Why I think technology is so important in the classroom

I think it is great that there are so many people out there that are willing to help us as new teachers to the subject learn better ways to improve the educational lives of these ESL students. I have always been a fan of social media sites like Facebook and Twitter in order to reconnect with old friends and family and stay in touch with those that are not in my close vicinity. I would have never thought to bring those tools into the classroom and let the students enjoy talking to others in their native language or using them as a source for classroom information in which the students can talk to each other without having the pressure of their peers watching them work on their skills. While I think there are safety issues that would need to be discussed with the students, teachers, administration, and parents, I think it is a great way for the students to interact and learn. In today’s society, so many things are technology based and pretty soon I can see everything relying on technology in order to run and the students love to use technology because it is so involved in everything that they do.

I love working with blogs. I think blogging about your classroom and the information that you are going over in your classroom can be a huge help to your students and their parents. I believe it is a great resource for ESL students because it enables them once again to interact with their teacher and their peers without the face to face interaction and less pressure. It also can help teachers post the material that has been discussed in class and allow the students to look back at the lessons that have been conducted and use it as a resource for extra help.

Blogging can be a great way to review material as well. It can be used as a comment area where students can discuss and comment on a book that may have been read in class or a debate that is conducted both in class and on the blog. Every day that I have been in this course has been a stepping stone and a building block in my educational growth as a student and as a teacher because it has taught me so many ticks of this new adventure that I am stepping into. Blogging has been a great way for me to help inform the rest of my colleagues on information about teaching ESL students. So many of the teachers at my school have wanted to know more information and tools on how to work with these students in the classroom and now I have the ability to share that information with them in my blog.

Another aspect of blogging that is great for ELL students is the ability to create podcasts that can be added to their blog in which they can work on their speech and talk to others. I think that this tool can really help those students who are embarrassed to talk in front of the class because they can talk into a microphone and not have the class looking at them while they are trying to get their point across therefore relaxing them and giving them more confidence to use their speech. YouTube videos are another piece of the blogging world that can be helpful inside and outside the classroom. These videos can be used by themselves or in a blog, but having them can be a wonderful resource. Creating these videos on YouTube gives students the ability to express their thoughts on camera and share them with people around the world. They can be informational for class or as way to keep in touch with others from their native country that they may not be able to communicate with on a regular basis.

Seven Principles of the Universal Instructional Design

Universal Instructional Design principles... give each student meaningful access tot he curriculum by assuring access to the environment as well as multiple means of representation, expression, and engagement (p.1)

These principles are as follows:

• Inclusiveness (multiple reading level materials, Braille resources, American Sign Language Dictionary)
• Physical access (classroom, equipment, and activities that accommodate students with different physical abilities)
• Delivery methods (hands-on, lectures, discussions, Internet-based activities)
• Information access (printed materials and graphs offered in electronic format, captioned videotapes, outlines and visual presentations to introduce a topic)
• Interaction (group work, social media, podcasting)
• Feedback (opportunities for self-assessment, prompting during & after the activity, electronic feedback)
• Demonstration knowledge (wide array of formative and summative assessments, portfolios, presentations, demonstrations, cooperative work, rubrics)

resource:
Diaz-Rico, L.t. & Weed K.Z. (2010) The Crosscultural Langauge, and Academic Development Handbook. Pearson Education. Inc.

Social Bookmarking

Social bookmarking involves the creation of a list of your favorite sites housed not on your laptop or PC but rather in cyberspace (123).

You can use social bookmarking sites for…

·       Team research projects

·       Webquests

·       Taking notes directly on a web page

·       Annotating text

·       Asking questions regarding confusing information

·       Collecting research data

·       Collaborating on group projects

·       Finding new information via social networks (126).

Try these great sites for Social Bookmarking!

http://www.blerp.com/
http://www.2collab.com/
http://www.web2wave.com/
http://www.oskope.com/
http://www.tizmos.com/
http://www.sqworl.com/
www.viewista.com/
www.sthrt.com/

Reference:

Langer de Ramirez, L. (2010). Empower english language learners with tools from the web. Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin.

Ways to incorporate medis sites into the classroom but don't forget safety!

· Use media sharing sites for:
o Visual tours of different towns, states, countries, and important sites around the world
o A “what is it?” game with students guessing uses for an uncommon object
o Autobiographies
o Geography studies
o Visual representations of novels, stories, and picture books
o Evidence to support an argument using visual data or primary sources
o Debates on a topic or essential question (88).


· Wes Fryer’s comments on guidelines for using VoiceThread for projects with students:
o Safety: students identities are not revealed
o Multiple voices: many students can share and comment on pages
o Open for public commenting: learners around the world can view
o Interaction welcome: participation and interaction are ongoing and invited (91).

Reference:

Langer de Ramirez, L. (2010). Empower english language learners with tools from the web. Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin.

Great ways to us YouTube in your classroom!

