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Welcome to Episode 25 of the Technology in Human Services Podcast. In this episode I’m chatting with Anesh Daya, Edupreneur, ESL Disruptor, and Chief Innovation Officer of On the Spot Language, an Experiential Language Learning Program that guides and coaches English as a Second language learners to become independent language learners.

This Language Advocacy Day panel focused on promising practices and lessons learned during the past year, including gaps and unaddressed issues, as well as the creation and distribution of effective multilingual information.

At the recent Metropolis conference, I was invited by World Education Services (WES) to participate on a panel looking at knowledge mobilization and knowledge management in the immigrant and refugee-serving sector. This panel highlighted the value of knowledge management and mobilization for informed decision-making within the settlement sector. Panelists discussed ways to balance knowledge mobilization while mitigating information fatigue, particularly as the pandemic has led to increased digital communication.

This episode touches interesting themes: ELL service providers and volunteers support literacy learners, newcomers with multiple barriers, and learners with low digital literacy skills. Experts in working with volunteers explain key aspects of working effectively with the volunteers who are essential to success. The podcast touches on improvisations made to program delivery during the pandemic, and a future with blended learning in the context of the specialized needs of multi-barriered individuals.

In this keynote presentation at the 2021 Pre-Arrival Virtual Conference I spoke about a future connected to our values and vision, which is not so much disruptive, but 'constructive innovation.' A future where newcomers are supported through our collaboration, using systems that help them, and us.

How do I know that my transition to virtual service delivery is effective? What did I get right? What didn’t I get right? By what standards or guidelines can I compare how my transition to virtual service delivery compares to what is considered best practice?

The Settlement Sector and Technology Task Group (coordinated by AMSSA, reporting to IRCC’s National Settlement and Integration Council (NSIC)) is working to discover, examine, and learn about the settlement sector’s needs to successfully implement digital and hybrid service delivery models.

I have been identifying interesting and innovative projects in our sector, and beyond, that are worth learning more about. There are examples of both centralized digital service portals as well as decentralized digital service approaches in the sector and in other sectors.

This is a short list of existing and useful materials in and outside of the sector related to digital and hybrid service delivery. The list is merely at a starting point.