by Iuri Moscardi
Note: This is an abridged translation of an article that was originally published in Italian on América Crítica, 4 (2), 2020 titled “Betwyll: A Digital Social Reading tool for teaching Italian in North America”. I have extended its flexibility with any reading and writing classes.
In recent years, mobile devices with access to the Internet have reached all age groups, especially young people. For this reason, educators in North America (like Ryan Becker and Penny Bishop, Victoria Rideout, Lara Lomicka and Gillian Lord) have theorized the use of social networks for educational purposes. In this article, I analyze the results of educational projects carried out at North American universities with non-native Italian students, which used Twitter dynamics applied to the app Betwyll to read and comment on texts in Italian. These projects realized “Twitterary micronarrative”, i.e., “the possibility […] of producing short texts, even as a reformulation of other texts” (Nobili 2016, 141).
Betwyll is a social reading app, developed in 2016 by an Italian startup and relying on the twitteratura method which used Twitter to promote reading. The educational projects on the app involved some universities in North America, which have used it for teaching Italian to non-native students. Twitteratura is an example of Digital Social Reading methodology that exploits the potential of direct communication and interaction offered by social networks. It includes a series of phases. It begins with the selection of the text to be read; a reading schedule is then established; finally, participants comment on the text in messages of 140 characters. This methodology is called Digital Social Reading because it presupposes real-time interaction between readers, who respond to each other’s comments. With the release of Betwyll, the educational projects attracted the interest of professors in North American universities: Indiana University, Harvard University, Hunter College (CUNY), and the University of Toronto-Mississauga. These professors designed projects reserved for their students, while two graduate students from an Italian course at Harvard created a project for the Betwyll community.
At Indiana University, Professor Colleen Ryan carried out four projects on Amara Lakhous’s book Clash of Civilizations Over an Elevator in Piazza Vittorio (November – December 2016); Mario Puzo’s book The Fortunate Pilgrim (January – February 2017); the TV series The Sopranos (March – April 2017); Margaret Mazzantini’s book Venuto al mondo and its movie adaptation by Sergio Castellitto (March – April 2017). The projects used the app to allow students to respond to analytical questions on textual analysis, cultural reflections, personal thoughts, and visual analysis by comparing texts with images, covers, posters, or films. Some were in Italian, others in English; in each of them, Betwyll was used for homework. With Lakhous’s book, students analyzed the content by reflecting on the clash of civilization implied in the title. The projects on Puzo’s book and The Sopranos reflected on Italian-American culture. Finally, the project on Venuto al mondo focused on the differences between two media.
Io non ho paura is a 2001 novel by the Italian writer Niccolò Ammaniti, adapted into a movie in 2003. The book was chosen for three projects, two at Harvard and one at the University of Toronto-Mississauga, for many reasons: Ammaniti’s language is free from complicated constructs, the plot unfolds linearly, and its author is a contemporary one. The first two projects took place in two Italian classes at Harvard University, the first under Teaching Assistant Chiara Trebaiocchi (September – October 2016). Portions of the novel selected by the professor were published on Betwyll to focus on different aspects of the novel: students were guided by questions designed to practice the language while reflecting on the book’s content. The project was repeated in the Spring 2017 semester, under Teaching Assistant Giorgia Corti (February – March). The third and final project dedicated to Ammaniti’s novel was organized at the University of Toronto-Mississauga by Professor Simone Casini and was funded by the Italian Cultural Institute of Toronto. The project, which took place in January and February 2019, involved 36 students who read on the app summaries of the novel’s ten chapters. Professor Casini used Betwyll in a sociolinguistics course, asking students to focus on the grammatical and linguistic aspects of the text.
Finally, I have personally carried out two projects with my Italian students at Hunter College (CUNY). In the first case, I focused on Cesare Pavese’s novel The Moon and the Bonfires (April – May 2018). I asked my students to read the novel’s opening chapter to reflect on grammar and content, adjusting the questions based on their level. In the Fall 2019 semester, I also carried out a project on Luigi Pirandello’s Uno, nessuno e centomila. The project was organized by the Department of Romance Languages as part of the college’s teaching assessment. With two colleagues from other classes I read the same pages of the novel using different tools: the paper book, an online platform, and Betwyll. In my case, students had to answer prompts on grammar, vocabulary, and content, and complete a questionnaire to determine the best teaching methodology among the three proposed.
