We are pleased to welcome Dr. Peter Schulman back to LLChat as a guest on our series, Virtual Reality for World Languages & Cultures Using ImmerseMe. Professor Schulman participated in a grant-funded research project at ODU to explore virtual reality with his advanced-level students. He seamlessly integrated the ImmerseMe lessons into his Business French course for students to practice in real-world scenarios. Listen to the details of his experience and what he believes is a game changer for learning and teaching world languages. Our thanks to Joelle Ghosn for her expertise in hosting this interview.

We welcome Kimberly Mckinnis to our series on Virtual Reality for World Languages and Cultures Using ImmerseMe where she will share her experiences on emerging technologies to learn French. Professor McKinnis is an adjunct faculty member in the Department of Art at Old Dominion University and Lake Taylor High School, as well as a member of the glass studio team at the Chrysler Museum of Art. She holds an M.F.A. in Art (Exhibition Design) from California State University in Fullerton, California. In her studio practice, she utilizes a variety of media including silver, glass, video, and performance. Her work has been exhibited nationally and internationally and has been featured in publications such as the annual New Glass Review by the Corning Museum of Glass.Professor McKinnis is the winner of the Silver Global Citizen Award for the 2023 ImmerseMe Cup and was at the top 9% of over 1,750 competitors worldwide!  Our gratitude goes to Ayat Yousef for expertly hosting this episode.

We continue our LLChat podcast series on TalkAbroad and an interview with Professor Warren Warsaw. He is an Adjunct Instructor of French in the Department of World Languages and Cultures at Old Dominion University and is the World Languages Department Chairman at Norfolk Academy in Norfolk, Virginia.Our appreciation to Ayat Yousef for hosting this episode with Mr. Warsaw.

Welcome to LLChat! It is a pleasure to return to our popular series on TalkAbroad and e-Portfolios with our guest, Travis Wiggins. Travis studied Game Design at Old Dominion University with a minor in Japanese. He has had a love of the Japanese culture since childhood.This interview was recorded during the fall 2023 semester. Our thanks to Ayat Yousef for her hosting talents.

Welcome to LLChat's new series, Hispanic Poets and Writers! Our special guest for this first episode is Enid López Reed. She is the author of Kachi (2023), Cuentos de mi tierra: Puerto Rico (2022), El sueño de un marino (2022), and Borikén - 1493 (2022). Maria Gomez from Old Dominion University's Department of World Languages is our host. This interview is in Spanish.

We are joined today by our special guest, Dr. Michel Audette, Associate Professor in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering at Old Dominion University. Born and raised in Canada, Dr. Audette earned his Bachelor's degree in Engineering at McGill University, Master's degree in Electrical Engineering at the École Polytechnique and, later, his Ph. D in Biomedical Engineering at McGill University in Montréal. In his research, he prioritizes medical simulation, surgery planning, and the potential of robotic surgery. Alongside recent publications on brain simulation and STEM education through 3D printing workshops, he has authored conference papers and articles on medical imaging and simulation. His work has brought him to three continents with French, Japanese, and German speaking cities.   Many thanks to our talented hosting team, Alexis Osipovs and Ayat Yousef!

We are delighted to interview Dr. Jay Walker, Assistant Professor of Economics in the Department of Economics at Old Dominion University, where his fields of interest are Applied Microeconomics, Labor Economics, and the Economics of Education. Dr. Walker received his B.S. in Economics and Finance from Arkansas Tech University and a MBA from the University of Mississippi. He worked professionally as an analyst in the insurance and retail industries. Following his Ph.D. in Economics from the University of Memphis, he taught at Niagara University in western New York state prior to joining Old Dominion University. In his interview, Dr. Walker shares his travel experiences "with a purpose," the prestigious Fulbright U.S. Scholar Program award, e-Portfolios, and living in Chile, Mexico, Japan, and China! We are grateful to Alexis Osipovs for such an engrossing interview.

We are delighted to kick off our new season of LLChat with our series, French Musicians, Composers, and Discoveries. Our guest, Renée Anne Louprette, is an internationally renowned organist associated with distinguished music programs in New York City, the Arts at Trinity Wall Street, the Church of St. Ignatius Loyola. She is Assistant Professor of Music at Bard College. She has directed the organ program at Rutgers University, served as a faculty member at the Manhattan School of Music, and is director of the National Competition in Organ Improvisation for the American Guild Organists. Louprette has performed with the Mostly Mozart Festival Orchestra, Voices of Ascension, Clarion Music Society, American Symphony Orchestra, Los Angeles Dance Project, Disney Hall in Los Angeles, and the Oratorio Society of New York. She was awarded a Premier Prix - mention très bien from the Conservatoire National de Région de Toulouse, France and a Diplôme Supérieur in organ performance from the Centre d’Etudes Supérieures de Musique et Danse de Toulouse. We are grateful to our magnificent team of hosts, Dr. Peter Schulman and Alexis Osipovs.

Our interview with Joelle Ghosn, a student of French and Spanish at Old Dominion University, offers an in-depth view on how ImmerseMe and virtual reality made an impact while learning French. Jo is a senior in the Department of World Languages and Cultures and also studies ASL, Hebrew, Bulgarian, Italian, and Korean in their free time. After college, Jo plans on working in international or immigration law and living abroad. They are passionate about learning languages to help connect people past language and cultural barriers. Our phenomenal host for the interview is Ayat Yousef!

