Authors

Karen Acosta, Valdosta State UniversityFollow
Ericka H. Parra Dr, Valdosta State UniversityFollow

Fostering Engagement with VoiceThread in Online Intermediate Spanish Language Classes

Abstract

It is estimated that more than 1.5 billion students have been affected during the course of the global coronavirus pandemic by school and university closures. As a way to navigate this new instructional landscape, the researchers aimed to find a tool that would allow students to develop and practice communicative language skills in their online Spanish classes. In this research study, participants used VoiceThread over the course of a semester and then reflected on their comfort level using communicative skills in Spanish before and after using the tool, as well as whether they perceived that using the platform in their classes helped their language proficiency in the target language, and whether interacting with their peers in Spanish through VoiceThread made the online class experience better. The research findings may be helpful to educators in other contexts, as the tool that the researchers used and the activities that they designed may be compatible with other content, contexts, and class formats.

Bio Note

Dr. Karen Acosta is an Associate Professor of Spanish in the Department of Modern and Classical Languages at Valdosta State University. Her areas of interest include Spanish-English bilingualism and biliteracy, reading comprehension, the integration of technology in the foreign language curriculum, digital literacies, and the development of intercultural understanding.

Dr. Ericka H. Parra is a Spanish Professor at Valdosta State University, Georgia. She writes and teaches about women’s representations of violence, exploring the role of women in different literary genres. She has published several book chapters and academic articles about Latin-American women writers, teaching culture, and global competences.

Recommended Citation

Acosta, Karen and Parra, Ericka H. Dr (2023) "Fostering Engagement with VoiceThread in Online Intermediate Spanish Language Classes," The Coastal Review: An Online Peer-reviewed Journal: Vol. 13: Iss. 1, Article 3.
DOI: 10.20429/cr.2023.130103
Available at: https://digitalcommons.georgiasouthern.edu/thecoastalreview/vol13/iss1/3