End of Summer 2022 Issue 43:
Jakob Johnson (Chair)
Daniel Dixon (Associate Chair)
Greetings!!
We hope you have had a great Summer and are full of new ideas!
Click Here to view the most recent Gaming SIG Newsletter and hope to see everyone in our new Discord group.
Special Issue Title: Social media pathways: Using social media to help language learners access target-language communities
Co-editors: Ellen Yeh (Columbia College Chicago) and Nicholas Swinehart (University of Chicago)
This CALICO Journal special issue explores and investigates CALL practices through the concept of “social media pathways”: using social media to help language learners access target-language communities, both virtual and physical. Social media tools have the potential to help language learners retrieve and critically assess crowd-sourced information from the local community of a target culture (Yeh & Mitric, 2021), enhance intercultural communicative competence (Lomicka & Ducate, 2021), foster social media literacy (Vanwynsberghe et al., 2015; Yeh & Swinehart, 2020), form language learner identities (Thorne et al., 2015), as well as develop sociocultural and pragmatic processes of language socialization (Sykes, 2019; Thorne et al., 2009). Social media can therefore serve as a “pathway” for connecting language learners to target-language communities. This can mean helping learners acquire the context-specific pragmatics and social media literacy necessary for successful interaction with target-language speakers in online communities (Sykes, 2018), or helping students learn about specific areas, cultures, and practices to prepare them for face-to-face interaction (Godwin-Jones, 2016).
This special issue uses a broad definition of social media to refer to any application or technology through which users participate in, create, and share media resources and practices with other users by means of digital networking” (Reinhardt, 2019), which can include blogs, social networking sites, virtual worlds (e.g., Second Life and virtual reality platforms), collaborative project platforms (e.g., Wikipedia), content communities (e.g., YouTube), affinity spaces (e.g., Reddit, Discord, and fan fiction), and online games (e.g., Minecraft, World of Warcraft). While this definition is broad, this special issue focuses on the integration of “authentic” social media environments–those not created or used exclusively for language learning purposes–into curricula and students’ digital practices through bridging activities (Thorne & Reinhardt, 2008), language learners-as-ethnographers (Roberts et al., 2001), or other approaches that attempt to scaffold learners’ understanding of and participation in complex linguistic environments. Through the use of “real-life language, the active engagement in authentic material, the participation in communities in the target language, and boundary crossing” (Miller et al., 2019, p. 551), the social media pathway connects language learners with the target language communities in extensive ways, while always working towards increased knowledge of and/or participation within those communities.
Themes of relevance to social media and target-language communities include, but are not limited to:
This special issue invites full-length (no more than 7,000 words, all-inclusive) articles, with preference given to empirical studies. Authors are strongly encouraged to contextualize their contribution within appropriate theoretical and developmental frameworks.
Submission deadline for abstracts is October 3, 2022.
Special Issue to be published in February of 2024. Please note that abstract acceptance does not guarantee publication of the submitted manuscript. All manuscripts will be subject to a double-blind peer review process. Please send questions about the volume to co-editors Ellen Yeh (eyeh@colum.edu) and Nicholas Swinehart (nswinehart@uchicago.edu).
References
Godwin-Jones, R. (2016). Integrating technology into study abroad. Language Learning & Technology, 20(1), 1-20. http://dx.doi.org/10125/44439
Lomicka, L., & Ducate, L. (2021). Using technology, reflection, and noticing to promote intercultural learning during short-term study abroad. Computer Assisted Language Learning, 34(1/2), 35–65. https://doi.org/10.1080/09588221.2019.1640746
Miller, A. M., Morgan, W. J., & Koronkiewicz, B. (2019). Like or Tweet: Analysis of the use of Facebook and Twitter in the language classroom. TechTrends: Linking Research & Practice to Improve Learning, 63(5), 550–558. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11528-018-0341-2
Reinhardt, J. (2019). Social media in second and foreign language teaching and learning: Blogs, wikis, and social networking. Language Teaching, 52(1), 1–39. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0261444818000356
Roberts, C., Byram., M, Barro, A., Jordan, S., & Street, B. (2001). Language Learners as Ethnographers. Multilingual Matters.
Sykes, J. M. (2018). Interlanguage pragmatics, curricular innovation, and digital technologies. CALICO Journal, 35(2), 120–141. https://doi.org/10.1558/cj.36175
Sykes, J. M. (2019). Emergent digital discourses: What can we learn from hashtags and digital games to expand learners’ second language repertoire? Annual Review of Applied Linguistics, 39, 128–145. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0267190519000138
Thorne, S. L., Black, R., & Sykes, J. (2009). Second language use, socialization, and learning in Internet interest communities and online games. The Modern Language Journal, 93, 802–821. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1540-4781.2009.00974.x
Thorne, S. L., & Reinhardt, J. (2008). “Bridging activities:” New media literacies, and advanced foreign language proficiency. CALICO Journal, 25(3), 558–572. https://doi.org/10.1558/cj.v25i3.558-572
Thorne, S. L., Sauro, S., & Smith, B. (2015). Technologies, identities, and expressive activity. Annual Review of Applied Linguistics, 35, 215–233. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0267190514000257
Vanwynsberghe, H., Boudry, E., & Verdegem, P. (2015). De impact van ouderschapsstijlen op de ontwikkeling van sociale mediageletterdheid bij adolescenten [The impact of parenting styles on the development of social media literacy among adolescents]. Tijdschrift voor Communicatiewetenschap, 1(43), 84–100.
