Alabama-Mississippi
Teachers of English to Speakers of Other Languages
AMTESOL has a new mailing address! AMTESOL PO Box 360122 Hoover, AL 35236
PCI Workshop A
Thursday, January 28, 2027
1:30 - 4:30pm
Birmingham, Alabama
Lost in Translation: Empowering ELs in the Age of AI
Intended Audience: Teachers, Education Leaders, Support Staff
Join us for an exciting exploration of AI through the lens of EL. We invite you to discover how AI can empower teachers and students through a hands-on experience with LLMs, AI prompting, and leveraging AI tools to generate media and materials focused on creating a more inclusive, accessible, and high-engagement learning environment for English Learners (ELs). Come share ideas, experiment, and help shape how we connect AI to teaching and learning in meaningful ways.
Presenters
Angela Clark, Ed.S.
Angela currently serves as the Alabama Technology in Motion Specialist for the University of Montevallo Regional Inservice Center in Montevallo, Alabama. Her experience includes 16 years of secondary classroom teaching and 16 years of technology coaching and leadership. Angela earned her Ed.S. in Instructional Technology from the University of Montevallo in 2016. She also holds a Master of Education in Educational Leadership from William Carey University and a Bachelor of Business Administration from Mississippi State University. She is a National Board Certified Teacher in AYA-Social Studies. Angela is a Certified Technology Coach through the Alabama Technology Integration Coaches Initiative (ALTIC) issued by Alabama Leaders in Educational Technology (ALET). She has served as an adjunct instructor for the University of Montevallo Instructional Technology Program and College of Education for the past seven years.
Mayté Cotton
Mayté is an EL Educational Specialist in the Instructional Service section at the Alabama State Department of Education. She supports districts in Region 7 through the Montevallo Regional Inservice Center by providing professional development, instructional coaching, and guidance for serving English learners. With over 27 years of classroom experience in both Special Education and ESL, Mayté brings deep expertise and a personal perspective as a native of México and former English learner. She holds an M.A. in English as a Second Language (ESL) from the University of Alabama at Birmingham. She is passionate about empowering educators by providing them with the resources and support they need to excel in their roles.
Emily Nestor
Emily has been in the education profession for 19 years. She began her journey as a classroom teacher and then transitioned into the role of Technology Integration Specialist. She currently serves as the Educational Technology Specialist for Talladega County Schools in East Central Alabama. Within this role, Mrs. Nestor provides strategic, job-embedded support to enhance instruction and foster a culture of innovation across all 16 schools in the district. She partners with administrators, instructional coaches, and classroom teachers to strengthen high-quality teaching practices, implement research-based strategies, and design learning experiences that increase student achievement and engagement. Her ultimate goal is to ensure that every classroom reflects rigorous, relevant, and engaging instruction—where innovation is not an add-on, but a driver of equitable access, deeper understanding, and sustained student success.