Integration of Technology for English Learners

Integrations of Technology for English Learners
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Introduction
As we sail through the 21st century, technology in the classroom is becoming more and more predominant. Tablets are replacing our textbooks, and we can research just about anything that we want to on our smartphones. Social media has become commonplace, and the way we use technology has completely transformed the way we live or lives.
The impact that technology has had on today’s schools has been quite significant. This widespread adoption of technology has completely changed how teachers teach and students learn. Teachers are learning how to teach with emerging technologies (tablets, iPads, Smart Boards, digital cameras, computers), while students are using advanced technology to shape how they learn. By embracing and integrating technology in the classroom, we are setting our students up for a successful life outside of school. Here are a few benefits of using it.
With no doubt in our minds it’s a fact that students prefer technology because they believe that it makes learning more interesting and fun. They especially like laptops and tablets. Subjects that students deem challenging or boring can become more interesting with virtual lessons, through a video, or when using a tablet and ESL lessons are not an exception.
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Technology Helps Students Learn at Their Own Pace
Today’s technology enables students to learn at their own pace. For example, almost all apps allow for individualized instruction. Students can learn according to their abilities and needs. This form of teaching is also great for the teacher because it gives him/her the time to work individually with students who may be struggling.
Technology Connects with Students
Technology occupies an important place within students’ lives. When they are not in school, just about everything that they do is connected in some way to technology. By integrating technology into the classroom, teachers are changing the way they used to teach (lectures six hours a day) and providing students with the tools that will take them into the 21st century.
Technology changes by the minute, and as educators we need to keep up with the times in order to best prepare our students for this ever-changing world that we live in. While we just saw how integrating technology into the classroom has its benefits, it’s important to note that traditional learning processes are just as essential. Take time to learn about each element of ed-tech that you will incorporate into your classroom. When you do, you will find that technology can have a profound impact on your students learning.
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Do you embrace technology in your classroom? What benefits do you think technology has for your classroom? Feel free to share with us in the comment section below. We would love to hear your thoughts.
Teachable Moments
If you read the first reason and are still thinking, “Yeah, but the thought of trying to teach 28 students or more when they all have access to the Internet on handheld devices I don’t have control over sounds like the start of some of my worst nightmares!” then hang-tight. Another reason to embrace giving our students’ access to these devices is the way they open new
possibilities for those magical “teachable
moments,” that make teaching so wonderful.
Imagine this, you’re talking about poetry in
English class and you’re introducing haikus.
How fun would it be to let everyone find their
own haiku example from the Internet (using the
school-provided WiFi that blocks inappropriate
sites, of course) and share them? As you walk
around and supervise you’ll hear students
counting syllables, finding other poems and reading them, sharing fun examples with one another – reinforcing the lesson and practicing skills in a way that is interesting and fun to them.
And then you could challenge your students to go further – telling them that there are at least two other forms of poetry that are close to haikus, but not exactly the same and challenging them to break into groups and try to find them using their electronic devices. Studying the water cycle? Challenge students to find illustrations of it online. Have a student ask a question but you just aren’t sure you know the answer? You’ll have the resources you need right at your fingertips ... and with a classroom of students who are connected with their own devices, you’ll be able to share the information with them almost instantly.
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When using Touch Devices
By touch devices we mean phones or tablets. One way to improve inclusion and differentiation in the classroom is to implement technology into lessons. Through professional development opportunities, teachers can learn about the various types of technology that are available to assist ESL students. Technology can now help students to “(a) [contextualize] authentic learning opportunities; (b)help students develop language and literacy skills as they make connections among text, images, video, sound and animation; and (c) encourage students to construct meaning and to make connections to their prior knowledge” (O’Hara et al., 2013, p. 277). It is essential for these opportunities to be offered to ESL students in order to help them become confident students who are able to perform to the best of the ability in all content areas; both in their native language as well in the English language.
As a result of the increase in use of resourceful technology in the classroom, English Language Learners are being given multiple opportunities to “collaborate with classmates to complete interactive tasks that make good sense to them and result in language learning” (Daniel & Cowan, 2012, p. 99).
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A few pieces of technology which have proven to be very effective in helping English Language Learners become engaged and motivated in the classroom are the use of iTouch devices (iPads and iPods). Both “devices [are] simple to operate and students enjoy using them” while also being “highly adaptable and [having] accessories (e.g., microphones, cameras, speakers, touch screen capabilities) that can be used to tailor instruction for students with varying needs” (Rivera, Mason, Moser, Ahlgrim-Delzell, 2014, p. 32).
