ACTFL and MIWLA: Language Organizations

ACTFL - American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages

The American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages, more commonly known as ACTFL (pronounced "actful"), is the premier "go-to" organization for materials, resources and research for all things related to second language acquisition.  ACTFL is very active in social media as well, being found at @actfl on Twitter, on Facebook, on Linkedin and YouTube.  One of the best features ACTFL has available to the community is its membership which his highly renowned throughout the field of second language education.  For a mere $30, ACTFL's membership offers you access to two different magazines, The Language Educator and Foreign Language Annals, discounted prices to professional development convocations and conventions, access to exclusive news and student information kits, as well as access to the ACTFL job center and mentoring program.  One of my favorite things about the ACTFL membership is the subscription to the Language Educator which keeps me on top of current research and studies in applied linguistics and second language teaching.  It's a must have for any foreign language teacher.

As of yet, I have not had the opportunity to make it to any ACTFL conventions, although after my studies at GVSU, I plan to attend as many as possible for my professional development.  ACTFL holds many conventions.  The 2015 Annual Convention and World Languages Expo is being held in November this year in San Diego, California with the headline "Inspire. Engage. Transform." Check out the promotional video embedded below:

MIWLA - Michigan World Language Association

The Michigan World Language Association is Michigan's version of ACTFL, helping teachers of all levels.  MIWLA's objective is to endorse and seek to achieve the following goals:

• Promote and strengthen world language study at all levels
• Promote public awareness of the importance and value of world language study
• Assist in providing professional development for teachers of world languages at all levels

MIWLA can be found in social media on Twitter @MIWLA and on Facebook.  MIWLA also has a members feature which allows you to participate with over 800 professionals, access to conferences, makes you eligible to apply for grants, as well as many other features.  Sadly, MIWLA does not have a monthly magazine like ACTFL, but they too have provided a lot of good material and resources on their website for foreign language teachers.  Membership is only $35, or $20 for students and retired people.

MIWLA also hosts an annual conference.  The 2015 conference will be held at the Lansing Center in Lansing, Michigan in October.  I have the honored privilege to be presenting at this conference this October with three of my peers, Tim Hofmeister, Claire Scislowicz and Josefina Guillén Nuñez, as well as with my professor, Dr. Janel Pettes Guikema.  Our topic for the presentation is "Digital Tools for Enhanced Communication in the Target Language" which addresses how technology can be used in a foreign language classroom to create opportunities for students to use the foreign language in a natural setting.  The description of our presentation is as follows:

"This session will focus on new digital tools and how they can be used to enhance the development of literacies and meaningful use of the target language.  Specific tools and sample communicative tasks will be demonstrated and critiqued, highlighting the features that promote digital literacies, creativity, and language use."

I cannot wait to be able to finally start building my professional résumé by presenting on this topic.  This is a great opportunity for me to showcase my knowledge and how I plan to use technology in my future classrooms.