Title: Synchronous Virtual Classrooms: Why Zoom?  “Do. Or do not. There is no try.” – Yoda
Presenters: Miao-Fen Tseng (Chinese), Franziska Oertle (Tibetan) and Yujia Sun (Chinese)

Summary: What emotions arise when you imagine teaching a language class in a virtual setting? Does “online teaching” sound like an appealing option or an unwanted threat? This presentation invites you to reflect on such questions and explore two synchronous virtually taught language courses offered at UVA: Tibetan and Mandarin Chinese. The first part presents an account of how an initially  “technologically handicapped” language teacher transforms into a confident user of the ZOOM platform. The second part illustrates how ZOOM is complemented and empowered in combination with Nearpod to make possible student-centered instruction and active learning while catering to individual needs.