TECHNOLOGY
Supporting Emergent Bilingual Students in a Digital Age Jill Castek, University of California, Berkeley
A
fter Mrs. Stevenson (pseudonym) shows a 20-minute
and learning academic content. What is less typical is Mrs.
space
eClips
Stevenson’s strategic use of the Internet to address these goals.
http://www.youtube.com/NASAeClips, her 5th graders
She teaches her 5th grade students online reading
engage in small group discussions about the sun and its
comprehension strategies such as how to search for Web
position in the Solar System. Iliana (pseudonym), an
resources in their first language and English, how to evaluate
emergent Spanish/English bilingual learner and three other students discuss the
websites to locate relevant and reliable information, and how to
Sun’s importance as an energy source to life on Earth while other groups talk
synthesize key ideas from the many resources they read. To build
about sunspots, solar flares, solar winds and the. Each group takes a turn on
language and literacy proficiency, she encourages emergent
the classroom’s Internet connected computer replaying segments of the previously
bilingual learners to read and discuss ideas in their native
watched NASA eClips and searching for online resources to explore topics
language and provides scaffolds that help them communicate
touched on in the video. Iliana locates Windows to the Universe
their developing understanding in English. Her knowledge of
http://www.windows2universe.org/, a website where students can self-select
teaching techniques for maximizing language development,
reading material in English or Spanish at the beginning, intermediate, or
together with her strategic integration of the Internet, has
advanced level. The group finds images and information about the Solar System,
promoted greater language, literacy, and content development
astronomy, and the universe and saves these resources on Collaborize
among all of her students.
science
video
from
NASA
Classroom http://www.collaborizeclassroom.com/, a free resource that offers a suite of collaboration tools for use in schools. From here, student-collected resources can be archived, then shared and discussed with others. After rehearsing a short summary of what they learned, Iliana and her group present their ideas to the class. Later, outside of school, students log on to Mrs. Stevenson’s space science discussion board on Collaborize Classroom and the dialogue about the topic continues.
While nearly 100% of all classrooms have one or more Internet-connected computers available for student use (Wells & Lewis, 2006), few teachers are knowledgeable about how to use them to meet the learning needs of their diverse students. This column suggests ways to (1) use digital videos and animations to promote students’ vocabulary development and content knowledge, (2) use bilingual texts to encourage
As is typical in classrooms nationwide, Iliana is acquiring
language and content learning across the curriculum, and (3)
oral English while simultaneously developing English literacy
involve students in sharing ideas with the aid of digital tools. To
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Spring 2012 • Vol. 45, No. 3
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set the context for discussing these instructional ideas, a
them. Though many teachers have yet to possess these skills
rationale is provided for why the Internet is an important
themselves, it is nonetheless our responsibility as educators to
context for literacy learning, especially among emergent
provide an educational context in which all students can acquire
bilingual students.
them. Extending these digital learning opportunities is central to students becoming participatory citizens and achieving
Why Integrate the Internet into Literacy Instruction? Literacy is undergoing a shift from page to screen; this transition is fundamentally redefining what it means to be
success in school, higher education, and the workplace.
Reflecting on the Diversity Within Our Classrooms
literate in the 21st century. The Internet offers access to large
The diversity present in our classrooms requires us to think
amounts of information and a highly motivating environment
differently about the literacy instruction we offer our students.
in which to access information, explore ideas, and communicate
We first need to acknowledge that bilingualism is an asset that
with others (Barone & Wright, 2008). While the Internet has
carries with it positive benefits in our increasingly globalized
considerable potential to supplement the textbooks, trade
world. We also must recognize that the Internet requires the
books, and student created resources traditionally found in
development of new skills and strategies to maximize its use.
classrooms (Watts-Taffe & Gwinn, 2007) the skills and
Acknowledging these realities requires us to shift from
strategies necessary to use the extensive and complex
educational approaches that favor English monolingualism and
information online are seldom a part of literacy instruction in
hard copy texts and books toward those that embrace the new
classrooms (Wallace, 2004).
realities of a multilingual society and the emergence of the
The Internet has become the defining technology for literacy and learning in the 21st century (Leu, Coiro, Castek, Hartman, Henry, & Reinking, 2008).
To maximize its
potential as educational context, we need to ensure that students develop skills and strategies for online reading comprehension, an essential set of literacies required in today’s networked world. These new literacies include using search engines to locate information, reading search engine results, navigating within and between websites, synthesizing information found at different locations, critically evaluating resources, and communicating with others (Leu, Kinzer, Coiro, Castek, and Henry, in press).
Internet and the digital resources it contains as a central context for literacy and learning. These areas can be bridged to achieve two important goals: increasing the academic achievement of all students, including emergent bilinguals, and helping all students acquire the new literacies that are central to academic achievement and the careers that define the future.
