After this busy spring semester, many of the staff here at the Language Center will be engaging in some important life transitions! We want to highlight some of these milestones and accomplishments by congratulating the following staff members:

Jennifer Boe, Classroom Support and Assistant Main Office Coordinator is graduating at the end of the summer with a Master's in Teaching ESL (English as a Second Language). Jenny's research topic is on sense of belonging in first generations students at the University of Minnesota.

Kowsar Khuriye, Multimedia Lab Attendant, will be graduating at the end of this summer with a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology with a minor in Public Health.

Meghan McFadden, Classroom Support Coordinator, is currently in the Second Languages and Cultures Masters of Education department and will be obtaining a Minnesota Teaching License for K-12 French and K-12 ESL in June.

Saoirse McMahon, Main Office Assistant and Elsie Speaks Editor, recently became a U.S. citizen. Her naturalization ceremony took place on March 25.

Francisco Salinas Vega, World Languages Day Assistant, is graduating this semester with a Bachelor of Science in Applied Economics, along with a minor in Spanish. He also recently became a U.S. citizen. His naturalization ceremony was on April 19.

Jessica Troyan, Classroom Support staff, will be studying abroad this summer for two months in Toledo, Spain. She is currently a sophomore.

Caroline Vang, Classroom Support Coordinator, will be graduating with a Master's from the Second Language Studies Department in teaching ESL. Her current paper is about the function of Japanese bilingualism for Japanese-American heritage speakers and how it relates to Japanese-American identity.

Congratulations, everyone!

Did you know that the Language Center employs approximately twice as many undergraduate student staff as continuing non-student staff? Our undergraduate student staff provide primary assistance to students and instructors in public areas like the Main Office and Multimedia Lab, and also provide support to smaller teams like the Dev Studio and TandemPlus. The Language Center could not run without our dedicated and skilled undergraduate team members.

The Student Employee Leadership Program (SELP) provides an opportunity to recognize student employees who go above and beyond expectations in their work at the university through the annual SELPie awards for Outstanding Student Employees. The 2013 winners from the Language Center are:

• Abdulkarim Maalin: Testing Assistant and Somali LPE Developer
• Francisco Salinas Vega: World Language Day Assistant
• Jessica Troyan: Classroom Support Lead Student
• Henry Wahl: Main Office Lead Student
• Alaina Witt: Dev Studio Assistant and AV Developer

World Languages Day 2013 is just around the corner. You can check classes that are now available on the World Languages Day website. There is a selection of 41 classes this year, in 20 different languages. The courses are diverse and vary in themes. A virtual 360 degree tour of Vienna is featured in a German course titled A Virtual Walk Through Vienna. Students can play a fun quiz game about Swedish pop culture and find out surprising facts in Sweden: From Viking Raids to Rap Music. For a quick crash-course in Korean, there is Korean Alphabet in 40 Minutes.

Other courses focus on the influence of many different cultures in one language or country. The class "Parlez-vouz franglais ? Frenglish through the Ages" can satisfy student's curiosity about the origin of English and French words in each language. Students can learn about social and cultural issues related to U.S. Latino groups in United States Latino Theater: Human and Civil Rights.

Extended sessions will also be offered again this year for students wanting to learn about college, in So You Want to be a Millionaire: How Preparing for College Can Help!, Where in the World Will U Go? Study Abroad as a College Student, and U of M Admissions: The Inside Scoop... And there are many more exciting courses featured on the site!

• The 2013 Application of Interest went live on Monday January 14. See Elsie Speaks for information on how schools can apply to attend WLD and a summary of the May 21 event.
• WLD is now on Twitter! Follow the event at http://twitter.com/umnwld.
• Thank you to the development team for the recent updates to the website. Best wishes to Boon Xiong, our excellent student programmer who is leaving his position to focus on academics.

World Language Day (WLD) planning continues to go forward and beginning January 14, 2013 high school teachers will have the opportunity to register their interest by submitting an Application of Interest to attend the tenth annual event.

WLD is an opportunity for Minnesota high school students to explore some of the languages and cultures of the world and to experience academics at the University of Minnesota. This year, the event is intended for sophomore-level language classes and all students in those classes may attend, even if they are not sophomores. Teachers, counselors and parents are also invited to attend.

There is no cost to attend and the feedback provided last year by attendees was enthusiastically positive.

The event is scheduled for Tuesday, May 21, 2013. This year, the itinerary has changed to ensure that all students are able to register for three language and culture classes. We are offering a Standard Schedule, which includes three language and culture classes and an Extended Schedule, which includes three language and culture classes, along with the choice of an additional informational class.

