2026 Technology in Teaching / Professional Development Workshops

Friday 11 Sept 2026, 09:00 → 18:20 Asia/Tokyo

Online

Luc Gougeon (Sojo University), Robert Remmerswaal (Sojo University), Wayne Malcolm (NPO JALT - Director of Conference)

Welcome

Following from the success of last year's online workshops, once again, the TnT/PD Workshops will be online, September 11th. They will be run in two streams - Technology in Teaching and Professional Development.

The Call for Abstracts runs from June 1 to August 15, 2026.

All sessions will be recorded and made available to attendees for 3 months after they are uploaded.

HOW TO JOIN

Instructions are available on the following page. However, this page is only available to those who have logged in, registered, and paid.

If you have difficulty, please email Robert Remmerswaal by clicking his name below.

https://events.jalt.org/event/96/page/53-attend-online-meeting-details

Technology in Teaching (TnT)

The current and future reality for language teachers is technology in and surrounding our community of practice. Now, this can be seen negatively or positively. Teachers, learners, and by extension all those connected to the language education field face the challenge of selecting appropriate tools and learning how to use them. The aim of these TnT Workshops is to help participants in attendance navigate their way through the exciting array of educational technologies available, select those that are appropriate for their context, and learn how to effectively make use of them in their educational environments. The TnT workshop leaders, are experts with the techniques and technologies they will demonstrate, will offer guidance on using specific technologies, and share ways to best integrate the technologies with language teaching and education practices. 

TnT Plenary 

Adam Jenkins, Associate Professor, Shizuoka Institute of Science and Technology

Title: When Teachers Become Toolmakers: AI Agents and Open-Source EdTech

Abstract:  For educators developing their own software, open-source platforms like Moodle offer a practical advantage: when existing tools don't quite fit, a plugin is easier to build than a whole new system. This has long been true, with MoodleReader (later MReader) as one example, but with AI agents now able to read, modify, and extend open code, a pedagogical idea can become working software in hours rather than months.

This opens new possibilities for EFL. The AI Escape Room plugin enables an interaction style unachievable with conventional tools: students converse with an AI character who responds adversarially, providing opportunities to practice the language of persuasion, making their case against an opponent who provides a genuine challenge that a human partner or scripted dialogues cannot replicate. Another example, the Textless Forum, replaces typed forum posts with audio and video recordings for asynchronous speaking. Both were created with an AI agent building on Moodle, and demonstrate that custom tools are now accessible to anyone with an idea worth trying.

Bio: Adam Jenkins is an associate professor at the Shizuoka Institute of Science and Technology where he is also the system administrator for the university-wide iLearn@SIST Moodle platform. In addition, Adam is known in the Moodle world for his instructional videos about Moodle administration on the WiseCat YouTube channel. 

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Professional Development (PD)

The technology-based presentations are our digital offering, while the PD workshops are our more analog offering. At these workshops you can learn more about, for example, data analysis approaches for your research study, writing abstracts, developing ideas for research studies, how to enhance your resume, troubleshooting a thesis or dissertation proposal, career planning, etc. Technology may be a dominant feature in our lives as the global pandemic forced educators and learners alike to develop new cyber competencies. The times also pushed educators, learners, researchers, etc. to hone their other competencies. The PD workshops are JALTs way to provide additional support to our community of practice.

PD Plenary 

Gregory Glasgow, Professor, Kanda University of International Studies

Title: Establishing My Scholarly Voice Through Academic Publishing: Reflections on the Journey and the Road Ahead

Abstract: Publishing journal articles, book chapters, and books was something I never imagined when I began my career in language education. Yet, over two and a half decades, what once seemed beyond my reach gradually became possible. Looking back, I am deeply grateful for the opportunity to discover and establish a scholarly voice I could scarcely have imagined at the outset. In this talk, I reflect on the principles and practices that enabled me to develop that voice within TESOL and applied linguistics. I invite audience members to consider the trajectories that might suit their goals as I explore five principles that have become a personal mantra: (1) developing a research identity; (2) pursuing goals through incremental but concerted action; (3) cultivating meaningful research partnerships; (4) never being afraid to make “the big ask”; and (5) learning by observing and adapting effective scholarly practices. Audience members will consider how these principles might support their publishing journeys, development, and future scholarly aspirations.

