Opinion
Curriculum Opinion

Engaging World Language Students Through Social Media

May 10, 2017 5 min read
  • Save to favorites
  • Print

Editor’s Intro: Keeping world language students engaged in their learning can sometimes be a challenge. Kaitlin E. Thomas, a Lecturer of Spanish at Norwich University (VT) and an online Instructor of Spanish for the Johns Hopkins Center for Talented Youth, decided to use social media projects to pique the interest of her students. Here’s what she did.

By guest blogger Kaitlin E. Thomas

Effective integration of instructional technology in learning environments is the unicorn of successful curriculum design and implementation. Yet, one can almost hear the groans during discussions on the benefits of incorporating technology into lesson plans and curricula. Often times the pitch as to what technology could facilitate for learners and educators is aspirational while the actual execution of tech in the classroom is overwhelming, finicky, and unreliable. Indeed, classroom tech setups often appear to be on par with spaceship mission control for the uninitiated.

Why then even bother suggesting an engagement with students in their cyber worlds? For one, social media has become ideal to enhance language learning. For instance, the depth of connective resources (AltLatino, Radio Ambulante, Buzzfeed Spanish, Bien Tasty, etc.) within the peer sharing world means that, as instructors, connecting the dots between the existence, prevalence, and applicability of Spanish in the “real world” is easier than ever before. We can also utilize the realms (Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, etc.) and the lingo (vocabulary, hashtags, and even emojis) most familiar to our students.

This semester I took the leap into incorporating social-media-based technology for my beginner, intermediate, and advanced Spanish language classes. An experiment for sure, but one that with constant monitoring and tweaking confirmed my hypothesis that current iterations of several peer-sharing resources augments the foreign language learning experience. I still do not advocate simply using tech for tech’s sake, but rather using it to support the inclusion of what are already staples of most millennial interactions.

Consider implementing the following peer-sharing tools to enhance foreign language connectivity and application in and outside of the classroom:

Instagram Scavenger Hunt

This is particularly effective for a rural setting where interaction with native speakers and language is limited. The challenge is to replicate as much authenticity and applicability as possible, particularly for beginner and intermediate students.

Instagram’s exclusive focus on image and short video sharing makes it ideal to support pedagogical objectives of connecting students to tangible native speakers. Create an Instagram handle for the class, and design a scavenger hunt of ten to fifteen items, people, or places in the school, related to the language you are teaching. Students must identify them, snap a picture with them, and “post.” They can tag the classroom handle or use a classroom-created hashtag so that the class can track the results.

Students are challenged to physically and creatively identify visible proof that diverse cultures are alive and well in their immediate surroundings, often times in ways and with a depth that they did not previously realize.

Facebook Global Journalism

To up the ante in advanced Spanish reading, writing, and vocabulary acquisition, a semester-long group noticiero (journalism) project proved ideal. I sought to complement the literary and abstract grammar concepts we covered in our textbook with examples of authentic and brief written language in action.

Create a Facebook profile as the course instructor, and from there you have full capability to design and administer a private group, accessible only to you and your immediate students. Provide a list of several reputable online news sites in your target language (for example, in Spanish, I used the New York Times Edición Español, El Huffington Post, CNN en español, El País (España) or El País (América) that students can use to locate an article of interest. Alternate article criteria according to specific countries, regions, or topics of interest, and ask students to post a brief summary and personal reaction to their selected article (they must share the link!). They should comment on at least two of their peers’ posts as well to create a weekly, on-going virtual dialogue about current events, doing so entirely in the target language.

YouTube Cooking Videos and “Two to Tell”

YouTube provides a creative forum for two distinctive purposes in two very different groups: vocabulary at the beginner level and culture at the intermediate.

It is no novel observation that many students thrive in learning environments in which they physically participate. A fresh interpretation of this involved students creating their own two- to three-minute “how to” cooking videos modeled after the prolific Tasty and Bien Tasty. Students should pick a recipe of choice, and work in groups of two to three to create their own culinary tutorials. An optional component once all videos are completed is to have a viewing party during which students decide on which recipe they’d most like to make. Extra credit if they do, following the instructions in the video!

