Technology teacher: These are “My Tech Essentials”

At Gordon J. Lau Elementary, of our 690 plus students, 68 percent are English language learners (ELLs). Many of our ELL students have come to the United States only a few months ago, some even a few days ago. For these students, their ability to successfully use the tech tools we supply them, regardless of their language, reading, or comprehension level, is crucial.

By using tech tools, teachers actively create, customize and enhance educational approaches to meet the new and growing challenges of the 21st century. The tech tools offer a practical introduction to and a reinforcement of requisite skill-sets for our students, who are English learners and native speakers alike. In this complex and increasingly “multi-plex” digital age, the tech tools ground instruction and learning in prodigious and “joyful learning.” This is done in a manner. which infuses a unique methodology that no other non-tech tool can imitate.

An Instructional Technology Resource Teacher’s Tech Essentials…Read More

Digital e-Learning program allows innovative district to open the world to students

 

Boone County School District is offering digital world language learning to 10,500 students—half of its student population. With help from Rosetta Stone’s language learning solutions, Boone County Schools is providing students with access to programs that it hopes will enhance college and career readiness and global competence.

Following the district’s successful pilot in 2013 for 1,700 students at two elementary schools, the program is expanding to 14 elementary schools and five middle schools in the 2016-2017 academic year. Three hundred kindergarten and first grade ELL students and 10,200 WL students in grades 2-8 have access to the digital learning program. The use of Rosetta Stone in the classroom is a new initiative being funded by a county-approved tax levy.…Read More

School system makes world languages available to military and ELL families through digital access program

Tennessee’s Clarksville-Montgomery County School System (CMCSS) is on a mission to bring language learning resources to its diverse community and student body of more than 33,500. As CMCSS also serves military families stationed at nearby Fort Campbell, many students have brought world language experience gained while overseas to the classroom, contributing to the more than 40 languages now being spoken in the district and the need for a comprehensive single solution to meet CMCSS’ diverse language learning needs.

To improve and broaden language learning resources for its students and community, CMCSS today announced it has partnered with Rosetta Stone Inc. (NYSE: RST) to extend its world language program to military families and adult learners, in addition to supplementing traditional language learning instruction to its middle and high school students and English-language learners.

“Because so many different languages are spoken in our school district, it is critical that the language needs of our highly diverse community are effectively addressed through a proven standardized program,” said Dr. Kimi Sucharski, District Accountability and Data Analyst, Clarksville-Montgomery County School System. “We are proud to be able to offer these languages and resources to our students, especially for our international and English-language learners, from such a trusted and reputable partner. Our students are so comfortable working in an online environment – this just made sense.”…Read More

8 of the best apps and resources for English language learners

There are thousands of educational mobile apps available for English language learners, allowing learners to practice outside of the classroom in ways that can greatly enhance learning and motivation.

Because cost is a critical concern in most schools and for most teachers and parents, this article focuses mostly on free apps. When searching the app store, be aware of words such as “Lite” or “Free” or “In-App Purchases” in fine print underneath the download button. It can be very frustrating to find an excellent alphabet app, for instance, only to find that it only goes up to letter D before it locks and prompts you to purchase the full version. You may want to spend the money if the app is for one or two students, but when apps are purchased they are only licensed to a single device, so it may not be feasible for a class of 30 students.

The use of pictures, photos, drawings, diagrams, video, and actual objects facilitates language instruction because they strongly increase comprehensibility. For example, if a student is simply presented the word “карандаш” (krandash), no actual learning can take place because it means nothing to the learner. However, if the student is presented with a picture of a pencil attached to the new word, it becomes comprehensible.…Read More

These are the 5 most in-demand K-12 languages

Rosetta Stone releases a list of the most popular U.S., global language learning programs

Foreign language skills are increasingly important for students to have as they enter college or the workforce, and technology-based programs have made learning new languages easier for students.

“As shifting demographics, globalization and the adoption of cost-efficient technology-based products continue to increase, so does the need and demand for world languages,” said Judy Verses, president of technology-based learning solutions provider Rosetta Stone’s Global Enterprise & Education Division. “Equipping students with language enables them to differentiate themselves from other candidates in a competitive job market and, ultimately, positions them for professional success.”

Verses noted ELL (English Language Learning) students represent the fastest growing segment of the K-12 population and it is predicted that this segment will grow to 40 percent by 2030.…Read More

Pearson unveils tablet ELL assessment system

The new ELL assessment system targets speaking, reading, writing, and listening

ELL-tabletA new tablet-based assessment developed by Pearson will specifically target English Language Learners (ELLs) in order to help them build English language skills and succeed on summative assessments.

With the assessment system, called TELL (Test of English Language Learning), students watch video clips and interact with pictures and words, then answer questions out loud. They listen, write, read and speak—all with no mark-ups or grading by teachers. TELL screens, diagnoses and monitors each ELL student’s progress throughout the school year. Responses—written and spoken—are automatically scored by Pearson’s automated scoring technologies

Fully scalable, TELL can be used with just one student at a time, a small to large group, or for whole-class administration at the school or district level. The assessment covers all four foundational language skills—listening, speaking, reading and writing and is aligned to standards, such as Common Core.…Read More

Six ed-tech resources for ELL/ESL instruction

One reader’s tip: Know the products that work!

It’s usually the editors’ job at eSchool News to create our own “Question of the Week” for our newsletters, but a few weeks ago we received a request from a reader that we ask our followers: “What are some ways technology helps in the education of ELL students?”

From award-winning software, to a teacher-created program that needs peer input, our readers offered some useful ways in which technology can help English-language learners and those for whom English is a second language. Here are six of the best responses (edited for brevity).

…Read More