L2DL & AZCALL

Symposium Program

As new technology-mediated forms of interaction, learning, and meaning making have increasingly become integrated into all domains of life, from everyday to academic, foreign language educators and researchers have embraced the concept of Digital Literacies to frame new understandings and pedagogies. At the same time, the field of CALL (Computer-assisted Language Learning) has also evolved to consider new technologies as tutors, tools, environments, and ecologies for language learning. Theoretical, methodological, and pedagogical practices have differed, even as goals align.

Building on the successes of the 2014 symposium, 2016’s L2DL symposium, Digital Literacies and Technology-Enhanced Language Learning: Interdisciplinary Intersections and Interactions, was co-convened with AZ-CALL, a conference that brings together CALL researchers and practitioners from across the region. The joint symposium was sponsored by CERCLL (the Center for Educational Resources in Culture, Language and Literacy) and a grant from the U.S. Department of Education, with support from various units at the University of Arizona and Arizona State University.

Format and Schedule

The symposium began on September 30, 2016, with a plenary presentation by Shelley Staples (University of Arizona). Abstracts for digital presentations were submitted in the summer and accepted presentations were hosted online during the week of October 3 – October 8, with asynchronous fora (discussion threads) allowing for question-and-answer for that entire week, and some of the presenters conducting synchronous chat at designated times as well. On October 8 live webcast and in-person events included keynotes by Heather Lotherington of York University and Steve Thorne of Portland State University/University of Groningen; a panel presented by Joshua Thoms (Utah State University), Jill Castek (University of Arizona), and William Crawford (Northern Arizona University); and other presentations. See the invited speakers page for abstracts for these presentations, and the complete schedule for the symposium here.