Technology and ESL Students

Working with students is challenging, and it can be even more difficult when you are teaching a student who is ESL and is not strong in English. This is where it can be very useful to use technology where "text is often much more than communication through the written word, since meanings are constructed through sound, image and gesture as well as interaction" (Davies and Merchant 14). By using technology the student has access to other mediums in which to communicate information other than simply the written word. The student is also able to keep up with the class by gathering information through the use of pictures, music, videos, etc.  To accomodate for these you can use technology in the teaching of your lessons, as well as in the assignment options that you give your students to complete. This will make it easier for these students whose native language is not english to be able to express their knowledge to the teacher and to be successful as a whole. 

Below you will find two resources that I have found that I think would be very useful when working with ESL students:

1.    www.easel.ly

This is a website that allows you to create infographics for students. With an infographic the students get the important information about a topic neatly organized in a poster. They make it easier for students to see patterns or trends, and allow students to get information quickly. Infographics are a good resource to use in a classroom because they accomodate students who are visual learners, and those who may have a short attention span.  This is also a great resource to use when teaching ESL students because it relies a lot more on pictures and diagrams than words to communicate information. This allows students to use the information they already know from their own backgrounds to make meaning of the new objects being shown to them. ESL students will eventually need to learn language skills and to read and write in English, however, this is a resource that will ensure students do not fall to far behind in the mean time.

2.  www.glogster.com

This is a website that allows students to express their knowledge and skills creatively through the use of multimedia posters. Here students can create posters where they can include, audio, animations, texts, pictures and videos in order to share information on a given topic. This website can be used for book reports, research  reports, and assignments in a variety of different subjects. It is a resource that appeals to many different learning styles and gives students a new way to display their knowledge and be successful in the classroom. This is a good resource to give ESL students to help them communicate in a way that does not fully rely on textual literacy. With this tool they are able to use a variety of different multimedia sources to show their understanding. This will help teachers to evaluate students who may not be as successful in essays, or formal research reports. 

These are two neat resources that can be easily used in the classroom to help student learning. Both are free and just require a username and email address in order to use them.  I think it is nice to give students a break from more writing based styles of learning and assessment, and allow them to use their creativity to express what they know. I look forward to trying out both resources in my classroom and seeing what the students create

Source:

Davies, J. &, Merchant, G. (2009). Web 2.0 as social practice. In Web 2.0 for schools: Learning and social participation (pp. 11-22). New York: Peter Lang.