Felix Kronenberg

I am an Asst. Professor of German and the Manager of the Foreign Language Resource Center (FLRC) at Pomona College, but this summer (2009) I will start in my new tenure-track position as Asst. Professor of Modern Languages and Literatures and Director of the Language Learning Center (LLC) at Rhodes College. I hope the following bullet points give you an idea about what I do:

felix

- I teach a variety of courses, for example introductory, intermediate, or advanced German courses, but also crosslisted media studies courses in English. In the spring of 2008 I taught “Advertising the Other: Stereotypes in Popular and Consumer Culture.” (Will be taught again in the spring semester of 2009) The next course in the fall of 2008 will be an upper divison German course called “Introduction to German Media and Film.”

- I advise faculty in the use of technology in foreign language learning and teaching. I offer professional development within the language departments and collaborate a lot with others across the campus, especially the Oldenborg Center and ITS.

- I have been planning the new Foreign Language Resource Center, or FLRC. We have recently openend our doors to the public and are very proud and happy about what we have created. Be sure to check out some pictures and judge for yourself.

- I am the president of SWALLT, the SouthWest Association for Language Learning and Technology. I am also an active member of IALLT, the International Association for Language Learning and Technology.

- Currently I am working on a project called “Language Technology Boot Camp,” for which I received a grant. Please visit the site for more information. This project is very important to me. I am also very interested in making more materials and expertise available for K-12 language teachers.

- I received the Marie Sheppard award at the 2009 IALLT conference at Georgia State University.

- I am a NITLE technology fellow.

- Another upcoming project is working on an IALLT publication, the 5th edition of the language center design kit. It will be published in the second half of 2009.

- Rather unimportant tidbits: I’m a Mac rather than a PC. My first computer was a Commodore C16 (at age) 8. I believe that there is too much hype about certain products in education, such as iPods or Second Life. I see the potential, but in many instances there are far more effective tools.

Teaching

My first teaching experiences took place during a number of internships at German high schools. I quickly realized that I disliked the rigid conditions placed on me as a teacher, which regulated learning so much that a meaningful discourse was difficult to implement. It did not help that the teacher trainers were more concerned with form, testing, and rules rather than what kind of learning took place. But I was blessed with a very thorough theoretical education in pedagogy, teaching psychology, and teaching methodolgy. Some of the most influential concepts include motivation, fear, and memory. I was also fascinated by the evolution of language teaching methods and approaches.

My first real practical understanding of teaching happened during a semester at Murray State University, where I was an assistant teacher and visiting scholar. Under the guidance of Prof. Grimes, I taught and received individual, honest feedback from him. He also encouraged me to critique and discuss the classes that he taught. We separately corrected tests and essays and compared and discussed grades. This semester was far more valuable than previous teacher training.

After this semester I was able to teach a number of different classes, a semester later as an instructor for American exchange students, then as an adjunct at Murray State University, and finally as an instructor and later assistant professor here at Pomona College.

It’s difficult to sum up my own teaching philosophy here, but I would like to at least express some main points of what I think teaching and learning is all about. I believe that the learner has to “do” the actual learning. I can only enable or guide her or him. I can provide insight, content, structure, stimulus, and motivation. I can provide an environment devoid of fear and full of tolerance, encouragement, and cooperation.

Learning happens when we attach new knowledge and skills with those that we already possess. This constructivist view of learning is one of my core beliefs. This is particularly relevant for language learning, which has to take the learner’s world into account, provide authentic materials, and provide meaningful discourses. Furthermore, I believe in constructionism. If a learner creates content, effective learning will happen.

For example, I often have students interview native speakers, as in this project here. If you watch the videos you see that not meaningful conversations take place and students acquire, but also various skills. This is especially relevant in a liberal arts education. So besides a conversation, students have to write a project description, e-mails to the interviewees, and thank you notes in the target language. They also learn how to use and edit media. They learn relevant technical terms in the target language. They gain cultural insights that they might not get during regular class sessions. Hopefully this awakens their interests, and will remain a memorable experience. Students reported the various interesting things they learned later in class, and we watched and discussed the interviews later on together. The medium of video allowed us to talk about colloquial language patters, idiomatic expressions, and surprising cultural trends.

I have included several different projects in my own classes – comic book creations, digital narratives with voice-overs, production of short films, students curating a special collections exhibit – and have supported many more in my role as manager of the Foreign Language Resource Center. Due to privacy rights I do make these publicly available, but I have rights to show many of these at conferences and training sessions.

Let me conclude with some remarks on what we should be teaching. Since we do live in a different world with amazing access to information but also an overload thereof, it is more important to emphasize skills over knowledge, and process over content. I do not want to do away with learning of facts, that remains to be a part of teaching. But we have to be more selective and enable learners to learn themselves.

