Dear friends,
We are excited to share with you the summer/fall 2021 issue of our Center for Language Science/Bilingualism Matters at Penn State newsletter. The current issue delves into the theme of online language learning. While online learning has been around for a long time, it has come to dominate many of our lives over the course of the past year. Many people have mixed feelings about this, finding that online learning has both benefits and drawbacks. In this issue we delve into some of the research that helps us to understand how the rapid shift to online learning has affected the ways in which we learn new languages and language skills. You may have learned from news outlets such as The New York Times about how many young multilingual learners were hit particularly hard by the sudden shift to online learning. Our main summary article delves into the research on how the pandemic has impacted these learners– you may be surprised to find that while there have been many very difficult challenges, there is also reason to hope for some positive changes as we move forward. Two separate interviews allow you to enter into the world of online language learning at the university level from both an instructor’s and a student’s perspective. And in our whirlwind tour of language learning apps you can learn more about which apps are best suited to which needs and learning styles—check it out, and you may even be inspired to try one or two! We hope this issue serves to enhance and even deepen your understanding of how the shift to online learning has impacted language learning and acquisition in particular. As always we welcome your questions, comments, and ideas, and we wish you the best in your own learning journeys, both online and in person!
Sincerely,
Frances Blanchette, Andrew Fleming, Amy Lebkuecher (editor-in-chief), Hannah Merseal, Deyanira Moya, and Maike Rocker (editor-in-chief)