STANDARD SCHEDULE

9:20 - 9:50 AM Check in, Breakfast
10:00 - 10:25 AM Welcoming Remarks
10:35 - 11:15 AM First Class
11:25 AM - 12:05 PM Second Class
12:15 - 12:55 PM Third Class

EXTENDED SCHEDULE

8:30 - 9:00 AM Check in, Breakfast
9:10 - 9:40 AM Welcoming Remarks
9:45 - 10:25 AM Informational Class
10:35 - 11:15 AM First Class
11:25 AM - 12:05 PM Second Class
12:15 - 12:55 PM Third Class

The three informational classes to choose from are:

• So You Want to Be A Millionaire: How Preparing for College Can Help!
• U of M Admissions: The Inside Scoop
• Where in the World will U Go? Study Abroad as a College Student

Between Jan. 14 and Jan. 31, 2013, teachers will have the opportunity to submit an Application of Interest, which is the first step toward bringing a group of students to the event. The application will be available at the WLD website.

Teachers who have not received an email with the username and password may request this information by signing up for the WLD email list.

Shortly after January 31, the planning committee will review all applications and invite teachers representing a total of 850 students. If more teachers submit applications than the event can accommodate, the planning committee will select which groups to invite. The goal will be to bring as much geographic, linguistic, and cultural diversity to the event as possible. The committee will also consider the teacher's reason for wishing to bring their group to the event. Any groups that we are not initially able to accommodate will be placed on a wait list.

The Language Center and the WLD planning committee are excited about offering this event again and hope to see a mix of new and returning schools on May 21, 2013. Please see the WLD site for updates on the event.

Have a favorite non-English language song? Now's your chance to share it! The World Languages Day team is currently working on an international music playlist for the event. Music will play while students are waiting for the welcoming remarks and at other transitional times. We are looking for songs that are in a second language, and are modern, upbeat, interesting and relatively short (less than five minutes). The lyrics should be in a language other than English and appropriate for high school students. In particular, we are looking for additional song suggestions for Arabic, Dutch, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Norwegian and Russian, but all ideas will be considered. Please email wld@umn.edu with the name of the song, artist, language and purchasing information. All songs must be available for digital purchase in the United States.

For the 10th annual event, World Languages Day will return to the East Bank of the University Of Minnesota Twin Cities campus, after two years on the West Bank. High school students will take classes in the recently renovated Folwell, Jones and Nicholson classrooms, as well as the beautiful Bell Museum!

On Tuesday, May 21st, 2013 approximately 850 high school sophomores will come to campus to take three short classes on a variety of language and culture topics. Since the event was last held on the East Bank in 2010, Folwell has undergone a complete interior renovation, and most of the Jones Hall computer classrooms have been updated.

Breakfast and check in materials will be distributed outdoors, and welcoming remarks will be spread across several classrooms for a more personal and interactive experience for students.

The other big change is that all students will register for three interactive language and culture classes with 25 to 35 to students in each class. We will not offer larger informational classes as one of the options for the three classes. Schools interested in informational topics, such as admissions, college readiness and learning abroad can register for an additional class scheduled before the first language and culture class. This will allow all students to sample up to three languages, while retaining access to useful information related preparing and applying for college, and getting the most out of the college experience.

Students that do not attend the optional information class will have a shorter day, and a later start time. Students whose teacher has selected an optional class will have an extended day and attend a total of four classes.

The World Languages Day team is currently working on an international music playlist to play during periods of time when students are waiting. If you have a favorite modern, upbeat, non-English language song, please email your suggestion to wld@umn.edu.

More information about the 2013 event will be available on our website later this fall.

Please welcome the new World Languages Day student assistant: Francisco Salinas Vega. He is a senior majoring in Applied Economics. He is also a native Spanish speaker born in Queretaro Mexico. Francisco believes that learning a new language provides a person with different perspectives, and he has experience with event planning and outreach to the Latino community.

As an update on our previous assistants: Bethany Schowengerdt completed her BA in Global Studies and French, and a minor in Teaching English as a Second Language. Over the summer she taught ESL and worked for AFS, a cultural exchange organization. She is currently preparing for her Fulbright English Teaching Assistant (ETA) grant to travel to Rwanda.

Rachel Faynik Marbell completed her MA in International Education this past May. She is now working as the France Programs Coordinator at Intercultural Student Experiences, a non-profit educational organization that helps high school language teachers plan short-term immersion programs abroad with their students. She is still involved with the University of Minnesota through her position as the Assistant Coach of the Hockey Cheerleading Team.

