Essential Technology Tools in the ELL Classroom

This week I read an article written by Toshiko Maurizio, an administrator for multilingual programs at a public school in Oregon. He identified the importance of technology when engaging students in activities while providing resources to bridge the gap between their native language and English.

Maurizio identified the following tools as tech essentials for the ESL classroom;

Audio systems- The system is essentially an amp that enhances the teacher natural voice so they don’t have to shout to ensure that all students are hearing the teacher voice and intonation, which is very important in the language learning process.

Laptops are used on a daily basis for lesson-planning, presentations, and for visuals. The use of visuals when learning a language is key to making connections between the students’ native language and English.  

iPads allow for convenience when traveling throughout the classrooms and to other classrooms during the school day. Google Translate allows students to have easy access to naïve language. Maurizino also pointed out that Google translate settings allow for keyboard settings on iPads to show the English letter underneath their native language, allowing students to transfer knowledge back and forth between languages.

As an educator, all of these tools are beneficial to any classroom. With the abundance of free applications available, the use of an iPad would probably be the most essential tool in an ESL classroom in my opinion.

Source: https://www.eschoolnews.com/2017/07/21/curriculum-tech-essentials/