TeachTok: Social Media Hacks to Level Up your Language Teaching Game
Amanda Dalola
This institute has been specifically designed for second language teachers who want to familiarize themselves with the implementation and creation of authentic social media activities in the language classroom.
During this institute, participants will take a functional approach to understanding social media and how it can be used in the language classroom. They will begin by familiarizing themselves with each platform’s navigation and features, and see step-by-step demonstrations of how each has been used in language classrooms to raise learners’ linguistic and intercultural awareness. Next, participants will explore current popular social platforms (Twitter/X/Threads, Instagram, TikTok) and identify which aspects of their target language(s) and culture(s) are represented in each one’s ecosystem. Finally, participants will design an authentic social media activity in each platform that targets a relevant aspect of language and/or culture in their target community. Participants will leave the course with three authentic social media activities, a list of online resources containing others, and the confidence to navigate social platforms expertly and independently in search of high-quality target-language content.
This summer institute is co-sponsored by the Language Center at the University of Minnesota.
Target Audience:
This institute is designed for language educators in late elementary through postsecondary levels. It is not suited for teachers of very young children.
Program Schedule
9 a.m.–4 p.m. (Central Time)
Day 1
Microblogging: Tiny Contexts, Big Glow-Ups
- Functionalities of Twitter/X/Threads
- Twitter/X/Threads in the Language Classroom
- Language-Specific Deep Dives
- Design a Microblogging Activity
Day 2
Seen the Scene: Making Invisible Culture #Visible
- Functionalities of Instagram
- Instagram in the Language Classroom
- Language-Specific Deep Dives
- Design a Visual-Centric Activity
Day 3
Duets, Stitches and #fyp: Slaying the Digital Circus
- Functionalities of TikTok
- TikTok in the Language Classroom
- Language-Specific Deep Dives
- Design a Shortform Interactive Video Activity
Instructor
Amanda Dalola is the Director of the Language Center and Associate Professor of Linguistics at the University of Minnesota. Her current research projects include the production, perception, and digital media renderings of sociophonetic variables and speech styles in French and Korean, the use of social media applications in the language learning classroom, and the use of translanguaging and open educational resources as open educational practices.
This workshop was exactly what I had hoped. The instructor provided an in-depth look at three social media platforms and multiple examples of how to use them in the language classroom. We were provided time to explore and ask questions. Everything we covered was specific to our own potential uses, which was refreshing. —Aroline Seibert Hanson, 2024 institute participant
*IMPORTANT NOTES FOR THIS SYNCHRONOUS ONLINE INSTITUTE:
- This 3-day synchronous online institute will run from 9 a.m.–4 p.m. (Central Time). The schedule includes many synchronous (real-time) presentations, group/partner work, and activities throughout the day. It also includes some off-screen time for independent work and a break for lunch each day.
- You must be available to participate for the entire day Tuesday–Thursday as all activities build on each other.
- Make sure you can meet the tech requirements for this institute.