This international conference, affiliated with the Alsic journal, is the second in a series that began with Agi-lang (Alsic 2024) in June 2024 at the University of Grenoble Alpes. Coordinated by Anthippi Potolia and Eva Schaeffer-Lacroix, the Alsic 2026 event is supported by the research department of the Inspé de Paris, by the research unit STIH (Sens Texte Informatique Histoire) of the Sorbonne University, and by the research laboratory UMR SFL (Structures Formelles du Langage), affiliated with Paris 8 University & the CNRS.

The international conference Digital Technologies: Vectors of Inclusion or Exclusion in Language Teaching and Learning? (Alsic 2026) aims to bring together researchers interested in the role of digital technologies in language teaching and learning as a means of inclusion or as a factor of exclusion. The event invites reflection on the actual and potential uses of digital technologies, highlighting the opportunities they offer – such as increased accessibility, flexibility, and adaptation to diverse learner needs – while also examining the barriers they may produce: exclusion related to interface design, cost, age, low digital literacy, unintended negative effects on learning, etc. This event seeks to foster a reflective and reasoned perspective – or a “view from afar” (Lévi-Strauss, 1983) – on the use of digital technologies in language education, with particular attention to questions of equity, social justice, and equal access to learning opportunities.

In the age-old dialogue between sapiens and their tools (Debray, 1991), digital technologies are often viewed as levers for innovation, motivation, collaboration and openness to others (Amadieu & Tricot, 2014; Roussel & Gaonac’h, 2017). However, they can exacerbate certain forms of exclusion, depending on the educational policies in place, the contexts of (non-)access and the skills required (Warschauer, 2003; Plantard, 2016; Selwyn, 2016). Such exclusion does not affect only so-called “specific” groups (people with disabilities, with little or no literacy, etc.), but also those for whom the use of digital technologies in teaching and learning – particularly in language education – is imposed without prior reflection or appropriate training, as a norm that is taken for granted and left unexamined and unchallenged.

Without a comprehensive, human-centered approach, reflexivity (Soubrié, 2016), and techno-semio-pedagogical competence or training (Guichon, 2012; Cappellini & Combe, 2017), the effective uses of digital technologies in language teaching and learning will remain the preserve of the so-called “inheritors,” as in so many other fields (Bourdieu & Passeron, 1964; Fluckiger, 2019). Admittedly, these observations are not new, and a number of solutions are emerging. Nevertheless, over the past 25 years, while the semiotic manifestations of digital technology (the web, social media, educational technology, virtual reality, artificial intelligence, etc.) and the forms of their pedagogical integration or informal use (distance learning, telecollaboration, blended learning, HyFlex learning, online learner communities, mainstream social media, messaging apps, serious games, etc.) have followed one another, questions and doubts regarding practices persist and are multiplying.

As Jeanneret pointed out as early as 2000, the same tool can prove to be a pharmakos – a term from Ancient Greek meaning both remedy and poison, depending on how it is used, the frameworks in which it is embedded, the critical lens through which it is viewed, and the imaginaries with which it is associated (Debray, 1991). This is why a growing body of research on digital technologies focuses not only on its impact on language acquisition, but also on the development of transferable skills. Examples of the latter include interculturality (Potolia & Derivry-Plard, 2023), autonomy (Cappellini, 2019; Nissen, 2022), citizenship (Caws et al., 2021; Cappellini et al., 2023), literacy, and social justice (Gleason & Suvorov, 2019; Soubrié et al., 2021). The digital divide, once thought of primarily in terms of access to equipment, now also manifests through disparities in use (Plantard & Le Mentec, 2013). Many individuals, although technically proficient, are not always “equipped” for responsible, critical, and secure use of digital technologies for learning.

From this perspective, inclusion and exclusion must be viewed as two sides of the same coin. Behind the apparent neutrality of digital technologies lie political, social and educational choices which, by favoring certain learner profiles, can marginalize others. Therefore, it is not so much the technologies themselves that include or exclude, but rather the ways in which they are used, the conditions under which they are implemented, the frameworks that structure them, and the intentions that guide them.

In light of these initial considerations, this conference aims to:

• shed light on inclusive digital practices already in use in language teaching and learning, and analyze their effects on learning;

• identify situations of exclusion caused or reinforced by the use of digital technologies, and consider ways to address them;

• explore how language education – a discipline that is fundamentally human-centered, pluralistic, and open – can take into account the tension between, on the one hand, the standardization of digital practices and, on the other hand, the marginalization of learners who fall outside the prescribed models of “competent and autonomous users”;

• pause and reflect on certain past and/or foreign concepts, and to reinvent them with the renewed and distanced perspective of the first quarter of the 21st century, through the lens of language education.