A big thank you to everyone who taught, provided staff support, or assisted in any way with World Languages Day on May 15, 2012. The feedback we have received so far from students and teachers has been extremely positive. They appreciated the educational opportunity, learned something new, and had a lot of fun.

This event is successful because of our instructors, staff and volunteers. It is a broad group effort, and we could not pull this event off without the support of multiple colleges and units, including CLA, GPS Alliance, CCE, CEHD, Admissions, Facilities Management and more.

A full list of instructors and volunteers is below. Some of the individuals I would particularly highlight include:

The core World Languages Day work team:
Rachel Faynik Marbell, Bethany Schowengerdt, Jenny Boe, Diane Rackowski and Boon Xiong

Rachel left the project mid-year, but worked hard on it through January, and was instrumental in its success. In many ways, it remained her event, even though she was only present on May 15 in spirit. Bethany took over from Rachel, and worked very efficiently and enthusiastically, even recruiting many of our instructors and volunteers from her academic program, and even her own family. Jenny served as the primary manager of volunteers. Diane and Boon worked on the event almost year round by maintaining the complicated registration system.

Our tech support leaders and key problem solvers:
Diane Rackowski, Catherine Clements, Ross Gebelin, Marlene Johnshoy, Jenise Rowekamp and Luis Ramos-Garcia

Our volunteer instructors from the community:
All instructors volunteered their time and energy to plan and teach their classes. Most instructors had an affiliation with the U of M, either as an employee or as a graduate student. A growing number of WLD instructors are affiliated with the university, but not currently with department that teaches the language they shared at the event.

However, the following instructors participated, despite not having any official affiliation with the university. They volunteered simply because they believe in second language education and K-12 outreach. The fellow U of M who recruited and supported them are also noted:

Marlene Milesi: Co-instructor of Les Delices de France: Learn to Eat (and Speak) like the French. She was recruited by her co-instructor Lydia Belatèche.

Sigga Gudmundsdottir: Instructor of Eyjafjallajokull: Don't fear the word, fear the volcano! She was recruited by fellow Icelander Thorunn Bjarnadottir, who taught an ISSS class.

Jonathan Townsend, Miguel Hurtado and Russell Packard: Co-instructors and musicians for Afro Cuban Music. They were all recruited by fellow instructor and musician, Gabriela Sweet.

Here is (I hope) a list of everyone who volunteered to teach or provide support on May 15:

Instructors: Said S. Ahmed, Lydia Belateche, Nels Berge, Sara Bianco, Jim Bierma, Thorunn Bjarnadottir, Yunseong Cheon, Juliette Cherbuliez, Hangtae Cho, Thuy Doan, Kait Dougherty, Chantal Figueroa, Satty Flaherty-Echeverria, Monica Frahm, Sigga Gudmundsdottir, E. Haven Hawley, Mary Hermes, Ari Hoptman, Cynthia Hornbeck, Miguel Hurtado, Daniel Karvonen, Beth Kautz, Keiko Kawakami, Sara Khanzadi, Sean Killackey, Natalia Krasnobayev, Juavah Lee, Eric Leinen, Qijie Li, Jacqueline Listemaa, Sara MacKenzie, Frances Matos-Schultz, Molly Micheels, Marlene Milesi, Patricia Mougel, Avrora Moussorlieva, Alphonce Nicholaus, Jenneke Oosterhoff, Russell Packard, Barbara Pierre Louis, Kathy Rider, DeeAnn Sime, Dan Soneson, Gabriela Sweet, Kenichi Tazawa, Danielle Tisinger, Jonathan Townsend, Rick Treece, Sarah Tschida, Ulrike Tschirner, Toke van Gehuchten, Ishaa Vintinner, Emelee Volden, Ling Wang, Betsy Warner, Sondes Wooldridge, Ellen Wormwood, Xinyi Wu, Hanna Zmijewska-Emerson, Zhen Zou

