Topic:
Digital Reading Journeys: Using AI and Online Tools for Script Acquisition and Literacy

Category: Innovations in ER (Use of digital tools and AI)

This presentation highlights how digital technologies and AI-assisted reading tools can enhance extensive reading for learners of non-Latin-script languages. Drawing on my current use of AI in Arabic language learning and my professional background in teacher training, I showcase practical tools for pronunciation feedback, automatic glossing, and text simplification. Participants will learn how these technologies support sustained engagement and reading fluency while respecting the learner’s cognitive load. The talk situates AI within broader pedagogical principles—autonomy, motivation, and cultural literacy—demonstrating how teachers can integrate digital extensive reading into classrooms and self-directed study.

Topic:
Beyond the Watering Hole: Why an Extensive Reading Program Failed and How Yours Can Succeed

Category: Innovations in ER (Use of digital tools and AI)

This presentation chronicles my experience with the life cycle of a well-intentioned but ultimately unsuccessful extensive reading program at a university foundation program where I worked. The university’s experience with the extensive reading program, M-Reader, proved the adage true: you can lead a horse to water, but you cannot make it drink. Despite strong beginnings, simply providing access to books proved to be insufficient to foster a culture of reading. My collogues and I observed the initiative gradually fade due to a series of overlooked challenges and institutional miscalculations. This session will serve as a cautionary tale, outlining the key factors I identified in the program's decline. However, the primary focus of the session is on the valuable lessons I learned. Through my reflection and research, I have distilled this experience into a set of guiding principles that can help educators avoid common pitfalls. I believe that analyzing this failure is not an exercise in blame, but a critical step toward building a robust and engaging extensive reading program that genuinely enhances students’ learning and life.