From the beginning of the first wave of AI, dating back to speech technologies in the early 2000s, there has always been a keen interest in how technologies might be harnessed to facilitate language learning and teaching. Now, almost a quarter century later, there are a number of possible directions language learning and teaching might take as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic and recent technological advances.
AI technologies were originally aimed at developing machines that can use language and “think” abstractly. In this webinar, we look at the potential existential threat AI poses to language teaching and the need to learn a language in the first place. This existential threat sits alongside a decline in language learning opportunities across the English-speaking world.
It is critical that language educators have a more in-depth understanding of what AI is and how it works, in order to fully appreciate the extent to which AI can (or cannot!) replace language teachers and the need to learn a foreign language. We’ll explore what AI is, the range of AI technologies that might be deployed in language teaching, and how those technologies work – and whether AI might really ever replace language teachers.
TITLE: Artificial Intelligence and the Future of International Schools DATE: June 18, 2024 TIME: 4:00–4:30 p.m. EDT
DETAILS: Join us as Pascal Vallet, principal at the United Nations International School, explores how technology could transform international schools and similar multilingual PK–12 institutions known for their globally minded curricula, language education opportunities, and diverse communities of multinational students, faculty, and families. Shelly Spiegel-Coleman of Californians Together and Maria Cieslak of the Center for Applied Linguistics will lead the discussion, which will consider the importance of collaboration among educators, policymakers, and technologists to develop technology that supports culturally sensitive teaching, meets international standards, eliminates biases, and fosters global citizenship.
TITLE: Technology Integration: Language Education for Immigrant Adults DATE: May 14, 2024 TIME: 4:00–4:30 p.m. Eastern Standard Time
DETAILS: This webinar explored the impact of digital environments on adult immigrants’ language learning and the challenges faced by multilingual individuals in these settings. Jen Vanek, Director of Digital Learning and Research at World Education, discussed research findings from different studies on improving language instruction and digital literacy through technology. Marguerite Lukes, CAL Board member and Director of Research at Internationals Network for Public Schools, and Mathilda Reckford, CAL Adult Language and Communication Specialist, participated in the conversation to examine policy and practice implications for enhancing language education and digital skill development. The webinar covered technologically mediated learning in multilingual contexts and offered insights on digital inclusion, technology recommendations, support and training for teachers, and the role artificial intelligence could play in multilingual education for adult immigrants.
Resources
Our speaker, Jen Vanek, shared a compilation of resources at this link.
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Share the link to EHLS program details to make a difference in the careers of advanced English speakers who are native speakers of Arabic, Chinese Mandarin, Hausa, Kazakh, Korean, Persian Farsi, Russian, Turkish, and Ukrainian here. The application deadline for this year’s EHLS program is June 18, 2024.
DETAILS: This webinar provided an overview of initiatives in the area of Indigenous language reclamation. Panelists shared about research projects and programs designed to support Indigenous children in connecting to language, heritage, and culture. Webinar attendees heard about what Indigenous-led research said about intergenerational language learning, land-based pedagogy, and the importance of Indigenous languages for early childhood learning.
Q&A UPDATE
Question: When a people lose their language, how do they find it again?
Mary Hermes: You can find your language or one you are connected to by looking to the land of the place you inhabit. Finding other people and classes (online and through tribal colleges) is great.
Question: What is the National Science Foundation document that Mary spoke of?
Mary Hermes: The National Science Foundation science grants are called Documenting Endangered Languages. The document is “Understanding Learning Mechanisms and Language Acquisition Through Intergenerational Conversations in Southwestern Ojibwe, a Native American Language.”
RESOURCES
Forest Walks publications
Engman, M. M., & Hermes, M. (2021). Land as interlocutor: A study of Ojibwe learner language on and with naturally occurring ‘materials’. Modern Language Journal, 105(S1), 86-105. https://doi.org/10.1111/modl.12685
Hermes, M., Engman, M. M., Meixi, MacKenzie, J. (2023). Relationality and Ojibwemowin in forest walks: Learning from multimodal interaction about land and language. Cognition and Instruction. https://doi.org/10.1080/07370008.2022.2059482
Hermes, M. Meixi, Engman, M. M., & McKenzie, J. (2021). Everyday stories in a forest: Multimodal meaning-making with Ojibwe Elders, young people, language, and place. WINHEC: International Journal of Indigenous Education Scholarship, 2021(1), 267-301. https://journals.uvic.ca/index.php/winhec
Position paper on Language Reclamation + Relationality (Henne-Ochoa et al. 2020) + commentary
Hermes, M., Engman, M. M., Meixi, MacKenzie, J. (2023). Relationality and Ojibwemowin in forest walks: Learning from multimodal interaction about land and language. Cognition and Instruction, 4(1), 1-31. https://doi.org/10.1080/07370008.2022.2059482
Guerrettaz, A. M., & Engman, M. M. (2023). “Indigenous Language Revitalization.” In Paula Groves Price (Ed.), Oxford Encyclopedia of Race and Education. New York: Oxford University Press.
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