While I can only write so much here, I invite you to talk to me about teaching and learning in the 21st century.

My current research generally focuses on computer-assisted language learning (CALL) and second language acquisition and technology.

In the future I plan to publish on topics I have already given multiple presentations and workshops on, such as communicative learning, web 2.0 tools, language learning and gaming, and language technology professional development programs.

Current projects include acting as editor and an author of the 5th edition of the Language Center Design Kit, a publication by the International Association for Language Learning and Technology (IALLT). I will also lead the language center design workshop at the 2009 IALLT conference in conjunction with this publication. Other current projects are the Language Technology Boot Camp Manual, which I have developed, as well as a software review for the NECTFL Review.

Much of much research is directly shared with other language educators, through lectures, presentations, conference papers, one-on-one sessions, workshops, online “webinars,” digital publishing media, such as blogs, and professional development events. More traditional publishing media, such as books and articles in printed journals, are not adequate to share many aspects of this field.

My first teaching experiences took place during a number of internships at German high schools. I quickly realized that I disliked the rigid conditions placed on me as a teacher, which regulated learning so much that a meaningful discourse was difficult to implement. It did not help that the teacher trainers were more concerned with form, testing, and rules rather than what kind of learning took place. But I was blessed with a very thorough theoretical education in pedagogy, teaching psychology, and teaching methodolgy. Some of the most influential concepts include motivation, fear, and memory. I was also fascinated by the evolution of language teaching methods and approaches.

My first real practical understanding of teaching happened during a semester at Murray State University, where I was an assistant teacher and visiting scholar. Under the guidance of Prof. Grimes, I taught and received individual, honest feedback from him. He also encouraged me to critique and discuss the classes that he taught. We separately corrected tests and essays and compared and discussed grades. This semester was far more valuable than previous teacher training.

After this semester I was able to teach a number of different classes, a semester later as an instructor for American exchange students, then as an adjunct at Murray State University, and finally as an instructor and later assistant professor here at Pomona College.

It’s difficult to sum up my own teaching philosophy here, but I would like to at least express some main points of what I think teaching and learning is all about. I believe that the learner has to “do” the actual learning. I can only enable or guide her or him. I can provide insight, content, structure, stimulus, and motivation. I can provide an environment devoid of fear and full of tolerance, encouragement, and cooperation.

Learning happens when we attach new knowledge and skills with those that we already possess. This constructivist view of learning is one of my core beliefs. This is particularly relevant for language learning, which has to take the learner’s world into account, provide authentic materials, and provide meaningful discourses. Furthermore, I believe in constructionism. If a learner creates content, effective learning will happen.

For example, I often have students interview native speakers, as in this project here. If you watch the videos you see that not meaningful conversations take place and students acquire, but also various skills. This is especially relevant in a liberal arts education. So besides a conversation, students have to write a project description, e-mails to the interviewees, and thank you notes in the target language. They also learn how to use and edit media. They learn relevant technical terms in the target language. They gain cultural insights that they might not get during regular class sessions. Hopefully this awakens their interests, and will remain a memorable experience. Students reported the various interesting things they learned later in class, and we watched and discussed the interviews later on together. The medium of video allowed us to talk about colloquial language patters, idiomatic expressions, and surprising cultural trends.

I have included several different projects in my own classes – comic book creations, digital narratives with voice-overs, production of short films, students curating a special collections exhibit – and have supported many more in my role as manager of the Foreign Language Resource Center at Pomona College. Due to privacy rights I do not make the majority of them publicly available.

Let me conclude with some remarks on what we should be teaching. Since we do live in a different world with amazing access to information but also an overload thereof, it is more important to emphasize skills over knowledge, and process over content. I do not want to do away with learning of facts, that remains to be a part of teaching. But we have to be more selective and enable learners to learn themselves.

While I can only write so much here, I invite you to talk to me about teaching and learning in the 21st century.


Papers, Presentations, and Workshops

Invited Talks and Presentations

November 17, 2009
Invited Online Presentation for the Oberlin College “Teaching with Technology” Series: “Active Learning in the Language Classroom”

Nov 13, 2009
Presentation: “Supporting Faculty Use of Multimedia” for the National Institute for Technology in Liberal Education; Co-presenter: Cheryl Johnson (Denison University)

September 18, 2009
Presentation: “Language Center Design and Management” for the “Network for Effective Language Learning (NELL)” of the CiC (Council of Independent Colleges) via an online conference system. Co-presenter: Barbara Sawhill

January 7-9, 2009

Multiple presentations and hands-on sessions for the faculty of the New College of Florida

October 2, 2008

Presentation: “Language Media Centers and the Role of IALLT” for the “Network for Effective Language Learning (NELL)” of the CiC (Council of Independent Colleges) via an online conference system.

