Pedagogy and Technology

Integrating 4 Interactive apps for ESL Instruction

Instructional Strategy: Cooperative Learning
App: Skype
Alternative Apps: FaceTime, Google Hangouts
Link: Skype

This app can be used as a supplement to in-class language practice from home.  You can set students up in community groups, preferably pairing strong language learners with weaker learners.  A topic would be predetermined in class (i.e. "What do you do after school") group members could meet online and practice productive language skills at a designated time.

Instructional Strategy: Assess proficiency
App: Duolingo
Alternative Apps: Byki, Mango
Link: duolingo

With this language app students can pick lessons according to their level of competency. Skills are considered "learned" when they complete the lessons within that particular skill. Features such as "retry" and "timed practice" challenge the students while reinforcing that particular skill set.  Duolingo measures which questions the students struggle with and the types of mistakes they make and compiles the information in order to address their weaknesses with more exercises and practice time.  Teachers can monitor progress by logging into each student account.  It's highly interactive and an engaging way to learn a new language.

Instructional Strategy: Compare and Contrast, Adapt Content

App: Subtext by Renaissance Learning

Alternative App: PDF Printer

Link: Subtext

Subtext is a digital reading platform that allows classroom groups to exchange ideas in the pages of digital texts. It’s easy to set up a closed group for your class to help students collaborate and stay focused as they read. Students in a closed group can only see notes from their teachers and classmates. You can also layer in enrichment materials, assignments, and polls— creating opportunities to engage students and foster analysis and writing skills. 

Instructional Strategy: Adapt Content, Share and Ideas and Opinions

App: Explain Everything

Link: Explain Everything

Explain Everything is an interactive whiteboard tool that allows you to annotate, narrate, animate and manipulate and edit photos, backgrounds, texts and images.  You could use it as a storyboard for ESL where students would see a series of slides and write their own unique story.  Teachers can import authentic material for reading and analyzing.  This tool can be used for all four language learning skills, reading, writing, speaking and listening.

Flipped Classroom

Coming from a news media background it's probably redundant to say that I believe in the power of technology in order to keep us informed and knowledgeable.  As technology has reshaped the way we learn, as instruments of instruction, we need to include and keep up with technology-based learning in the classrooms at a rapid rate.

The flipped classroom can be a powerful tool in the contexts of World Languages and ESL.  
When the flipped classroom technique is balanced with good teaching and classroom activities that promote student engagement, learning can become more meaningful and independent.  Encouraging teachers to move beyond the passive lecture format and hve them assign videos that introduce content for homework the day before the lesson can help the teacher assess prior knowledge and aids in determining what information needs to be imparted so that the students begin the lesson/unit "on the same page".  

Flipping the class allows teachers to place the primary focus of the instruction on active vs. passive involvement which can create lasting and strong learning strategies.  Needless to say, the task of keeping teachers an integral part of the learning process requires that teachers not necessarily depend on technology, but figure out how they can make these tools work best in the classroom.

Using web-based learning in the World Language setting is powerful because of its visual impact and the ability to pause / play the material so students can work at their own pace in the convenience in a relaxed environment without the time constraints of the classroom.