Curating Language in the Wild: Social Media as Classroom Text

This institute has been specifically designed for second language teachers who want to meaningfully incorporate social media resources into their teaching. 

Participants will explore how platforms such as Instagram, TikTok, and Threads/Bluesky can serve as rich, dynamic repositories of authentic language use and cultural practices. Special attention is given to understanding how platform search and recommendation algorithms work, so that teachers can intentionally curate feeds and content that align with their linguistic, cultural, and pedagogical goals. The institute additionally emphasizes sustainable strategies for tagging, organizing, and archiving materials for long-term curriculum development. Time will then be spent designing learning activities that use real-world social media posts to develop interpretive, interpersonal, and presentational communication skills across proficiency levels. Through demonstrations, guided practice, and collaborative design, participants will leave with practical workflows and classroom-ready tasks that inspire student engagement and deepen linguistic and intercultural awareness.

Instructor
Amanda Dalola is the Director of the Language Center and an Associate Professor of Linguistics at the University of Minnesota. 

Learn more on the CARLA Summer Institute webpage.