Welcoming Remarks Presenters: Evelyn Davidheiser, Yer Her

Staff and Volunteers: Linda Andrean, Katie Ask, Fatima Babu, Clare Beer, Jordan Bengston, Will Benton, Liri Berglund, Jenny Boe, Catherine Clements, Ingrid Cook, Naomi Crocker, Danielle Dadras, Elizabeth Dillard, Eva Dixon, Andrew Ensign, Gwen Evans, Ross Gebelein, Andre Gordillo, Mackenzie Haws, Yer Her, Phil Hanley, Mohamed Hussein, Louis Janus, Marlene Johnshoy, Richiko Kamata, Jeonggyun Kang, Nick Keller, Kaishan Kong, Deborah LeClaire, Kate Martin, Anise McDowell, Saoirse McMahon, Jesse Millard, Trang Nguyen, Kaoru Nunn, Cheryl Oulicky, Meghann Peace, Joanne Peltonen, Liza Pierre, Diane Rackowski, Luis Ramos-Garcia, Jenise Rowekamp, Bethany Schowengerdt, Robyn Schowengerdt (and the rest of the Schowengerdt family), Ashley Rose Steinhauser, Zach Stern, Allison Suhan, Ian Taylor, Gebisa Urgessa, Henry Wahl, Willie Wong, Xue Xiong, Dongming Yang, Soa Yang, Brian Zarate, Siwei Zhao

We haven't yet discussed the possibility of offering World Languages Day 2013, but if we do it will be our (drumroll) 10th annual event! We would welcome any ideas about how to shake things up, and find new ways to engage students in lifelong language and culture learning!

The West Bank was a scene of bustling activity on May 15th this year. Volunteers arrived early (early by the "real world" definition as well as the college one) to set up for the 1100 high school students who would soon be arriving for World Languages Day. I passed them several times greeting the students with schedules, maps, breakfast, and a smile. While weaving in and out of the groups of students in line for their croissants and coffee, I was pleasantly surprised by their energy and that of the volunteers patiently directing them.

For many students, World Languages Day is probably just another field trip. I was hoping that for some, it would be a time for a "light bulb" moment and give them a minute's inspiration to continue their language learning. But there was not much time to muse about this, as I got a call that more buses were arriving and creatively deciding on new drop locations.

Soon, it was time for welcoming remarks by Yer Her, a student ambassador, and Evelyn Davidheiser, director of the Institute for Global Studies and then off to classes for the first group of students. While in previous years of World Languages Day, I had the opportunity to sit in and do small tasks in the actual classes, this year of World Languages Day was my chance to see the workings outside of the classes that make them possible. It was passing smiling Stephanie Treat, the World Languages Day coordinator umpteen times in the halls as she was on her way to a new mission and waving to instructors I know. It was greeting my co-workers from the Language Center and volunteers, as they busily guided students, moved materials, solved technical difficulties in the classrooms, and kept some of the more spirited high schoolers in check. Months of planning made for a smooth World Languages Day, with over 50 classes in a variety of languages and cultures. But every year, as World Languages Day staff can tell you, comes with its individual challenges and successes.

Between waving my arms in the parking lot to direct traffic, checking in with everyone, and navigating students, I did have a few moments to peak into some classes. Then, riiinnngg, the pizza arrived! Lunch was one of the highlights of my World Languages Day, as I had the chance to thank instructors and volunteers, and chat with them to see how their various tasks and classes went. While walking between buildings during the clean-up phase, the high school students, their teachers, and chaperones were enjoying the beautiful sunshine and lunch. After picking up and of course flipping through some of the surveys, I saw a few typical teenage responses, a blank form with checks by appropriate boxes. However, a spin on this typical response caught me by surprise in my search for comments. One student had made a box next to the "very good", checked it, and wrote "amazing" underneath. Yes, despite all the running, all the planning, the unexpected downfalls and triumphs that come with any event, I think we can call World Languages Day 2012 a great day. Thank you to all of the staff and volunteers that made WLD not just possible, but fantastic!

This year's World Languages Day will feature sustainability-themed content courses for French, German and Spanish. The three classes are taught in the target language, and the classes are based on content recently developed for U of M language courses. See Elsie Speaks for more information on the university courses.

The World Languages Day courses are:

• French: Water Conservation and Ecology taught by Patricia Mougel


• German: Green Germany taught by Beth Kautz


• Spanish: Sustainability, Insects and Spanish taught by Frances Matos-Schultz

These classes will give high school students an opportunity to participate in a science-based content course taught in a second language.

These courses are highlighted on our 2012 poster, designed by Paul Fosaaen, our Multimedia Lab Lead Student, who is graduating at the end of this semester. Congratulations Paul!

In addition to designing the WLD poster, Paul is the artist of Mi Casta Su Casta, a piece hung in the Multimedia Lab.

Bethany Schowengerdt, TandemPlus and World Languages Day Assistant, has been awarded a Fulbright English Teaching Assistant (ETA) grant to travel to Rwanda. From January to September 2013, she will serve as a teaching assistant at a university in Rwanda and also do volunteer work.

Bethany is graduating at the end of Spring 2012 with a double-major in Global Studies and French, and a minor in Teaching English as a Second Language. Her areas of concentration are Africa and the International Political Economy. While an undergraduate at the U of M, Bethany participated in a study abroad program in Senegal, and also served an internship at BestPrep, a non-profit that facilitates guest speaker presentations and an email exchange between high school students and business professionals.

