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Showcase a Reader or Book: Submission for a Featured Blog

January 8, 2025

I have been reflecting on my professional journey, specifically goals, challenges, accomplishments, and shortcomings. Looking back over the years, I realized that one of my goals throughout my professional journey has remained constant: to stay involved, give back to educators,…

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Dialects, Communication & (Micro-) Communities

October 11, 2025

I came across this article and thought I would share. The Forgotten Dialects of the Past: What We Can Learn from Them. (You can also read it below.) As a language educator and learner, it made think about the unique…

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Featured: Cuyes en Crisis

October 2, 2025

In this feature, we showcase “Cuyes en Crisis” by Jeremy Jordan. It is available through TPRS Books. Title: Cuyes en Crisis Author: Jeremy Jordan Language: Spanish This Book / Reader is: for language learners (individual / classroom) Link to Purchase / Access the…

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Infiltrating Hate: The Secret World of the FBI Undercover – A Podcast

September 21, 2025

I listen to quite a few podcasts – and not all of them have to do with language! One of the podcasts I listen to frequently is “The James Altucher Show“. I enjoy his interview style and his wide-ranging list…

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Smuggling 101: The Ultimate Guide to Roger Reaves’ Journey Through Perilous Adventures – A Podcast

September 14, 2025

As I have previously mentioned, I listen to quite a few podcasts – and many of them do not have to do with language and language acquisition! One of the podcasts I listen to frequently is “The James Altucher Show“.…

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Featured: neue Stadt, neue Probleme

September 1, 2025

In this feature, we showcase “neue Stadt, neue Probleme” by Eric Richards. It is available here: https://www.amazon.com/DP/B0FPD127B8 Title:  Author: Language: German This Book / Reader is: for language learners (individual / classroom) Link to Purchase / Access the Book / Reader: neue…

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Leading Effective Curriculum-Based Learning

August 4, 2025

Recently, Pat Brown and I had a featured article in the July 2025 issue of Language Magazine. I know that some do not have access to the article, so I wanted to share a summary of the article and our…

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Left/Right PQA – Purposeful Communication

June 18, 2025

The following post is courtesy of Keith Toda. He teaches Latin at Parkview High School, a public school in Lilburn, GA. He teaches with four other Latin teachers in one of the largest Latin programs in the nation (USA). I…

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Featured: Nuestro mundo: Puentes hacia nuevas perspectivas

May 19, 2025

In this feature, we showcase “Nuestro mundo: Puentes hacia nuevas perspectivas” by Bryan Kandel and JJ Morgan. It is available through Voces Digital. Title:  Author: Language: Spanish This Book / Reader is: for language learners (individual / classroom) Link to Purchase /…

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Featured: Give Them What They Want: A Guide to Increasing Enrollment in World Language Class

May 11, 2025

In this feature, we showcase “Give Them What They Want: A Guide to Increasing Enrollment in World Language Class” by Bryan Kandel. It is available through Voces Digital. Title:  Author: Language: English This Book / Reader is: a personal / professional growth…

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How Learning a New Language Rewires Your Brain – A Podcast

May 3, 2025

Does the language you speak determine how you think and process the world around you? Does learning a new language actually rewire your brain? With those questions in mind, you need to listening to this episode of the The Human…

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Featured: Les zombies attaquent Québec!

April 26, 2025

In this feature, we showcase “Les zombies attaquent Québec!” by Andrea Caulfield. It is available through Voces Digital. Title:  Author: Language: French This Book / Reader is: for language learners (individual / classroom) Link to Purchase / Access the Book / Reader:…

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Featured: El verano de terror

April 19, 2025

In this feature, we showcase “El verano de terror” by Tiasha J. Garcia. It is available through Voces Digital. Title:  Author: Language: Spanish This Book / Reader is: for language learners (individual / classroom) Link to Purchase / Access the Book /…

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Performance vs. Proficiency – What’s the Difference?

April 8, 2025

In my recent blog post “Language Learning & Language Acquisition – What’s the difference?“, I discussed the difference between the terms “learning” and “acquisition”. Along that same thread, I would like to discuss the terms “performance” and “proficiency” in the…

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Language Learning & Language Acquisition – What’s the difference?

