Tag: tech

The Maryland House of Delegates, Ways and Means Committee, is considering a bill (H.B. 1211) that would let county boards of education allow students to satisfy foreign language requirements by completing a certain course in computer programming or coding. Sponsored by 19 House delegates, the bill has bipartisan support but is encountering considerable resistance from language educators, rallied...

According to a recent study, the growth of Indian language internet users is growing at 18% per year, so that by 2021 the total will reach 531 million, which will be nearly 75% of India’s total internet users.  This growth has been attributed to the availability of mobile data at a minimal cost, more digital awareness among rural populations, and...

A new language called Blink to Speak aims to improve the lives of people with paralysis and have difficulty with speech, and recently won the Health Grand Prix for Good at the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity. The guide outlines a new language that uses eye movements for communication for people with paralysis. The language was created by...

Amanda Cuellar shares the benefits of learning via smartphone for adult English language learners Families and individuals from all over the world are drawn to Midland, Texas. Its opportunities in the oil and gas industry create a melting pot of different languages, cultures, and levels of education. In 2014, Forbes magazine ranked Midland as the second-fastest-growing small city in the...

Brooke Foged and Jenny Hammock share their insights into fighting generational illiteracy with the engaging power of technology In today’s world, reading is an expected skill. Most of what we need to know to get by in life is written down, so for our current students to have future...

Language Magazine asks luminaries in the EdTech landscape what to expect and what we can hope for in 2018 I am hoping that school district leaders increasingly focus on making the most of the amazing technology that has emerged to instruct and improve student outcomes. I am also looking to see a positive spillover effect in 2018 from current conversations on...

Matt Renwick recommends a grounded approach when it comes to technology in the classroom In a first-grade classroom, two teachers co-facilitated a literacy lesson. It was a shared reading experience that transitioned into a shared writing activity. One of the teachers read aloud a book written in both English and Spanish. This activity was followed by writing a text together...

Diglossia has announced the release of Mubakkir, an Arabic early-reading assessment designed for native and nonnative learners at beginning and intermediate proficiency levels. Experts agree that early and frequent measurement of young learners’ progress toward the acquisition of early literacy skills is an essential element for developing successful readers and writers, and the test addresses a need in the...

The Confucius Institute and XuetangX have launched a platform for students around the world who want to learn Chinese and pass the HSK proficiency tests. The courses are available at www.chinesetest.cn. Beginners can register and access the course HSK Tsinghua Chinese: Start Talking with 1.3 Billion People. The most attractive part of this course is the fact that it is...

In addition to the humble book, publishers have launched an array of reading programs designed to help readers of all types acquire the skills they need Here’s a selection of the most innovative Academy of READING The Academy of READING is an intensive, online intervention program for struggling readers in grades 2-12 which instructs students in the five critical areas of reading —...