We will always remember Bethany for her friendliness, positive energy, willingness to take on any task, and her commitment to second language education and student support. We wish her the best in her latest international endeavor!

Registration for World Languages Day is almost complete, and we are pleased to welcome the following high schools to the event on May 15: Apple Valley, Austin, Blaine, Coon Rapids, Creative Arts, Floodwood, Melrose, Pine Island, Robbinsdale Cooper, Moose Lake, Prior Lake, South, St. Louis Park, Waconia and White Bear North.

Most students coming to the event study French, German or Spanish. There are also a few ESL, Hebrew and Japanese students expected, and some students are currently in advanced-placement or immersion programs.

Over 1000 students will be on campus for the event. You can see a list of classes at worldlang.cla.umn.edu.

Student registration for World Languages Day 2012 opened on Monday, April 9. Students from a variety of schools have started registering. So far, the most in-demand classes include perennial favorites like: Origami: The Japanese Art of Paper Folding, Survival Finnish, Les Délices de France and Introduction to Italian, as well as new classes like Afro-Caribbean Music, A Short and Fun Trip to China and Dancing with Differences (offered by ISSS).

You can check out the class list at the WLD website.

While University of Minnesota students and faculty are counting down to various deadlines and the end of the semester, the World Languages Day planning committee continues the count-down to World Languages Day, and we can't wait! The event is scheduled for Tuesday, May 15, just two months away. We expect to draw over 1000 high school sophomores to campus.

This year, we are happy to see returning high schools from last year, from the Twin Cities metro area, as well as the northern, southern, and central areas of Minnesota. We also welcome new schools or schools that participated prior to 2011 representing a wide range of cities and town in Minnesota.

New teachers and students are in for a treat. Returnees will recognize perennial favorites on the course list, and will once again be able to learn traditional Hmong dance, greet each other in Italian, and play American Idol in German - and that's just the a small sampling of the offerings!

Reading over the course list is like flipping through a virtual travel catalogue, one that sparks cultural inquiry. Students can take Arabic Language and Culture: a Trip to Tunisia, Excursion Brazil, and A Virtual Walk through Vienna, all without leaving the U of M campus. For students who do want to leave campus, information on travel all over the world will be offered in three study abroad information sessions.

New this year will be the sounds of Afro-Cuban Music, a Spanish course which will include special musical guests. Experiencing the Chinese Language takes students on a journey through thousands of years of history. Classes such as the debut of From Atheists to Libertines: French Philosophy and the Limits of the Imagination challenge our assumptions in learning about other cultures and places, and the people we meet along the way.

There is also a cross-curriculum focus on sustainability offered this year: Water Conservation and Ecology (French), Sustainability, Insects, and Spanish, as well as Green Germany, each taught in the target language. Students will have the chance to apply their knowledge of science and the economy to their language studies in these different cultural contexts.

Take a look at our online course list for both new and proven ways to stretch imagination, broaden cultural knowledge, and express yourself in 23 different languages offered at World Languages Day this May.

In the meantime, the planning continues! Look out for more information on registration coming soon. You can view the class list, and learn more about the event at our website.

World Languages Day begins accepting Applications of Interest on January 17th, 2012!

What is an Application of Interest and why do we require it? Read on!

The origins of a fun language and culture event:
Interest from high school teachers to bring their students to attending World Languages Day has been growing ever since the event debuted in 2004. On the day of the event, approximately 1000 high school students visit the University of Minnesota campus to take three mini-courses on foreign language-related topics. Most of the courses are introductory and interactive and help get participants excited about continuing their study of a current language, or learning a new language.

Overwhelming popularity:
In 2009, after 1600 students enrolled for an event intended for 1000 students, we decided that we needed a new registration system. In 2010, we debuted the Application of Interest, along with a two-step registration process.

Organizing enrollment:
This January, interested teachers are invited to submit an Application of Interest to bring their students to attend the 2012 event. This application includes a short summary of the reasons they wish to bring their group to the event. If more teachers submit applications than we can accommodate, the planning committee selects which groups to invite. The goal is to bring as much geographic, linguistic and cultural diversity to the event as possible. We also give priority to schools who are underrepresented at the U of M and we place emphasis on sophomore-level classes, to ensure that we are reaching the best possible audience. Any groups that we are not initially able to accommodate are placed on a waiting list, and we are often able to invite some schools from the wait list.