A last project was organized by two students from the Harvard course “The Structure and Sounds of Italian”. Coordinated by Professor Elvira Di Fabio and in collaboration with the Italian online newspaper Linkiesta, the students proposed the reading of six proverbs from various Italian dialects over three days, asking participants to rewrite them in different styles. Their goal was to deepen the knowledge of dialects and Italian culture.
An analysis of these projects shows how Betwyll adapts its methodology to different texts: the result of learning Italian was achieved through different teaching strategies adaptable to the class levels. Professor Ryan found Betwyll very useful due to its accessibility on mobile devices: the brevity of the twylls doesn’t intimidate students and it encourages students to have a greater understanding of language usage. In her view, Betwyll “integrates well into teaching because it can serve as a useful prompt for brainstorming, pre-writing, or pre-discussion in class” (Indiana, online) as well as in class activities. Professor Trebaiocchi emphasizes that the 140-character limit made students “focus on specific grammar aspects more easily and with less anxiety of making mistakes. It was very enjoyable and educational at the same time.” Also, the limited space made them “think critically about the grammar aspect being studied without having to submit longer essays” (Harvard 2, online). Another positive feature loved by the students is the ability to read their classmates’ twylls, at home or in class. Professor Corti chose Betwyll as “a protected environment where students could express themselves with the same ease as in a regular Italian lesson” (Harvard 1, online). Her students enjoyed reading their classmates’ thoughts, and they also appreciated how easy it was to access the platform. For her, Betwyll engages students in an effort of synthesis, but also grammatical accuracy and stylistic research, with results close to poetry. Professor Casini also emphasized that the social dimension was one of the most significant strengths of the project. Betwyll stimulated engagement in group work or with the instructor: it made the learning experience more collaborative, participatory, and inclusive. In my case, I noticed that even students who participate less in class expressed themselves directly, allowing me to assess their language learning.
This review highlighted the main benefits of Betwyll in Italian language classes for non-native speakers. For teachers, these are:
- choosing the text depending on the learning objectives;
- usability in class or for homework;
- time-saving (real-time feedback between students and the teacher).
For students, Betwyll allows:
- virtual classrooms using familiar technology;
- reduction of stress levels;
- learning by doing (highly valued in North American pedagogy);
- strengthening of class cohesion through peer interaction;
- encouragement of creativity with control over grammar and vocabulary;
- improvement of language skills while fostering self-awareness of their role as individuals.
Betwyll allows the educational and pedagogical application of the main features of social networks, thus revealing an intelligent use of a tool typically considered negative or even dangerous and misleading for learning.
Works Cited and Further Reading:
Antonelli, Giuseppe. 2014. “L’e-taliano: una nuova realtà tra le varietà linguistiche italiane?” In Dal manoscritto al web: canali e modalità di trasmissione dell’Italiano. Tecniche, materiali e usi nella storia della lingua; atti del XII congresso SILFI, Società Internazionale di Linguistica e Filologia Italiana (Helsinki, 18 – 20 giugno 2012), a cura di Enrico Garavelli. Firenze: Cesati, 537-556
Antonelli, Giuseppe. 2016. “L’e-taliano tra storie e leggende” in Scriventi e scritture nell’era digitale, a cura di Sergio Lubello, Firenze: Cesati, 11-28
Becker, Ryan e Penny Bishop. 2016. “Think bigger about science: Using Twitter for learning in the middle grades.” Middle School Journal 47 (3): 4-16
Betwyll = Betwyll, per tutti: https://www.twletteratura.org/2016/10/betwyll-per-tutti/
