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AI Adoption in Foreign Language Education through a Freirean lens
No full textThis presentation examines Paulo Freire’s critical pedagogy in the context of contemporary educational processes shaped by artificial intelligence. It aligns Freire’s key insights—such as dialogue, critical thinking, and the rejection of the banking model of education— with the evolving requirements outlined in current AI policy frameworks, including the EU AI Act and related ethical guidelines. Through qualitative document analysis, the presentation highlights the emerging teacher competencies emphasized in these regulations, including professional engagement, effective use of digital resources, inclusive teaching and learning practices, learner empowerment, and the facilitation of transformative educational experiences. In a Freirean sense, these competencies are essential not only to defy passive, top-down models of instruction, but to cultivate critical awareness and diminish hierarchical student–teacher dichotomies. The presentation reconsiders traditional approaches to language teaching and offers new insights into the integration of AI in foreign language education. It proposes a holistic, human-centered framework for teacher education—one that embraces the transformative potential of AI while remaining grounded in emancipatory, ethically informed pedagogy. Concrete classroom strategies will be shared to support educators in navigating AI-enhanced environments critically and responsibly
In Our AI Era: Thoughtful Planning and Considerations for Teaching in the New Landscape of Education
No full textGEN-AI tools are revolutionizing teaching and learning by streamlining workflows, sparking creativity, and equipping students for an AIdriven future. Educators, however, approach AI integration from varied perspectives: some are focused on plagiarism concerns, others embrace it with enthusiasm, some feel uncertain, and others prioritize ethical and practical considerations. This digital poster session serves as a starting point for all, offering guiding questions around key considerations, pedagogical goals, technology literacy, equity, ethics, data privacy, and assessment design to help faculty determine when and how to integrate AI in alignment with their course objectives
Academic Integrity and AI: A Learning Journey
No full textThis is particularly difficult when university policy is ambiguous and students receive inconsistent messaging from instructors. It explores an online, interactive module designed to promote academic integrity and its various revisions since AI was introduced. Addressing the complexities brought about by AI remains a continual challenge, but modules like this one play a crucial role in helping students navigate ethical decision-making in an increasingly digital academic environment
Transforming K-12 Classrooms: Ten Essential Strategies for Cultural Responsiveness
Get PDFAcross the United States, in K-12 classrooms, diverse student populations continue to increase, challenging educators to meet student cultural, linguistic, and academic needs. The study examined the best practices related to culturally responsive teaching (CRT) strategies to better meet all students\u27 needs. A qualitative approach was used to collect data from licensed K-12 educators in New Mexico and Colorado. The findings revealed three essential themes: culturally responsive pedagogy, the positive impact of CRT, and the creation of physical spaces to support inclusivity. The findings revealed the significance of building strong relational capacity, encouraging collaboration, supporting multilingualism, and creating effective physical learning environments and challenges in CRT. The significance of the study lies in the identified strategies based on CRT that promote equitable, inclusive, and supportive educational spaces that empower all students to succeed academically and thrive in classroom settings
Everything is Bigger in Texas: English Learners and the Difficulty within Assessment, Identification, and Program Development
Get PDFThis report explores the critical components of effective program placement for English learners, emphasizing the need for accurate assessment and identification processes to ensure appropriate placement. It highlights the rapid growth of the EL population, particularly in the state of Texas, and underscores the importance of developing tailored educational programs that meet the unique needs of English learners. By examining current practices and identifying key areas for improvement, this paper aims to enhance the academic and linguistic outcomes for English learners, ultimately fostering an inclusive and supportive educational environment
Enhancing Educational Outcomes for English Learners: The Role of Culturally Responsive Teaching and Professional Development in Texas
Get PDFThe increasing population of English learners (ELs) in Texas public schools requires a focused approach to their education. This article explores the challenges faced by ELs, including the risk of misplacement in educational programs and the need for culturally and linguistically responsive teaching practices. Drawing on recent research, the article highlights the importance of professional development (PD) tailored to the unique needs of ELs. Effective PD programs should prioritize cultural and linguistic awareness, collaborative learning opportunities, and strategies for differentiated instruction. The article also discusses the significance of engaging parents and the community in supporting ELs. By implementing these recommendations, educators can create an inclusive and supportive learning environment that enhances the academic success of ELs. The findings highlight the need for ongoing efforts to refine educational practices and policies to better serve the diverse student population in Texas
