Retooling Study Abroad: Digital Approaches to Linguistic and Cultural Immersion

Study abroad is the ideal option for world language students to immerse themselves in the target language and culture. However, circumstances beyond control may make travel challenging, evenimpossible. Technology has the potential to engage students and provide an opportunity for linguistic and cultural immersion from home. In addition to immersing students in the target language and culture, Carmen Granda shows that technology can be implemented in all world language courses to foster connections and comparisons and, most importantly, create community in and outside of the classroom. She demonstrates that digital tools have the power to make language learning inclusive of and accessible to all students, fulfilling diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) goals of higher education.

Table of Contents:
List of Figures Acknowledgments Introduction: Immersive Learning with Digital Tools Chapter 1: Recreating Study Abroad through Digital Maps Chapter 2: Teaching Language and Literature through Social Media Chapter 3: Using Telecollaboration to Promote Linguistic and Cultural Proficiency Conclusion: Reverse Culture Shock Appendix Bibliography About the Author

About the Author :
Carmen Granda is senior lecturer of Spanish at Amherst College.

Review :
Digital maps, social media, and virtual exchanges—Carmen Granda masterfully shows how these digital tools can transform the language curriculum. Packed with real examples and backed by science, this must-read guide bridges the gap between the classroom and the digital world, offering a roadmap for instructors and administrators eager to connect language, content, and the unique challenges of studying abroad. Retooling Study Abroad: Digital Approaches to Linguistic and Cultural Immersion is an essential read for educators engaged in study abroad programs or those seeking a deeper understanding of immersive language learning strategies. Granda provides invaluable insights on how to recreate the abroad experience through the use of readily available digital resources such as digital mapping projects, social media platforms, and telecollaboration tools. This book offers a comprehensive guide on harnessing these technologies to recreate the richness of immersion abroad when traveling to the target country is not an option. How can instructors use technology to promote language learning in higher education given the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic? How can we reconceptualize our ideas of study abroad programs and the benefits of them in a world where they are not possible, ethical, or safe? Dr. Carmen Granda, a multidisciplinary scholar, addresses these challenging questions of our times and convincingly argues that instructors in departments of Modern Languages, at all levels, can use technology to “design digital activities that immerse students in the language and culture” when study abroad is not possible or even in preparation for a study abroad program. Basing her reasoning in current practices within the field of Second Language Acquisition, she provides a clear and practical manual of how to implement her ideas along with a generous appendix of activities for instructors to use in their classrooms. Recognizing that the Covid-19 Pandemic has changed the landscape of study abroad and second/foreign language teaching, with long lasting consequences, this book will prove to be a valuable and relevant resource for years to come.