Using Innovations in technology for English language learners

As an English as a second language instructor, I desire to use the learning resources that best fit my students’ needs, both now and in the future.  I am obligated as well by mandate within our college to career readiness component of our program to include digital literacy in my instruction.  I am excited about technology, and its ability to add an important modality to English language learning.

I start with my reservations.  I know that a majority of my students do not have a computer at home.  They all have cellular phones, and most have smart phones.  These could be used for language development in texting, and emailing, but many teachers realize that texting is not a preferred language builder, due to its intrinsically limiting nature and common incorrect spelling.  We purposely spell incorrectly when we text for expediency.  This is an obvious disadvantage to language learning used in this form.  Emailing is also prohibitive on a cell phone because of the physical difficulty of accessing the email program (gmail), and having small enough  fingers to efficiently write a letter and respond to one sent.  The need of computer access is an important element in my teaching digital literacy to international students.

Phil Wilder, ESL instructor from Champaign, IL, and contributor to the “Read,Write, Think” website from NCTE (National Council of Teachers of English) and the International Literacy Association, suggests that teaching in different modalities recognizes that students learn language in different ways. With different modalities, including digital instruction, the students can use new media, talk about their learning, create visual representations, and write in many modes. ( http://www.readwritethink.org/professional-development/strategy-guides/teaching-with-multiple-modalities-30101.html).

 My students and I have visited the public library in the last two years, and we used  the Mango language program offered by the Peoria Public Library. If a student has a current library card, the program can be accessed at any computer with the login of the library card number. I have heard positive and negative comments from my students regarding this program.  First, it is highly engaging, with vivid photographs of the countries for the language being instructed at the time.  The cultural element as well is effective and motivating  (and necessary as a part of embracing a new language). The movies are excellent in that they provide subtitles as scripts, a literal mode adding to the visual and audio modes. The drawback is that the English instruction program requires choosing a first language to navigate the program.  If a student does not speak one of the languages provided, (and there are many to choose from), the program is not accessible.  My students from Somalia and Nepal and India would not be able to use this program.  The exciting news about the Peoria Public Library is that they are buying books in other languages and have begun an initiative to assist Spanish speakers in the area.  The director of the library at Illinois Central College visited my class, and she, too, is attempting to provide books in other languages. This initiative, coupled with digital language learning programs, is a great step forward for my students.My hope would be that other digital programs can be accessed at both ICC and the public library for language development, and further accessed at a student’s home for added practice.   Digital literacy combined with first language support is an effective language modality necessary not only for language development but work skills and life skills enhancement.

Heartland College, through a grant from Dollar General, purchased  Ipads for their ELA students two years ago. Some of the programs available for Ipads are wonderful language developers. Itooch, Newsela, and Actively Learn are three programs highly recommended for English Language Learners with real news articles, levels of proficiency, and critical thinking assessment appropriate to the language level ability.

At Illinois Central College, we recently changed our texts as a core for the curriculum to the Cambridge Ventures series.  This series incorporates digital learning that supports the individual units of the textbook, as well as collaborative exercises and extended learning practice through Ventures Arcade. We are also using a text called Project Success which incorporates video instruction and language learning and development as pertains to work and job skills. In the ESL/GED class I teach, we are using I pathways, a digital preparation program for GED testing, though its contents is mostly too advanced yet for my ELA’s.

My feelings for using technology in the classroom center on access to computers and ipads as being paramount for my students.  I believe that linguistically and developmentally, we need digital literacy at all levels and for all students.  My students need careful instruction, more time, more sensitive program selections, and more support of their first languages.

I look forward to having them  use Voki.  Though my presentation was border- line profiling and never intentional, I cannot descibe the enlightenment I felt when I completed the presentation! May my students feel the same.