As Foucault noted in 1966,

Utopias afford consolation: although they have no real locality there is nevertheless a fantastic, untroubled region in which they are able to unfold; they open up cities with vast avenues, superbly planted gardens, countries where life is easy, even though the road to them is chimerical. Heterotopias are disturbing, probably because they secretly undermine language, because they make it impossible to name this and that, because they shatter or tangle common names, because they destroy ‘syntax’ in advance, and not only the syntax with which we construct sentences but also that less apparent syntax which causes words and things (next to and also opposite one another) to ‘hold together’. (Foucault, 1966/2002, p. xix)

We hope that this conference will be one of the 'supposed' heterotopias that no longer cause concern, because we have taken the time to approach them in a thoughtful and detached manner, exchanging the illusion of utopia for the confidence of knowledge.

The issues addressed in this conference are organized around the following strands:

Epistemological and theoretical dimensions

• How can we conceptualize inclusion and exclusion through the lens of educational technologies in language teaching and learning in 2025? What concepts might be drawn upon, revisited or reinvented?

• To what extent do educational policies or approaches promoting digital innovation (in language teaching and learning) produce exclusionary normative effects? How might we rethink them through anthropocentric concepts (Selwyn & Jandrić, 2020)?

• What role can research into language teaching and learning play in the development of critical, inclusive and equitable learning models (Freire, 1968/2021) that integrate digital technologies?

Digital practices and accessibility

• What digital learning environments effectively improve access to (language) learning for marginalized learners (e.g., allophone students, school dropouts, adults – migrants or otherwise – with little or no literacy skills, people with disabilities, etc.) (Adami et al., 2024; Kormos & Nijakowska, 2017; Kormos, 2022; Mintz et al., 2024; Navas et al., 2025; Sandoz-Guermond & Bobiller, 2007)?

• How can we design digital environments that do not merely “connect” people, but promote real educational and social inclusion through critical education?

Digital skills and learning inequalities

• How do inequalities in digital literacy (van Dijk, 2020) affect language learning?

• How can teachers and learners be trained to develop critical autonomy in using digital technologies?

• What place should critical digital education have in language teaching and learning curricula?

• How can we promote the emergence of dialectical digital literacies that support authentic linguistic inclusion, beyond technocentric and naive approaches (Collin et al., 2022; Collin & Guichon, 2023)?

Representations and subjectivities

• What representations do teachers and learners have of digital technologies in language teaching? Do they feel included or excluded? What impact do these representations have on practices?

• To what extent do educational technologies influence language teachers' beliefs of self-efficacy or illegitimacy?

Artificial Intelligence

• How are AI-powered applications (automated and personalized feedback on writing, adaptive chatbot-based tutoring, computer-assisted translation platforms, predictive analytics tools for personalized learning pathways, automated assessment systems with immediate feedback, etc.) transforming language learning practices? For which learners, and with what limitations (Warschauer & Xu, 2024)?

• What risks of exclusion or bias does artificial intelligence (AI) entail if we do not learn how to learn with it? What pedagogical strategies can be implemented to make AI a genuine catalyst for language learning?

• How can we promote ethical, transparent, inclusive, and differentiated use of AI in language teaching (Anis, 2023; Cope & Kalantzis, 2024; Pouzergues, 2025; Zainuddin et al., 2024)?

This list of questions is not exhaustive. Any proposals addressing the conference themes are welcome. We particularly encourage papers that combine empirical research, critical approaches and pedagogical reflection in relation to language teaching and learning and/or language teacher training contexts.

To submit a proposal, you must have a Sciencesconf account or create one (see this tutorial).

Proposals must be submitted in PDF format on Sciencesconf ("My submissions"). Please provide an anonymised version named ANONYMOUS_abstract_Alsic2026 and a second, non-anonymised version named AUTHOR-NAME_abstract_Alsic2026 (e.g. ‘SMITH_abstract_Alsic2026’).

Individual presentations

• 20 minutes followed by 10 minutes of discussion;

• please indicate on Sciencesconf the title, the names of the authors, their institutional affiliation, an abstract of approximately 4,000 to 5,000 characters (including spaces but without bibliographical references), up to five bibliographical references and three to five keywords.

Symposia

• Format intended for groups of at least three participants working on the same theme or project;

• 75 minutes, followed by a 15-minute discussion;

• the symposium coordinator is responsible for submitting the proposal on Sciencesconf. They must provide the symposium title, the names of all contributors (starting with their own), their institutional affiliations, an abstract of approximately 8,000 to 9,000 characters (including spaces), up to 12 bibliographical references, and three to five keywords;

• the abstract should present the overall topic of the symposium, outline each individual contribution, and highlight the connections between the presentations and the overarching theme of the symposium.

Posters

• Format mainly intended for novice researchers presenting their work in progress;

• please indicate on Sciencesconf the title of the poster, the name of the author, their institutional affiliation, a summary of approximately 1,500 characters (including spaces), three bibliographical references and three keywords.

