SiS Newsletter - March 2010 - Connecting foreing language

Connecting foreign language students with the world

Connecting students and teachers from different countries can be much easier using new technologies. These are some of the possibilities available on internet to find native speakers:

• The ACTFL Online Community: among many other tools it has a networking hub that allows teachers to connect with each other.
• American Association of Teachers of Any Language: allows colleagues to connect through forums and conferences.
• The national K-12 Foreign Language Resource Center: a place to connect with other teachers.
• World Language Teachers Collaborative Sites: a social networking site for groups with common interests.
• Twitter: a quick way to connect with teachers across the globe.
• Pen Pals Without the Pen: a networking site aiming to connect students all around the world.
• Form a Sister-School Partnership: Once you have found the appropriate people you just have to contact them and one of the best ways to do it is Skype, which is cheap and simple. Another useful tool is Voxopop, which is essentially a message board with voices. Another choice to facilitate communication with students around the world is a wikispace.