#HowIBoomalang is a series highlighting how educators integrate Boomalang conversations into their classrooms to support real-world language learning. Here are selected quotes from our conversation with Dr. Ashley LaBoda, who used Boomalang to provide virtual Spanish conversation practice for college students.

“I liked that my students were speaking with people more or less their age.”

Classes: Intermediate Spanish 2

Problem

Dr. Ashley LaBoda, professor of Spanish at Franklin & Marshall College, was already familiar with incorporating technology into her language classes. She had used other conversation platforms in the past but was looking for one that better fit the needs of her intermediate-level students – one that allowed for short, relevant conversations with native speakers.

“I liked Boomalang’s format and that my students were speaking with people more or less their age.”

Beyond practicing the language, Ashley was also seeking a way to bridge a cultural gap. 

“I wanted their Boomalang conversations to serve as extra practice with real people who are Spanish-speaking and live in another country. Not all students get to study abroad, so I wanted them to have Boomalang be a cross-cultural experience for them as well.”

Solution

“This conversation and composition course is a bridge course between the lower and intermediate level grammar, and before students really dive deeper into the Spanish major requirements. We have the students do 4 conversations that correspond to different topics in the textbook. For instance, the textbook had topics like pop culture and trends.

I didn’t assign them super specific topics, but basically the idea was to be able to use the vocabulary that they were learning in class to get information from their conversation partners about some of the cultural aspects that they might not get in the classroom.”

During Boomalang conversations, students are instructed to ask questions such as “What is trending in Venezuela?” and report back in their written reflections.

“After the students complete the conversation, I ask them to listen to the playback and choose 3-5 minutes for me to listen to and evaluate their speaking. I check that they are at a conversational level that is appropriate for the course. I don’t require any grammar sequences or take off points for mistakes. I’m mostly checking for fluency. What I look at more closely is the reflection that they have to write. After every conversation, they reflect on their own speaking and improvements since the last conversation, reflect on their comfort level talking to a native Spanish-speaker, and the information that they were able to get from their Boomalang conversation partner.”

Results

The combination of playback and reflection led to noticeable growth in fluency and confidence.

“The reflection and playback assignment force them to listen to themselves and see how much they’ve learned over the course. It made them realize that they were carrying on good conversations, and they gained confidence for their next [Boomalang assignment]. By the fourth conversation, they were friends with their conversation partners!”

Her students also discovered unexpected cultural similarities. 

“My students were surprised that they had so much in common with their conversation partners. They were going into these conversations thinking that they wouldn’t be able to connect on a personal level with a lot of the speakers because of the cultural differences, but they were surprised that they had the same taste in movies and music.”

From a teaching perspective, Boomalang simplified logistics.

“For those interested in bringing this to your class, it really doesn’t take much time and planning from the professor’s end. I really appreciate the time that Boomalang puts in to setting it up and making it easy when troubleshooting. And once I give the assignment to students, I don’t really have to do anything more to monitor students’ progress. It’s definitely user-friendly.”

If you’re looking to enhance your students’ confidence, cultural understanding, and speaking skills, Boomalang is a powerful option among language learning platforms for higher education. It creates meaningful opportunities for cross-cultural communication in Spanish courses and helps students grow through real conversation.

Have a story to share?

Whether it’s a small win or a big breakthrough, we’d love to hear it. Help grow the Boomalang community by commenting below, emailing us at info@boomalang.co, or posting on Twitter with #HowIBoomalang.

Saludos,

Alison, Community Engagement