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Supporting ESL An Overview of Technology

Tools that Support Vocabulary

DevelopmentJanet Ragan Session 21A

Experts in Educational and Assistive

Technologies

First time presenting at CLD!

About Us

– Experts in Educational and Assistive Technology

– Professional team with extensive experience in the fields of Education, AAC and Technology

– Quality products– Professional

development founded on best practices

– Service in both English and French

– Dedicated to the principles of UDL and DI

Our Mission

• To provide a wide offering of solutions that will facilitate successful participation in all areas of life.

• To promote awareness of technology and the impact that it has on individuals with varying needs.

• To promote successful implementation of technology through professional development programs based on Best Practice in Education

• Conferences• Workshops• Individual or Small

Group Training• Coaching• Webinars• Online Subscription

-Resources and Courses

• School Board Implementation of technology

Professional Development

The Challenge

“...ESL students must catch up to a moving target. ESL students must make 15 months gain in every 10 month school year.”

(Jim Cummins, 2002)

7 Principles for Effective Instruction of ELLs

• English Language Learners listen to text and spoken language that is slightly above their current English language level.

• Lesson are visual. • New information is linked to prior

knowledge. • Key concepts for a unit of study are

posted in student-friendly language.• Vocabulary is modified for students. • Cooperative learning strategies are

applied in small groups.• Testing and homework are modified or

ELLs. (Judie Haynes, 2009)

Why is Vocabulary Instruction so

Important?

• All students need to learn an exceedingly large number of words

• 2,000 to 3,000 new words a year to reading vocabulary

• 400 of those words taught directly

(Beck, McKeown & Kucan, 2002)

Reading Comprehension

• Reading comprehension depends on knowing between 90 and 95 percent of the words in a text (Hirsch, 2003)

• Literate English presented in textbooks can be very challenging to students with limited or no knowledge of English

What you can do with etext?

• Re-size font and change the spacing

What you can do with etext?

• Re-size font and change the spacing• Level the reading reducing the amount of text

What you can do with etext?

• Re-size font and change the spacing• Level the reading reducing the amount of text• Highlight key information

What you can do with etext?

• Re-size font and change the spacing• Level the reading reducing the amount of text• Highlight key information• Translate and lookup words with electronic

dictionaries

What you can do with etext?

• Re-size font and change the spacing• Level the reading reducing the amount of text• Highlight key information• Translate and lookup words with electronic

dictionaries• Transform into synthetic speech

What you can do with etext?

• Re-size font and change the spacing• Level the reading reducing the amount of text• Highlight key information• Translate and lookup words with electronic

dictionaries• Transform into synthetic speech• Change etext to MP3 format and listen with

an Ipod

What you can do with etext?

• Re-size font and change the spacing• Level the reading reducing the amount of text• Highlight key information• Translate and lookup words with electronic

dictionaries• Transform into synthetic speech• Change etext to MP3 format and listen with

an Ipod• Copy and paste text into other applications

What you can do with etext?

• Re-size font and change the spacing• Level the reading reducing the amount of text• Highlight key information• Translate and lookup words with electronic

dictionaries• Transform into synthetic speech• Change etext to MP3 format and listen with

an Ipod• Copy and paste text into other applications• Add links to websites and key words

Technology, Friend or Foe?

“…focused on the development of academic expertise, certain

applications oftechnology can play a useful role in

enabling ESL students to access the curriculum and

harvest the language of academic success.”

Jim Cummings University of Toronto

ESL and Technology

Vocabulary Building

Concept Mapping and Brainstorming Ideas

Supporting new vocab

Text to Speech Translation tools Talking dictionaries

Writing Practice

Co:Writer, Write:Outloud, WordQ, Premier

Word knowledge is crucial to reading comprehension and determines how

well students will be able to comprehend the texts they read in

middle and high school

Joan Sedita, Reading Expert (2009)

Vocabulary Instruction and Technology

We Learn Vocabulary by Understanding Word Meaning in

Context

Introducing Vocabulary with Text to Speech and Visual Supports

• Tar Heel Reader presents vocabulary in a repetitive pattern with images

• Vocabulary is simple, text is spoken, and images support the meaning

• New vocabulary can be reread and copy and pasted into an online dictionary or Kurzweil 3000

• http://tarheelreader.org/2009/06/19/what-good-are-worms/23/

Provide a Concept Map of the Unit Being Studied

Make sure It Highlights the BIG IDEAS of the Unit

New Earth Day Unit Topic: Composting

1. Provide an overview of the topic

2. Introduce new vocabulary and provide a resource for future learning

3. Break the topic down into manageable subunits that will have some common threads

Introduce Vocabulary

www.wordle.net

Introduce New Topics and Subtopics with the Vocabulary

with Brainstorming

Smart Ideas is Ministry LicensedSnappywords.com

Other Curriculum Symbol Supports

• Web support:– Point (Widgit) – Bridges Website is Point Enabled– Purchased by the web site developer

Topic Specific Vocabulary

Text to Speech

Kuzweil 3000

Word Prediction

Co:Writer

Concept Mapping

Communicate Ideas

Let’s take a look…

Ministry Licensed Software (OSAPAC)

Ministry Licensed

Smart IdeasCo:writer

WordQWrite:Outloud

Clicker 5Dragon

Naturally Speakingmore…

Common Board Licenses

Kurzweil 3000Premier

SymwriterBoardmaker

Images supported with Text to Speech in

Kurzweil V12

Kurzweil supports translation tools and pronounciation tools too.

Word Prediction Word Prediction

Word Predictions Supports Writing

Symbols

CALP -Cognitive Academic Language

Proficiency • Symbols can be used effectively to support

new vocabulary in content areas

• Images can support writing by reinforcing word choice

Symbol Supports in Content Areas

All text can be supported or just key vocabulary

Notes to parents

Curricular Symbols

Supported Assessment

“It is essential that ELL’s be assessed in a way that uncouples language proficiency from content knowledge.”

Improving Achievement for English Learners Claude Goldenberg

Can you read this?

Four parts in the water cycle:

Evaporation - water changes from a liquid to a gas Condensation - water changes from a gas to a liquid

Run off - water flows downhill on the surface Precipitation - rain, hail, sleet and snow

Symbols illustrate meaning

Key symbols help where meaning is unclear

The answer ….

For More Information

Janet@bridges-canada.com

Wikis - www.bridgeslearning.pbworks.com

www.elltechclassroom.pbworks.com