Creativity, Collaboration, and Modality in Language Learning in Digital Spaces

This record brings together works presented in the roundtable session at the AAAL Conference, held in Chicago, Illinois, USA, on March 21, 2026. All works discussed in the presentation and accompanying handout form part of the edited volume Research on Language Learning and Teaching in Digital Spaces (Vinogradova & Linville, Eds., 2026), published in the Routledge-TIRF series Global Research on Teaching and Learning in English. The three studies highlighted in the roundtable, each based on a chapter in the volume, are presented here in OASIS abstract-style format. A consolidated abstract is provided below. The work illustrates how English learners (ELs) can be engaged in creative and collaborative language learning practices in digital spaces, and how input modality within these spaces impacts ELs’ learning processes and experiences. Digital spaces refers to any environment where technology and digital tools (e.g., applications, social media, online games, fan-based online spaces) are used for language learning. A prominent topic in language education (i.e. Fuchs, Hauck, & Dooly, 2021; Hafner & Ho, 2020; Jiang & Hafner, 2024), scholars in this area highlight the importance of digital literacy and multiliteracies for language learners (Jones, 2022; Kalantzis & Cope, 2008; Rajendram, 2021) and how learner engagement within digital spaces can facilitate productive, collaborative, and ultimately more successful language learning (Castañeda et al., 2018; Dubreil, 2020; Fornara & Lomicka, 2019). The presenters in this roundtable will first, separately and together, share their findings of how learners can interact creatively, collaboratively, and successfully with language in digital, multimodal spaces, in the r/TaylorSwift subreddit on Reddit, in massively multiplayer online role-playing games (MMORPGs) like World of Warcraft, and in online reading spaces where digital texts afford the use of multiple input modalities for vocabulary learning. Next, the roundtable organizer and presenters will engage the audience in sharing their own experiences with research and language teaching in digital spaces with a lightning poll. Participants will then have the opportunity to discuss various “what-if” scenarios (ex. What if my class is full of gamers? What if the director thinks social media has no place in the classroom?) to further highlight how research like theirs can impact language curricula and policy at various levels. Participants will leave this roundtable with a better sense of how digital spaces, no matter which digital spaces they choose to engage, can be leveraged to the benefit of language teaching and learning.