Friday, May 15, 2026
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Registration
May 15, 7:00am – 8:00am60 minMain Foyer -
EC
Beyond the hype: AI Empowers Campeones del Lenguaje to Rise
Technology in Bilingual/ESL ClassroomsElmer Castro Lead
May 15, 9:45am – 10:40am55 minHickory (Level: 2nd Floor, Cap 35)Show details
Artificial intelligence is increasingly present in classrooms, yet many bilingual and ESL educators are unsure how to use it in ways that meaningfully support language development and accountability measures such as TELPAS. This session focuses on everyday uses of AI tools (e.g., NotebookLM) to strengthen listening, speaking, reading, and writing in bilingual, dual language, and ESL settings.
Grounded in translanguaging and culturally sustaining practices, the session demonstrates how AI can function as a language scaffold, not a shortcut, supporting academic language growth. Participants will analyze classroom-ready examples that align to TELPAS proficiency descriptors and preserve instructional rigor and assessment integrity.
Attendees will leave with practical strategies for using AI to amplify student voice, increase access to grade-level content, and center lenguaje, cultura, y comunidad as students continue to rise as campeones de lenguaje. -
From Prompt to Practice: GenAI Strategies for Bilingual Classroom
Hybrid International StrandDr. Carlos Lindade (Portugal) Lead
May 15, 9:45am – 10:40am55 minLa Villita (Level: Ground Floor, Cap 30)Show details
This session will offer a series of hands-on, classroom-ready examples showing how generative AI can support key areas of teaching and learning in bilingual classrooms. Participants will explore practical ways in which these tools can assist with lesson planning, the design of engaging bilingual materials, formative assessment, and the development of student-led activities that encourage creativity and autonomy. The session will introduce a range of accessible, easy-to-use tools that teachers can adapt to their own educational contexts while ensuring alignment with curricular standards and learning objectives. Attention will also be given to the development of students’ and teachers’ digital literacy, with particular emphasis on critically evaluating AI-generated content and understanding its pedagogical potential and limitations. Participants will leave the session with a clear idea of the importance of establishing clear guidelines and classroom practices that foster the responsible, ethical, and purposeful use of AI in educational settings. -
AI + ELPS: Streamlining Instructional Planning for EBs
Technology in Bilingual/ESL ClassroomsDelia Reveles Gauna Lead
May 15, 10:55am – 12:05pm70 minHickory (Level: 2nd Floor, Cap 35)Show details
This session will demonstrate how to use AI to streamline planning and design instruction that support emergent bilinguals’ language development. By pairing practical AI workflows with explicit ELPS alignment, teachers can produce clear objectives, scaffolded lesson steps, and quick formative checks that elevate instruction and support students’ growth. -
Voces del mundo: enseñando español en Costa de Marfil
Hybrid International StrandKante Kadjatou (Costa de Marfil) Lead
May 15, 10:55am – 11:50am55 minLa Villita (Level: Ground Floor, Cap 30)Show details
¿Alguna vez te has preguntado cómo se vive la enseñanza del idiomas más allá de nuestras fronteras? Esta ponencia te invita a descubrirlo a través de la inspiradora experiencia de una docente en Costa de Marfil. Exploraremos qué impulsa a una maestra a dedicarse a la enseñanza de idiomas, la extraordinaria diversidad y riqueza lingüística del país y cómo transcurre un día en su aula. También se abordarán elementos como el perfil de los estudiantes, los recursos didácticos que emplea, así como los retos y oportunidades que enfrenta en su contexto educativo. Acompáñanos en este recorrido y aprende de la valiosa experiencia de Kante, profesora de español en Costa de Marfil. -
LV
Voices Unlocked: Creating Digital Escape Rooms for Bilingual Classrooms
Technology in Bilingual/ESL ClassroomsLinda Esmeralda Villareal Lead
May 15, 1:45pm – 2:40pm55 minHickory (Level: 2nd Floor, Cap 35)Show details
This interactive session demonstrates how to design escape rooms that combine digital platforms such as Google tools, Flippity, and Genially with hands on paper puzzles placed around the classroom to create engaging content review experiences for bilingual, dual language, and ESL classrooms.
Participants will first experience an escape room from the student perspective. The second portion of the session will guide educators step-by-step through the design process, equipping them with practical tools and templates to immediately implement escape rooms in their own classrooms. Aligned with the theme “Still We Rise: Campeones de lenguaje, la cultura, y la comunidad,” this session demonstrates how collaborative learning empowers students to rise as champions of their languages. -
“Tejiendo Puentes entre México y las Américas: Identidad Transnacional y Colaboraciones Educativas Interculturales”
Hybrid International StrandMargarita Machado - Casas (Mexico - USA) Lead
May 15, 1:45pm – 2:40pm55 minLa Villita (Level: Ground Floor, Cap 30)Show details
This presentation highlights an innovative cross-cultural initiative that strengthens educational experiences through collaboration among the United States, Mexico, and Latin America. Centered in Oaxaca, the project demonstrates how international partnerships can create meaningful opportunities for both local communities and students in U.S. educational settings. Participants will learn about Oaxaca Vive, a model that brings together educators, students, artists, and community leaders in shared spaces of learning that connect language, culture, the arts, and education. -
JR
Beyond Handwriting: Recognizing Dysgraphia in Emergent Bilingual Students
Technology in Bilingual/ESL ClassroomsJulissa Romero Lead with Lucia Cintron
May 15, 2:55pm – 3:50pm55 minHickory (Level: 2nd Floor, Cap 35)Show details
Dysgraphia is far more than messy handwriting, and for emergent bilingual students, it can be even harder to see. This session explores how motor coordination challenges, spelling difficulties, disorganized written expression, and the complexities of second language acquisition can combine to obscure a very real learning difference. This presentation equips educators with the knowledge and tools to identify dysgraphia through a culturally and linguistically informed lens, ensuring that no student's struggles are dismissed as simply part of 'learning the language.' -
Click, Scroll… What’s Next? Cyber-Wisdom in the Digital Age
Hybrid International StrandMercedes Del Rocío Valderrábano Zamorano (España) Lead
May 15, 2:55pm – 3:50pm55 minLa Villita (Level: Ground Floor, Cap 30)Show details
En una sociedad hiperconectada, esta ponencia plantea si la educación actual está formando personas capaces de vivir bien en entornos digitales. Frente al predominio de competencias técnicas, se propone la educación del carácter como base para desarrollar el juicio moral y la acción ética.
Desde este marco, se introduce la cibersabiduría como la capacidad de ejercer un juicio práctico éticamente informado en contextos digitales, inspirada en la phronesis aristotélica. Este enfoque integra cuatro dimensiones: alfabetización, razonamiento, autorreflexión y motivación moral.
Se argumenta que los enfoques tradicionales de educación digital —centrados en habilidades técnicas o normas— son insuficientes ante la complejidad del entorno digital, caracterizado por la sobreinformación, la mediación algorítmica y la ambigüedad moral. La cibersabiduría emerge así como una competencia clave para promover el florecimiento humano, permitiendo actuar con prudencia, responsabilidad y orientación al bien común.
Asimismo, se subraya la necesidad de integrar este enfoque tanto en la educación escolar como universitaria. Finalmente, se presenta el trabajo del Centro de Educación en Virtudes y Valores (UFV), orientado al desarrollo de programas y formación docente en cibersabiduría