Bio: Gregory Paul Glasgow is Professor in the Faculty of Foreign Languages at Kanda University of International Studies in Japan. His research spans critical applied linguistics, critical realism, educational sociolinguistics, Global Englishes, language policy, teacher education, and the sociopragmatics of intercultural communication. He has authored and edited five books, with his latest co^edited monograph entitled English Language Education in Japan: Negotiating Global Transformation and Local Innovation (Routledge). He is a founding member of the JALT Global Englishes SIG and serves as an editorial committee member for the Japan Black Studies Association.

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Conference Team

Conference Chair - Wayne Malcolm

Conference Coordinators - Robert Remmerswaal and Luc Gougeon

1 Keynote: Establishing My Scholarly Voice Through Academic Publishing: Reflections on the Journey and the Road Ahead

Publishing journal articles, book chapters, and books was something I never imagined when I began my career in language education. Yet, over two and a half decades, what once seemed beyond my reach gradually became possible. Looking back, I am deeply grateful for the opportunity to discover and establish a scholarly voice I could scarcely have imagined at the outset. In this talk, I reflect on the principles and practices that enabled me to develop that voice within TESOL and applied linguistics. I invite audience members to consider the trajectories that might suit their goals as I explore five principles that have become a personal mantra: (1) developing a research identity; (2) pursuing goals through incremental but concerted action; (3) cultivating meaningful research partnerships; (4) never being afraid to make “the big ask”; and (5) learning by observing and adapting effective scholarly practices. Audience members will consider how these principles might support their publishing journeys, development, and future scholarly aspirations.

Speaker: Dr Gregory Paul Glasgow (Kanda University of International Studies)

2 Beyond Copy-and-Paste AI: Teaching Students When and When Not to Translate

Artificial intelligence has transformed second language writing, yet classroom discussions often focus on either preventing AI use or ways to detect it. This presentation argues that the more important pedagogical question is not whether students should use AI, but when they should use it. It introduces a process-oriented framework in which students first generate, develop, and revise ideas independently before attempting to express them in English. Rather than relying on AI to translate complete texts, learners are encouraged to write in English wherever possible and consult AI translation only when they encounter linguistic difficulties beyond their current proficiency. In this approach, AI functions as targeted instructional scaffolding rather than a substitute for writing. Practical classroom activities and implementation strategies will demonstrate how teachers can help students move beyond copy-and-paste AI practices while promoting conceptual development, learner autonomy, responsible AI use, and continued English language development.

Speaker: Crosby Adam (Kobe City College of Nursing)

Presentation Proposal.docx

3 Helping Students Say More: Designing Exchange-Oriented Self-Expression Tasks

This workshop introduces a junior high school EFL lesson sequence in which students prepared “My Treasure / My Hero” presentations for a Taiwan–Japan exchange project. Participants will learn how to help learners move beyond simple self-introductions by adding memories, reasons, feelings, and values, while also improving delivery through stressing, stretching, and pausing. The presenters will share classroom materials, anonymized student examples, and observation notes from a brush-up phase in which students selected different kinds of support. Participants will then examine sample prompts and design a short self-expression task for their own context, including both content support and delivery support. The session will be useful for teachers who want to connect international exchange, authentic audience, and student-centered presentation improvement in practical ways.

Speakers: Masaya Abe (Joetsu University of Education), Hiroki Yamazaki (Niigata Municipal Hakunan Junior High School)

4 Bring an International Community to your Classroom Through Virtual Exchange

Teachers of English as a Foreign Language can often struggle bringing an immediacy for use of English in their classrooms. The European Commission co-financed INTENT project defined Virtual Exchanges (VE) as technology-enabled, sustained, people to people education programs. VE entails the engagement of students in online intercultural exchange, interaction and collaboration with peers from geographically distant locations, under the guidance of educators and/or expert facilitators. VE thus gives EFL students opportunities to communicate with other speakers of English from around the world bringing a true immediacy to the EFL learning environment as students, particularly in regional universities, would have few opportunities to interact with users of the language they study otherwise.

