On January 13th I presented at the Dual Language and English Learner Conference at SDSU hosted in partnership with the San Diego County Office of Education. It was an inspiring gathering headlined by U.S. Poet Laureate Juan Felipe Herrera.  The aim of the conference was to equip educators with the tools to transform language instruction.

We explored the issues, challenges, and opportunities experienced by young fronterizo English learners through ‘The Ideological Clarity Machine’—a 360 film, produced by Michelle Ruiz and me.  After watching the film participants shared that they enjoyed the immersive element of the VR technology. They said it was ‘emotionally, visually and intellectually engaging’ and appreciated how they could ‘live it’ and be ‘put into someone else’s skin’.  I am grateful to Dr. Alfaro for giving me the creative freedom to develop the film as part of my doctorate program in education, and thanks to ITS, Sean Hauze and Ethan Garcia for the tech and moral support!