Technology tools that are strategically integrated into a curriculum can enable students to take their learning to the next level and allow us as teachers to reach pedagogical goals that we never thought we could reach. The tech tools I have listed below can be of tremendous value for emergent bilingual students, they help support proficiency in several modes of language, can be used to aid peer to peer collaboration, and expand creative possibilities. How exactly can technology be used to enhance student learning? According to Dr. Ruben Pendtedura, founder and President of the educational consulting firm Hippasus, which focuses on transformative applications of information technologies to education, simply incorporating tech into your curriculum is not enough. If you use a tech tool to as a replacement for a learning task but use the tech to do exactly the same thing you were doing before, it will not have an impact on student learning outcomes. If instead you use a tech tool at what Pendtedura calls the “redefinition level,” replacing part or all of the task with a new task that is uniquely made possible by the technology (e.g.peer collaboration, real-time feedback, students conveying deep analytical thought through multimedia projects, or students mentoring other students) then you may see dramatic improvement in student outcomes. Redefining classroom learning using technology requires substantial legwork upfront to ensure a smooth alignment of content and language learning objectives. Check out the following websites and resources I have scavenged around for on the web that might be useful for teaching in a STEM classroom with emergent bilingual students.
STEM RESOURCES
CrashCourse With tons of awesome courses (Physics, Astronomy, Anatomy & Physicology, Biology, Chemistry, Ecology...) this YouTube Channel offers their courses with subtitles in 22 languages. Minute Earth / Minuto de la tierra A YouTube Channel full of science and stories about our awesome planet. All episodes have been translated into Spanish and can be watched on Minuto de la tierra. Minute Physics / Minuto de fisica A YouTube Channel about cool physics and other sweet science. All episodes have been translated into Spanish and can be watched on Minuto de fisica. PhET Simulations - Translated PhET Interactive Simulations are research-based interactive computer simulations for teaching and learning physics, chemistry, math, and other sciences. A project at the University of Colorado Boulder, this non-profit open educational resource was founded by Nobel Laureate Carl Wieman (who grew up in Corvallis, OR). PhET Simulations have been translated into over 95 languages. This links directly to a page that allows users to choose the language they want to use. Code Club International Code Club International provides easy to follow coding projects to help students learn Scratch, HTML & CSS and Python by making games, animations and websites. The projects gradually introduce coding concepts to allow children to grow their understanding of coding. The mission of this program, which is a part of the Raspberry Pi Foundation is to create a Code Club in every community on Earth. Therefore, coding projects have been translated into many different languages. Science Snacks This website is a project by The Exploratorium, a science museum with hundreds of hands-on exhibits. Science Snacks are tabletop exhibits or explorations of natural phenomena that teachers or students can make using common, inexpensive, readily available materials. These activities and demonstrations are a great way to get students engaged and excited about science, regardless of the English language proficiency level, by having them directly interact with or observe science phenomena. NASA This is a fantastic website for anything related to space science. With pages for both educators and students, NASA has put together a comprehensive set of resources for all levels of study. This website is particularly useful for English learners because of its use of clear graphics and diagrams to explain concepts, its photo galleries, and its interactive apps. National Human Genome Research Institute Resources in Spanish These resources are put out by the NIH's National Human Genome Research Institute. This website (both the English and Spanish version) are a great resource for high school biology or AP biology teachers with detailed information and understandable graphics that will allow students to dive into the world of the human genome. |
ASSESSMENT TOOLS
nearpod EDpuzzle An easy way to engage students with video and track student progress in a flipped classroom. Socrative Engage your students as learning happens with your choice of activity type. Launch a quiz, receive exit tickets, or ask a quick question for instant student feedback. GoFormative Create an assignment on GoFormative, assign it to students in class, and receive live results of student submissions on your computer, allowing you to give instant feedback to students. Students can type, show their work with drawings or submit images. This tool is easy to use for frequent formal and informal checks for student understanding and provides the opportunity for students to learn from each other's work. GoFormative requires each student to have access to a devise and it is helpful for students to use a stylus pen. Kahoot! Create interactive and engaging multiple-choice assessments and surveys on this free game-based learning platform. Great for formative assessment, reviewing for tests, and promoting class discussion through social learning. Try building in language supports (and amplify engagement) by adding music, images, diagrams, or even videos to your quiz! Kahoots require each student to have access to a device. Plickers Plickers is a tool that lets teachers collect real-time formative assessment data without the need for student devices. Students hold up cards and the teacher "scans" the room with their device and immediately receives a breakdown of the student's responses. Google Classroom A blended learning platform for schools that aims to streamline classroom communication, assessment and facilitate instruction. In order for this to work in your classroom your school has to have Google for Education. ________________________________________ Toolbox
TESOL / ORTESOL Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages is a professional organization that offers professional development, the latest research, access to standards, and advocacy for emergent bilingual students. ORTESOL is the Oregon affiliate of TESOL and offers free journals on their website, holds conferences, and provides advocacy for Oregon's emergent bilinguals through special interest groups. The Teaching Channel This website is an online community where teachers make teaching public to share and improve upon their practice. You can watch, share and learn diverse techniques to help every student grow. Ambitious Science Teaching A great resource for science teachers, this teaching approach puts a focus on puzzling and complex phenomena, opportunities to make sense through talk, making thinking visible, attending to who is participating, using various forms of scaffolding and tools, and much more. Institute of Physics Materials for physics teachers who wish to expand or develop their existing skills. This website offers tips and ideas grounded in wide-ranging evidence and enriched with the wisdom of practicing classroom teachers of physics. AirPano This website has high-res virtual tours from places all over the world. A great resource to draw upon student's funds of knowledge and broaden student's horizons. Tripline Have students plot the history of their life travels in a visual way that will prompt peer to peer classroom discussion and allow students to share their own unique histories. |
BILINGUAL SITES
LearnEnglish Teens This website offers fun language learning experiences for students. It includes reading, writing and listening practice, tips for exams, grammar and vocabulary exercises, games and videos. You can also interact with other teenagers from all around the world. DuoLingo | for schools Duolingo is a blended learning companion that can be used in the classroom. Duolingo lessons give each student personalized feedback and practice, preparing them to get the most out of classroom instruction. With DuoLingo for schools teachers can track the progress of all their students on the instructor dashboard. Lyrics Training Lyrics Training offers a fun way to learn a number of languages through song lyrics. Students can use the website to improve listening comprehension, practice with different accents, and fill in the gaps in the lyrics with typed responses or Karaoke. Utah Education Network ELL Resources This website, put together by the Utah Education Network, has links to numerous language learning resources for students, teaching ideas, community engagement ideas, news about research publications, and English language teaching forums. BBC and BBC Languages The BBC Languages website offers courses, audio, video and games, including the alphabet, phrases, vocabulary, pronunciation, grammar, activities and tests for a number of different languages. Furthermore the BBC website publishes news stories in over 30 languages, including in pictures, on its website. ________________________________________ P.D. RESOURCES
The following websites are full of the latest information regarding research, strategies, and classroom practices that support language development in the classroom. I have included three websites that specifically address language learning in science classrooms (the CS Northridge, the UNC, and the Ambitious Science Teaching websites). Colorín Colorado Teaching Tolerance ELPA21 Cal State Northridge - Teaching Science to ELLs Learn UNC - Strategies for Teaching Science Vocabulary Understanding Language (Stanford) English-Language Learners (edutopia) |