Learning Languages in a Digital World. Selected Papers from the 2007 Central States Conference

The title of this volume, "Learning Languages in the Digital Age," focuses on the integration of technology to promote authentic and interactive communication within and outside the walls of the language classroom. Major innovations have shifted Internet use from a consumer to a participatory model; that is, previously, Internet users were placed in the role of consumers who had access to materials and information (this phase of Internet integration is commonly referred to as Web 1.0). Now Internet users can become producers of resources themselves (Web 2.0 is a term used to describe this shift in Internet use from a consumer model to a participatory model). While traditional consumer and communication applications continue, widespread participation as producers of resources has jumped dramatically. Blogging, podcasting, Wikis, and other forms of democratized media are all examples of applications that promise to challenge traditional systems and roles and to enhance the nature of language teaching and learning. This shift from consumer to producer allows language learners to take a more active role in the learning process, participate in authentic communication and create products that can serve as authentic assessment of language production. This volume provides the theoretical foundation for effective language teaching and learning while providing practical applications for the language classroom. Each of the three sections represents an important aspect of language education designed to promote best practices and to increase student achievement: (1) Embracing Technology: Tools Teachers Can Use to Improve Language Learning; (2) Teacher Education and Professional Development: Agents of Change; and (3) Teaching Culture through Divergent Paths.