A second YouTube project was modeled after the innovative “Two to Tell” competition, originally created by Professor Emeritus Ana María Wiseman of Wofford College. Students select a cultural topic of their choice to draw together a theme that piqued their interest during the term. My students’ selections spanned everything from salsa to arte callejero with many others in between.

The challenge is to limit the presentations to only six slides consisting of twenty seconds each. Students should use visuals as creatively as possible to serve as a dynamic backdrop to their voice overlay, the result of which is an inventive short film created exclusively by them. As with the cooking videos above, an additional motivation is a “big reveal” party during which peers share their work with each other.

Current iterations of social media and peer-to-peer sharing offer unique opportunities for educators to engage with students within their digital worlds and expose them to the vibrancy of the native language speakers all around them and abroad. All that is needed for innovative foreign language instruction facilitated by the likes of Instagram, Facebook, and YouTube is a bit of ingenuity, enthusiasm, and of course supervision, the results of which will leave you and your students with visual and oral evidence of their linguistic and cultural progress.

*Student safety and privacy are paramount in all of these suggested activities. It was made clear to each and every student that cyber-bullying, unsanctioned sharing, and other inappropriate social media behaviors would not be tolerated in any circumstance, and would result in immediate course dismissal and disciplinary action.

Connect with Heather on Twitter.

Quote image courtesy of Pablo.

The opinions expressed in Global Learning are strictly those of the author(s) and do not reflect the opinions or endorsement of Editorial Projects in Education, or any of its publications.

Events

This content is provided by our sponsor. It is not written by and does not necessarily reflect the views of Education Week's editorial staff.
Sponsor
Assessment Webinar
Reflections on Evidence-Based Grading Practices: What We Learned for Next Year
Get real insights on evidence-based grading from K-12 leaders.
Content provided by Otus
This content is provided by our sponsor. It is not written by and does not necessarily reflect the views of Education Week's editorial staff.
Sponsor
Student Well-Being Webinar
Creating Resilient Schools with a Trauma-Responsive MTSS
Join us to learn how school leaders are building a trauma-responsive MTSS to support students & improve school outcomes.
School & District Management Live Online Discussion A Seat at the Table: We Can’t Engage Students If They Aren’t Here: Strategies to Address the Absenteeism Conundrum
Absenteeism rates are growing fast. Join Peter DeWitt and experts to learn how to re-engage students & families.

EdWeek Top School Jobs

Teacher Jobs
Search over ten thousand teaching jobs nationwide — elementary, middle, high school and more.
View Jobs
Principal Jobs
Find hundreds of jobs for principals, assistant principals, and other school leadership roles.
View Jobs
Administrator Jobs
Over a thousand district-level jobs: superintendents, directors, more.
View Jobs
Support Staff Jobs
Search thousands of jobs, from paraprofessionals to counselors and more.
View Jobs

Read Next

Curriculum What Teachers Are Saying About the Lawsuit Against Lucy Calkins and Fountas and Pinnell
Educators on social media had lots to say about the lawsuit filed against the creators of popular reading programs.
1 min read
Photo of children and teacher with books on floor for reading, learning and teaching. Study, school and woman with kids for storytelling, help and fantasy, language and skill development.
iStock/Getty
Curriculum 7 Curriculum Trends That Defined 2024
From religious-themed mandates to reading to career prep, take a look at what EdWeek covered in curriculum in 2024.
9 min read
Student with books and laptop computer
iStock/Getty
Curriculum Inside a Class Teaching Teens to Stop Scrolling and Think Critically
The course helps students learn to determine what’s true online so they can be more informed citizens.
9 min read
Teacher Brie Wattier leads a 7th and 8th grade social studies class at the Inspired Teaching Demonstration School for a classroom discussion on the credibility of social media posts and AI-generated imagery on Nov. 19, 2024 in Washington, D.C.
Teacher Brie Wattier leads an 8th grade social studies class at the Inspired Teaching Demonstration School for a classroom discussion on the credibility of social media posts and AI-generated imagery on Nov. 19, 2024, in Washington, D.C.
Courtesy of Dylan Singleton/University of Maryland
Curriculum Inside the Effort to Shed Light on Districts' Curriculum Choices
Few states make the information easily searchable.
4 min read
Image of a U.S. map with conceptual data points.
iStock/Getty