In addition to the approximately 1000 students who attend the event in person, we will also accommodate some schools who wish to attend the event virtually and participate in interactive online classes.

This year's event is scheduled for May 15, 2012 and we will be accepting Applications of Interest from January 17 through January 31, 2012 at http://worldlang.cla.umn.edu/.

High school teachers on our email list have received a user name and password for the Application of Interest, and the application link will go live on Tuesday, January 17.

For more information about the event, please visit our website: worldlang.cla.umn.edu
or contact Stephanie Treat at treat002@umn.edu.

Planning for the 9th annual World Languages Day is underway! The date is set for Tuesday, May 15th, 2012 and, similar to last year, the event will take place on the West Bank of the University of Minnesota campus.

World Languages Day is an opportunity for Minnesota high school students to explore some of the languages and cultures of the world and to experience life at the University of Minnesota. The event is intended for sophomore-level language classes, although other high school students are invited to attend, as well as teachers, counselors and parents.

This year we hope to once again offer the option of virtual attendance. Once we get a better idea of what the interest and expectation will be, we hope to create a virtual experience that will be enriching to high schools who are unable to attend the event in person.

We also hope to offer some new courses this year and we are always open to ideas, so please let us know if you have a suggestion for a new class on language or culture or if you would like to recommend a potential instructor. We are hoping to find an instructor to teach Hindi, Hebrew and a Native American language, since these subjects had to be dropped last year. We plan to offer a new panel class, which will focus on what college life and language study is like. Student ambassadors will lead the panel and allow high school students to ask questions that are relevant to them.

Interested in learning more? Read this summary of the 2011 event or visit the World Languages Day website.

Want proof of how much high school students enjoy World Languages Day?
This student, who attended the 2011 event, painted each of her fingernails as a different flag of the world!

Over the past year, a Green German project has sprouted and continues to grow. A four-person team, including a faculty member, an instructor, one undergraduate and one graduate student has developed course materials for 3xxx-level German courses, and learning modules for high school German classes.

In Spring 2012, Dr. Charlotte Melin will offer a new German-language course Contemporary Germany: Food, Energy, Politics, that students can use towards the completion of a Minor in Sustainability Studies as well as a Major or Minor in German.

Beth Kautz, Director of Language Instruction in GSD and liaison to the CLA Language Center, piloted some of this course content at World Languages Day (WLD) on May 17, 2011, with a short Green Germany class for high school students. German students from Lincoln High, in Thief River Falls, Minnesota attended this course virtually through AdobeConnect. The class was offered three times, and for two of the class periods, only virtual students attended but one class was a mix of 50% virtual students, and 50% in-person students (not from Lincoln).

By offering this course at WLD before the U of M credit-course is offered, Beth was able to acquire feedback from the students on their engagement with the material, as well as feedback on the effectiveness of the virtual course teaching methodology. The students' reactions to this course will be extremely beneficial for the continuing development of the Green German course curriculum.

I asked Beth to further explain the project, how planning and teaching a class virtually was different from teaching in a traditional classroom setting, and what she gained from this virtual teaching experience.

How did the idea for a class focused on the environment and sustainability develop?

There are three factors that came together. First of all, there was a personal interest on the part of Dr. Melin and myself in topics related to the environment and sustainability. Secondly, the topic is and has been very important culturally, politically and economically in Germany for decades. Finally, this type of course is a step toward offering more courses at the university that integrate foreign languages and cultures into various disciplines and content areas, a program known as FLAC (Foreign Languages Across the Curriculum).

How will a knowledge of the German language benefit those who wish to pursue a career in environmental science and sustainability studies

Germany is a world leader in research, development and use of renewable energies, including solar, wind and bio-mass power. There also are German architectural firms that consult all over the world on urban planning and design. Our students can help bring that knowledge to American companies and communities investing in green technologies and sustainability initiatives at the local, regional and national level.

How is the process of planning a virtual class different from planning a regular class?

By far the most difficult aspect is structuring opportunities to get feedback from the virtual participants. In a face-to-face classroom environment, I really heavily on visual cues and body language to gauge how well my students understand me or the task I have asked them to complete. When I see that students need help, I can walk over to them and address their concerns verbally with the support of gestures. In the virtual classroom, I made use of "polls," similar to a clicker-response system and group responses on the virtual whiteboard to get feedback from students.

How did you engage the virtual students, and insure that they didn't feel they were simply on the receiving end of a lecture?

In this virtual course, all the participants were together in one classroom in Thief River Falls along with their regular German teacher. I was the only one physically separated from the larger group. For several activities, I introduced a short video clip and discussion questions, which they then watched and discussed in small groups face-to-face in their classroom. After 10 minutes, we established contact again and they shared their insights with me and the whole group through a multiple-choice poll or written text on the group whiteboard.

