TECHNOLOGY ENHANCED SECOND LANGUAGE LEARNING IN PRIMARY SCHOOL

Can language learning (LL) and digital technologies pair up for the development of an engaging and effective learning experience? LL is a key topic in the public education discourse in Switzerland, a country with 4 national languages and where English is also emphasized as a key job-finding skill. The multilingual character of the nation is indeed the resource that the AlpConnectar project taps on, using digital technologies to connect primary school classes from different linguistic areas with each other, so that each class can learn a second language with native-speakers peers in another Canton. The project, currently in its third implementation year, exploits simple cloud and videoconferencing systems with data protection, bringing tablets and interactive boards in the classroom. The paper outlines the project design and the experiences gathered in a three-year experimentation. The data show that teachers and students appreciate teaching and learning a second language in this way. Teachers assert that students are more motivated to learn and less inhibited to speak a foreign language. Furthermore, the data show an improvement of the language competences of the students and increased intercultural sensitivity. Results vary depending on the classes and their linguistic region.