An Introduction to Virtual Reality Social Environments and Language Learning
Tuesday, June 6, 9:00am – 12noon
Conducted by: Randall Sadler
This ½ day workshop will introduce educators to VR for language learning. First, a brief introduction of VR and how it has been shown to improve language learning will be given (Stage 1). Then, attendees will be taught how to use Meta Quest 2 VR headsets (Stage 2), which will be provided by the presenters. Stage 3 will introduce participants to 7 existing free social VR spaces with pedagogical potential for language teaching. All participants will be given access to a website with full tutorials for the various apps, lesson ideas, and a list of research on the topic.
Gamified Learning: Integrating Modern Gaming Design in the Classroom
Tuesday, June 6, 1:00pm-4:00pm
Conducted by: Mahmoud Amer
This workshop aims to equip educators with the tools necessary to institutionalize gamified learning not only as a resources for teaching, but as an important part of syllabi and curricula. Despite the existence of a plethora of digital and traditional tools to engage learners in all types of learning contexts, learner engagement is still an ongoing issue that many educators, teachers, and instructional designers face in their classes. This engagement crisis exists at the backdrop of a large body of literature confirming gamified learning as high impact learning experiences (Li et al., 2021; Reinhardt, 2018; Munday, 2016; Sundqvist & Wikstrom, 2015).
Walking the Land: Urban Geoliteracy and Footsteps toward Impactful GIS-Enhanced Place-Based Language Learning
Tuesday, June 6, 1:00pm – 4:00pm
Conducted by: Lara Lomicka Anderson and Liudmila Klimanova
This workshop immerses participants in culturally diverse linguistic spaces in Minneapolis to see how local heritage, urban gastronomic diversity, and cultural practices can assist in intercultural learning. Included is an overview of critical pedagogies of place and hands-on practice. Participants explore activity design with mapping tools and mobile devices. Next, participants will engage in a place-based GIS-enhanced cultural exploration around the campus. Attendees will gain an understanding of place-based learning and articulate the benefits of digital mapping tools in their language classes. At the end of the workshop participants will briefly share their findings and how they can adapt the activity at their own institution.
“Spotifyied” Narratives: From Songs to Narratives
Wednesday, June 7, 9:00am – 12noon
Conducted by: Maria Razcon
This workshop invites instructors to develop classroom-curated playlists into narratives and write exercises focusing on lyrics and underlying narrative elements. This technology-mediated writing activity based on popular songs allows instructors to create different song-based and pluricultural writing activities to motivate students and improve narrative writing in English as an additional language.
It’s Not What You Say, It’s the Way that You Say It: Using AmPitch for Improving L2 Intonation
Wednesday, June 7, 1:00pm – 4:00pm
Conducted by: Robert Elliott
Attention to intonation can be critical for producing proficient speakers in an L2. The presenters will demonstrate two models of incorporating a free and openly available real time pitch-extraction program, AmPitch, that can facilitate improving intonation. They will model how they have used this tool with two very different languages, English and Achumawi (Pit River), an endangered tonal language of North America. Participants will discuss incorporating metacognitive strategies into teaching intonation, learn to use AmPitch on their own, brainstorm ideas of how they might use pitch extraction in their context, and develop activities to be reviewed by the group.
Supercharge your Language Classroom with Interactive and Multimedia Content (H5P)
Wednesday, June 7, 1:00pm-4:00pm
Conducted by: Juan Carlos Casan Núñez
H5P (HTML5 Package) is a free and open technology that allows teachers to create, share and reuse more than sixty types of interactive multimedia content. It is integrated with most e-learning platforms (Moodle, Canvas, Blackboard, etc.) and has plugins for WordPress and Drupal. H5P content can also be created with LUMI Education free of charge. In this workshop participants will learn to create H5P content with LUMI education to enrich the student’s learning experience. First, participants will experience H5P content types. Then, a short theoretical introduction to H5P will be given. After that, the presenter will demonstrate how to create two or three types of non-complex H5P activities and one complex H5P activity. After each demonstration, participants will create the content types on their laptops. Next, time will be dedicated to presenting the H5P content created by some participants. Lastly, participants will complete a satisfaction survey. If participants agree, H5P content created during the workshop will be shared among participants.
Using H5P Content for Language Learning and Practice CANCELED
Immerse: Teaching Languages in Virtual Reality CANCELED
Building Community Online: Make Fun, Personable, and Engaging Videos for Free
Saturday, June 10, 1:00pm – 4:00pm
Conducted by: Marlene Johnshoy and Daniel Soneson
Many language classes continue to be hybrid or completely online, and instructors worry about connecting with students and developing classroom community in online spaces. We recommend short videos created by the instructor and students for helping the online class “come alive”! We’ll start with an overview of the 3 online presences, and share guidelines for building community with and among students and the instructor. Then, using free software, you’ll learn to create and upload short, personable videos quickly and easily! Handouts will be provided.