What did you learn from this experience that will inform the development of the German credit course?

In the virtual class I taught, I used a variety of authentic German materials from the internet. These online materials are extremely helpful not only in explaining the basic concepts of sustainability, but also provide a very rich cultural context for exploring how concerns about food safety, the maintenance of nuclear power plants, the preservation of urban green-spaces, etc. play themselves out throughout society. As our project has progressed, we have continued to compile an extensive set of web links to videos, websites, images and interviews for 15 different learning modules. Through Title VI funding from CARLA, these materials also will be available to high school and university instructors throughout the country.

What piece of advice would you give an instructor interested in planning a virtual or hybrid class?

Keep your learning objectives at the forefront of your lesson planning. Ask yourself the same questions you would when planning any lesson: "What should students know or be able to do at the end of the lesson?" "How will I know that they learned it?" "What kind of support, information and instructions to students need before, during and after to successfully complete the task?" Then you need to think about which online tools best facilitate each of the those activities. In general, it requires more advance planning and preparation so that all the resources are available to students online and instructions are clearly understood without additional verbal explanation.

Thank you to Teran Pederson-Linn, recent CLA graduate and former Language Center staff member, for her work on this article.

For more information on World Languages Day, see this summary of the 2011 event.

Lindsey Lahr has produced alternate versions of the WLD welcome video at the request of Discover CLA.

A full-length video was re-cut to eliminate references to WLD, so that it could be used to promote language-learning at the U of M in general:
http://mediamill.cla.umn.edu/mediamill/embedqt/115026

In addition, three short videos were produced that highlight unique language learning opportunities available at the university:

Living and Learning Communities:
http://mediamill.cla.umn.edu/mediamill/embedqt/114996

TandemPlus:
http://mediamill.cla.umn.edu/mediamill/embedqt/114998

Learning Abroad:
http://mediamill.cla.umn.edu/mediamill/embedqt/114999

You can view the original video here:
http://mediamill.cla.umn.edu/mediamill/embedqt/113945

World Languages Day (WLD) was featured in the last-week's issue of This Week @Minnesota. The report features great footage of Kenichi Tazawa's class, Origami: The Japanese Art of Paper Folding.

You can view the entire video of This Week @Minnesota video here. The WLD section begins after 40 seconds.

A small correction to the report: there were actually over a thousand students present on the day, but not thousands. However, if you look at the event cumulatively over the years, thousands is correct.

Minnesota Public Radio covered the story as well.

This year's World Languages Day (WLD) took place on Tuesday, May 17th, 2011. The event was a great success, and very engaging for high school students.

This was the eighth annual event, and probably the most innovative since 2004.

Changes for this year included:

• A compressed time frame, with five class hours instead of four.


• A move to the West Bank. This change was necessitated by the absence of Northrop and Folwell, but we found the West Bank to be a convenient and accessible location.


• A new option for students to attend virtually. Lincoln High in Thief River Falls was our pilot school, and three German classes from that school attended virtually. Beth Kautz debuted her new "Green Germany" class to this group.


• An internally-developed welcome video directed by Lindsey Lahr, and featuring U of M language students. This video was played to enhance the live welcoming remarks, and serve as the primary welcome for students attending virtually.

You can view the video created for the Welcoming Remarks at:

• Large Instant Play Link


• Very Large Instant Play Link


• Flash Instant Play Link

Over 1000 high school students from a variety of diverse, metro public schools and several far out-state schools attended the event, along with some teachers, counselors and parents.

You can see a full list of classes, and the faculty, P&A, and graduate instructors who volunteered their time to teach at the World Languages Day site.

WLD is a collaborative effort between instructors, staff and students in several colleges and units including, but not limited to, CLA, OIP, CCE and Admissions. In all, about 120 people were on the West Bank helping in some capacity and we want to extend a huge thank you to all of our wonderful instructors, staff, volunteers and video talent, who contributed their time, energy and talent to the event.

WLD is scheduled for Tuesday, May 17, and we are expecting approximately 1000 Minnesota high school students, including approximately 70 virtual attendees. Registration will open in two weeks, and the class list is available at http://worldlang.cla.umn.edu/. We are offering several new classes this year including Arabic Culture and Language: A Trip to Tunisia, An Easy Way to Learn Chinese Tones, Green Germany, Introduction to Icelandic, Latin Music, Dance and Food, and Fútbol is Played with the Feet!. A big thank you to all instructors who have agreed to teach this year!

