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Project News
Partner News
Francophone counterpart of the NLOC project - Didacticiel national du curriculum CLIC
All eUnits from the Didacticiel national du curriculum CLIC (developed by the Centre des niveaux de compétences linguistiques canadiens – CNCLC) are now available in Avenue’s eUnit Catalogue! Twelve units are currently offered for NCLC levels 3, 4, and 5.
To preview or add these units to your courses, log in to Avenue with your credentials, use the navigation bar on the left side of your Classroom page to access the Course Builder, then click on the "FR" button in the top right corner. You can preview any unit from the Didacticiel and add it to an existing course or request a new one. Access will be granted shortly after.
All units are designed to be accessible, aligned with the Niveaux de compétence linguistique canadiens (NCLC = CLB), and compatible with the Évaluation linguistique basée sur le portfolio (ELBP = PBLA). They integrate Compétences pour réussir (Skills for Success), including digital skills, and can be used in self-directed (asynchronous), blended, or in-person (synchronous) formats.
View the full list of available unit titles here: Didacticiel CLIC Unit Overview
Before you begin, watch the Didacticiel overview video, created especially for instructors, available on the CLIC National Curriculum site: hFrancophone counterpart of the NLOC project - Didacticiel national du curriculum CLIC
https://clic.language.ca/didacticiel-national-du-curriculum-clic
Avenue Webinar
Upcoming: New e-Units on English for Careers in Senior Care May 15, 5PM ET.
Please join Dori Tarjan and Margaret Stasiak, e-learning developers, for a demonstration of new e-Units on English for Careers in Senior Care, recently added to Avenue’s Course Builder. Dori and Margaret will present an overview of the unit content and demonstrate sample activities that introduce learners to various employment opportunities in the senior care sector and related communication skills. We will also discuss tips and ideas for using the units in various teaching contexts and online/blended modalities.
Register here
Upcoming: Teaching writing skills online using Avenue resources May 29, 5PM ET.
Please join Margaret Stasiak, when she will present tips and ideas for sample activities that can help learners in online classes develop their writing skills for different purposes and contexts. Margaret will present activity ideas for individual and collaborative writing, corrective feedback and AI use in the writing process.
Register here
Recent Webinar recordings:
Delivering engaging synchronous sessions in Avenue (April 17, 2025)
Marijke Geurts and Dori Tarjan, project mentors and developers, demonstrated tips and ideas for planning and creating engaging videoconferencing sessions in Avenue. They presented best practices for structuring lessons, using breakout rooms, whiteboards, shared notes and the chat features of BBB.
https://youtu.be/EVwNhIhcHFo?si=qVsPWnslAw3geWBI
Teaching speaking skills online using Avenue resources (April 24, 2025)
Margaret Stasiak, Avenue e-content developer provided ideas, strategies and sample activities that can help learners develop accuracy and fluency in speaking. The focus of the webinar was on teaching in virtual classrooms, Stage 1 learners. This webinar is part of a series focused on better practices in teaching with Avenue.
https://youtu.be/VcoKqGkQEZU?si=-97WRwjIC9l6BT6h
New Avenue Learning Leadership Course Begins on May 10, 2025
The Avenue Leadership Training for Managers & Lead Teachers has been refreshed and remodeled into two structured courses, each spanning 8 weekly units. Designed to help participants build skills as lead teachers or managers, the program facilitates peer-to-peer learning within a community of LINC, CLIC, or Ontario ALT educators. Through videos, readings, audio podcasts, and discussion forums, participants will explore key topics such as the Avenue Standards for Technology-enhanced Language Learning (TELL), Universal Design for Learning, and the SAMR model. The course also emphasizes innovation and leadership principles, guiding educators in developing a strategic plan to enhance learning technology adoption and improve teaching and learning practices. Those who complete all units will earn an Avenue Learning Leadership Certificate, further solidifying their role as educational technology leaders.
https://avenue.ca/new-avenue-learning-leadership-course-begins-may-10-2025
Avenue Instructor Better Practices Video Series - Episode 4
Assessment of receptive skills
This video offers tips on conducting assessment of receptive skills: Listening and Reading using Avenue content and tools. It presents the steps involved in selecting, reviewing, preparing for, and administering assessment using Avenue’s ready-to-use tasks. This video is part of a series of videos on better practices in teaching with Avenue.
https://youtu.be/3EzMrGD5igA?si=XvoBiwFyf5-vHpwd
New in the Annotated Bibliography:
Enhancing ESL learners’ productive vocabulary through multimedia solutions
This article describes a qualitative embedded research project undertaken in an adult ESL program in Ontario, Canada to identify multimedia principles and strategies that support learners' productive vocabulary skills and retention in online adult ESL classes.
https://bib.learnit2teach.ca/blog/enhancing-esl-learners-productive-vocabulary-through-multimedia-solutions
News
Trump Executive Order Calls for Artificial Intelligence to Be Taught in Schools
On April 23, 2025, American President Donald Trump signed the Advancing Artificial Intelligence Education for American Youth executive order aimed at integrating AI education into K-12 schools across the United States. The order establishes a task force on AI Education to develop partnerships, create AI literacy resources, and promote professional development for teachers to incorporate AI into various subjects.
https://www.edsurge.com/news/2025-04-24-trump-executive-order-calls-for-artificial-intelligence-to-be-taught-in-schools
Teachers Worry About Students Using A.I. But They Love It for Themselves.