A prize of 300€ will be awarded for the best poster, based on a vote by conference attendees.

Two practical workshops will be offered on June 10, from 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m.: one focusing on inclusive digital tools, and the other on prompting. Participants are advised to bring their own laptops.

• 19 October 2025: deadline for submitting proposals on Sciencesconf 

• 22 December 2025: notification of acceptance from the scientific committee

• 15 March 2026: opening of conference registration

• Until 19 April 2026: early bird registration (at least one author of each accepted paper must be registered by this date)

• 20 May 2026: registration deadline

• 10-12 June 2026: conference held at Inspé de Paris, 10 rue Molitor, 75016 Paris

• Anthippi POTOLIA (Université Paris 8)
• Eva SCHAEFFER-LACROIX (Sorbonne Université | Inspé de Paris)
• Marco CAPPELINI (Université Lyon 1 | Inspé)
• Frédérique FREUND (Université de Rouen Normandie)
• Iglika NIKOLOVA-STOUPAK (Sorbonne Université)
• Elke NISSEN (Université Grenoble Alpes)
• Katia ODIOT (Inspé de Paris)
• Christian OLLIVIER (Université de la Réunion)
• Isabelle SALENGROS-IGUENANE (École nationale des Ponts et chaussées)
• Dimitra TZATZOU (Université de Rouen Normandie)
• Irène-Marie SULTAN (Sorbonne Université)

To be announced.

Adami, H., Marty, C., Merlin, L., & Akyol, N. (2024). Au travail ! : expérimentations didactiques en français professionnel pour adultes. Revue TDFLE, 84. https://revue-tdfle.fr/articles/revue-84/3756-au-travail

Amadieu, F., & Tricot, A. (2014). Apprendre avec le numérique. Mythes et réalités. Retz.

Anis, M. (2023). Leveraging artificial intelligence for inclusive English language teaching: Strategies and implications for learner diversity. International Journal of Multidisciplinary Educational Research, 12(6), 54-70. http://s3-ap-southeast-1.amazonaws.com/ijmer/pdf/volume12/volume12-issue6(5)/9.pdf

Bourdieu, P., & Passeron, J.-C. (1964). Les héritiers. Les étudiants et la culture. Les Éditions de Minuit.

Cappellini, M. (2019). Vers un modèle d’évaluation pour l’autonomie en langues : enjeux, paradoxes et pistes. Mélanges Crapel, 40(2). https://intranet.atilf.fr/wp-content/uploads/publications/MelangesCrapel/Melanges_40_2_1_cappellini.pdf

Cappellini, M., & Combe, C. (2017). Compétences techno-sémio-pédagogiques d’apprentis tuteurs dans des environnements numériques. Apprentissage des langues et systèmes d’information et de communication (Alsic), 20(3). https://journals.openedition.org/alsic/3186

Cappellini, M., Giralt, M., & Ollivier, C. (Éds.) (2023). Enseignement et apprentissage des langues et éducation à la citoyenneté numérique. Alsic,26(1). https://doi.org/10.4000/alsic.7186

Caws, C., Hamel, M.-J., Jeanneau, C., & Ollivier, C. (2021). Formation en langues et littératie numérique en contextes ouverts : une approche socio‑interactionnelle. Éditions des Archives contemporaines. https://doi.org/10.17184/eac.9782813003911

Collin, S., Denouël, J., Guichon, N., & Schneider, É. (2022). Le numérique en éducation et formation. Approches critiques. Presses des Mines.

Collin, S., & Guichon, N. (2023). Éditorial. Les approches critiques du numérique en éducation et formation : une diversité à l’œuvre. Canadian Journal of Learning and Technology / Revue Canadienne de l’Apprentissage et de la Technologie, 49(4). 1-4.

Cope, B., & Kalantzis, M. (2024). On cyber-social learning: A critique of artificial intelligence in education. In T. Kourkoulou, A. O. Tzirides, B. Cope, & M. Kalantzis (Éds.), Trust and inclusion in AI-mediated education: Where human learning meets learning machines (pp. 3-34). Springer. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-64487-0_1

Debray, R. (1991). Cours de médiologie générale. Gallimard.

Fluckiger, C. (2019). Penser les inégalités face à la culture numérique : perspective en sociologie des usages. Microarchitectures nomades pour les oubliés d’Internet. Gallimard.

Foucault, M. (1966/2002). The order of things: An archeology of the human sciences. [English edition]. Routledge.

Freire, P. (1968/2021). La pédagogie des opprimés. Agone – Contre-Feux.