Yeh, E., & Mitric, S. (2021). Social media and learners-as-ethnographers approach: increasing target-language participation through community engagement. Computer Assisted Language Learning. https://doi.org/10.1080/09588221.2021.2005630
Yeh, E., & Swinehart, N. (2020). Social media literacy in second language environments: Navigating anonymous user-generated content. Computer Assisted Language Learning. https://doi.org/10.1080/09588221.2020.1830805
Reaching out to other graduate students helps build a community and a collaborative network as well! Join us in our next CALICOffee talk to meet CALL students, learn about their research, and share about yours! https://shorturl.at/cFIS7
My pleasure to announce that Steph Link is our new Book Series Editor. A huge thank you to Greg Kessler, our previous book series editor, for all of his work these years! Welcome to Steph who has been a CALICOer now for quite a while and familiar to most of you. We look forward to working more with you.
See also our call for proposals for the next book series book.
CALICO is now soliciting proposals for the next volume in the Advances in CALL Research and Practice book series to be published with Equinox Publishing in spring 2024!
The volume may be a single-authored monograph or edited volume and may treat any topic related to the field of CALL. Proposals are due July 15. You can find the full call at this link.
You can also email series editor, Steph Link (steph.link@okstate.edu), with questions or meet her at the CALICO conference in Seattle to talk through some ideas.
Looking forward to seeing your proposals!
Join us in Seattle for:
May 31 – June 4
@ the Renaissance Hotel in Seattle, WA
CALICO 2022 organizers are following the safety guidelines and protocols of the U.S. Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the State of Washington, Seattle, and the Renaissance Seattle Hotel. Further information about the Renaissance Hotel ‘commitment to clean’
CALICO asks for your help to ensure the safety of all attendees at this event, which will operate consistent with CDC, State and venue guidance, and restrictions related to COVID-19. Participants will receive a logistics email the week of May 1, 2022.
As of February 21st, 2022, CALICO has decided that all attendees are required to comply with the following protocols. We STRONGLY encourage:
Please note that these protocols are subject to change depending on the local and government health guidelines in place prior to the start of the conference. CALICO also reserves the right to choose to exceed protocols mandated by the local government.
Below, you will find answers to frequently asked questions regarding COVID-19 protocols at CALICO 2022 .
1. What does ‘fully vaccinated’ mean?
CALICO will consider you fully vaccinated if you have received all the recommended doses of a COVID-19 vaccine that has been authorized or approved by your country’s health authority. The Seattle airport provides rapid COVID testing for a fee in the central auditorium at SEA located in pre-security on the mezzanine level above ticketing.
2. Where can I find the most up to date COVID-19 health protocols for CALICO 2022?
Check the CALICO 2022 Conference website regularly for updates as guidelines are subject to change. You can also download the Washington Exposures Notifications App, the official mobile app for weekly local COVID alerts by the Washington State Department of Health.
3. I am an international attendee. Do I need to quarantine for a certain period after I enter the US?
According to the current CDC guidelines, if you are fully vaccinated, you do NOT need to self-quarantine after arriving in the United States. Still, all international travelers arriving in the United States are recommended to get a COVID-19 PCR test 3-5 days after travel, regardless of vaccination status.
4. Will there be any social distancing guidelines implemented during the conference?
As the 2022 event approaches, CALICO will continue to evaluate our distancing guidelines and consider ways in which we can make sure our attendees are comfortable and safe.
The Renaissance Hotel has information on their website about things they do to maintain a safe hotel.
5. What happens if I fail to comply with the COVID-19 safety protocols at the event?
Event staff will ask you to comply with the protocols. Attendees who still fail to comply with the protocols will be asked to leave the venue.
6. If I choose to bring others with me to the conference, what are the guidelines?
Our utmost concern is for the safety and security of our attendees, presenters, sponsors/exhibitors, and their children. The decision to bring your children, partners, etc. with you to the event is yours. Please note that all attendees, including children, must follow the guidelines detailed above, wearing a mask, and wearing a name tag throughout the conference.
7. What if I experience COVID-19 symptoms during the conference? What should I do?
Please refer to the U.S. CDC guidelines below for COVID-19 symptoms.
People with COVID-19 have had a wide range of symptoms reported, ranging from mild symptoms to severe illness. Symptoms may appear 2-14 days after exposure to the virus. The following symptoms may indicate COVID-19:
Please note that the conference hotel does have procedures in place should someone come down with COVID symptoms. If you are experiencing any or more of these symptoms, please contact Conference Manager, Esther Horn, and self-quarantine in your room until you are tested for COVID-19 and receive a negative result.
