IALLT's free language technology magazine
By Melissa Fiori, Associate Professor, Daemen College Overview As language instructors we have many standards to juggle. How do we motivate students to learn a second language in a way that addresses the three modes of communication, simultaneously developing the
Read more
By Müge Satar, Paul Seedhouse, Ahmed Kharrufa, Colin Bone Dodds, Sara Ganassin, Alison Whelan, Newcastle University, UK Introduction Many people are motivated to learn foreign languages by their interest in foreign cultures and ways of life, and Newcastle University has
Read more
By Silvia Giorgini-Althoen, Wayne State University Various telecollaboration initiatives have blossomed in recent years, but the pandemic intensified the need to find learning tools to face new challenges and to maintain higher standards of interaction in our language classes. During
Read more
By Molly Godwin-Jones, Dianna Murphy, and Karen Evans-Romaine Introduction The widespread shift to remote instruction and adoption of video conferencing tools such as Zoom during the COVID-19 pandemic resulted in new opportunities for educators at various institutions to collaborate
Read more
By Kaitlyn Teske, PhD, San Diego Padres Education in Baseball I have considered several new job titles during the pandemic: How To Download Zoom Coordinator, Instructor of It’s the Same Link Every Day, Guys, and Director of Unmute Yourself have been
Read more
By María I. Ortiz, Associate Professor, University of Cincinnati – Blue Ash College Introduction: Spanish Club Pre- and During COVID-19 As a language educator, have you ever heard this: “I want to learn a language, and I want to speak
Read more
By Shannon Donnally Quinn, Michigan State University While working on my PhD in Russian literature, my career took a turn toward instructional technology and curriculum development. After finishing graduate school I wanted a way to continue learning more in the
Read more
By Frederick Poole, Michigan State University In the last five years, Computer Science for All (CS4All) initiatives have been spreading through K-12 institutions in the United States. Many of these initiatives are the result of substantial government funding that aims
Read more
By Stacy Nyikos, PhD, and Evan Rubin SDSU Language Acquisition Resource Center The Foreign Language Film Night (FFuN) series at San Diego State University’s Language Acquisition Resource Center (SDSU-LARC) began as an in-person movie night in Fall 2019 to
Read more
By Caitlin Cornell and Megan Dean, Michigan State University The COVID-19 pandemic has demanded unprecedented innovation and adaptation from instructors and students alike. Online learning has required many students to learn how to use new-to-them digital technologies like video
Read more
By Ann Cai, Dino Konstantopoulos, Robert Davis, Yufei Zheng, Dongying Liu, Northeastern University Introduction of the Research With the improvement of deep learning technologies, the Big 4 computer companies (Google, Microsoft, Facebook, and Amazon) have been developing their robotics, machine
Read more
By Lauren Rosen, University of Wisconsin, and Kate Grovergrys, Madison Area Technical College Students are most successful when they know what to expect while learning a language. A packed, wordy syllabus doesn’t align with today’s learner preferences. For example,
Read more
By Deborah Cafiero, Senior Lecturer, Dept. of Romance Languages and Cultures, University of Vermont During the pandemic, many educators, myself included, began to reexamine their priorities and pare their courses down to the most essential elements. In a course with
Read more![The Communal: Module 2 Choice Board Directions: choose any TWO of the following to complete on your own & post to Module 2 Padlet by Sunday, March 14 by 8 pm. The choice of which TWO activities to complete is yours. However, by the end of the semester, you must have completed all of the following: At least one activity from each category At least two film assignments (“See”) At least two critical article assignments (“Think”) SEE: Watch “Bed and Sofa” [Третья Мещанская] by Abram Room: Bed and Sofa (1927). On Padlet, post a link to a 1-page film review, along with a screenshot of your favorite still image from the film. HEAR: Listen to the music of the decadent 20s (NEP-era playlist) and post a brief response to Padlet: How are these songs designed to make you feel, and do they accomplish that? Which is your favorite, and why? Find the song & post a link (with a screenshot)! Are there equivalent eras in American music? TASTE: Read chapter 2 of Mastering the Art of Soviet Cooking (Von Bremzen_1920s: Lenin's Cake.pdf). Find an image (or making-of video) of one of the dishes she mentions. Post a link to a brief “recipe review” on Padlet: why was this dish so popular, and what did it represent? (Students living at home should try to make and review a recipe from the era!) TOUCH: Browse scans from Litvina’s The Apartment for the year 1927 (Apartment - 1927.pdf) and read this article on 1920s Soviet fashion: Gorsuch_Moscow Chic. Draw upon both sources to post a detailed glossary of 10 new items (along with an image of your favorite), and briefly discuss how the material culture of the 1920s reflects the ambivalences of the NEP era. FEEL: Read one of the following articles on youth, sex, and the emphasis on “Physical Culture” [физкультура] in the 1920s: Fitzpatrick_Sex and Revolution; Grant_Creation of Ideal Young Citizens. On Padlet, briefly summarize two new facts you learned about the physical experience of life in the Soviet NEP era; are there equivalent eras in US history? THINK: Read about the Communal apartment, which became a fixture of Soviet life in the 1920s: Gerasimova_Public Privacy in the Communal Apartment. Summarize two interesting facts you learned about communal life at this time, and two connections you noticed between the article and the Bulgakov and Zoshchenko stories we have read. How does this cultural history help to illuminate these works of literature?](https://fltmag.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/Mod-2-Choice-Board-SovExp-scaled-e1628361629777-390x205.jpg)
By Kathleen M. Scollins, Associate Professor of Russian, University of Vermont Last spring’s so-called “pivot” to online learning felt like something closer to an abrupt lurch to many language instructors, faced with the task of translating the high-energy interactions of
Read more