Gleason, J., & Suvorov, R. (2019). Promoting social justice with CALL. Calico Journal, 36(1), i-vii. https://www.jstor.org/stable/26724272 

Guichon, N. (2012). Vers l’intégration des TIC dans l’enseignement des langues. Didier.
https://doi.org/10.14375/NP.9782278072125

Jeanneret, Y. (2000). Y a-t-il (vraiment) des technologies de l’information ? Presses universitaires du Septentrion. https://doi.org/10.4000/books.septentrion.13894

Kormos, J. (2022). The second language learning processes of students with specific learning difficulties (2nd ed.). Routledge.

Kormos, J., & Nijakowska, J. (2017). Inclusive practices in teaching students with dyslexia: Second language teachers’ concerns, attitudes and self-efficacy beliefs on a massive open online learning course. Teaching and teacher education, 68, 30-41. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tate.2017.08.005

Lévi-Strauss, C. (1983). Le regard éloigné. Plon. https://gallica.bnf.fr/ark:/12148/bpt6k3356912v/f6.item

Mintz, J., Connolly, C., O’Brien, E., Daniela, L., & Ceallaigh, T. J. Ó. (2024). Editorial. Inclusive digital education : Contexts, practices and perspectives. Computers in the Schools, 41, 115-119.

Navas, C., Guerra-Arango, J.-A., Oviedo-Guado, D. A., & Murillo-Noriega, D. E. (2025). Inclusive education through technology: Asystematic review of types, tools and characteristics. Frontiers in Education, 10. https://doi.org/10.3389/feduc.2025.1527851

Nissen, E. (2022). Accompagnement de l’autonomisation dans des dispositifs d’apprentissage des langues médiatisés : des leviers récurrents. Recherches en didactique des langues et des cultures, 19(1). https://doi.org/10.4000/rdlc.10663

Plantard, P. (2011). Pour en finir avec la fracture numérique. FYP Éditions.

Plantard, P. (2016). Numérique et inégalités éducatives. Du « coup de tablette magique » à l’e-éducation. Diversité : Ville École Intégration, 185(3), 27-32. https://hal.science/hal-01739591v1/document

Plantard, P., & Le Mentec, M. (2013). INEDUC : focales sur les inégalités scolaires, de loisirs et de pratiques numériques chez les adolescents. Terminal, 113-114, 79-91. https://doi.org/10.4000/terminal.278

Potolia, A., & Derivry-Plard, M. (Éds.) (2023). Virtual Exchange for Intercultural Language Learning and Teaching: Fostering communication for the digital age. Routledge.

Pouzergues, P. (2025, juillet). Prendre en compte les hétérogénéités grâce l’intelligence artificielle générative : vers de nouvelles formes de différenciation pédagogique. Communication orale présentée au colloque Naturel et Artificiel en Linguistique Appliquée : une époque de paradoxes (NéALA 2025). Nancy. https://hal.science/hal-04892945v1

Roussel, S., & Gaonac’h, D. (2017). L’apprentissage des langues. Mythes et réalités. Retz.

Sandoz-Guermond, F., & Bobiller‑Chaumon, M.-E. (2007). L’accessibilité des E‑services aux personnes non‑voyantes : difficultés d’usage et recommandations. ArXiv. https://arxiv.org/pdf/0712.3215

Selwyn, N. (2016). Education and technology: Key issues and debates (2nd ed.). Bloomsbury.

Selwyn, N., & Jandrić, P. (2020). Postdigital living in the age of Covid-19: Unsettling what we see as possible. Postdigital Science and Education, 2(3), 989-1005. https://doi.org/10.1007/s42438-020-00166-9 

Soubrié, T. (2016). La pratique réflexive, une dimension centrale dans la formation des enseignantsà l’intégration du numérique dans l’éducation. In C. Ollivier, T. Gaillat, & L. Puren (Éds.), Numérique et formation des enseignants de langue. Pistes et imaginaires. Éditions des archives contemporaines. https://hal.univ-grenoble-alpes.fr/hal-01654292 

Soubrié, T., Bigot, V., & Ollivier, C. (Éds.)(2021). Littératie numérique et didactique des langues et des cultures, Lidil, 63. https://doi.org/10.4000/lidil.8568

van Dijk, J. (2020). The Digital Divide. Polity Press.

Warschauer, M. (2003). Technology and social inclusion: Rethinking the digital divide. MIT Press. https://doi.org/10.7551/mitpress/6699.001.0001

Warschauer, M., & Xu, Y. (2024). Introduction. Generative AI for Language learning: Entering a new era. Language Learning & Technology, 28(2), 1-4. https://hdl.handle.net/10125/73569

Zainuddin, N., Suhaimi, A., Jaffar, M. N., Md Norwawi, N., Sahrir, M. S., Wan Daud, W. A. A., & Abdul Ghani, M. T. (2024). Responsible and ethical use of artificial intelligence in language education: A systematic review. Forum for Linguistic Studies, 6(5), 316-325.https://doi.org/10.30564/fls.v6i5.7092