Chiusaroli, Francesca. 2016. “Scritture brevi e tendenze della scrittura nella comunicazione di Twitter.” In Linguaggio e apprendimento linguistico. Metodi e strumenti tecnologici, a cura di Francesca Bianchi e Paola Leone. Milano-Bologna: Officinaventuno-AItLA, 103-120
Chiusaroli, Francesca. 2017. #scritturebrevi: Linguaggio e nuovi media. In Tutto ciò che hai sempre voluto sapere sul linguaggio e sulle lingue, a cura di Francesca Masini e Nicola Grandi. Cesena-Bologna: Caissa Italia, 65-68
Collaborative Learning = Collaborative Learning su Betwyll: https://www.twletteratura.org/2017/10/collaborative-learning-universita-gent/
Digregorio, Rosarita. 2019. “Dall’alfabetizzazione alla literacy”, in «Portale Treccani.it», www.treccani.it/magazine/lingua_italiana/articoli/scritto_e_parlato/literacy.html?fbclid=IwAR3wJRH2HhNWpb2RFblBCms1sTpByl3jDlEPoxiyWXl3f_fj5mX0LXY3FNs
Fiorentino, Giuliana. 2013. Frontiere della scrittura. Lineamenti di web writing. Roma: Carocci
Fiorentino, Giuliana. 2015. “L’italiano insegnato creativamente.” in L’italiano insegnato creativamente, a cura di Maria Załęska. Warszawa: Katedra Italianistyki – Uniwersytet Warszawski, 213-237
Gardaphe, Fred. 2006. From Wiseguys to Wise Men: The Gangster and Italian American Masculinities. New York-London: Routledge
Harvard 1 = Betwyll ad Harvard: l’italiano è social. https://www.twletteratura.org/2017/06/betwyll-harvard-ammaniti/
Harvard 2 = Betwyll ad Harvard: #iononhopaura: https://www.twletteratura.org/2017/06/betwyll-harvard-ammaniti-trebaiocchi/
Harvard 3 = Betwyll e Harvard: chi trova un amico…: https://www.twletteratura.org/2016/11/harvard-twletteratura-betwyll/
Indiana = Indiana University: in classe con Betwyll: https://www.twletteratura.org/2018/01/indiana-university-betwyll/
Lomicka, Lara and Gillian Lord. 2014. “Twitter as a Tool to Promote Community Among Language Teachers.” Journal of Technology and Teacher Education. 22 (2): 187-212
Lubello, Sergio. 2017. “Lo scritto factotum dei nativi digitali (e non solo).” Lingue e culture dei media. 1 (1): 143-146
Nobili, Claudio. 2019. “Testi in movimento ai tempi di Twitter. Uno studio linguistico di trasmesso giovanile.” In Homo scribens 2.0. Scritture ibride della modernità, a cura di Sergio Lubello. Firenze: Cesati, 89-121.
Nobili, Claudio and Chiara Meluzzi. 2016. “Riformulazioni attraverso Twitter da parte di studenti italiano L1 e LS: proposta di una tassonomia testuale.” In Linguaggio e apprendimento linguistico. Metodi e strumenti tecnologici, a cura di Francesca Bianchi, e Paola Leone. Milano-Bologna: Officinaventuno-AItLA, 139-154.
PEW = PEW Research Center, report Teens, Social Media & Technology 2018: https://www.pewresearch.org/internet/2018/05/31/teens-social-media-technology-2018/
Pistolesi, Elena. 2014. “Scritture digitali.” In Storia dell’italiano scritto. III. Italiano dell’uso, a cura di Giuseppe Antonelli, Matteo Motolese, Lorenzo Tomasin. Carocci: Roma, 349-378
Prada, Massimo. 2016. “Scritto e parlato, il parlato nello scritto. Per una didattica della consapevolezza diamesica”, in «Italiano LinguaDue», VIII (2016), 2, pp. 232-260
Proverbi 1 = Riscoprire una lingua nei suoi proverbi: https://www.twletteratura.org/2016/12/proverbi-harvard-betwyll/
Proverbi 2 = Riscrivere i proverbi dialettali italiani: un esperimento di social reading con l’università di Harvard: https://www.linkiesta.it/2016/11/riscrivere-i-proverbi-dialettali-italiani-un-esperimento-di-social-rea/
Rideout, Victoria. 2012. Social media, social life: How teens view their digital lives. San Francisco: Common Sense Media
Spina, Stefania. 2016. “Le conversazioni scritte dei social media: un’analisi multidimensionale.” In Linguaggio e apprendimento linguistico. Metodi e strumenti tecnologici, a cura di Francesca Bianchi e Paola Leone. Milano-Bologna: Officinaventuno-AItLA, 83-102.
Toronto = A Toronto l’italiano si impara con Bettwyll. https://betwyll.com/it/universita/toronto-mississauga-simone-casini/
TwLetteratura = Il metodo TwLetteratura https://www.twletteratura.org/2014/02/il-metodo-tw-letteratura