Submit a Topic

As you learn more about the Open Education movement in language learning, we hope you will share topics of interest to you. More than likely, they will be interesting and helpful to another teacher or student. Perhaps you found a great web resource of OER and would like to share a review of the site? Do you have a success story about how open education has changed your language classroom and helped your students? Have your learned a new language for free online? Let us know how you did it!

To submit a topic:

Email a brief description of what you would like to share to us info@coerll.utexas.edu. For instance, a review of a new OER, an opinion about a news story related to open education in language learning, a video or audio clip. Please note that all blog content should be your original material or material that resides in the public domain.
Tell us who you are. Name, title, affiliated institution/organization.
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Our blog editor will respond to your topic submission and give you more details about how to submit your guest post.

Note: All content on Open Up is published under a CC By license.

Teaching by Design: Reimagining Foreign Language Curricula with Literacy-based OER

Language program directors, graduate students, and faculty will work together to create open resources for teaching literacy using authentic texts that demonstrate playful and creative uses of language. Breakfast, lunch, and an evening social event are provided to workshop participants. About the FLLITE projectThe FLLITE Project, sponsored by CERCLL (University of Arizona) and COERLL (University of Texas at Austin), takes the creative moments found in everyday language use as the basis for lessons in second language literacy. By emphasizing language play as central to communication, FLLITE lessons aim to develop language awareness as well as communicative abilities through the integration of speaking, reading, listening, and writing tasks. The goal of the FLLITE Project is the publication of lessons based on authentic texts in both commonly and less-commonly taught languages, for example, blogs, Internet memes, YouTube videos, slam poetry, and so forth. When you submit a lesson, the FLLITE editorial board will give you feedback to improve your lesson for publication. In addition, you will learn how to adopt an open copyright license (Creative Commons) that gives the public the right to access, adapt, and re-use your lesson. Important information Registration is full for this workshop but we are still accepting applications for graduate students from the University of Texas who would like to attend.Please bring your own device (laptop or tablet) in order to fully participate in the workshop Useful links Find information about hotels and transport in Austin &nbs […]
Summer Workshop | Engage Your Students and Build Oral Proficiency Through the Written Communication Mode

We know that writing builds communicative skills as it develops critical and analytical thinking. Why then, do we avoid assigning that writing task? Do we fear a student rebellion? Dread the mountain of resulting papers to grade? Honestly, have we been taught to effectively teach, or assess, writing? Probably not. Master English Language Arts teacher and UT clinical professor, Julia Haug joins forces with Rose Potter to integrate ELA planning and assessment strategies into a cross-curricular unit of study that will help cultivate your students’ communication skills in all three modes as well as their creativity, problem solving and entrepreneurship skills. Leave this workshop with lesson and assessment ideas that can be incorporated into all levels of LOTE learning. Important information Cost is $5 for students, $10 for K-12 teachers, and $20 for others.Breakfast, lunch, and coffee are included.CPE credits available. Please bring your own device (laptop or tablet) in order to fully participate in the workshop Useful links Register for the workshop Find information about hotels and transport in Austin Travel assistance$100 honoraria are available to participants who would like assistance in paying for travel. The deadline for applying has passed and we will contact the people chosen by April 20, 2018.&nbs […]
Summer Workshop | From Conception to Implementation: Creating and Sustaining a Heritage Spanish Language Program

Our workshop this summer will feature speakers Gabriela Zapata (Texas A&M), Flavia Belpoliti (Texas A&M Commerce), José Esteban Hernández and Yanina Hernández (UT Rio Grande Valley). During this two-day workshop, we will discuss the administrative and pedagogical aspects that can play a role in the development of a theoretically- and pedagogically-sound language program for heritage language learners. In addition, we will discuss issues related to the preparation and professionalization of teachers of Spanish as a heritage language, including professional development and institutional support. Finally, we will learn how to create original, open source materials that promote positive cultural models and focus on the linguistic and academic needs of Spanish heritage language learners. Participants will obtain hands-on experience with these topics and will leave with practical ideas that they can implement in their own institutions. Important information Cost is $5 for students, $10 for K-12 teachers, and $20 for others.Included in registration: a social event on Thursday evening; breakfast, lunch, and coffee on FridayCPE credits available. Please bring your own device (laptop or tablet) in order to fully participate in the workshop Useful links Register for the workshop (Registration has been closed)Find information about hotels and transport in AustinLearn more about COERLL's heritage Spanish project Travel assistanceHonoraria are available in amounts of $300-$500 to participants who would like assistance in paying for travel. The deadline for applying has passed and we will contact the people chosen by April 20, 2018. PresentationsHL Program Development: Administrative and Pedagogical Aspects - Gabriela Zapata The objective of this presentation is to examine the administrative and pedagogical aspects that can play a role in the development of a theoretically- and pedagogically-sound language program for heritage language learners. Different models will be discussed, and concrete action steps and recommendations will be provided. Spanish HL Learning and Teaching: Coming to Age - Flavia BelpolitiThis presentation will focus on changes in the preparation and professionalization of SHL teachers, seeking to understand both challenges and achievements in the profession. A second goal is to open the discussion to individual issues regarding professional development and institutional support among participants.Creating OER for the Spanish Heritage Language Classroom - José Esteban Hernández y Yanina Hernández In this presentation we will demonstrate original, open source materials for language learning, more specifically material that can be used in the Spanish heritage classroom. In the creation of this open source material, we have sought to promote positive cultural models that emerge from the students’ local communities and to focus on the linguistic and academic needs of the heritage language learners (SHLs), while tending to their affective needs.The Heritage Spanish Website and Community - Jocelly Meiners The objective of this presentation will be to make the participants aware of the HS website, show them all the resources and features of the website and encourage them to participate in the conversations and to collaborate and contribute to the HS community. &nbs […]