Blog Entry #7 - English Language Learners & Innovative Technology

After reading about diversity and inclusion in the classroom, I began to ponder whether innovative technologies can be meaningful for English Language Learners (ELL)? With approximately 30% of Calgary’s population in 2016 being new immigrants or refugees, I thought that this topic was well worth an exploration (City of Calgary, n.d., p. 2). Plus, my sister-in-law from the Philippines has been newly accepted into Canada on a spousal visa and she will be bringing my niece who will be going through this educational journey firsthand.  

Let’s begin this exploration by looking at the traditional educational route of English Language Learner’s in Calgary. Based on an undergraduate ELL course that I took, I know that all newly enrolled immigrants report to either the Welcome Centre (Calgary Board of Education) or the Kingsland Centre (Calgary Catholic Schools) for language benchmarking. After the benchmarking, students are ELL coded according to their skills and will receive language support in their school. This support will look different based on students' abilities, so it could be pull-out intervention, regular classroom instruction with modifications, etc. After reviewing this process, my question remains whether innovative technology has been used to teach ELL students in a meaningful manner? 

 This question led me to read the article Robotics and Literacy: A Means of Teaching Students Academic Language (Drew, 2019). In the article, Rachel Salas, a professor in the Education Department at the University of Nevada, “has incorporated robotics into the literacy and tutoring programs,” for ELL students in kindergarten to grade 8 (Drew, 2019, para. 2).  “About 95 percent of the K-8 students in the program come from backgrounds where languages other than English are spoken at home” (Drew, 2019, para. 3). Salas uses Lego Mindstorms to teach her ELL students and has noticed that their language skills have improved from non-specific to descriptive language (Drew, 2019, para. 6). In addition, students are also given the opportunity to collaborate with other ELL students in a meaningful manner.

 

In the article The Use of 3D Printing Technology in the English Language Classroom (2021), the authors also argue for the inclusion of 3D design and printing in ELL classrooms (Zarei, James & Mesgar). “By using 3D printing in the classroom, students and teachers can use the platform to discuss the information and activities which enhances the language learning process” (Zarei, James, & Mesgar, 2021, p. 17). In my opinion, I could see the design process of 3D printing being beneficial to ELL students as they would need to learn the proper sequence of steps in English to be successful. An understanding of English would also help them to troubleshoot their work and receive feedback from the teacher.  

So, it appears that many ELL programs are beginning to shift to include innovative technologies such as robotics and 3D printers. Have you ever used innovative technology with your ELL students? If so, I would love to hear about it in the comments below.  

Resources 

City of Calgary. (n.d.). Diversity in calgary, looking forward to 2020. Retrieved July 22, 2022 from https://www.calgary.ca/CSPS/CNS/Documents/Social-research-policy-and-resources/diversity-in-Calgary.pdf?noredirect=1 

Drew, G. (2019, January 24). Robotics and literacy: A means of teaching students academic language. University of Nevada, Reno. Retrieved July 22, 2022, from https://www.unr.edu/nevada-today/news/2019/robotics-and-literacy 

Zarei, N., James, I., & Mesgar, M. (2021). The use of 3d printing technology in the english language classroom. Journal of Humanities and Social Sciences Research, 3(1), 15–26. https://doi.org/10.37534/bp.jhssr.2021.v3.n1.id1102.p15