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Project News
Navigating Language Instruction in the Digital Age
An Avenue Video Testimonial from a LINC Professional: Swati Sinha teaches both in-person and online at various levels in the LINC program at COSTI Immigrant Services. In spring 2024 New Language Solutions commissioned an expert team to profile a LINC professional who implements Avenue in their teaching. In the seven-minute video, Swati explains the impacts of Avenue.ca on her teaching and her learners. ...
https://avenue.ca/navigating-language-instruction-in-the-digital-age/
Dr. Phil Hubbard Interview, Part One
This podcast is Part One of an interview with Dr. Phil Hubbard, the Senior Lecturer Emeritus in the Stanford University Language Center. The podcast is moderated by Dr. Sepideh Alavi, Mentor and Resource Developer for The Avenue - LearnIT2teach Project. The session focused on the goals and purpose of the Avenue Instructor Standards for Technology-enhanced language learning …
https://www.podomatic.com/podcasts/learnit2teach/episodes/2024-08-26T09_29_03-07_00
Coming in 2025: Language Volunteer Preparation for Newcomers in the Workplace
Since 2018 we have also offered training and resources for language volunteers working with newcomers. New Language Solutions is growing that volunteer training to include preparing volunteers to support newcomers in employment preparation or the workplace. …
https://avenue.ca/coming-in-2025-language-volunteer-preparation-for-newcomers-in-the-workplace/
Upcoming Webinars:
Normes du Programme d’Avenue pour l’Apprentissage des Langues Optimisé par la Technologie
Les normes du programme d’Avenue pour l’apprentissage des langues optimisé par la technologie (ALOTech) sont conçues pour guider les personnes occupant des postes décisionnels au sein d’un programme de langues. ...
https://avenue.ca/normes-du-programme-davenue-pour-lapprentissage-des-langues-optimise-par-la-technologie/
Reminder: 2024 Avenue Brochures Available
Web News
AI textbooks and chatbots are already changing the way students learn. Should they?
New AI tools will be part of the curriculum at over 100 Canadian universities and colleges this fall ... This year, Pearson fully launched three generative AI tools, one for instructors and two that will be embedded into digital textbooks in subjects such as biology, chemistry, business and economics. ...
https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/ai-textbooks-education-1.7302095
Building language skills for career success
Investing in developing language skills opens up more job opportunities and facilitates successful socialization and integration for newcomers in Canada. ...
https://canadianimmigrant.ca/careers-and-education/language/building-language-skills-for-career-success
OpenAI has released a new ChatGPT bot that you can talk to
… The new chatbot represents OpenAI’s push into a new generation of AI-powered voice assistants in the vein of Siri and Alexa, but with far more capabilities to enable more natural, fluent conversations. …
https://www.technologyreview.com/2024/07/30/1095489/openai-has-released-a-new-chatgpt-bot-that-you-can-talk-to/
Bilingual dictation assistant Silvia understands ‘Spanglish’ and other language mixtures
Natural language AI assistants tend to be excellent English speakers, and passable in other tongues — but if you are one of the millions who fluidly switch between two languages on the fly, they’re stumped. A new AI helper called Silvia, however, understands “Spanglish” just fine, with more language combos to come. …
https://techcrunch.com/2024/08/08/bilingual-dictation-assistant-silvia-understands-spanglish-and-other-language-mixtures/
Microsoft's latest speech generator is so good it's afraid to release it to the public
… Microsoft says in a recent blog post that it's latest neural codec language model for speech synthesis, known as VALL-E 2, achieves "human parity for the first time". More specifically, "VALL-E 2 can generate accurate, natural speech in the exact voice of the original speaker, comparable to human performance." …
https://www.yahoo.com/tech/microsofts-latest-speech-generator-good-161116770.html
The New Arrivals
Every day, thousands of immigrants land at Pearson airport in Mississauga, Ontario. … All of them want safety, prosperity and freedom. To document these newcomers in their first few months in Canada, photojournalist Ian Brown spent weeks reaching out to settlement agencies, refugee centres and community groups. He met people …
https://www.macleans.ca/society/the-new-arrivals/
Meta AI enhances multilingual support, introduces new creative tools
… Meta AI supports seven languages including French, German, Hindi, Italian, Portuguese, and Spanish, with more on the way, making it accessible to a broader user base. This will enable more interactions across its family of apps including WhatsApp, Instagram, Messenger, and Facebook, where Meta AI is now available….