March 26, 2025

Language Learning & Language Acquisition – What’s the difference? In the language education field, we frequently hear two terms: learning and acquisition. Although these two terms are often used interchangeably, they have different meanings. “Acquisition” and “Learning” are two distinct…

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Featured: Arepa vs. Arepa

February 23, 2025

In this feature, we showcase “Arepa vs. Arepa” by Margarita Pérez García. It is available through Voces Digital. Title:  Author: Language: Spanish This Book / Reader is: for language learners (individual / classroom) Link to Purchase / Access the Book / Reader:…

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Hard Words: Why aren’t kids being taught to read? – A Podcast

February 11, 2025

I wanted to share one of the more impactful podcasts that I listened to recently: “Hard Words: Why aren’t kids being taught to read?” The podcast can be found on many podcast platforms, including: Apple, Spotify and many more; simply…

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Featured: Arepas ¿De dónde son?

February 6, 2025

In this feature, we showcase “Arepas ¿De dónde son?” by Adriana Ramírez and is available through Voces Digital. Title:  Author: Language: Spanish This Book / Reader is: for language learners (individual / classroom) Link to Purchase / Access the Book / Reader:…

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Featured: “Juana, La Avanzadora” & “Teresita, La maestra del piano”

February 1, 2025

Thank you to Voces Digital for reviewing and showcasing “Juana, La Avanzadora” AND “Teresita, La maestra del piano” by Margarita Pérez García and Adriana Ramírez. Title:  Author: Language: Spanish This Book / Reader is: for language learners (individual / classroom) Link to Purchase…

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Featured: Hi-Impact Reading Strategies: How to Accelerate Fluency and Proficiency with Reading

January 26, 2025

Thank you to Bryce Hedstrom for reviewing and showcasing “Hi-Impact Reading Strategies: How to Accelerate Fluency and Proficiency with Reading”. Title: Hi-Impact Reading Strategies: How to Accelerate Fluency and Proficiency with Reading Author: Bryce Hedstrom Language: English This Book / Reader is: a personal /…

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Featured: “Confidence Readers”

January 22, 2025

Thank you to Keith Toda for reviewing and showcasing “Confidence Readers” by Adam Giedd. Title: Confidence Readers Author: Adam Giedd Language: Spanish This Book / Reader is: for language learners (individual / classroom) Link to Purchase / Access the Book…

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Yes or No?

January 4, 2025

As you may know, I’ve been rethinking how I engage with my students and how I need to make sure that the communication in my classroom is purposeful. That is, I am trying to communicate in a way that allows…

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More Functionality of deepl.com/write

December 7, 2024

In this post, I wanted to follow up with some more functionalities of deepl.com/write. If you didn’t read the original blog post on deepl.com/write, you can find it HERE. (I encourage you to read it before reading this post!) Note:…

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Deepl.com/write – A Review (and Request)

December 3, 2024

I recently heard about deepl.com/write. (It is free.) It is a AI-powered writing assistant tool. It helps improve written communication by correcting grammar and offering alternative word and/or sentence choices. It currently supports English (American), English (British), French, German, Italian,…

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A Conference Follow-Up Reflection

November 28, 2024

I am about a week removed from the ACTFL conference. During this week I’ve had time to reflect on my time in Philadelphia at the conference. First, let me share a bit of gratitude. I am thankful that I had…

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Shared Thoughts on In-Person Conferences

November 16, 2024

After recently attending and presenting at the FLAM (Foreign Language Association of Missouri) St. Louis Regional Conference, I had a chance to reflect on the experience. It was a great experience, not only motivating and inspiring. It was wonderful to…

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Purposeful Communication with Movement: A Collaborative Blog Post with Keith Toda

November 13, 2024

Note: This is a longer blog post, but I promise it is worth your time to read it! This is my first of what I hope are many collaborative posts with Keith Toda. I first met Keith at the 2023…

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If you listen to a Soundscape, …

November 1, 2024

I wanted to share a quick update on Soundscapes. I’m hoping this makes your teaching life a bit easier. If you haven’t gotten the chance to read the original post about Soundscapes, you need to read it HERE, before continuing.…

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What does Cybersecurity have to with a World Language Educator?

October 5, 2024

What does cybersecurity have to do with a world language educator? Let me explain. When I first graduated from college, I started in computers and networking. There was definitely a learning curve, but I enjoyed computers and technology – and…

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Soundscapes for Acquisition

September 6, 2024

I first came across the idea of “soundscapes” at the Comprehenisble Iowa conference. At the conference, I had the pleasure of seeing Diane Neubauer present on this activity (and other interactive listening strategies.) It was a great presentation and it…

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