Dana Goldstein of the New York Times writes, as artificial intelligence moves deeper into classrooms, educators are grappling with a complex paradox. While many teachers rely on AI to streamline tasks like grading and lesson planning, they often restrict students from using the same technology to complete assignments, raising difficult ethical questions about fairness and the future of learning. At the same time, schools face increasing pressure from technology companies promoting AI tools, prompting educators to carefully weigh the benefits of innovation against the risks to authentic teaching, student engagement, and academic integrity.
https://www.nytimes.com/2025/04/14/us/schools-ai-teachers-writing.html
The Digital Divide: Student Generative AI Access
This article discusses the dilemma of institutional-level access. It is cost-effective to subscribe for all at an institution when the tools and technologies and practices are changing so rapidly.
https://www.insidehighered.com/news/tech-innovation/artificial-intelligence/2025/04/21/half-colleges-dont-grant-students-access
Blogs
AI Education Won’t Future-Proof The American Workforce, But This Might
In this article, Pia Lauritzen says that just teaching people about AI is not going to be enough to prepare them for future careers. Instead, individuals must cultivate skills such as critical inquiry, analytical reasoning, and effective communication. These skills will help them handle new changes and technologies better than just knowing facts about AI.
https://www.forbes.com/sites/pialauritzen/2025/04/27/ai-education-wont-future-proof-the-american-workforce-heres-why
'Three Or Four Times Better': AI 'Godfather' Geoffrey Hinton Says AI Tutors Could Soon Outperform Humans And Make Degrees Obsolete
Geoffrey Hinton, often referred to as the "Godfather of AI," in a recent interview, said that current AI systems are "three or four times better" than humans at certain tasks, such as understanding and summarizing complex documents. Supporting this claim, a Harvard study found that students using AI tutors learned more than double the material compared to those without AI assistance. He stresses the need for caution, warning that while AI's capabilities are rapidly advancing, they also pose significant risks, including the potential for misuse in areas like surveillance and manipulation.
https://tinyurl.com/3rbyb43z
English’s lexical siblings
Ashley Barnes writes that some languages are so similar that people who speak them can understand each other pretty easily—like French and Italian, or Hindi and Urdu. Arguably, English doesn’t have any close cousins you can fully understand today, but it shares a lot of words with languages like Scots, Frisian, and two old Irish ones called Fingallian and Yola. Do you experince this with any of your languages?
https://www.noslangues-ourlanguages.gc.ca/en/blogue-blog/english-lexical-siblings-eng
e-Resource Corner
Microsoft's Immersive Reader
It enhances reading comprehension and accessibility. It simplifies text and allows users to customize their reading experience by adjusting text size, spacing, font, and background color, among other features. It's available in Microsoft titles including Word, OneNote, Edge, and Teams.
https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/office/use-immersive-reader-in-word-a857949f-c91e-4c97-977c-a4efcaf9b3c1
YouGlish
An online tool that lets language learners hear how words and phrases are pronounced naturally by real speakers across thousands of YouTube videos. Students type a word or phrase and YouGlish will play video clips showing it used in authentic spoken English.
https://youglish.com
Tip of the Month
Avenue/Tutela login credentials
If you want to use the Avenue folder on Tutela for a few less steps in downloading resources to Avenue, you need to make sure that your login credentials are the SAME on EACH site. If not, you can change your credentials on Tutela yourself: log in to Tutela, and click on your profile in the top left corner. Once on your profile page, you will see the "edit" icon on the top right. Update your email address there to match your Avenue email address. Voila – your login credentials will match, and you can use the Avenue folder on Tutela.
Here is the full help file: https://kb.avenue.ca/article/adding-tutela-resources-to-an-avenue-course
In Case You Missed It
Canadian government guide on the use of generative artificial intelligence
This document provides guidance to federal institutions on their use of generative AI tools. This includes instances where federal institutions are deploying these tools. It provides an overview of generative AI, identifies challenges relating to its use, puts forward principles for using it responsibly, and offers policy considerations and best practices.
This guide also seeks to raise awareness and foster coordination among federal institutions. It highlights the importance of engaging key stakeholders before deploying generative AI tools for public use and before using them for purposes such as service delivery.
https://www.canada.ca/en/government/system/digital-government/digital-government-innovations/responsible-use-ai/guide-use-generative-ai.html
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New Language Solutions is based in Ottawa, Ontario. We acknowledge that our head office is on the traditional, unceded territory of the Algonquin Anishnaabeg People. Beyond Ottawa, we have staff working in locations across Canada. New Language Solutions is grateful to have the opportunity to work as a guest in communities and territories across the country, and we honour the stewardship of the many Indigenous peoples who have resided on and cared for these lands since time immemorial.
We make our acknowledgement as a sign of respect for all Indigenous Peoples of Turtle Island, past and present. We accept the true impact of the past and the pain suffered by generations of Indigenous Peoples. As an agency that works to support the integration of newcomers into Canadian society and cultures, we express our commitment to support activities that are inclusive of Indigenous Peoples. We resolve to address a history of injustice to First Nations, Metis and Inuit peoples.
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