Demystifying AI for Language Educators: A Hands-On AI Experience
Get PDFThis presentation will showcase the World Language Faculty Assistant GPT, an AI-powered co-teacher specifically designed to empower educators by simplifying curriculum design, enhancing language teaching and learning, and supporting classroom innovations. Through real-life examples and hands-on exercises, we\u27 ll demonstrate using AI tools to create classroom-ready materials, personalize instruction, engage students, and address teaching challenges in language classes. We\u27 ll also explore responsible AI usage to engage students in innovative ways while supporting language acquisition and proficiency development. Moreover, we will provide practical strategies to demystify AI and integrate it into pedagogy, making it accessible and transformative for educators and learners alike
Design of a Simplified Biomimetic Autonomous Entertainment Robot
Get PDFThe advancement of technology has paved the way for robots with the purpose of entertainment to become more popular. However, the exploration of biomimetic actions as a factor of entertainment is majorly limited to the mimicry of young domesticated animals such as puppies and kittens, with some notable exceptions. However, there is a wide range of possibilities for robotics that mimic animals marketed as pets, outside of the common examples. This work seeks to explore the opportunity for autonomous systems with entertainment driven and expressive actions in the family of Testudines (turtles and tortoises), an undomesticated species, but still often classified as a pet species
Part of that World: Sound-coded Seeing and Being in Theme Park Experiences
Get PDFUniversal and Disney theme parks are magical experiences that involve seeing, believing, and hearing. Sound-oriented theme park rides, shows, and character meetings expand the transmedia entities of magic-inclusive franchises like Harry Potter, Frozen, and The Little Mermaid. This presentation argues that parkgoers’ musically underscored agency in theme parks vary on a spectrum of being (high interaction with) and seeing (passive interaction with) part of sound-coded experiences. My criteria for high/passive immersion draw on the scholarship and ideas of transmedia (Jenkins 2006), film leitmotif (Bribitzer-Stull 2015), ludomusicology (Collins 2013), “scripted spaces” (Waysdorf and Reijnders 2018), and theme park’s worldbuilding (White 2021 and 2024).The Wizarding World of Harry Potter exemplifies being part of the sound-coded magic, where parkgoers create their own multi-park Harry Potter adventures through thrill rides with Harry and friends or interactive wands. Disney’s multi-park Frozen experiences exemplify finding and seeing Elsa and friends perform magic at singalongs, dark rides, parades, and the limited holiday show “Frozen Holiday Surprise.” Parkgoers’ interactions now focus on scripted experiences featuring Frozen songs altered in musical form and narrative outside of filmic context. The studies further highlight theme park sound content (Baker 2024; Carson 2004) and the different roles that film soundtracks (Harry Potter) and musical numbers (Frozen) provide to theme park experiences. The studies also question the belief in Disney’s animated musicals (Smith 2011), trans-mediated roles of “I Want/Won’t” songs (Montgomery 2022), and the “Disneyfication” (Bemis 2022) that compels parkgoers to go into the unknown and be a part of that world
Swinging in the Queue: Reimagining Nintendo’s Cues in the Super Nintendo World Theme Parks
Get PDFEmanating from the speakers above the crowded lines of Super Nintendo World in Universal Studios Hollywood are the sounds of Nintendo’s past. Patient attendees listen to the music representing a wide variety of Nintendo games as they wait, sometimes for hours, to take rides such as “Yoshi’s Adventure” and “Bowser’s Challenge.” As one such attendee who attended Super Nintendo World in both Los Angeles and Osaka, one particularly striking aspect was how Nintendo’s music from decades past was arranged. These celebrated cues were not presented in their original format. Rather, they were reimagined; the music was recorded by a jazz big band. Such observations have prompted the following questions: How does Nintendo sonically represent their digital worlds in their two theme parks? How might the reimagined cues differ from one geographical location to the other? How has Nintendo reimagined their chip music through a live ensemble for their theme parks? The present research explores these questions and presents an analysis of field recordings from attending Super Nintendo World in both Los Angeles and Osaka. Additionally, this paper draws from and builds upon scholarly writings on Nintendo’s 8- and 16-bit music (Summers 2024; Schartmann 2015), place studies (Feld 1996; Cresswell 2014), and ludomusical world-building (Galloway 2024; Scoggin 2023). A study of the cues heard in these two theme parks offers a unique opportunity to hear how Nintendo reimagines their music and sound from 8- and 16-bit games as a musical device to situate audiences within physical representations of these past ludic places