AI’s Impact on Education is Unavoidable: Tackle it with Confidence and Purpose!

Megan Frate, OWLA Membership Chair
Spanish Teacher, Westerville City Schools

Literacy has changed significantly over the past several years, evolving from a word that referred to the ability to read and write into something broader that encompasses various types of competencies, such as multiliteracies, multimodal literacies, and electronic literacies.  Having this skill set is referred to as being digitally literate.  In today’s world, being “literate” means being able to navigate with confidence and purpose a range of platforms using multimodal messages.

There are many teachers, myself included, who take pride in our resourceful low-tech classrooms.  Whether due to limited resources or love for traditional methods, the idea of integrating new digital tools can feel daunting. Regardless, the internet has reshaped how students learn and it is here to stay.  Technology can be used to hinder the learning process or transform it, especially in a language classroom.

As we confront this shift, it’s important to recognize where language education is heading—and how we can prepare students for it.  According to the article Language Learning Trends 2025 – What’s Next? (Ilcentres.com, 2024), what’s next is a world of highly engaging and innovative tools like AI-driven learning, VR & AR implementation, increased gamification of language learning, more personalized learning plans and more community-based platforms.  If we take the time to teach digital literacy, we are empowering our students to be critical thinkers, effective communicators, and responsible digital citizens.  In language learning, there are many tools that foster real-world communication.  Without digital literacy, students risk becoming passive consumers of information rather than active, discerning participants in a global society. 

Integrating digital literacy doesn’t have to overpower your curriculum or require you to be a tech specialist.  Here are some strategies that will help you weave it into your language instruction in a meaningful way: 

• Model the activity (I do, we do, you do): Don’t assume that students are knowledgeable about the platform they are about to use.  Take time to show them why it’s important, how it works, and any tips or tricks to help them find success.  For example, I take a lot of extra time scaffolding how to use Conjuguemos.com before students use it in independent practice. 
• Have students create a digital dictionary: Show them how popular translation sites like RefWorks.com or SpanishDictionary.com have audios, example sentences, notes, practice exercises, and the option to save words to a vocabulary list.  You’re not just having them make meaningless translations, but rather you are teaching them how to learn through access to a translation tool.
• Design an activity with ChatGPT: Practice crafting prompts to help with a specific goal (i.e., chatting with a conversation partner, editing something written, or generating example sentences using a new grammar concept).  Students are very familiar with how to use ChatGPT to cut corners, but do they know how to use it to learn?  What can we teach about ethical AI use?
• Learn with cell phones: This approach, also known as Mobile Assisted Language Learning (MALL), uses apps, songs, videos, and flashcards to give students a world of access to language learning at their fingertips.  They just need to learn how to maximize this opportunity.  This would be a great student-choice board or homework assignment!

But it’s not just students who need to build digital literacy skills; there are many small steps that educators can take to become more confident with digital tools: 

• Seek professional development that develops knowledge and supports teachers on multimodal tools, AI in education, and multimodal learning strategies. 
• Set expectations by adding something to your syllabus this year that conveys your boundaries for technology, whatever that may be.  An example blurb might include, “Use of ChatGPT is prohibited on any type of assessment or final project.  However, ChatGPT is permitted, even encouraged, for personal use to study, practice, review and revise.”
• Integrate technology that doesn’t lead students to overly depend on its use (for example, create a policy on when translators can be used and how much can be translated).
• Collaborate with colleagues to scale expectations for all language classrooms. 
• Start small, exploring 1-2 tools each semester that incorporate technology.  Once you are comfortable with them, model them for students so they can see what is digitally, ethically, and culturally responsible. 

As educators, we don’t need to master every app or trend. But we do need to model curiosity, adaptability, and integrity. When we do, we prepare our students not just to speak another language, but to thrive in a digital world. Even with thoughtful planning, questions remain: How do we credit AI when it contributes to a student’s work? Where do we draw the line between support and overreliance? These are questions we’re all still figuring out.

What’s clear is this: digital literacy is not a distraction from language learning—it’s a crucial part of it. Technology won’t replace teachers or authentic communication, but it can enhance both. Our role is to guide students toward using these tools critically, creatively, and ethically.

Sources: 

Language Learning Trends 2025 – What’s Next?