Need an Idea for using YouTube in the classroom... try one of these:

o Teachers can identify videos that will help students practice grammar or vocabulary that were presented in class. Teachers can e-mail links to each student.

           o Teachers can post YouTube links to a teacher web site or blog, and students can click on the links for practice.

           o YouTube can be used as a media library. Teachers can collect links for dictations, “new vocabulary” videos, conversation practice, pronunciation practice, and grammar review.
            o Teachers can assign homework. (Imagine: a teacher can video record the homework assignment and post it to YouTube, and students can watch the instructions!) (71).


It's a great way to communicate with others around the world!

Reference:

Langer de Ramirez, L. (2010). Empower english language learners with tools from the web. Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin.

Creating a podcast with your ESL students is easy and a great learning experience!

      Podcasting allows students to tap in to a variety of intelligences:

o   Linguistic

o   Logical-mathematical

o   Musical

o   Interpersonal

o   Intrapersonal

o   Visual-spatial(53)

-          After planning the content of the podcast, all that is needed is come simple technology to create one:      

o   A computer with Internet connection

o   Speakers

o   A microphone

o   A digital recorder

o   An iPod or other mp3 player with a microphone(51)

-          A podcast is “ a series of audio or video digital media files which is distributed over the Internet by syndicated download, through web feeds, to portable media players and personal computers” (49)

-         Listening to podcasts from different regions of the world, different parts of the country, and even different neighborhoods in your city or town can provide students with exposure to different accents, a variety of registers, and access to colloquial and formal expressions. (52)

reference:

Langer de Ramirez, L. (2010). Empower english language learners with tools from the web. Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin.

Is your test the right kind of test?

I think that it is really important to make sure that the testing material is appropriate and can benefit the students.
-..teachers can consider the following guidelines (Worthen & Spandel, 1991) to help them determine the benefits and limitations of the test:

• does the test correspond to the task that it measures?
• does the score approximate the students' ability?
• how cant he score be supplemented with other information?
• does the test drive the curriculum?
• is the test a fair example of the students' skills and behaviors?
• are tests that involve minimum standards being used to make critical decisions regarding classification of students? (202)

It is so important for so many reasons to make sure that the tests given have a purpose and are going to measure the fields you need because giving a test to give a test and not have any benefit to you or the student is just discouraging to them and zero help to your lesson.

resource:
Diaz-Rico, L.t. & Weed K.Z. (2010) The Crosscultural Langauge, and Academic Development Handbook. Pearson Education. Inc.

Podcast: History of ESL

Just a little background on the history of ESL! Hope you Enjoy!

http://www.box.net/shared/qlv2dn44s0sjvi597y8u






Reference:

The History of ESL. (n.d.). Retrieved September 2nd, 2011, from http://www.yourdictionary.com/esl/about-esl/the-history-of-esl.html

Podcasts

Looking for a Podcast to work with your ESL student?
Try this website!

http://www.manythings.org/e/podcasts.html

ESL lesson plans and Activities

Looking for something new to do with your students?

Try: http://www.ielanguages.com/lessonplan.html

or

http://www.usingenglish.com/teachers/lesson-plans/

Need Help Getting Certified as a Test Administrator?

Wanting to get certified as a test administrator but not sure how to?

Here is the link to the Kentucky division of WIDA for testing information and who to contact!

http://www.wida.us/membership/states/Kentucky.aspx

A look into India

Check out my video on India! It's a great way to learn about a new culture!

http://youtu.be/bcdiyJSl04M

Why Blogs can help with ELL Students

Blogs can be useful in teaching ELL students because it is a way for them to talk to others in their class as well as to their teacher without feeling the pressure of them being in the classroom. It is a great way for these students to work on their reading and writing. They can get practice in both the social and formal talking and writing situations. Blogging also gives them a new way to express themselves. Most students now a day loves to use technology and having the ability to do work in a different way than paper and pencil is usually exciting for them.

Physical Education and ESL

" The Physical Education Framework(CDE, 1994) divided its seven standards into three areas: movement skills and movement knowledge, self-image and personal development, and social development (140).

"Students who participate in high-quality physical education program can expect the following: to develop various motor skilled and abilities related to lifetime leisure skills; to value the importance of maintaining a healthy lifestyle; to improve their understanding of movement and the human body; to know the rules and strategies of particular games and sports; and to gain self-confidence and a sense of self-worth in relation to physical education and recreation programs (p.vi). (140)

Physical activity proves to help students focus better in class when they have had the ability to get out of the classroom environment and get outside/inside and release some energy. I have had a great time working with our ESL students and learning new ways to change games and being able to see them adapt to our rules of the game. I have found that no matter how big the language barrier is, when it comes to physical education everyone seems to be on the same playing field.

Reference:

Diaz-Rico, L, & Weed, K(2010). The crosscultural, language, and academic development handbook. (4th ed.). Boston: Allyn and Bacon.