What I learned from following people...google reader & Twitter

When I first found out that we had to create a blog and twitter account I felt frustrated and confused. Frustrated, because I knew little about twitter and creating blogs. What I knew at the time was that people used them to communicate with other across the web. I felt confused because I thought if it as more of a social piece than a way to get educational information and insights.
When I first started searching on twitter for people to follow I was having a hard time finding people who had sufficient information about the topic I was searching and it looked really confusing to me. Then I realized that I had to click on the links and that is where I found some interesting links about education. I found an article through twitter called, "State needs to refocus on teaching our children." I learned some interesting information regarding NYS regents exams and how the Board of Regents is now telling us that the regents exams are flawed. If teachers have been designing instruction around state standards and regents exams what are they supposed to do now? Are districts going to change curriculum? Now that I am aware of this issue I can go on to twitter and search this issue to see what other people are saying. This is a great way to network with other people on controversial issues.
I found a great blog on the Google reader about collaborative teaching for Ells. This article was very interesting to me because that is what I am doing right now in my practicum. It discussed positive and negative comments collaborative ESL teaching. I would like to try some of the strategies she mentions about successful collaborative teaching and I am even thinking about responding to her blog! I would like to ask her some more questions about the implementation of the collaborative strategies.
I have learned that twitter and blogging are a great way to network with other people. Even though I probably will not continue to use my twitter account I will be checking my Google reader for other interesting information about ESL and maybe even some other topics.

Click here for a link to collaborative teaching for ELLs blog

Feeds I am following

Strategies to support ESL students in Math
Everything ESL- a blog to teaching English language learners
Sheltered Content Instruction: Teaching English Language Learners
Teaching English Language Learners across the content areas
International Association of teachers of English as a Foreign language

I am following these blogs because I am in the additional certification TESOL program and I would like to learn more about this topic and see what others have to say.

The Word and the World: Technology Aids English Language Learners

Because now English Language Learners make-up a large population of a schools enrollment,(projections show that by 2015, one in three American students will be an English Language learner) teachers are looking for ways to help engage them in authentic ways. Rodriquez says that "technology may hold the attention of what she calls today's multistory students." Technology is great for this area because an English-language teacher is going to have students from all different levels and the computer provides one-on-one practice as needed. It is really differentiation if used correctly because teachers can use it to gear instruction to individual students.

The article gave an excellent example of how to incorporate project-based technology for English Language Learners. Third and fifth graders researched the lives and work of nearby strawberry-field laborers. They came up with a research question in English, translated them into Spanish to conduct interviews with the workers, and then translated the responses into English. They wrote poetry about the workers, created graphs based on the data they collected, conducted online research, wrote letters to strawberry growers and government agencies requesting additional information and then gave a community presentation based on their findings. This project immersed literacy activities in something that is culturally relevant to students' lives.

This article also talks about the benefits of using technology to record students reading or speaking to monitor progress. You can have students record themselves and play it back in order to hear themselves and become aware of their own speech. You could also send the audio file for parents to hear. This would be great to use to show progress!


Click here for a link to this article

Using Technology to Help ESL/EFL Students Develop Language Skills

According to Rennee Ybarra and Tim Green in their article Using Technology to Help ESL/EFL Students Develop Language Skills, Computer-assisted instruction (CAI) has been shown in a range of studies to assist learning in a variety of ways. The article focuses on five major ways that CAI assists learning. Through differentiation of instruction, incorporating various learning strategies, providing immediate feedback on performance, engagement and it can be used as a model for writing. CAI can assist in differentiation of instruction by allowing students to practice skills at their level. There are many websites available for teachers to choose from that they can assign according to readiness level. Another really great aspect of CAI is that it can provide immediate feedback to students. This is an efficient way for students to get feedback on their progress and to know if they understand the material without waiting a few days for the teacher to correct their work. Immediate feedback can even prevent students from doing incorrect work until they get feedback from the teacher or from a test they failed!
The studies done in this article proved that 1-verbal interaction and the use of a variety of language functions by English language learners can be facilitated by the use of a computer, 2- the learning process can be made more effective for some through the use of computers and 3- technology improves parent involvement in their child’s education. It is important to remember that computers and technology are not a substitute for effective instruction and teaching. Computers and technology are effective tools teachers can use to supplement instruction and engage students.

Click here for link to article.

Interactivity Seen as Key

We all know that when students are actively engaged they retain more material and are more likely to stay focused. One of the ways teachers do this is by incorporating technology. Mary Ann Zehr states in her article, "Teachers should focus on seeking out technology that encourages interactive learning by English language learners and not be preoccupied with whether the technology is designed particularly for such students." I totally agree with her. Just like good teaching is good teaching for everyone, interactivity is also good for everyone. Whether it by interactive by using technology or through games etc... Zeher suggests that teachers of English language learners should use technology to help them practice reading, writing, listening and speaking. Students can interact with native speakers on the web to practice listening and speaking. They can go on Web quests to practice reading and writing. There are also many games on the web that students can use to practice grammar and writing skills.

Another quote from this article that I like was; "having access to the latest technology in school motivated her students. Kids adore technology of any kind-the newer the better. English language learners are no different." This again proves that whatever the technology, if it is engaging, authentic and purposeful it will engage any type of student.

Click here to view article.

Teaching technology to prepare ELLs for the 21st century

It is very important that we are teaching our students the skills the technological skills they will need in the 21^st century. The technological skills that teachers expose their students to will have an impact on their future careers. There are many challenges that educators face when teaching new technology to ELLs. According to Robertson in Preparing ELLs to be 21^st –Century Learners, she recommends hands-on labs, simple, step-by-step instructions, lots of large graphics, information presented in small chunks and real world exercises. I think that real world exercises are really important, especially for English language learners. They need to learn technological skills that can transfer to different situations. Some basic skills that can be transferred are typing, researching on-line and e-mail. Using search engines on-line is an important skill for English language learners to have.

Robertson also suggests doing a lesson in class to find out what students know and review the basics. This may be difficult in a classroom with students who are not English language learners. This may be a good opportunity to have native speakers teach English language learners basic computer skills. The English language teacher could also pull out ELLs to do a separate lesson on basic skills before it is time to use technology.

Click here for Robertson article link

Uses of Technology for English Language Learners

Integrating technology in instruction can make learning engaging and authentic, especially when learning a new language. Using technology in a language classroom can increase opportunities for students to interact with the language in an authentic way. According to the article Uses of Technology in the Instruction of Adult English Language Learners, there are various ways teachers can incorporate technology into the language classroom. This can be done through software programs, project-based Web learning, Web quests. I know that there are many different ways that teachers can incorporate technology into the classroom and I myself have used web quests, project based learning and internet activities to practice grammar and vocabulary. I am interested in knowing if classroom teachers are using software like Rosetta Stone or the Oxford Picture Dictionary CD-ROM in foreign language or ESOL classrooms. I have used Rosetta Stone myself and would like to use it in my own classroom but I am wondering how teachers use it to supplement curriculum and content. I know that in a foreign language classroom there is a specific curriculum with specific vocabulary and grammar that needs to be taught. How can a foregin language teacher use Rosetta Stone or any other software program to supplement curriculum? These programs may help language learners understand unfamiliar words in context that they may not encounter through the curriculum or an everyday classroom. I would like to know if anyone has done it. Also, are there ESL teachers that are doing the same? How are they incorporating this software into their instruction?

Click here for a link to the article