EU and partners India, Japan, South Korea, and Singapore, as an Expert Member of the Working Group on Digital Education and Skills through June 2027.

Do you have any comments, questions, or suggestions about this project?

In Japanese: EUとパートナーのインド、日本、韓国とシンガポールによって2027年6月まで資金を供給されたデジタル協力のためにインド太平洋ヨーロッパのハブ（INPACEプロジェクト）のデジタル教育と技術に関する専門調査委員会の専門家委員として、私は加わろうと誘われました。

#EU #Europe #European #Pacific #Asia #India #Japan #SouthKorea #Singapore #Digital #Education #partnership #project #grant #OnlineEducation #Government #Japanese #academia

@edutooters AcademicChatter group @hello

Project summary
Thematic Working Groups

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bryanalexandee , 1 year ago to random

@Downes @fgraver @actualham @harmonygritz @kate @cogdog I'm happy to get into detailed policies. I started with nations and one policy proposal as a first order attempt to get at what you're thinking.

ShaulaEvans , 1 year ago to EduTooters group

Friends of mine in education want to join Mastodon, for education-focused accounts. (Yay!)

I am looking for instances to recommend to them that:

• Are a good home for a K12 (and sometimes K16) education account.
• Have good moderation.
• Stable instance, probably going to last for a while.
• probably not a massive instance, medium-sized is better.

I'm aware of https://mastodon.education/.

If you have recs, please share. Thank you!

#edutooters #education #K12 #K16 #Mastodon EduTooters group 1/3

SteveMcCarty , 1 year ago to AcademicChatter group

30th year and I've never cussed online, but there's a technical term https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Enshittification by Cory Doctorow @pluralistic

Let me count some ways that Academia Edu has declined in its zeal to monetize. The latest is that no URLs in articles that I've seen are active links anymore!

Before, non-members could scroll down to read articles, but now they have to provide personal info.

As a free member I'm usually hit with a pop-up on arrival. They flatter users by citing a large but false number of mentions to get them to become paying members. One Indian professor was boasting on FB thousands of citations, but I found only 27 for him on Google Scholar. When I pointed that out, he blocked me.

There were Academia Letters and then journals, first free and then pay to publish (like $2,000).

Academia Edu can amplify our works if they want, with nearly 300 million users signed up. That's the attraction to us, but a temptation for them to exploit.

AcademicChatter group @academicsunite