ODU attracts the best and brightest scholars from around the world. Their contributions as leading educators and researchers make our community increasingly globalized. ODU has a time-honored tradition of providing a diverse and welcoming community where we learn from different backgrounds, cultures, and experiences. International faculty are helping to make ODU a world class institution of higher education. We want to get to know them better. It is an honor to welcome Dr. Zhongtang Ren to our new series, ODU Faculty Speak World Languages! Dr. Ren is a Master Lecturer of Chinese in the Department of World Languages and Cultures. His research interests are student and teacher epistemological beliefs in different cultures, different domains, and different learning environments.  In 2017, he received the prestigious Robert L. Stern Excellence in Teaching Award at Old Dominion University.Our sincere thanks to our host, Wayne Chan. He is an exceptionally talented and  multilingual student of Asian Studies and International Studies, '22.  Wayne prepared the transcript from this interview.

It is with great enthusiasm that we kick off the New Year and our new series with the Dean of ODU's College of Arts and Letters, Dr. Laura Delbrugge! LLChat Podcast is honored to have her as our first guest to this series, ODU Faculty Speak World Languages. Dr. Delbrugge earned her bachelor's degree in Spanish from Central College in Iowa and her master's degree and doctorate in Spanish from The Pennsylvania State University.  Her primary research focuses on Spanish medieval literature and includes three scholarly editions of works first published by Andrés de Li between 1492 and 1494 and "A Scholarly Edition of the Gamaliel." Dean Delbrugge has demonstrated her commitment to expanding student opportunity, success and affordability. She makes advocacy for diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives and support for all students her priorities.We welcome Dean Delbrugge to to Old Dominion University and to the LLChat Podcast!

We are pleased to kick off our new series on Language Learning Apps, Tools, and Platforms with our special guest, Mr. Joe Dale! He is an independent languages consultant from the United Kingdom and an internationally recognized expert on technology and language learning. He taught French for 13 years before transitioning to consulting and launched the TiLT (Technology in Language Teaching) webinar series for free on distance teaching and learning. Mr. Dale regularly speaks at conferences and he has a YouTube Channel and webinars on any number of resources such as music, podcasting, DuoLingo, Storyboard, virtual language exchanges, and more. We welcome Mr. Joe Dale to LLChat! It is an honor to have you join us today!

Campus Ambassador, Meagan Campbell, is a senior at ODU with a major in International Studies and a minor in Japanese. She has been studying Japanese for three years and hopes to travel abroad.  In her interview with LLChat host, Alexis Osipovs, Meagan describes her apprehension, motivation, and confidence from using such learning tools as the TalkAbroad platform and e-Portfolios to demonstrate her learning experiences.

In this episode, Alexis Osipovs shares her excitement in using the TalkAbroad platform. She describes her sense of accomplishment, self-reflection on her language learning process, and how this experience  enhanced her love of French. Alexis is currently a Computer Science major at the University of Virginia and minors in French. She transferred from Old Dominion University where she was employed as an Assistant in the Language Learning Center.

Victoria Allen shares her "inspiring" experience using the TalkAbroad platform and e-Portfolio website as part of her Spanish studies at Old Dominion University in the Department of World Languages and Cultures. She discusses her desire to learn and work harder thanks to such tools with LLChat host, Alexis Osipovs. Victoria majors in International Studies.

Jessica  Dooley is a senior majoring in WL&C with a concentration in French for Teacher Preparation. She shares her thoughts with LLChat host, Alexis Osipovs, on using such powerful learning tools as TalkAbroad and e-Portfolios.  The TalkAbroad platform provides students from the Department of World Languages and Cultures with the unique opportunity to converse with native speakers from around the world. Each conversation practice takes place directly on the TalkAbroad website where students' real-time conversations are recorded. These telecollaborative conversations are becoming a standard practice for our students and faculty.

Our host, Alexis Osipovs, chats with Professor Annette Scavillo from the Department of World Languages and Cultures on her use of telecollaborative conversations using the TalkAbroad platform. She combines this powerful tool in her French and German courses with e-Portfolios and students' reflective learning processes.The TalkAbroad platform provides students with the unique opportunity to converse with native speakers from around the world.

We are joined today by our guest, Laurence Equilbey, a leading French conductor. She is the Founder and Music Director of the Insula Orchestra. On stage, she works with the Orchestre National de Lyon, the Orchestre Philharmonique de Strasbourg, Camerata Salzburg, the Scottish Chamber Orchestra, and the Grand Théâtre de Provence. Equilbey is Artistic Director and Director of Education at the Department for Young Singers at the Paris Conservatoire. Our thanks to the LLChat hosts of this series, Alexis Osipovs and Dr. Peter Schulman. What a great team!Farrenc - Symphony No. 3 - II Adagio cantabileFarrenc - Symphony No. 1 - III Minuetto-ModeratoBeethoven Piono Concerto No. 5 in E-Flat Major, Op. 73 , "Empereur" Gluck Orfeo Ed Euridice - Che puro Ciel! Che Chiaro Sol!Mozart Requiem in D Minor Lacrimosa

Welcome to the kick off to our new season and series on French Musicians, Composers, and Discoveries. We are joined today by our guest, Célimène Daudet, a contemporary classical pianist. Daudet has performed in such world renowned venues as Carnegie Hall, Théâtre du Châtelet in Paris, the Opéra de Lyon, and the Beijing National Center for performing Arts to name a few. She has won many prestigious competitions. Our appreciation to the LLChat hosts, Dr. Peter Schulman and Alexis Osipovs.

Justin Mejia is living a fascinating life in Japan as an English teacher. In our series, Where are They Now? ODU WL&C Alumni, he explains his position as an educator for the past six years in Nagoya, Japan. Justin graduated from ODU as a History major, International Studies minor,  and studied Japanese. He earned an M.A. in English. We learn from his experiences the value of meeting new people, uncomfortable situations, the language process in social contexts, and study abroad.  Our sincere thanks to Stephanie Webb and Alexis Osipovs for hosting this series!