Proceedings of the International Seminar on Language, Education, and Culture (ISoLEC 2022)

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Building Bridges Across Borders and Digital Divides?

Possibilities and Limits of Digital Formats in the Context of University Cooperation

Authors
Daniel H. Rellstab1, *
1University of Education, Schwäbisch Gmünd, Germany
*Corresponding author. Email: daniel.rellstab@ph-gmuend.de
Corresponding Author
Daniel H. Rellstab
Available Online 14 April 2023.
DOI
10.2991/978-2-38476-038-1_6How to use a DOI?
Keywords
virtual tandems; digital divide; international cooperation; German as a foreign language
Abstract

Digital technologies have been integrated into foreign language learning classrooms for a long time [1]. Yet during the global pandemic, when borders were closed and traveling had become all but impossible, international exchange formats experienced an “unprecedented phase of digitalization” [2, p. 21]. Today, we can safely assume that digital technologies will play a key role in international exchange in the future (cf., e.g., [3]). Digital exchange such as virtual tandems can simplify access to international and intercultural experiences and thus increase students’ motivation to learn a foreign language. However, using digital technologies to unite students from different parts of the world also poses challenges as “digital divides” [4] pervade the globe and its societies. Analyzing and interpreting diary entries and interactional data from a virtual tandem project between students from the École Normale Supérieure, Porto-Novo, Benin, and the University of Education Schwäbisch Gmünd, Germany by adopting nexus analysis [5], I will demonstrate how digital capital, “‘a set of internalized ability and aptitude’ (digital competencies) as well as ‘externalized resources’ (digital technology)” [6, p. 2367], and its use in combination with other forms of capital mediate success and failure of digital exchange projects on an individual level. I argue that international virtual exchange can only succeed if we carefully consider all the facets of digital capital in its planning and implementation.

Copyright
© 2023 The Author(s)
Open Access
Open Access This chapter is licensed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/), which permits any noncommercial use, sharing, adaptation, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, as long as you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons license and indicate if changes were made.

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Volume Title
Proceedings of the International Seminar on Language, Education, and Culture (ISoLEC 2022)
Series
Advances in Social Science, Education and Humanities Research
Publication Date
14 April 2023
ISBN
10.2991/978-2-38476-038-1_6
ISSN
2352-5398
DOI
10.2991/978-2-38476-038-1_6How to use a DOI?
Copyright
© 2023 The Author(s)
Open Access
Open Access This chapter is licensed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/), which permits any noncommercial use, sharing, adaptation, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, as long as you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons license and indicate if changes were made.

Cite this article

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TY  - CONF
AU  - Daniel H. Rellstab
PY  - 2023
DA  - 2023/04/14
TI  - Building Bridges Across Borders and Digital Divides?
BT  - Proceedings of the International Seminar on Language, Education, and Culture (ISoLEC 2022)
PB  - Atlantis Press
SP  - 46
EP  - 55
SN  - 2352-5398
UR  - https://doi.org/10.2991/978-2-38476-038-1_6
DO  - 10.2991/978-2-38476-038-1_6
ID  - Rellstab2023
ER  -