March 28-29, 2008

Panel Presentation: “Here is Help Becoming One of the iGeneration!”

Panel Presentation: “What is the Cutting Edge of Technology for Language Learning and the iGeneration?”
Paper: “Language Lab Unleashed: Professional Development (most) Thursdays at 8 pm ”

at the Northeast Conference on the Teaching of Foreign Languages conference (NECTFL) in New York.

March 18, 2008

Panel: “Transforming Learning Centers to Meet Current and Coming Technologies” at the Digital Stream conference at the California State University, Monterey Bay.

September 28-29

Multiple presentations at the NITLE “Technology and the Language House Curriculum” conference at Austin College.

June 2007

“Teaching Turkish-German Film and Narrative with Technology,” with Prof. Friederike von Schwerin-High, NITLE Al-Musharaka workshop at the Oldenborg Center, Pomona College.

Online Presentations

November 14, 2008

Presentation: “Best of Web 2.0 for Language Educators” for the SouthWest Association for Language Learning and Technology (SWALLT) via Adobe Connect.

May 2, 2008

Presentation: “Designing a Language Center in a Liberal Arts College: A professional development brown bag for instructional technologists and their colleagues.” NITLE – MIV.

December 7, 2007

Presentation: “Social Software, Language Study, and Study Abroad: A professional development brown bag for instructional technologists.” NITLE – MIV.

Select Papers and Presentations

International Association for Language Learning and Technology (IALLT) Conference

Georgia State University – May 26-30, 2009

  • Pre-Conference Workshop Leader: “IALLT Language Center Design Kit Workshop”
  • Paper: “Task-Based Language Learning in the 21st Century” (Paper was selected as finalist for the Henderson Plenary Award)
  • Panel: “The Best Language Class You’ve Never Been To: A Panel Discussion of Informal and Experiential Learning in Gaming and Virtual Environments”
  • Presentation: “SWALLT Online Series – An Alternative to Traditional Conferences”

The Computer Assisted Language Learning Consortium (CALICO) Conference

Arizona State University – March, 2009

  • Paper: “Boot Camp and Beyond: Technology Training for Language Teachers”

Pacific Ancient and Modern Language Association (PAMLA) Conference

Pomona College – November 7, 2008

  • Paper: “Teaching Language, Culture and Literature Through Multimedia Projects” as part of the “Teaching with the Internet and Technology” panel

Calico/IALLT Conference

San Francisco – March 21-22, 2008

  • Paper: “Digital Narratives 2.0”
  • Panel: “Language Lab Unleashed: Virtual Professional Development and Collaboration”
  • Presentation: “Language Technology Boot Camp”

Digital Stream Conference

California State University, Monterey Bay – March 17-18, 2008

  • Presentation: “Redefining the Role of the Language Center”
  • Paper: “Digital Narratives Using Web 2.0 Tools”

SouthWest Association for Language Learning and Technology Conference

Stanford University – October 26, 2007

  • Paper: “Simplifying Video Production in the Age of YouTube”

International Association for Language Learning and Technology (IALLT) Conference

Tufts University – June 21-22, 2007

  • Paper: “Teaching Language and Culture With Computer Games”
  • Panel: “The Next Revolution in Language Centers: New Paradigms for the New Millennium”
  • Paper: “Machinima and Language Learning”
  • Paper: “Comic and Manga Creation”

The Computer Assisted Language Learning Consortium (CALICO) Conference

Texas State University, San Marcos – May 24, 2007

  • Paper: “Panem Et Circenses: Language Learning and Computer Games”

Kentucky Foreign Language Conference (KFLC).

University of Kentucky – April 21, 2007

  • Paper: “Multimedia Projects: New Approaches to Teaching Culture and Literature With Technology”

“Pedagogy and Digital Technologies: Language Labs in the 21st Century” – NITLE Conference

Wabash College  – September 30, 2006

  • Presentation: “Teaching Culture With Multimedia Projects” as part of the “Integrating the ‘Five C’s’ of the National Standards for Foreign Language Education with Pedagogy and Technology” panel

Select Workshops

Various “Language Technology Boot Camp” introductory workshops since 2005.

March 2, 2007

Conducted a 1-day workshop about recent trends in language learning and technology for various member institutions of the Cal State University Consortium at Cal State Dominguez Hills in March 2007.

February, 2007

Conducted a 1-day AATG (American Association of Teachers of German) workshop on “Language Learning and Technology” at Pomona College for about 80 participants.

Multiple workshops for local language faculty and language assistants on a regular basis.