Using Mobile Technology for ESL Activities

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Using Mobile Technology for ESL Activities

• Dr. Perry Haley Brown
• Dr. Alicia T. Wyatt
• Mrs. Kathy Hall
• TCEA 2007 Conference
• February 7, 2007

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Language Acquisition

• Second language acquisition is a dynamic,
  creative innate process.

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Needs

• Comprehensible input
• Visuals
• Manipulatives
• Emphasis on key words
• Modeling
• Hands-on activities
• Low affective filter
• Use of patterned language
• Repetitive and predictable
• Cooperative teamwork
• Natural interactions

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Language Experience Approach

• Expands vocabulary
• Provides successful reading experience
• Receptive Language
• Stages
• Comprehension Phrases
• Single words Paragraphs

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LEA

• Following a discussion concerning the experience
  the students will
• Talk and discuss
• Make lists

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Expressive Language

• Free discussion
• Make contributions
• The teacher will record the responses exactly as
  they are given
• Spell words correctly, but dont change the
  contributors sentence structure
• Read aloud

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BICS and CALPS

• Basic Interpersonal Communication Skills
• Cognitive Academic Language Proficiency
• If you can say it then you can write it.
• If you can write it then you can read it.

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Develop Oral Language Capacity

• Read aloud
• Encourage choral reading
• Place LEA stories where students can read them
• Encourage use of new words in classroom
  interactions

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Develop Written Language Capacity

• Encourage students to mark (highlight) the words
  they know
• Place words in word boxes or banks
• Classify words

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Engaging Pre-service Teachers with ESL Students

• Goals
• Engage pre-service students with ELLs
• Authentic LEA experience
• Technology integration
• Digital images/video
• Recorded sound
• Transcribed text

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Engaging Pre-service Teachers with ESL Students

• Process
• Based on the philosophy of say, write, read
• Trained McM students to use the technology
• Tablet computer
• Digital camera
• Brought K-ELLs on campus
• Three different activities

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Technology Used

• Tablet Computer
• Portable (small and lightweight)
• Easy to use
• Built in microphone and speakers
• Digital Camera
• Can have sound recording and video capacity

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Software Used

• Software we used
• PowerPoint
• Websites
• Sound Recording (Audacity)
• Additional Software
• Photostory 3
• MovieMaker 2

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Three activities

• Digital Storytelling
• Using multimedia language websites
• Listening to a patterned language story,
  recording responsive reading

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Activity 1 Digital Storytelling

• Purpose
• Oral/text description of a personal experience
• Take pictures throughout an activity
• Field trip
• Instructional activity
• Group project
• Software used
• PowerPoint

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Why PowerPoint?

• Good points
• Easy to use
• Easy to record and embed short sound files
• Text is clear and easy to read
• Can master to CD
• Can separate the text and the audio
• Drawbacks
• Requires PPT to create and playback file

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Activity 1 Digital Storytelling

• Process
• Take the pictures
• Insert pictures, one per slide, in the correct
  order
• Students record a short description of what
  happened in that picture
• Teacher enters a transcript of the description in
  the text box
• Students read along or listen to the audio

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Recording and listening to the narration
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Step 1 insert the picture
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Step 2 record the sound
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Step 3 Transcribe the student narration

• I am in the van. Someone took the picture. I am
  in the van! In the back seat.

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An Example of PowerPoint

• Show the completed project
• My trip to McMurry

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Activity 2 Multimedia Language Websites

• http//www.readwritethink.org/materials/picturemat
  ch/
• A beginning letter sound game.
• http//www.readwritethink.org/materials/stapleless
  /index.html
• Students can write, print, and then illustrate
  their own books
• http//www.manything.org
• Lots of flash based activities

See handout of additional ESL Website
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Playing the games
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Activity 3 Patterned Language

• Teacher and students read and record predictable
  text
• Students listen and read the book independently

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Reading the book together
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Listening to the recording
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Reflections

• Successful points
• Pre-service teachers had an authentic interaction
  with the type of students they were learning to
  teach
• Technology was easy to use
• Technology encouraged reluctant speakers to
  participate
• Technology helped the ELLs to make the connection
  between the written and spoken word
• Technology allows for aural repetition, images,
  and controlled display of text

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Extensions

• There are many other types of technologies that
  support ESL instruction
• Video (spoken and written)
• Conversational/auditory (spoken)
• Skype (synchronous)
• YackPack (asynchronous)
• Podcasting (asynchronous)
• Collaborative (written)
• Wikis
• Discussion boards and chat rooms (moderated)
• Google Docs, writeboard.com,
• And many more!

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Need a handout?

• Download handouts here
• http//cs1.mcm.edu/awyatt
• Look under Presentations and Links for the TCEA
  2007 entry