Brittany

=Using Technology in Helping ESL Students =

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=Technology in the Classroom: = * To learn more about each example, click on the pictures.

1. **Clickers:** "Students may use clickers in class to: answer questions in the form of a quizzes or self assessment, perform instructor or course evaluations, and/or record attendance. Clickers have been shown to improve attendance and increase participation" (Kenwrigh, 2009,p. 74). They are easy to use and will provide immediate feedback which can be used to appropriately guide instruction. There are many types of clickers that can be purchased. The two examples on the right, were created by SMART Technologies. The SMART Response LE is made especially for early grades, students with special needs, and English language learners. The SMART Response PE is more complex and can be very useful in assessing higher-order thinking.


 * 2. Interactive Whiteboards: ** These boards combine the simplicity of a whiteboard with the power of a computer. They allow you to deliver engaging lessons, write notes in digital ink, and save your work - all with only the touch of your finger. Research has shown that students who work with these boards are more actively engaged in their lessons, have less behavior problems, and attend class more regularly. Here are a few ways to use an interactive whiteboard in the classroom... Use the built in maps to teach geography, have students create e-portfolios, digital storytelling, brainstorming, teach editing skills using editing marks, diagram activities, teach steps to a math problem, electronic word wall, etc ( "Interactive whiteboards," 2010).



**3. Digital Storytelling:** Digital stories usually contain some mixture of computer-based images, text recorded audio narration, video clips and/or music. Digital stories can also be uploaded to free-access websites such as YouTube where students can view them at their convenience to get the multiple exposures needed to understand the language and content. The software is free and directions for making a digital story can be found on multiple internet sites as well as in the article by Judith Rance-Roney (2010, p. 390).
 * Option #1: U se it to provide background information, develop schema, and preview vocabulary.
 * Option #2: Have students use to to retell a story they have recently read or about their own life.



**4. Electronic Portfolios:** An alternative to traditional portfolios. Electronic portfolios (e-portfolios) allow students to collect, store and manage their work/projects in a fairly easy and efficient manner. In addition, they also enable students to store sound files and video clips. A few benefits of e-portfolios include drawing students' attention to the weaker areas in their speaking, offering further opportunities for oral practices,and relieving speaking anxiety. However there are a few down sides as well such as: the absence of face-to-face interaction, and the presence of rehearsal opportunities masks the true oral proficiency level of the student (Huang & Hung, 2010, p.86-87). The content that could be included in these portfolios include but are not limited to students' work, peer response forms, teachers' comments and feedback, and reading journals. To create electronic portfolios for ESL classrooms you must consider these four points: (1) how computer literate the student is, (2) the context in which the electronic portfolio will be used, (3) the purpose of creating a portfolio, (4) the organization of the e-portfolio (Kahtani, 2009, p. 265).

**5. Skype:** This is a free software application that allows users to communicate through instant messaging and video calls over the internet. Although there are many ways to use Skype in the Classroom I will only list the ones I believe will be most beneficial for ESL students**.**
 * 1) //Virtual Field Trips:// You can travel anywhere in the world which can help build background knowledge and expose students to places they've never been.
 * 2) //After School Help:// As long as a student has access to the internet (which can be found at the public library free of charge) Skype can be used as a tool to provide extra help. Tutors, teachers, or librarians can be available at set times for student access. This will give students the support they need when parents are do not understand the material or are unavailable.
 * 3) Teacher-Parent Conference: Skype can provide an opportunity to connect with a parent at their convenience who is unable to attend a face-to-face conference with the teacher. In addition, it is possible to make conference calls so that a translator can be online as well.

**6.** **Digita****l R****eaders:** Digital readers include Kindles, Nooks, iPads, etc. One argument for digital readers is that teachers need "to address the discrepancy between the types of litera cy experien ces students encounter at school and those they practice in their daily lives outside the school environment... stud ents find e-books to be 'a new and unique medium' and consequently often read more when having access to e-books" (Larson, 2010, p. 16). Many of these digital readers have built-in dictionaries, various font sizes, tools that allow you to takes notes, and __a text-to-speech feature that allows you to listen to words that you find difficult or to reread text passages__.

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// As ESL educators, we are not only responsible for teaching students English, but also teaching them the skills that will help them become successful individuals. We have already stepped into a technological era and it will only continue to become more advanced. Therefore, we must integrate technology into our lessons in order to prepare our students for the future. //=====

=** __ References: __ ** = = =

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**1.** //50 awesome ways to use Skype in the classroom//. (2009, June 30). Retrieved from http://www.teachingdegree.org/2009/06/30/50-awesome-ways-to-use-skype-in-the-classroom/ ======

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**2.** Cavanaugh, D. (2008, March 06). //Technology and reading: e-books in education//. Retrieved from http://drscavanaugh.org/ebooks/ ======

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**3.** Davis, M. R. (2011). Socializing the virtual student. //Education Week//, 30(15), S10. Retrieved from EBSCO//host//. ======

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**4.** Huang, H., & Hung, S. (2010). Implementing electronic speaking portfolios: perceptions of EFL students. //British Journal of Educational Technology//, 4(5), E84-E88. doi:10.1111/j.1467-8535.2009.00996.x ======

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**5.** //Interactive whiteboards//. (2010, October 25). Retrieved from http://rmtc.fsdb.k12.fl.us/tutorials/whiteboards.html ======

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**6.** Johnson, L. & Lamb, A. (2007). Electronic portfolios: students, teachers, and life long learners. Retrieved from http://eduscapes.com/tap/topic82.htm ======

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**7.** Kahtani, S. (1999). Electronic portfolios in ESL writing: an alternative approach. //Computer Assisted Language Learning//, 12(3), Retrieved from EBSCO//host// ======

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**8.** Kenwrigh, K. (2009). Clickers in the classroom. //TechT////rends//, 53(1), 74-77. doi:10.1007/s11528-009-0240-7 ======

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**9.** Larson, L. C. (2010). Digital readers: The next chapter in e-book reading and response. //Reading// //Teacher//, 64(1), 15-22. doi:10.1598/RT.64.1.2 ======

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**10.** Rance-Roney, J. (2010). Jump-starting language and schema for English-language learners: teacher-composed digital jumpstarts for academic reading. //Journal of Adolescent & Adult Literacy//, 53(5), 386-395. Retrieved from EBSCO//host//. ======

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**11.** South, J.B., Gabbitas, B., & Merrill, P. F. (2008). Designing video narratives to contextualize content for ESL learners: a design process case study. //Interactive Learning Environments//, 16(3), 231-243. doi:10.1080/10494820802114044 ======

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**12.** Wuerzer, B. (2008). //The effectiveness of the SMART Board while instructing limited English proficient learners//. http://downloads01.smarttech.com/media/sitecore/en/pdf/research_library/special_ed/the_effectiveness_of_the_smart_board_while_instructing_limited_english_proficient_learners.pdf ======