Ever wonder what your professor thinks about when she isn’t teaching you Russian usage or Spanish conjugation? Twitter lets you virtually eavesdrop on the thoughts — scholarly and personal — percolating around a language professor’s mind. You might discover interesting language scholarship or education resources. Hear about upcoming university events. Practice your language skills by reading foreign-language tweets. Or simply get a glimpse of a language professor’s after-hours persona.
These 50 handles represent some of the many active and interesting foreign language instructors broadcasting on Twitter. Criteria for selection include quality of posts, number of followers and tweeting frequency.
@scottmbennett, Scott M. Bennett, Point Loma Nazarene University, Spanish. Bennett, a humanitarian photographer, posts links to his work and updates on humanitarian issues and programs.
@doctornerdis, Nicholas Goodbody, Williams College, Spanish. A visiting professor at Williams, Goodbody posts regularly in both Spanish and English. Topics range from museum exhibits to U.S. politics, particularly immigration.
@AmaliaGladhart, Amalia Gladhart, University of Oregon, Spanish. Gladhart’s interests run to Latin American theater, Spanish translation and red wine. Besides these topics, travel photos, interesting book recommendations and the occasional original poem grace Gladhart’s Twitter feed.
@tracy_dinesen, Tracy Dinesen, Simpson College, Spanish. Dinesen posts frequently on social and political issues, with special attention to education. Her Twitter feed also gives airtime to foreign-language teaching job announcements and missives from daily life.
@mundaysa, Pilar Munday, Sacred Heart University, Spanish. Given this associate professor’s interest in social networking and technology in education, it’s not surprising to find her on Twitter. Munday posts in Spanish and English on language education, health and cultural topics.
@gaugler, Kevin Gaugler, Marist College, Spanish. The Spanish professor has as much to say on digital technology as language education — with a special focus on their convergence in educational technology.
@donna_shelton, Donna Shelton, Northeastern State University, Spanish. Shelton’s feed blends shop talk and general-interest links on the topics of foreign language education and technology in the college classroom.
@FrenchProfessor, Russell Goulbourne, University of Leeds, French. Goulbourne tweets on Voltaire, classical music and daily life, with an occasional post on the Catholic church and gay rights.
@JohnProtevi, John Protevi, Louisiana State University, French. Protevi posts regularly on topics ranging from higher education policy to sports and politics.
@ClaudineMoulin, Claudine Moulin, University of Trier, German. Moulin links to interesting developments in digital humanities. Tweeting in German, English and a smattering of French, Moulin touches on everything from medieval manuscripts to academic job posts.
@chericem, Cherice Montgomery, Brigham Young University, Spanish. Digital technology and college teaching are the headliners on Montgomery’s Twitter feed.
@ielanguages, Jennifer Wagner, French. A Ph.D. student and French lecturer, Wagner offers a wealth of resources for French students, from book recommendations to language learning strategies.
@Unikentpvcext, Alex Hughes, University of Kent, French. The professor and college chancellor divides her Twitter time between administrative updates and scholarly insights on language education.
@pamwesely, Pam Wesely, University of Iowa, Foreign language and ESL, French. The assistant professor keeps broadcasts tuned to her academic specialty, foreign language teacher education.
@kichigaisan, Brian Thompson, University of Massachusetts Boston, French. Thompson is a retired French professor and founder of Earthen Vessels, which helps disadvantaged inner-city kids succeed in school. His frequent tweets deliver political commentary with a progressive bent.
@agathamaia, Agatha Maia, Hankuk University of Foreign Studies, Portuguese. Maia tweets from South Korea, where she is a professor and journalist. Her posts cover Korean culture and politics, the expatriate life in Jinju and teaching language abroad.
@hoprea, Henrick Oprea, Atlantic Idiomas language institute, ESL. This Brasilia-based instructor of English as a Foreign Language posts regularly in English and Portuguese. His Twitter feed offers links and commentary on teaching and learning English, with a special focus on technology in the classroom.
@herbertpuchta, Herbert Puchta, VP of IATEFL, English as a foreign language. This TEFL course book author converses with colleagues on the topic of ESL pedagogy. Upcoming conferences and book recommendations dominate the thread, with the occasional aside referencing everyday life, exercise regimens, etc.
@Georg_Grey, Georg Grey, freelance, Spanish-English. Grey alternates between dos idiomas, often squeezing in a full translation of the Spanish original within a single 140-character tweet. Most editions feature a pithy quotation or cool resource on life, language education and digital media. Followers number over 100,000, many more than most foreign language professors.
@ChrisCattaneo, Christina Cattaneo, English as a foreign language. This Twitter feed covers politics, technology and art, with a taste for off-the-wall phenomena like glowing sushi and tape as an art medium. Cattaneo tweets in Italian and English.
@ESLTipsNow, Marco Fialho, Belo Horizonte Brasil, English Professional Services, English as a foreign language. One of the more useful feeds for ESL students, as most tweets are educational tips. Fialho manages to illustrate a point of English usage or pose a quiz question within 140 characters.
@Italianbcc, Giulia Guarnieri, City University of New York, Italian. Professoressa mainly communicates with i suoi studenti via this feed, offering class news and language tips in Italian.
