Coming Out of the Basement

Everything is changing. New versions of our operating systems and of essential tools, e.g., Office, are arriving. The University has changed its web and its blogging system, and Blackboard will be upgraded during the summer. Communication on line has gone from e-mail to IM to Twitter. Blogs, wikis, podcasts, and myriad other tools supplement more traditional books and online research databases. Most importantly, in the last twenty years, the evolution of technology has enabled students of language and culture to learn not just in the confines of a dedicated technology space, often in the basement, but anywhere in the world. Locally, the inhabitants of Puryear Hall are looking forward to August 2010, when we move into the new Carole Weinstein International Center. At that time, the Global Studio that is emerging from the Multimedia Language Laboratory will move physically out of the basement, making concrete the changes already brought about by new technology.

This blog is a step in the MMLL’s move from the basement. It will bring news of emerging technologies for the learning of languages and cultures and of related events on campus and beyond. We’ll also update you on plans for the new Global Studio. Please add your own news and resources via the comment system.