January 2007 — Features
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ESL Technologies :: The Universal Language
Potter, of Pearson Digital Learning, sees this trend as a potential passageway over the digital divide. “ELL students are often disenfranchised when it comes to technology,” she says. “They often don’t have access to computers at home. But they have cell phones and BlackBerries and PDAs. As instructional technology becomes more accessible on these kinds of devices, that divide is bridged. That’s a global trend, and it’s going to change the learning paradigm.”
Focus on...Judie Haynes
The award-winning New Jersey teacher says that ESL programs, too often underemphasized, can be fueled by technology.
“I love this work!” Judie Haynes exclaims. “I love that you’re always seeing lightbulbs go off. You’re always having these ‘Aha!’ moments with the kids. Sometimes I think you could be the worst teacher in the world and you’d still have them, because the kids are going to learn no matter what.”
Haynes has been teaching elementary English as a Second Language for 26 years, the last 20 with River Edge Schools in New Jersey. Her ESL program was named a “Best Practice” by the New Jersey Department of Education in 2001 and a “New Jersey Model ESL Program” in 2006. She’s the author and co-author of four books on the subject, and a fifth, Getting Started with English Language Learners (Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development), is due out in February.
Haynes’ approach is unique because of the range of computer technologies she uses to instruct English language learners, including websites targeting ELLs. “There aren’t many websites designed specifically for elementary-age English language learners,” she says. “But the web is a rich environment, and if used right, a great resource for ESL teachers.”
Haynes and several of her colleagues maintain their own website, EverythingESL.net, which features more than 66 lesson plans, 45 teaching tips, 230 downloads, 830 discussion topics, and 90 classroom-resource picks. On the site, Haynes calls out a number of websites she has found useful in her work.
River Edge Schools maintains a wireless network, and Haynes feels fortunate to have wireless laptops in her classroom. “I think ESL teachers are behind the technology trends in a lot of ways,” she says, “because they’re the last people to get the equipment. I push for it, and I have some clout in my school, but in most districts they’re last on the list.
“That situation is changing, however. Schools are starting to worry about the No Child Left Behind testing. In my view, the money should go into technology, not more textbooks. I push a lot of buttons when I say things like that, even among my friends and colleagues who are more computer savvy than I am. But the truth is, you could run an ESL class today without textbooks if you had the right technology.”
Meanwhile, says Haynes, ESL teachers have to contend with another paradigm shift. “Kids are not learning in the same way anymore,” she says. “They’ve been surrounded by computers all their lives. The key is adapting to the needs and sensibilities of the students you have. I’ve been teaching for 26 years, and I’m of the persuasion that we have to sell the product to the audience we have in front of us.”
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John K. Waters is a freelance writer based in Palo Alto, CA.
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