https://www.techloy.com/meta-ai-enhances-multilingual-support-introduces-new-creative-tools/
Blogs
Tips for Instructional Designers to Reduce Cognitive Load
Cognitive load is one of the most common issues that people face while being trained. If you don’t develop the training material, be it simple classroom presentations or elearning programs, in an optimal way and simply overload it with information, learners are bound to feel overwhelmed and their ability to learn will be severely limited. But why …
https://educraft.tech/7-tips-for-instructional-designers-to-avoid-cognitive-load-2/
The Split Attention Effect: A quick guide
Cognitive Load Theory is fast becoming one of the most talked about theories in education. It offers practical and simple strategies that can be used in the classroom to enhance students’ rates of learning. One of the key elements to understand within this theory is that of the ‘Split Attention Effect’ …
https://www.innerdrive.co.uk/blog/the-split-attention-effect/
Captions and Audio Descriptions: Enhancing Accessibility in Educational Videos
This post explores how captions and audio descriptions enhance accessibility in educational videos. It explains the benefits of these features for students with disabilities and provides best practices for implementing them to make educational content more accessible …
https://www.hurix.com/captions-and-audio-descriptions-enhancing-accessibility-in-educational-videos/
Five Essential Practices for More Accessible Digital Content
In this article, I share five essential practices that enable you to create more accessible digital content, starting today! These practices can be seamlessly integrated into your design process without adding unnecessary work, and will enhance the learning experience for everyone. …
https://www.learningguild.com/articles/five-essential-practices-for-more-accessible-digital-content-/
Differentiated Instruction: Making Online Learning Work for All
Learn how differentiated instruction can motivate your students to succeed in their own unique ways and what it can accomplish for your classroom. ...
https://elearningindustry.com/differentiated-instruction-making-online-learning-work-for-all
Professional Development
New in the Annotated Bibliography: Technostress and English language teaching in the age of generative AI
This article offers a description, examination and discussion of “technostress” whereby instructors are frequently overwhelmed by the continual need to learn about and integrate new technologies. The article also discusses a range of strategies to support instructors in meeting this challenge.
https://bib.learnit2teach.ca/blog/technostress-and-english-language-teaching-in-the-age-of-generative-ai/
Webinar Series: Al's Impact on Settlement & Language Learning
This innovative webinar series by ARAISA & ISANS is dedicated to guiding and demonstrating the potential of generative AI technology in the settlement and integration sector. ... From September 2024 to March 2025, join us for the whole series or for a few webinars! ...
https://araisa.ca/fa-i-r-for-all-ais-impact-on-settlement-language-learning/
Eight Priorities for Instructional Videos in the Online Classroom
… If we want online learners to watch the videos we share, we must keep their needs, interests, preferences, and priorities in mind. … By implementing the following eight suggestions, instructors can maximize learners’ viewing of videos in the online classroom: …
https://elearnmag.acm.org/featured.cfm?aid=3595383
e-Resource Corner
English Language & Usage Stack Exchange
English Language & Usage Stack Exchange is a question and answer site for linguists, etymologists, and serious English language enthusiasts. It's built and run by you as part of the Stack Exchange network of Q&A sites. With your help, we're working together to build a library of detailed answers to every question about English language and usage.
https://english.stackexchange.com/
Compass to Connect
Compass to Connect is an IRCC funded website created to help newcomers find and connect with government funded settlement services to get their life started in Canada. This website is designed and is maintained by Achēv. … This service is currently available across all GTA regions of Ontario.
https://www.compasstoconnect.ca/
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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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