Tech for Language Learning: This video summarizes 17 different language tools that are available online, almost all of them free or free with a library account. I demonstrate these tools for Mandarin learners, but most of the categories apply to many languages. I cover: the smartphone dictionary Pleco; the online dictionary Yellowbridge; the grammar reference Chinese Grammar Wiki; DeepL translator compared to Google Translate; the Chrome extension ZhongZhong (a scroll-over translator); Mango Languages, the most popular language learning system in public libraries in the US; Duolingo as a private app that gamifies language learning; Anki shareable flashcard maker and manager; Linguaholic as an online language learning forum; Reddit forums; the audio and video podcast Chinesepod; Youtube as a repository of thousands of Chinese learning videos; iTalki tutor and teacher hiring hub; Meetup for in-person and online group study; and ChatGPT as a new and exciting tool for language learning.  View the video presentation.

Kim Wagner: “I’m a linguist and a teacher, interested in using information technology to engage people with learning languages while using AI to enhance, not replace, this most human endeavor. I spent five years in China and Taiwan working on Mandarin, which I currently teach, then six months in Oaxaca learning Spanish, which came a bit more easily. I love organizing information and made my first database of my own book collection when I was 12 on an original Macintosh. I’m hoping to use my experience in public school service to deconstruct the prevailing high school model and make self-learning into students’ primary use of technology. This is my first term at the iSchool and I feel engaged, enthusiastic, and excited about the future.”