The year 2021 will be focused on recovery—overcoming the COVID-19 pandemic and rebuilding the economy. This new economy will look very different from the one that existed prior to the pandemic. Many of the jobs that have disappeared may never come back, forcing some people to look for jobs in new sectors. The jobs that...
This webinar discussed the challenges that language learners and language teachers face, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic, and how avatars can help overcome them. We focused particularly on teaching spoken interaction skills—speaking and listening. According to a survey of language teachers, speaking skills are by far the most important language skills, with listening skills the...
During the first week of November 2020, I participated in the Global Summit on the Ethics of AI in Education. Leaders in the field of artificial intelligence in education (AIED) got together virtually to discuss key ethical questions regarding the use of AI in education. I took part in discussions on how to facilitate the...
Language teachers recognize that it is important to give students opportunities to practice speaking, both to increase fluency and build self-confidence. Unfortunately, this can be very demanding on teacher time. Teachers must organize and orchestrate the practice activities, and then provide students feedback as needed. This can be a challenge in large classes or in...
In this podcast, Dr. Lewis Johnson of Alelo and Leilani Cauthen of the EduJedi Leadership Society discuss avatars used with artificial intelligence for asynchronous teaching and professional development. A technology that has been around for a while in the corporate sector and military is now coming to the rescue in education to create engagement and...
Although students are returning to class, the impact of COVID-19 on teachers and students is still being felt. According to UNESCO, 875 million students worldwide, 50% of the total, are still affected by school closures. Students who are returning to school are suffering the effects of school closures earlier in the year. The pandemic has...
