This presentation will introduce ER programs at two separate universities, one incorporating xreading and another utilizing physical books, and will review the activities in both programs. After reviewing these two programs and their implementation, I will discuss how AI has been incorporated in the form of Google NotebookLM to support extensive reading. Google NotebookLM, is a Google AI-powered tool that helps users interact with documents and sources by summarizing, extracting information, and answering questions based on uploaded content. NotebookLM’s ability to generate audio summaries has the potential to enhance ER by improving comprehension and engagement. Surveys and semi-structured interviews with students will be presented to reveal student impressions of the tool. This presentation will then discuss how NotebookLM can be integrated into an ER program, as well as its benefits, challenges, and pedagogical implications, with the aim of offering insights into AI’s role in supporting extensive reading.

CollegePathway and Academic Express 3 are LMS platforms built on supereigo.com that support multiple English learning goals including TOEIC, EIKEN and university entrance exams. They are used by over 100 institutions across Japan and serve hundreds of thousands of students and teachers. In April 2025, we added Pearson Bank, a repository of 30 graded short stories ranging from abridged classics to original Pearson titles. Each story is accompanied by in platform vocabulary, grammar and comprehension exercises so that extensive reading becomes part of both the student learning experience and the teacher toolkit. This presentation describes the integration process including curriculum alignment and workflow embedding. We examine three months of log data to understand how teachers and students incorporate story reading and how story use aligns with overall platform engagement. This case offers a scalable model for embedding graded extensive reading as a central measurable component of language learning on large scale digital platforms.

Reading comprehension among Indonesian students remains low, especially in English as a foreign language. This study investigates how literary translation, supported by ChatGPT, can serve as an effective form of extensive reading. Conducted as a qualitative case study in a Practice of Translating course at a public university, the research involved undergraduate students translating various English literary texts; poems, short stories, and novel excerpts into Indonesian. Students used ChatGPT not as the main translator but as a support tool to clarify meanings, explore lexical options, and enhance style. Findings indicate that this approach improved comprehension of complex texts, expanded vocabulary, and promoted reflective reading. The use of AI also promoted learner autonomy and confidence. The study suggests that integrating literary translation with AI assistance offers a promising pedagogical strategy to enhance reading skills in EFL contexts with traditionally low literacy levels.

This presentation shows how Oxford Reading Club (ORC), a digital reading program co-developed by Oxford University Press and iPortfolio, helps Korean children aged 4 to 12 improve their English. Based on factual evidence from homes, schools, and private academies in Korea, it highlights how students make fast and visible progress through extensive reading with the help of AI-based EdTech. The talk also explains how ORC is designed with pedagogy based on cognitive science, matching each child’s developmental stage. With fun, level-based books and smart technology, ORC supports children in building strong reading habits and better language skills. ORC offers a strong model for future English education by combining top-quality content with cutting-edge EdTech. This session will be helpful for teachers, parents, and educators looking for effective and practical ways to support children’s English learning in both classrooms and at home.

Reading speed is a crucial yet overlooked component of reading fluency (Tran, 2012). Students can increase their speed in as few as 20 sessions of 10 minutes each (Chang, 2010; Chung & Nation, 2006). Little attention has been given to the impact of reading medium on fluency development. This presentation explores pedagogical implications of reading medium in speed reading instruction. Sixty-eight university students in Japan read short stories using paper copies or ESL Speed Readings, a mobile application developed by the presenter. After six weeks, students switched formats and reflected on their experiences via questionnaires. Mixed effects regression revealed that the digital medium was superior, and the questionnaires showed digital reading offered practical advantages over paper. A framework for implementing an effective speed reading program will be outlined. Attendees will receive access to free speed reading software and a learner management system to help integrate speed reading into their classrooms.