@SpanishTogether, Carolina Gómez, Spanish Together, Spanish. Elementary-school Spanish teacher Carolina posts class news along with links to language education materials, cultural happenings and the occasional perspective on current events.
@Castellano3CAS, Isabel de Valdivia, Pittsburgh public schools, Japanese and Spanish. Tweet topics are wide-ranging in topic and language. Read about art, politics or culture in Japanese, Spanish or English.
@lee_bruner, Lee Crook Bruner, high school teacher, Spanish. Bruner stays on topic with frequent posts on technology in the K-12 classroom and language education.
@hrcash, Holly Cashman, University of New Hampshire, Spanish. A sociolinguist and Spanish professor weighs in on contemporary politics and mass culture, daily life, baking and academics.
@mme_henderson, Andrea Henderson, high school teacher, French. The self-proclaimed Francophile tweets in French on all things French, from the language to the cuisine.
@MmeVeilleux, Ingrid Veilleux, University of British Columbia, French. A French immersion teacher, Veilleux’s feed is immersed in language pedagogy. She shares her perspectives and interesting links with colleagues, in both French and English.
@ezwanziger, Elizabeth Zwanziger, University of Northern Iowa, French. A recent arrival on Twitter, Zwanziger uses the feed to connect and share thoughts with teaching colleagues and other Francophiles.
@Professor_Jason, Jason Jolley, Missouri State University, Spanish. Jolley shares a regular dose of Spanish and Portuguese educational tips as well as glimpses into Brazilian culture.
@lrosen, Lauren Rosen, University of Wisconsin, Spanish and language education. The Director of UW’s Collaborative Language Program tweets regularly on technology integration in language instruction.
@profsjb, Sara J. Brenneis, Amherst College, Spanish. Lots of funny tweets on pop culture and current events, along with perspectives on “highbrow” topics like art and academics.
@ducinaltum, Raquel Lopez, Franciscan University, Spanish. This adjunct Spanish professor offers perspectives on her Catholic faith, conservative politics and daily life.
@ken8ken7, Ken Fleak, University of Missouri, Spanish. Professor Fleak is a Latin American literature scholar and Spanish educator, but his Twitter feed’s area of expertise is Mizzou sports.
@bobbiklein, Bobbi Klein, Butler University, Spanish. The adjunct Spanish professor and PR executive posts motivational thoughts, nutrition advice and marketing perspectives.
@cfmattos, Cristine Mattos, Spanish. The Sao Paulo-based scholar of Spanish and Literature includes insights and information on cultural happenings. Bilingualism a plus, as tweets are in Spanish, English, Portuguese and French.
@marilocosta, Marilo Costa, California State University Los Angeles, Spanish. Costa curates a Twitter feed of pithy quotations, perspectives and news flashes in both Spanish and English.
@ItsOhKay, Kay Farris, Lorain County Community College, Spanish. An adjunct Spanish professor, Farris occasionally shares her political perspectives or a moment from her day.
@SwagataBasu, Swagata Basu, Doon University in India, Spanish. Basu is a scholar of migration in the 21st-century post-globalized world. Her tweets shift between serious issues of immigration and racism to light-hearted pop culture references.
@michelleforbes, Michelle Forbes, Valdosta State University, Spanish and ESOL. The Garifuna language scholar and Spanish professor reports on daily life in Valdosta, Georgia and other topics.
@SeanHand3, Sean Hand, University of Warwick, French. Ideas for engaging students in language education, academic job posts and a dose of European politics populate this French professor’s Twitter feed.
@thegermanprof, The German Professor, “a public university in the U.S.”, German. The anonymous professor and textbook author features educational activities and information on the German language. These handy Tweets are perfect for students looking to give their language studies a little boost.
@djgill9333, Deborah Gill, Pennsylvania State University, Spanish. Professor Gill publishes every week or so, commenting on class activities or connecting with colleagues. Tweets in Spanish and English.
@seanpue, Sean Pue, Michigan State University, Hindi. Hindi and South Asian literature and culture are Professor Pue’s specialties. His posts aim for quality over quantity, favoring interesting cultural links and language learning/teaching resources.
@kickywicky, Carolyn Harford, University of Swaziland, African languages. Harford’s wide-ranging interests range from African languages to fin de siècle Vienna. Her wry, witty Twitter feed offers a glimpse into African university life.
@keoladonaghy, Keola Donaghy, University of Hawai’i at Hilo, Hawaiian language. An expert on Hawaiian culture and languages, Donaghy devotes his Twitter feed to other interests like sports and slack-key guitar.
@WordsandEggs, Lesley Y., French. The College French and writing professor uses her Twitter feed to spotlight cool elements of French culture, especially typography and design.
@sarahglasco, Sarah Glasco, Elon University, French. A French professor and rock cellist, Glassco shares news and links to local French cultural events as well as perspectives on language education.
@lfranklin, Laura Franklin, North Virginia Community College, French. New media aficionado and French professor Laura Franklin shares tidbits on whatever strikes her fancy, from language study aids to French perspectives on U.S. politics.
@olsonkory, Kory Olson, Stockton College, French. The associate professor of French mostly tweets in a personal capacity, commenting on interesting news items or daily life.