Having several capabilities available on one accessory makes the device accommodating and accessible to a range of students and learners. During classroom instruction, if a student is able to use any touch device, they will be able to “access resources such as translation dictionaries that provide audio pronunciation along with images to support the vocabulary acquisition and audio textbooks” (Liu, Navarrete, Wivagg, 2014, p. 118).
Regardless of what the student’s first language may be, by using phones or tablets in schools, it allows audio files and videos to
be at the student’s finger tips allowing for specific language differentiation for each student, without disrupting the learning of those around them. Billings and Mathison (2011) support this idea when they explain that using touch devices in class “provide primary language support in content areas to support English development” (p. 496).
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Having an easily accessible device at the finger tips of any students, especially an ESL student, makes learning engaging and memorable for students.
Through incorporating these devices inside of the classroom it is possible to differentiate lessons for each student, while still having all children learning the same information.
For example, “teachers assign the activities and games appropriate for students’ specific language level and [are] able to scaffold students more easily with iPod touch from basics in phonetics and sight words to more fluency and comprehension in advanced topic and subjects” (Liu et al., 2014, p. 38).
Allowing students to work at their own pace and on their own level also builds engagement and motivation within learning because students do not feel as that they have to attain or exceed the standards and intelligence of those around them.
One fourth/fifth grade ESL teacher described her experience of using touch devices by explaining that “the students were engaged in using such resources as dictionaries and playing educational games at a level appropriate to their learning and therefore reinforcing skills such as reading and multiplication” (Liu et al., 2014,
p. 40).
The 21st century student thrives on using al sorts of devices; giving them the option to use such devices immediately gains their attention. By eliminating the
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use of a pen, pencil and paper within the school setting helps create the feeling that students are not completing traditional work, but doing an activity that interests them, while they learn or strengthen skills in the process.
Another engaging way to incorporate touch devices into the classroom is by using them to create multimedia shared story photo examples (digital book). Using touch devices to share the stories allows the student to click on links and watch short video clips that increase understanding.
Once the student completed a short reading, he/she would be given the opportunity to watch a visual video, focusing and connecting on the same idea as the reading. After reading and viewing the video, a students we will call Tommy would have a short discussion with the student reviewing the intended vocabulary and topics, checking for understanding (p. 39). Allowing ESL students to read and watch vocabulary all in one story is
only possible when using
technology. This also allows the
student to make connections to their
own life, or previously viewed
concepts which will make it easier
for the student to recall and
remember information.
Although differentiation during
lessons alters a student’s ability to
learn, it is also important for a teacher to differentiate tests and assessments. Andrei (2014) discusses a strategy one teacher uses in her classroom in order to differentiate spelling test levels for ESL students. The teacher would record the spelling test on an mp3 format and uploaded to a cloud service, allowing the student to be given a different list of words while also allowing them the opportunity to listen to the words as many times as they needed in order to
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understand them. Another advantage to allowing the students to listen to the words individually is that it helps the students hear, understand and determine the
different phonemes within words.
Not all all schools or students can afford to buy great digital devices for every student, so it is essential for teachers to learn about the various applications and websites available to them on computers and websites.
How about computers?
Teachers and schools that do not have the ability to use touch devices, do have the ability to use computers and the numerous web pages and applications available within them. Modern technologies such as computers “can be seen as practical and adequate tools for presenting those learning tasks that especially simulate real and
authentic language use, and consequently, end in meaningful learning” (Mellati, Zangoei & Khademi, 2015, p. 240).
With the rising demand of technology and computers it is crucial for students to learn how to navigate through computers and become comfortable working on them. A few applications that are found on computers and can be used to differentiate instruction to promote learning and motivation within ELL students are power point, web pages, digital story books, and glogsters.
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Each application allows teachers the opportunity to differentiate lessons, while including visuals and audios matching the written word(s), in order to increase understanding for ELL students.
Every computer has the capability to use Microsoft power point applications. Power points are easy to navigate through, allowing students to work at their own pace while creating “lists, sequence of events, or similarity and differences charts. These [options] allow students to show what they
know by employing both text and visuals” (Andrei,
2013, p. 44) in order to demonstrate understanding.
This type of projects also permits students the ability
to work on content specific to their understanding;
students have the option to use different level
vocabulary, concepts or ideas when connecting
words and pictures together, while strengthening
their personal understanding. While using power
point teachers can, or have students create digital story books. Digital story books are a series of slides which all share a common theme while incorporating words, pictures and videos. Creating digital story books allows “the kind of experience within the school which will stimulate thought and feeling as well as train the skills of listening, speaking, reading, and writing. Story can be that kind of
experience” (Yildirim & Torun, 2014, p. 47).