This workshop introduces a new system for integrating Extensive Reading (ER) and speaking activities for CEFR-B1 level upward. Using ER-based crime stories as the foundation, students prepare and perform classroom Mock Trials with structured role sheets for the judge, prosecutor, defender, defendant, and witness. A trial guide supports students in developing open/closed questioning skills. Participants will also be introduced to a custom GPT students can use before class to better understand the story and rehearse their roles. This AI assistant scaffolds comprehension and oral preparation, helping learners move from reading into fluent, role-based interaction. Even when guilt seems clear, sentencing decisions are not. Mock trials invite critical thinking about motive, age, intent, and appropriate punishment/rehabilitation. We will explore how to adapt existing ER crime stories using crowd-sourced sentencing guidelines and custom GPTs. If possible please read Chapters 1–4 of “Kittens Like Steam Clouds” before attending: https://vivabeppu.wixsite.com/vivabeppu/blog

This workshop presents Bloom, a free, open-source software that enables users to easily create multilingual, leveled books for language learners. Originally developed to address the global shortage of reading materials in underserved languages, Bloom has supported the creation of over 19,000 books in more than 830 languages. Participants will receive hands-on training in using Bloom to develop open-access ER materials—whether to address resource scarcity or support educators interested in authoring their own texts. The session also introduces AI image tools (i.e., Leonardo AI, MidJourney, and Apple’s Image Playground) to generate illustrations for the texts. The workshop addresses both the possibilities and limitations of these tools. Bloom’s intuitive interface makes it ideal for local authors and educators, while AI-generated images raise occasional image distortion or inaccuracy concerns. By the end of the session, participants will be able to create open-source and level-appropriate ER materials.

This presentation introduces an AI-powered platform, currently in development, that transforms students from passive consumers to active creators of reading material. Learners generate personalized stories with AI assistance, creating a dynamic library of student-led content that can be shared within the learning community. The system incorporates adaptive difficulty scaling to align texts with proficiency levels while maintaining coherence. Real-time tracking of student interactions offers insights into engagement and language challenges, with the potential to reveal patterns in content generation, learning trajectories, and attitudes toward reading. Features such as vocabulary support, AI-generated audio narration, and optional comprehension activities may further enhance autonomous learning. We will focus on how AI-driven analysis of student feedback informs refinements to both the system and pedagogical approaches in general. This presentation will showcase how the integration of AI technology can create an engaging, personalized, and data-informed learning environment while maintaining the core principles of extensive reading.

Extensive reading (ER) programs help students build fluency, but many schools face two major challenges: providing accessible reading materials and tracking student participation. Building a physical library can be expensive and time-consuming, and teachers often lack tools to monitor engagement effectively.

This presentation will demonstrate how to create a free, online ER library and assignment tracking system using tools such as ELLLO, ER-Central, Google Docs, Blogger, and Google Forms (or Microsoft equivalents). Participants will see how to set up the system in less than 20 minutes, organize level-appropriate materials, and make the library accessible on mobile devices. The session will also show how teachers can collect reading logs automatically and generate simple progress reports.

By the end, attendees will understand the full process of building an online ER program that is easy to manage, sustainable, and completely free.

While digital reading materials are increasingly available, engaging ESL learners in extensive reading remains challenging in the digital age. This presentation explores how Massively Multiplayer Online Role-Playing Games (MMORPGs) can serve as an innovative platform for extensive reading practice, aligning with fundamental extensive reading principles of free choice and learner autonomy. Drawing from a year-long study integrating commercial MMORPGs into ESL learning, this session demonstrates how game narratives (quest descriptions, character dialogues), in-game texts, and player interactions provide authentic, self-selected reading materials across multiple proficiency levels. The research reveals that ESL participants showed increased reading engagement and vocabulary retention when given ownership of their reading choices within the gaming environment. Beginner learners benefited from short quest descriptions, while advanced learners engaged with complex game lore and player-generated content. Practical guidelines for implementing game-based extensive reading programs will be shared.

Leadership competencies are crucial for university leaders. They are required to equip themselves with knowledge and skills needed to develop themselves, their institutions and their teams. This study focuses on self-regulated reading (SRR) that can elevate these competencies by recommending intentional and reflective reading practices. It also discusses how SRR is embedded in leadership development programs, pointing out its potential to gain leaders’ competencies to face the challenges of universities. 90 participants did SRR first and implemented the leadership strategies at their workplaces. An online survey was conducted to collect data and mix-method was used for analysis. The results presented that SRR could elevate leaders’ intellectual capacity and provide them with competencies of business savvy, strategic decision making and building organizational talent. This study also revealed that academic competencies were not sufficient. University leaders also needed to be more capable becoming professional business administrators.