ELL + Technology = Success

5 Useful ipad apps to use with ESL students

ipads can be amazing resources to have in the classroom if you know how to use them appropriately to enhance your content.  Here are a 5 ipad apps that are useful for ESL students.

http://edudemic.com/2013/02/5-useful-ipad-apps-for-esl-students/

Animation in the Classroom

     Today I gave my students the opportunity to choose how they wanted to accomplish showing me they mastered a certain learning target.  I gave them a list of resources to use such as prezi.com, sliderocket.com, symbaloo.com, goanimate.com, glogster.com and myhistro.com.  Nearly half of the boys in my class including both of my ESL students chose to make online animation cartoons.  They used goanimate.com and xtranormal.com to create online cartoons to show they knew all the aspects of a certain region of the 13 colonies.  They were totally engaged for two entire days and asked me if they could come in during their enrichment time to work on them.  I was completely amazed at how fast they learned how to use the websites and the level of creativity they showed while managing to include the necessary information.


     I think this is a great option for ESL students because their are several ways to make your characters speak.  They can type in text, speak in microphone, call in with their cell phones and use their own voice.  This format can boost the confidence of an ESL student and would be useful to use in a transition stage.  Let your students give this a try, I think you will be amazed at what they come up with.

Websites/Resources

www.goanimate.com

www.xtranormal.com

Voki.com in the classroom - Creating an Avatar to give your students a voice

I am so excited about this new resource I learned about today.  It is www.voki.com

It allows students to create a speaking avatar.  This is a great way to give your ELL students a voice and build their confidence.  They will be so engaged, I know I was.  The students can create what they want it look like and they can make it speak by using four different methods:

- speaking into the microphone

- calling in and speaking through their phones

- typing in the dialog

- uploading an audio file

Types of assignments:

presentations of speeches, poems, songs, create a character from a book, create a character from history

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Using Wordle and Tagxedo for visually engaging lessons

  There are many great resources to use online to integrate technology into the classroom.  I really like using Wordle and Tagxedo as a means of creating a visual about a topic.  There are a variety of ways to use these websites to engage your students.  Basically you insert the copy of an article into the program and it pulls out the words that are repeated the most and makes them larger.  This automatically creates a visual that will tell you what the main points are in a topic.  For example the tagxedo I have pictured above was created out of text I copied from wikipedia under English as a Second Language education. Both sites do the same thing, however, I prefer tagxedo because you can put your text into different shapes which will enhance the meaning of your visual.  The students can enter words about themselves and create a wordle that describes their strengths and interest.  Its really neat if you have each student create one and hang them together in a common area.  The students are able to see what things they have in common with other students as well as learn about each other differences.  There are many websites that list uses for wordle/tagxedo, here is the one I felt was most useful:

https://docs.google.com/present/view?id=dhn2vcv5_157dpbsg9c5&pli=1

Happy Wordling!!

Tagxedo

http://www.tagxedo.com/

Wordle

www.wordle.net

Using Wiki's and Blogs to ramp up Engagement in the classroom

Wiki's and Blogs are great online tools that can and should be used with ELL students.  Students are more likely to participate in these formats because they are less threatening and can help the students gain confidence in their reading and writing.  Blogs are particularly good for the purposes of letting students create a place that is theirs for them to communicate freely with people from home and school. Wiki's are good for collaborating because some students may feel timid to make corrections on someones paper.  When they can do it online and at their own pace the participation rates go up as well as the quality of editing and positive collaboration.  Both Wiki's and Blogs can be used as evidence for AYP(adequate yearly progress) and used as a type of portfolio. This can mean less work for you if they are done correctly. Who doesn't love that?

Wiki - it is an online tool that can be used for collaboration. The wiki is created for a purpose for a specific group of people.   It can be changed and edited as the group members see fit.  The work is instantly published and sent out into the world wide web for all to see.

Examples of how to use them in the classroom

• Research Paper collaboration
• Webquests
• Planning a class or school event
• Online study groups
• Sharing Works of Art, Music, Writing

Blog - a website that is created by an individual or group where they post their opinions, ideas or information on a topic.  The types of blogs are endless, they can range from cooking tips to time travel.

Examples of how to use them in the classroom

• Class Debates
• Poetry Collections
• Creative Writing
• Novel or Story Reviews
• Writing journals or diaries

Note: When using these types of resources it is important to set clear goals and expectations with the students.  The students should know that it is a working educational format and should be respected and treated with the same appropriateness expected in the classroom.  If everyone is on the same page from the beginning it will make the project go much smoother and you are more likely to have successful outcomes.

Both Wiki's and Blogs can be used as evidence for AYP(adequate yearly progress) and used as a type of portfolio. This can mean less work for you if they are done correctly. Who doesn't love that?