An ESL student reported after creating a digital story that “I like English lessons more this year. We did not watch anything on the screen last year; we followed the course book. That is why this year is better....I understand better through stories than books” (Yildirim & Torun, 2014, p. 57).
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Digital books are also a strong tool to use for presentation, either for a teacher or for students. After a student has had the opportunity to complete a digital book, it is important to have them share their creation with the rest of the class or a small group of peers. Since digital books already have words written and often contain pictures and videos, it takes some of the pressure off of the students to present.
ESL students will not have to worry about speaking the language correctly because their knowledge will be displayed on the board, with the written word and visuals to tell the story for them. Although reading is created through words and stories, when students are first learning a new language it is
fundamental to use pictures. Pictures are appealing to the eye and catch students’ attention, making lessons memorable and motivating for struggling language learners.
Although many students use YouTube as a source of entertainment and a way to listen to music, it is important for teachers to be aware of the positive way YouTube can affect student learning in the classroom. Adding an educational spin to a website that students already frequently use will raise their motivation and
engagement in a lesson. A grand majority of teachers have found that using online tools such as YouTube and voice recorders increased student interest in lessons as well as extending the time students wanted to use technology to learn about a topic . Students would use YouTube in order to find
video’s which matched vocabulary terms they were learning about, allowing them to
make visual and auditory connections to vocabulary terms.
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Students who struggle with word and language often benefit from the chance to have visual representation because it gives them a familiar picture or memory to unite difficult words with. It is also beneficial for students to have the ability to listen to vocabulary terms, especially when they have the opportunity to listen to the audio multiple times, as well as slow down the video so they can break apart the word in syllables and sounds.
Anymore ideas?
Lucia at teach.com/blog shares with a lot of useful ideas regarding the use of technology inside the classroom.
Podcasting
When it comes to free resources, podcasts are at the top of my list of teaching hacks. They provide content from native speakers across a variety of topics. Students can also use classroom technology such as computers, tablets, and even their own smartphones to create podcasts themselves. In my own classroom, I sometimes have students work in groups to record a podcast.
The students must research their talking points and present the material in a logical format. We listen to sample podcasts to learn standard formatting and pronunciation. Classmates are required to listen and review each other’s podcasts and write review papers of what they learned. This promotes
peer editing techniques, teamwork, and creativity.
Video & Film
Another creative technology used by successful teachers is video and film. The use of film has long been part of the ESL classroom. Watching clips to
discuss dialogue or specialty subjects can be useful. Using smartphones,
students can create their own video content, or steam directly into the
classroom. Smartboards, tablets, and other screen devices make video one of the most accessible technologies for teachers.
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In an article by Warschauer and Meskill (2000), video is used in the classroom to enhance cultural knowledge as well as production skills. Students were asked to join social media discussion on target culture websites to assess public opinion of the stories. This access to authentic sources across video provides a multi-level approach to language acquisition .
Apps
If you’re looking for something more personalized than classroom wide events like virtual lectures, apps are a great choice. To engage students both inside and outside the classroom, there are a number of application styles I recommend. Recorders,
timers, and note makers can help keep students on task and motivated.
I once had a colleague that had her students create short skits at the end of class. The students all had access to smartphones and would film the skit being performed. Then, after class, they would play the skit on their own
time and transcribe the skit to submit as homework. Students were free to create and perform short skits that dealt with the
topics the class was discussing.
Other apps such as dictionaries, speech recognition, and flash cards can help students memorize grammar rules, practice oral production, and answer questions when the teacher is unavailable.
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Your role as a teacher
Before learning in the classroom can begin, it is important for teachers to receive the proper training and professional development to guarantee that they
understand how to help ESLstudents as well as how to use technology in order to increase their motivation, engagement and differentiated learning.
Based on the increase of English Language Learners in the classroom, “the teaching profession has increased its focus on teachers’ cultural awareness, and professional development is seen as a means of accomplishing social justice within school environment through equitable instruction, inclusion and
improved teacher awareness” (Doran, 2014 p. 63). It is imperative for teachers to receive instruction on strategies to use with ESL students through workshops and professional development opportunities.
This opportunity will help you better understand and be able to integrate strategies into your classroom which will support the differentiation for all students. In order to better service all students “teachers themselves have frequently articulated a need for more, and better, professional development to help them include and support their learners who are culturally and linguistically diverse” (Doran, 2014, p. 62). In Karen Ross’ study, “Professional development for practicing mathematics teachers; a critical
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Janelle Cox, teachhub.com
Megan Cutter, St. John Fisher College,
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