Digital Pedagogy

Looking forward to being at IATEFL 2026 in Brighton for the Learning Technologies SIG Showcase Day, sharing thoughts and strategies on teaching writing in an AI world. Thanks to Iatefl LTSIG for the invite, see you in April 💙💜

Are you coming to the IATEFL Annual Conference in Brighton in April 2026?
Looking forward to seeing you at the LTSIG Showcase on Wednesday 22nd April 2026.
Sophia Mavridi - Yes, writing still matters in an AI world (but we need to teach it differently).
With AI now producing well-structured texts, some argue writing no longer deserves the same emphasis in language education, or even question the point of teaching it at all. This session will challenge that view, showing how writing remains vital as a process of thinking, learning, and communicating. It will also present strategies for teaching writing that help students see its value, stay engaged, and appreciate why strong writing is more essential than ever in an AI world.

Register at:
https://lnkd.in/d98-pC29

Delighted to be giving the keynote at this TELSIG symposium. A two-hour online event, short lightning talks, and space for discussion. Such a refreshing format and free to attend too. If you’re free on Tuesday 3 February, 10–12 (UK time), the registration link and details are in the comments 👇

🚨 Free access until 𝟮𝟬 𝗠𝗮𝘆. Don’t miss the chance to read and download the new Cambridge Element 𝘈𝘴𝘴𝘦𝘴𝘴𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘓𝘢𝘯𝘨𝘶𝘢𝘨𝘦 𝘛𝘦𝘢𝘤𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 by Aek Phakiti and Constant Leung.

Link 🔗 cup.org/4a97ibZ

Summary (as per cambridge.org)

This Element reviews the key foundational concepts, beliefs, and practices underpinning approaches to assessment in English Language Teaching. Exploring major concepts and practices through educational, social, and ethical perspectives, it offers theoretically informed and close-to-practice descriptions and up-to-date explanations of the affordances and limitations of different assessment approaches related to language teaching. This Element presents a cohesive and pragmatic framework that allows teachers to efficiently implement tests and assessments in their contexts.

I’ve said it before (well, for over a decade now) and I’ll say that again - especially with all the buzz around AI promising to 'transform' education.

Don’t focus on cool tools. Don’t be impressed by bells and whistles. Focus on the problems you’re trying to solve in teaching and learning and then figure out whether, and how, (AI) technology can be part of the solution💡🎓

I frequently give presentations and training sessions for educators and institutions, yet today's session was really special for me. I led an interactive presentation on AI in language education at my own department, 𝗖𝗘𝗟𝗟, 𝗮𝘁 𝗗𝗲 𝗠𝗼𝗻𝘁𝗳𝗼𝗿𝘁 𝗨𝗻𝗶𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗶𝘁𝘆, with a focus on Higher Education and international students.

𝗔𝗜 𝗶𝗻 𝗲𝗱𝘂𝗰𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 is a topic I'm deeply passionate about, which is why I embarked on a PhD journey three years ago - well before the buzz around AI peaked

The session sparked lively discussions, with colleagues sharing a mix of optimism and apprehension on the points made.

Some key takeaways include:

💡The current landscape around AI in education is currently dominated by noise, hype, and unnecessary moral panics, making it imperative for educators to approach it with a critical eye.

💡There's a crucial need to differentiate between pedagogy and assessment, as AI's impact on these areas varies significantly - enhancing some aspects while potentially complicating others.

💡Engaging in action research and relying on empirical insights is not only important but also critical, even when they don't claim to have all the answers.

How do you approach AI in education? Do let me know in the comments below 👇🏻

How can students use AI tools responsibly? Check out this simple infographic for some practical tips. To kick off the discussion, you might ask:

‘How can AI help you learn more effectively?’ or ‘What are the risks of using AI-generated content?’

After presenting the infographic, discuss each point and encourage students to brainstorm additional responsible use tips.

Here’re the five ideas in more detail:

💡Evaluate the output: Always critically assess AI-generated content for accuracy and relevance.

💡Use as a starting point: Consider AI output as a draft or idea generator, not as the final product.

💡Use AI to explore concepts, but ensure you understand and can explain the ideas yourself.

💡Maintain academic integrity: Use AI as a tool for learning and idea development, not for plagiarism. If you pass the output off as yours, this is plagiarism.

💡Cite Appropriately: If you do use AI-generated content, understand how to cite it correctly to avoid ethical issues.

What responsible use ideas would you add for students?

🚀 The EU has just reached an agreement to regulate AI. The new regulations will introduce a risk-based tiered plan with strict rules for AI systems classified as high-risk. They are expected to take effect by 2025 and will oversee AI applications, social media, and search engines, impacting major players like X, TikTok, and Google. The focus is on ensuring that AI develops with a human-centric approach, respecting fundamental rights and human values.

As an educator and researcher, this is a significant step towards managing the rapid evolution of AI, but questions remain:

🤔 What does this mean for the use of AI in education? How can educators and institutions prepare for these changes to ensure that AI continues to enhance learning while aligning with these new regulations?

🤔 How will these regulations ensure the safe development of AI without slowing down innovation in educational technologies?

🤔 Could the EU's approach become a model for global AI standards, particularly in educational settings?

🤔 How will smaller edtech firms adapt to these new regulations?

EU agrees ‘historic’ deal with world’s first laws to regulate AI Agreement between European Parliament and member states will govern artificial intelligence, social media and search engines

Hello everyone, I need your help. I'm recruiting participants for my PhD study on experiences with artificial intelligence technologies for academic writing among students whose native language is NOT English and study at UK universities. If that's you or someone you know, I'd love to hear from them! Please share this poster to help me find participants for a brief interview. Your support means a lot! 🙏

Yesterday, on Dorothy Zemach’s recommendation, I decided to dive into Duolingo to learn Spanish (as a complete beginner) and what a revelation it's been! Though I've assessed Duolingo in the past as a tool for English language learning, using it as a language learner myself has been a whole different experience. I'm absolutely hooked on my daily 10-minute sessions. Once I've wrapped up my doctoral thesis, I plan to enroll in a proper class and continue with Spanish or maybe even venture into Italian. But for now, this is more than enough 📚

Have you used Duolingo or similar to learn a new language? What progress have you made? Would love to hear your experiences!

Love this entertaining post by .eu highlighting how different languages call out someone for leaving the door open 🚪. I thought the Greek version was unbeatable ("Don't you have doors at home?"), but Portugal’s is a must-read 😂

I believe these expressions offer a unique lens into various cultures and their sense of humour.

Imagine the engaging discussions this digital poster could spark in the language classroom!

How do you phrase this minor faux pas in your part of the world?

Image credit with thanks
eu on Instagram 🙏🏼

Looking forward to my plenary talk at conference in Athens Psychico College! I'll be speaking on Day 2, Tuesday August 29th, about 𝘋𝘪𝘨𝘪𝘵𝘢𝘭 𝘗𝘦𝘥𝘢𝘨𝘰𝘨𝘺 & 𝘊𝘳𝘪𝘵𝘪𝘤𝘢𝘭 𝘋𝘪𝘢𝘭𝘰𝘨𝘶𝘦𝘴 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘈𝘨𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘈𝘐. I can’t wait to meet f2f language educators from around the globe, some of whom I’ve only met online 🌎. Who else is attending the conference?

Edyoufest