The International Virtual Exchange Project (IVEProject) is one VE that has over 20 years of successful VE experience. Some 60,000 students and over 800 teachers from 32 countries have participated to date. Extensive research on VE and the IVEProject proves its usefulness. This workshop will firstly showcase the IVEProject and then have participants join online to carry out interactions as though they were students. After understanding the role of the student, participants will then be able to access the system as teachers. Discussion of how it can be used in class will follow.

Speaker: Eric Hagley (-Griffith University)

5 From Textbook to Active Learning: Balancing Structure and Engagement in the English Classroom

Sustaining student engagement whilst meeting curriculum requirements is a challenge faced by many English language teachers. Although textbooks provide essential structure, reliance on them alone can reduce participation and enthusiasm. This workshop introduces a practical approach that combines focused textbook instruction with interactive activities designed to keep learners actively engaged throughout the lesson.

Drawing on experience in Japanese secondary schools and private English education, the presenter demonstrates how short, purposeful activities, such as movement-based games, flashcard work, pair tasks, and communicative exercises, can be integrated into textbook lessons without losing sight of core learning objectives. Participants will see how alternating between structured input and active learning helps maintain motivation while reinforcing key language points.

Through classroom examples and practical demonstrations, attendees will leave with adaptable ideas that can be implemented immediately in a range of teaching contexts. The session aims to support teachers in creating lessons that are both curriculum-focused and engaging, helping learners build confidence and a greater willingness to participate in English.

Speaker: Ralph Caton (SKY Nursery School (Anan, Tokushima))

From Textbook to Active Learning Balancing Structure and Engagement in the English Classroom.pdf

6 From Pain Point to Playable: Vibe-Coding AI-Powered ELT Materials through Design Thinking

What happens when twenty-two EFL teachers with merely no coding background are challenged to build their own AI-powered learning platforms? This session showcases AI and Design Thinking for Innovative ELT Materials Design, a seven-week online workshop co-organized by Thailand TESOL Association and RELO Thailand, in which Thai teachers transformed authentic classroom pain points into live, gamified web applications through vibe-coding: directing generative AI in natural language, with no programming required. We first walk through the workshop model, in which human-centered Design Thinking anchored every project in a real learner need; gamification and Universal Design for Learning shaped engagement and accessibility; and structured prompting with GenAI tools, e.g. Claude and ChatGPT, carried prototypes to deployed platforms featuring real-time databases, AI speech evaluation, and multimodal content. The participant-built artifacts include, for instance, a 3D grammar survival game, a scenario-based clinical English simulation for medical technology students, and a Thai-Japanese pronunciation game developed with a partner school in Japan. Evaluation results show high participant satisfaction and a 73 percent rise in self-reported design confidence. Attendees will leave with a transferable, pain-point-driven workflow and ready-to-use prompting strategies for facilitating AI materials design in their own teaching contexts and teacher communities.

Speaker: Payungsak Kaenchan (Mahidol University)

AI & Design Thinking Workshop — Concept and Scope (JALT 2026 TnT).pdf

7 Keynote: When Teachers Become Toolmakers: AI Agents and Open-Source EdTech

For educators developing their own software, open-source platforms like Moodle offer a practical advantage: when existing tools don't quite fit, a plugin is easier to build than a whole new system. This has long been true, with MoodleReader (later MReader) as one example, but with AI agents now able to read, modify, and extend open code, a pedagogical idea can become working software in hours rather than months.
This opens new possibilities for EFL. The AI Escape Room plugin enables an interaction style unachievable with conventional tools: students converse with an AI character who responds adversarially, providing opportunities to practice the language of persuasion, making their case against an opponent who provides a genuine challenge that a human partner or scripted dialogues cannot replicate. Another example, the Textless Forum, replaces typed forum posts with audio and video recordings for asynchronous speaking. Both were created with an AI agent building on Moodle, and demonstrate that custom tools are now accessible to anyone with an idea worth trying.

Speaker: Mr Adam Jenkins (Shizuoka Institute of Science and Technology)

JALT_Presentation (3).pdf