Traveling Beyond: How technology has broken down barriers in the World Language Classroom - C. Johnson

Traveling Beyond: How technology has broken down barriers in the World Language Classroom

It’s been just over a decade since I’ve become an Eagle. In this 11th year of teaching (all at Sandburg), it’s crazy to look back and see how far the teaching field has come mostly due to the use of technology. I remember how cool I felt back in 2007 having my own internet page, even named for me (holy moly, baby teacher indeed), for my students to visit --- www.srtacasolari.com. Back then, this was the unchartered territory in the teaching world and the site had not the slightest of the functionality that we see currently with Canvas. In essence, it was a resource page filled with class notes, presentations and links to other relatable content students could click on in case of absence. Ten years later, technological advances have allowed our classrooms to become so much more than what they were --- from impersonal, repeat after me, grammatical warehouses to interpersonal, communicative discussion corners that could take place at a local Spanish café.

Google Hangouts, Skype, and even Facebook direct call have allowed WL teachers the ability to bring the outside world into our classrooms. In Spanish 6H, twice a month we have “Hablando con…” or “Speaking with…” sessions around the Spanish speaking world. One week it might be Spain, the next Chile, and the week after Cuba. In academic Spanish 4, Adriana Boerema has connected our students to her close family friends from Costa Rica. While the teacher might start the conversations and end them, serving as facilitatory when needed, it is the students themselves that get the spotlight by asking a pre-planned question, but then continuing the conversation (and all the follow-up questions and answers that may arise). This leverage of technology has brought my classroom inside kitchens of two restaurants with actual chefs in Aragón, Spain and overlooking snow-capped vistas of the Andes mountains in Santiago, Chile.

It is during these sessions (ok, perhaps when I travel abroad with students a bit more) that I feel most excited about student progress and teaching itself. The measure of success in this instance is having performed the language --- verbalized a communicative question and having interpreted correctly the said response --- all out of my control. Perhaps it is this gift --- the allowing of teacher as once Demi-God to give up almost all control in the name of progress ---- that technology has given us in the past decade. Students know immediately how well they’ve succeeded and either are motivated to seek out new experiences in that language or brush up on the areas of needed improvement (either interpretive or performance).

Having the opportunity to do these sessions with 2016 alumnus David Gleisner (NU 2020) this past semester became the highlight on the list of “why I teach.” David chose to study abroad in Santiago, Chile this past summer and fall, only having just returned a few weeks ago. David has always been a student who eagerly seeks challenges as opportunities for growth.Through our sessions, David introduced my 6H and 5H students to Santiago living and his Chilean host family. After our first session, students couldn’t wait for the next and it was no surprise that a few days later no spots were to be had for this summer's trip to Peru. Technology has made this possible so it is to you, mi querida, que te digo, “¡GRACIAS!”

Andrea Ibarz in Binéfar, Spain, skyping with 6H student, Bella Wrobel

Visiting one of the Ibarz’ restaurants and kitchens in Spain. Making the paella we made

Students in 5H speaking to Sandburg alumnus, David Gleisner, studying in Santiago, Chile.

Link to short video clip 1 - speaking to Riddhi Patel, 6H student/video clip 2, speaking to 5H class