ESL509

Throughout the duration of our ESL 509 class, we have been exposed to various types of CALL and MALL resources. The resources that I was the most surprised about enjoying, are podcasts. After searching through iTunes U, I found 3 podcasts that are relevant for ESL students. English for Everyone English for Everyone ESL podcast is a great resource for ESL learners at all levels and abilities. The blog highlights American culture, with tips on conversational skills.  It also goes in depth on the concepts that can be challenging for L2s, like idioms, and grammar rules. There is a slower version of the podcast at the end of each episode, which could greatly benefit some ESL learners. Adept English This podcast's goal is to help L2s to learn English through listening. It is one the most consistently updated podcasts I've found. The podcast can be counter intuitive at times to tradition ESL learning, so this may be better suited for older L2s. It does not get into the nitty g

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is taking the world by storm. Developers are creating solutions for everyday problems using technology. English Language Learners can now use the mobile app ELSA  to improve their pronunciation. This technology allows the users to go through over a thousand lessons using ELSA, and practice speaking. "Elsa claims its speech recognition technology can detect English pronunciation mistakes with 95 percent accuracy. " EdSurge  An interview with Vu Van , the CEO and co-founder of ELSA,  revealed that the creation of ELSA was based on her personal journey of being an English Language Learner. She describes in the interview that she understood the grammar, vocabulary and usage of English, however people had difficulty understanding her when she spoke. This caused her to be dismissed in academic situations as well as in her career, so Van began work on a solution. Speech Therapists can be very costly for adults, so the Artificial Intelligence behind of

Don't let our spaceship crash! Video games have a way of capturing the interest of children. From the detailed graphics, to the never ending challenges, it seems students could get lost in the cyber-world for days. Spaceteam ESL combines online gaming and learning English into one engaging experience. Spaceteam ESL is a game played in groups, or teams. In order for your team to "survive" you must communicate by speaking and listening to each other. The player must read the direction on there screen such as, "Push Yellow," and their teammate must respond by pushing the button that reads "yellow." At the same time, that player needs to read the command on their screen for their teammates.  An example of a two-player game ( source ). Apparently, (I am behind the times) Spaceteam is a popular, already established game. The creators of the ESL version used the same excitement, (and choas) but paired it with beginner English words. The ga

There was nothing better than checking my Google Alerts to find something familiar come across. The Sun Gazette is the newspaper I watched my parents read daily during breakfast. Now, living in Texas, I was overwhelmed by nostalgia when the this article  came across my email. Image by Pat Crossley, Williamsport Sun Gazette It seems to be a wonderful trend in many areas, including Williamsport, Pennsylvania. Local universities and colleges are conducting festivals and open houses for young learners. Typically centered around STEAM concepts, many exhibits feature hands-on activities for students to experience. As educators, we know that there is no better learning experience than "doing," and these festivals are allowing children to do just that. In the article, Bill Lundy, a teacher from St. John Newman said, " We’re preparing them for jobs that don’t exist to use technology that has yet to be invented, to solve problems that they don’t even know are problems,

In addition to ESL509, I am enrolled in a course centered on Assistive Technology (AT). This has been an eye-opening course for a teacher who has had little experience with students who utilize AT. What I did learn, is that AT can be something as simple as a pencil grip which helps a student to write. However, Assistive Technology can be at the cutting edge of research to give students the opportunities to use their abilities   to overcome their disabilities. For example, a nonverbal student who also cannot use their hands, can use a "Sip and Puff" system to control an Augmented Communication Device to create sentences and express themselves. In the last 3 weeks, my Google alerts have been full of articles discussing the huge potential of Assistive Technology. A few buzz words that emerged,  Assistive Robot , Artificial Intelligence ,  and Cloud Technology. A massive amount of money is being invested in developing AT for people with communication disorders, autism, mobilit

The theme of my Google Alerts this week? Grants. I found 3 different articles citing the power of grants, to allow educators to improve technology and update resources for the benefit of students. The importance and power of grants became apparent as I read about a Digital Literacy Curriculum, STEM Cafe, and STEAM Program that were all funded by grants. My favorite article was about the Digital Literacy Curriculum  created by a library in South Carolina. They were awarded $10,000 and used that to expand their adult literacy and ESL sections. The curriculum involves teaching internet skills to those who may not have access on their own, and computer skills needed for success. It also increased the amount of ESL digital and print copies of materials. Free for personal and commercial use courtesy PEXELS . The STEM Cafe , was a community event in Louisiana, whose goal was the motivate youth about future careers in STEM. It featured hands-on booths from all aspects of STEM includ

This year, my husband and I moved across Texas in late August. As most teachers started their year teaching procedures and expectations, I was unpacking boxes in our home. I was not prepared to come into the school year a few weeks late, and hope for a smooth year. I decided the classroom would be put on pause, and I would enter the world of online teaching. There are many options for online teaching, cyber schools, K-12, charter schools, and the newest craze in China, online English classes. I chose the latter for its complete flexibility for scheduling, and was hired with a company called VIPKid. Source I was excited to be enrolled in ESL509 at the same time. Although I have little freedom in the content I teach, learning about new tools and resources is always beneficial. One of the Google Alerts that I signed up for was VIPKid, as I have been very interested in their business model. If you have social media, then there is a chance you've seen an ad for VIPKid. In the