Laureate International Universities and Alelo announced that their Laureate English course is a finalist for the British Council’s ELTons Award for Digital Innovation in English Language Teaching. Laureate English was selected from among 150 award entries from 45 countries. The award winner will be announced in London in June.

Alelo Inc. will showcase its latest developments in learning communication skills with AI-driven methods at this week’s TESOL (Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages) annual conference in Atlanta.

The recent paper “Pedagogical Agents: Back to the Future” by Dr. Lewis Johnson of Alelo Inc. and Professor James Lester of North Carolina State University reviews the history and likely future of pedagogical agents, which are autonomous, interactive computer-based characters that engage in rich, face-to-face interactions with learners.

Education and training is one industry where AI is starting to play important roles. What impact will AI have on education and training in the future? Will teachers be replaced by algorithms? Or is AI going to empower both learners and teachers?

To provide insight into the promise and potential of this new technology, Alelo offers a webinar series on the Future of AI in Education. We will look at the impact of AI on the experience of learners and teachers, the education and training industry, and the global economy. Seminar speakers will include Alelo experts as well as other thought leaders in the global community of artificial intelligence in education.

As artificial intelligence (AI) develops, it is playing an increasing very important role in education. For example, AI-based solutions allow schools to embrace personalized learning, and publishers to roll out adaptive learning platforms. Some futurists have gone so far as to claim that intelligent machines will replace teachers within 10 years. Not surprisingly, this causes concern among educators. But, should teachers really be worried?

If you are a teacher of English to speakers of other languages, you know how important it is for your students to practice speaking. The more they practice in authentic situations, the more confidence they will gain, and the more fluent they will become. Unfortunately this is not practical in the classroom, particularly in large classes. Even in classrooms with low student-teacher ratios, it is not feasible for a teacher to provide one-on-one practice with each student, much less provide personalized feedback.

What is it that learners want to be able to do with the language that they are learning? They want to communicate effectively with native speakers in common situations they may encounter. So language-learning technology should help learners progress toward that goal. Artificial intelligence and personalized learning are helping people to quickly develop useful language skills.

One of the best ways to learn a language is to practice with native speakers. Research shows that immersion is more effective than conventional classroom instruction for developing proficiency. Yet many people around the world get few opportunities to practice with native speakers.