The Language Center is starting a new audio podcast series titled Conversations in the Language Center. We will be presenting and discussing a variety of topics revolving around the Language Center including technology in the foreign language curriculum, languages across the curriculum, opportunities for speaking languages with partners from other cultures, and initiatives of the Language Center highlighting center staff and programs.

Our first episode focuses on World Languages Day, which this year is May 18th. Listen to these conversations:

• Stephanie Treat the World Languages Day Coordinator interviewed by Zhen Zou, Educational Specialist at the Language Center on WLD planning


• Rick Treece, a past instructor on World Languages Day, talking with the Language Center's Technical Coordinator, Diane Rackowski


• Teran Pederson, a current University student who is working on planning WLD this year and is a past student participant talking to the Language Center's IT Fellow, Lindsey Lahr

Stay tuned as Alyssa Ruesch tells us about the latest news and events at the Language Center. This podcast is hosted by the Language Center Director, Dan Soneson.

In my high school French class, hearing English spoken by the instructor was an unmistakable sign of important news. Naturally, my studious tenth-grade self stopped packing up my materials and paid attention to the announcement. "We have been invited to attend World Languages Day at the University of Minnesota in a few weeks. This is a great opportunity for you all to not only experience languages other than French, but to earn a little bit of extra credit as well." These were the only words spoken in English we had heard in the past 55 minutes and, at least to me, some of the best spoken all day.

The opportunity to leave my humble town of 80,000 people to venture into Minneapolis was not something to be turned down. Little did I know that what I thought to be a chance to get out of town (and class) for a day would be the catalyst that helped me to realize experiences in life of which I wanted to be a part.

My initial introduction to the University of Minnesota left me in awe. My first memorable impression of the campus was of the giant "M" fused into the floor at the entrance to Coffman Union. I felt instantly connected to the campus due to the fact that the maroon and gold of the "M" were my high school's colors as well as the university's. After being formally welcomed by staff in the Great Hall, my classmates and I participated in a short tour of campus as we were guided to the Knoll area. I remember walking through the Mall staring up at Northrop and thinking how magnificent and collegiate it seemed. I was immediately intrigued. Once we reached our destination, majestic Folwell Hall, I knew that this was the university that I needed to attend. Solely based on my observations of the campus, I was fully convinced of the possibilities and opportunities the university offered before I even entered a classroom.

The classes I participated in throughout World Languages Day only solidified my interest in attending actual classes at the U of M. The language classes were fun, engaging, and different from any of the French classes I had taken at my high school. I was introduced to Latin playwrights, the Greek alphabet, and Italian greetings and phrases. Not only was I learning about the different languages, but I was introduced to the culture behind the languages as well. This was a welcome substitution for the usual grammar and vocabulary I would have otherwise been learning that day.

The Italian class had an especially significant impact on me and my college career. After applying and being accepted to the U, I was faced with the decision of choosing a foreign language to study. I recalled my time spent at World Languages Day and remembered how much fun I had had learning greetings, the correct pronunciation of gnocchi, and a few of the vast amount of hand gestures used by Italians. Having some background knowledge of the language from participating in World Languages Day helped me choose Italian to fulfill my foreign-language requirement.

Attending the Italian classes offered at the U has led me to pursue a minor in Italian in conjunction with my major in English and to study abroad for a summer in Lecce, Italy. All of these experiences which essentially resulted from attending World Languages Day are those which I will always remember and be influenced by. I believe that World Languages Day was one of the major deciding factors in my decision to attend the University of Minnesota and helped me realize the amazing opportunities learning a second language could open up.

After the success of World Languages Day (WLD) 2009, the College of Liberal Arts Dean's Office and the WLD Planning Committee have decided to go forward with the seventh annual event. It is scheduled for Tuesday, May 18, 2010, the week after U of M classes end.

WLD is an opportunity for Minnesota high school students to explore some of the languages and cultures of the world and to experience life at the University of Minnesota. The event is intended for sophomore-level language classes, and all students in those classes may attend, even if they are not sophomores. Teachers, counselors and parents are also invited to attend.

Demand for the 2009 event far exceeded capacity, and we attracted the most diverse group of students in the event's history. The biggest change for 2010 is a more controlled registration process that we hope will result in even more geographic, linguistic, and cultural diversity.

We are in the early stages of planning, but some information is available at http://worldlang.cla.umn.edu/. Information on the event, particularly for high school teachers and counselors will also be available via Twitter at https://twitter.com/StephTreat.

Please let me know if you have suggestions for the 2010 event or would like to be involved.