Now that the Fall Conference is behind us for another year, I thought it would be an ideal time to discuss ways to stay in touch not only with general language news but also your specific language association. We all know about the “elevator speech.” That 30 second spiel we need to have at hand when we are asked by a parent in the grocery store or a neighbor near election time: why are languages important? One of the ways I have strengthened my speech over the years is to sign up for various newsletters which I can read for facts and figures to keep my argument fresh. Let’s be realistic—my inbox is as overfull as anyone’s. I don’t read them all; I probably don’t skim them all. With e-communication, however, we can receive this info, read some over breakfast or coffee, and not feel guilty when we toss it in the trash. No trees harmed! I stay up-to-date with educational trends and policy discussions as well as finding good ideas from teachers across the country. Another step is to stay in contact with your national and state language associations. In that section of this piece you find see the national association websites, most of which have a social media presence available from their homepage, and the webpages and other social info for each Wisconsin chapter.
American Council of Teaching Foreign Languages (ACTFL) – http://actfl.org
The first step and an absolute must, sign up for the ACTFL SmartBrief. The link can be found toward the bottom of the ACTFL homepage.
Toward the top of their homepage you will find links for their social media presence as well:
Joint National Committee for Languages-The National Council for Languages and International Studies (JNCL-NCLIS) – http://www.languagepolicy.org
JNCL is our voice in Washington. They have a great newsletter with news about policy as well as articles about all aspects of language learning and usage.
National Humanities Alliance (NHA) – http://www.nhalliance.org
The NHA is another advocacy agency. While they work to protect much more than language education, their work overlaps with ours and provides interesting perspectives for our work.
American Councils for International Education – http://www.americancouncils.org
The American Councils gives perspective on another aspect of language education; they are one voice in the world of overseas experiences.
The Center for Applied Second Language Studies (CASLS) – https://casls.uoregon.edu/pages/professionaldevelopment/intercom.php
CASLS has a newsletter, InterCom, the content of which is customizable by language and interest area. They only send the newsletter out once per week.
Central States Conference for the Teaching of Foreign Languages – http://csctfl.org
CSC, our regional organization, has a vibrant and active twitter feed: https://twitter.com/csctfl.
For each of the language specific entries, I have included a screenshot of a free resource available from the national organization as well as the website with list-serve and social media options of the state chapter (where available).
Chinese
http://clta-us.org
AATF-WI
https://www.frenchteachers.org
http://www.aatfwi.org
https://www.facebook.com/groups/FrenchInWisconsin/
AATFWisconsin-subscribe@yahoogroups.com
AATG-W
http://www.aatg.org
http://wisconsin.aatg.org
https://www.facebook.com/groups/wiaatg/
WI-ATJ
http://www.aatj.org
https://sites.google.com/site/wiaotoj/
Latin
Society for Classical Studies – http://apaclassics.org
SCS has a new membership level for K-12 teachers, and under the Outreach Division you will find a link to Amphora, their general outreach newsletter. They also have a full range of social media options.
American Classical League – https://www.aclclassics.org
The ACL has a newsletter full of news from across the nation. From the homepage you will also find links to their Facebook page and Twitter account.
Classical Association for the Middle, West, and South – http://camws.org
CAMWS has a newsletter and the journal “Teaching Classical Languages,” both available under the Publications tab, as well as a Facebook and Twitter link on the homepage.
Wisconsin Association for Latin Teachers (WLTA) – http://wisconsinlatin.org
To be added to the mailing list, please send a note to join-wisconsin-classics@lists.wisc.edu.
AATSP-WI
http://www.aatsp.org
