Effective Use of Technology with ELLs - Research Paper Reflection

 Researching about how to effectively use technology with English Language Learners (ELLs) was very rewarding for me as an pre-service ESOL teacher. A lot of the benefits and advice that I discovered I had never considered before, which made the findings of my research very applicable to my own teaching. The things that stood out the most to me are found in the "considerations" portion of my paper. When using technology, teachers must consider some of the following things:

1) Make sure ELLs are familiar with the technological vocabulary. Since ELLs are unfamiliar with English vocabulary and most likely the vocabulary associated with technology, they must be explicitly taught the vocabulary that is associated with technology before they can be taught how to use technology. In one of the articles that I used in my paper, Kristina Robertson wrote about a teacher who referred to a "mouse." Her ELLs did not realize that she was referring to the computer "mouse" and therefore were confused because they thought she meant a real-live mouse! Simple terms such as a "mouse" must be defined for students. Until reading Robertson's article, I had never considered the importance of reviewing vocabulary and basics.

2) Not all students, especially ELLs, have had prior access to technology before coming to school. Therefore, as teachers, we must be sure to start with the basics of technology. Also, not all students have access to technology outside of school, so it is important to not always assign homework that requires a computer and/or the internet. We want to be sure that we are not automatically excluding students based upon their lack of resources.

3) Lastly, teachers must ensure that technology is used as an aid to instruction and that it has a purpose. In my paper I quoted Professor Margaret Hawkins who wrote, "When you sit a kid one-on-one at a computer, it’s not a very good use of anybody’s time." What she meant by this is to not stick a student in front of a computer without giving them a purposeful task. Her statement made me reflect upon my own experiences, and I realized that sometimes teachers who do not know how to teach ELLs or students with disabilities will unfortunately stick the student in front of a computer in the hopes that they will learn. Computers and technology are great instructional tools, but they cannot be divorced from a teacher's instruction and a purposeful meaning.

Before starting my research, I knew about the numerous benefits of using educational technology, but I had never considered the limitations that it can have on students if it is not used properly. Therefore, I am grateful to have learned about these limitations because now I am able to see a more complete picture of how to effectively use technology with my future ELLs.