Last month, the Global Institute for Emerging Technologies (GIET) Equity Team at The Education University of Hong Kong (EdUHK) hosted the 8th Masterclass and the 6th Forum of the Learning Innovations and Emerging Technologies Forum Series, which is organised in collaboration with the UNESCO Institute for Information Technologies in Education (IITE) and the UNESCO Chair Programme. Together, the two events explored how emerging technologies can support multilingual education and advance language inclusion, contributing to broader efforts toward equitable and sustainable learning ecosystems in line with Sustainable Development Goal 4.
On 24 February, the 8th Masterclass, titled “Digital Technologies for Inclusion: Top ICT and AI Tools for Educators,” was delivered by Dr Natalia Amelina, Chief of the Unit of Teacher Professional Development and Networking and Senior National Project Officer in Education at UNESCO IITE, and chaired by Dr Yum Yen Na Cherry, Associate Professor and Associate Head (International Engagement), Department of Special Education and Counselling at EdUHK. This session drew on hands-on practices of AI and ICT tools that can support inclusive teaching practices with particular attention to learners with special educational needs.
On 26 February, the 6th forum of the Learning Innovations and Emerging Technologies Forum Series, titled “Harnessing Emerging Technologies to Support Language Inclusion,” was held in celebration of International Mother Language Day. The hybrid event brought together more than 270 educators, scholars, leaders, and policymakers from 20 countries and regions to explore how AI and ICT can support multilingual education and language inclusion.
At the forum, the GIET Equity Team collaborated with UNESCO Headquarters, UNESCO IITE, University of Helsinki, Macquarie University, United Nations University (UNU), EdUHK, and SeeChange Education to highlight global promising practices and insights in technology-enabled multilingual education. The forum featured an insightful analytical review on the role of AI and ICT in advancing language inclusion and multilingual education, presented by Dr Li Yixun Annie, Assistant Professor at the Department of Early Childhood Education and the GIET Equity Team at EdUHK. This was followed by case studies showcasing technology-enabled innovations that promote language inclusion in Australia, Indonesia, and Hong Kong, China, presented by scholars and leading practitioners from partner institutions and organisations across regions. An expert panel comprising experts from EdUHK, UNESCO IITE, and the University of Helsinki further discussed how sustainable AI- and ICT-enabled ecosystems can strengthen multilingual and inclusive education.
The case study collaborators and expert panelists are listed as follows:
- Dr WANG Hua-Chen (Senior Lecturer, School of Education, Macquarie University Centre for Reading, Macquarie University)
- Dr Jonghwi PARK (Head, Innovation and Education Programme, Institute for the Advanced Study of Sustainability (IAS), UNU)
- Dr João Filipe PAPEL (Postdoctoral Researcher, IAS, UNU)
- Dr LEE Ju Seong (Associate Head of Department, Associate Professor, Department of English Language Education, Faculty of Humanities (FHM), EdUHK)
- Ms PANG Rita (Founder, SeeChange Education; Founder, Echo Cubes (HKICT Award 2025 Bronze Recipient); Founder, HKIEA)
- Professor WANG Lixun (Acting Head and Professor, Department of Linguistics and Modern Language Studies; Associate Dean (International Engagement), FHM; Associate Director, Global Institute for Finnish, European, and Global South Education; Associate Co-Director, GIET, EdUHK)
- Dr Natalia AMELINA (Chief of Unit, Unit of Teacher Professional Development and Networking; Senior National Project Officer in Education, UNESCO IITE)
- Dr Satu-Maarit KORTE (Associate Professor of Learning Environments and Technologies; University Lecturer in Changing Education, University of Helsinki, Finland)
- Wat Tsz Yau (Lok Sin Tong Wong Chung Ming Secondary School)
- Ho Wang Hei (Lok Sin Tong Wong Chung Ming Secondary School) (Accompanied by teacher: Mr Wong Wing Hung)
Together, our Masterclass 8 and Forum 6 provided a valuable platform for dialogue and knowledge exchange among global stakeholders on leveraging emerging technologies to foster more inclusive and linguistically diverse education systems worldwide.
Masterclass 8
Forum 6 Group Photo
Opening and Welcome Remarks
Presentation Panellists
Expert Panelists