Description

• Institute Type: 3-day online—synchronous
• Target Audience: language educators in late elementary through postsecondary levels. It is not suited for teachers of very young children.

This institute has been specifically designed for second language teachers who want to familiarize themselves with the implementation and creation of authentic social media activities in the language classroom.

During this institute, participants will take a functional approach to understanding social media and how it can be used in the language classroom. They will begin by familiarizing themselves with each platform’s navigation and features, and see step-by-step demonstrations of how each has been used in language classrooms to raise learners’ linguistic and intercultural awareness. Next, participants will explore current popular social platforms (Bluesky/Threads, Instagram, TikTok) and identify which aspects of their target language(s) and culture(s) are represented in each one’s ecosystem. Finally, participants will design an authentic social media activity in each platform that targets a relevant aspect of language and/or culture in their target community. Participants will leave the course with three authentic social media activities, a list of online resources containing others, and the confidence to navigate social platforms expertly and independently in search of high-quality target-language content.

Instructor

Amanda Dalola is the Director of the Language Center and Associate Professor of Linguistics at the University of Minnesota. Her current research projects include the production, perception, and digital media renderings of sociophonetic variables and speech styles in French and Korean, the use of social media applications in the language learning classroom, and the use of translanguaging and open educational resources as open educational practices.

See the full course description here.
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