Embrace Students’ Technology Experience As a Learning Resource The Internet provides new opportunities for emergent bilingual learners to enhance and extend their language, literacy, and content learning. Due to their experience with technology in today’s networked world, our students often possess skills in
As new technologies continually emerge, new skills and
using the Internet that we, as teachers, have not yet acquired. By
strategies will be required by students to effectively make use of
acknowledging, celebrating, and drawing on the technology
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experience students bring to the classroom, we acknowledge our
Children of all ages and backgrounds seek to better
students as valuable contributors to learning. Recognizing our
understand the fascinating animal species found in our world.
students as co-leaders in technology focused lessons transforms
The Monterey Bay Aquarium, home of several sea otters and
the learning environment, increases engagement, and supports
other marine creatures, makes reading about animals an
investment in classroom learning.
adventure.
The
Sea
Otter
Interactive
http://
www.montereybayaquarium.org/media/all_about_otters/what
Using Digital Videos and Animations to Promote Vocabulary Development and Content Knowledge
sanotter01.html is one of many resources that will spark students’ curiosity, engage them in exploring, and bring the
Emergent bilingual students benefit from a multi-faceted
content to life. The visual support offered by the animated
approach to learning that makes use of interactive visuals.
otter, along with the illustrative diagrams, provide visual
When teachers embed information in context, they support
support that aids students in making connections across
their students’ understanding of cognitively demanding content
languages.
(Echevarria & Graves, 2011). The Internet offers easy access to a great many of these visuals across a range of topic areas. Providing students opportunities to view media that presents ideas both textually and visually creates a meaningful learning context that supports the acquisition of academic vocabulary in writing and speaking (Dalton & Grisham, 2011). By offering digital resources that bring concepts to life and pairing them with opportunities to read, write, and share ideas you can support emerge bilingual students’ enhance content understanding.
Providing opportunities for students to discuss the interactive in their native language before participating in whole-class discussion can reinforce these connections. The native language discussion serves as a form of rehearsal in which students can organize their ideas, plan, test their ideas, and make appropriate revisions before sharing their thoughts with the whole class. Discussion techniques such as Turn and Talk, ThinkPair-Share, and Think-Pair-Square-Share are some examples of small group discussion routines. When introducing a new interactive to your class, set up a digital projector and talk through one part of the resource as a demonstration while generating guiding questions together as a class. Then, offer students time to explore the digital resource in small groups during literacy center time. This second selfguided viewing will provide a means to read for a purpose, investigate the questions posed, and deepen students’ interest. A list of videos and animations that connect to common content topics can be found in the sidebar. To locate additional resources in curriculum areas you teach, search Google by typing in your topic area + interactive (e.g. solar system + interactive).
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Spring 2012 • Vol. 45, No. 3
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Figure 2. Digital Videos and animations that connect to commonly taught content topics.
NASA’s Sun-Earth Day Multimedia Children’s Books http://sunearthday.nasa.gov/2006/multimedia/books.php
BBC Schools Science Clips http://www.bbc.co.uk/schools/scienceclips/index_flash.shtml
are free animated multimedia books that present concepts both
Carbon Cycle http://www.kscience.co.uk/animations/carbon_cycle.htm
visually and textually. Because these resources make it possible
Discovery Dino Viewer http://dsc.discovery.com/dinosaurs/dinosaur-games/dinosaur-viewer/dinosaurviewer.html
to see and experience phenomena such as aurora, they support the development of
Endangered Animals http://news.bbc.co.uk/cbbcnews/hi/static/guides/animals/animals.stm
language, literacy, and content
simultaneously. Accessible in both English and Spanish, each
Habits of the Heart http://www.smm.org/heart/lungs/top.html
book poses essential questions and presents concepts that help
NASA eClips http://www.youtube.com/NASAeClips
students address them. Related resources such as an image
PBS Play Amazon Explorer (Rainforest) http://www.pbs.org/journeyintoamazonia/explorer.html
gallery, and dictionary, extend ideas presented in the text.
Water Cycle Interactive from Discovery Education http://player.discoveryeducation.com/views/hhView.cfm?guidAssetId=087777c8-4ff045d2-878f-e7cd90f7ee19
The
Rainforest
Alliance Virtual
Story
Books
http://www.rainforest-alliance.org/kids/stories offer engaging and colorful fiction and non-fiction books in three languages
Using Bilingual Texts to Encourage Language and Content Learning
English, Spanish, and Portuguese. These texts engage young readers by introducing them to children who live in areas that
Effective literacy instruction makes connections to students’
surround rainforests. The imagery and first hand accounts
linguistic, literacy, and cultural resources. These resources can be
captured in these unique texts make students more aware of
used to support learning in their second language. Utilizing
these diverse environments and the wildlife that inhabit them.
educational resources in both languages builds students’ cognitive
Exploring these engaging texts extends emergent bilingual
flexibility and increases meta-linguistic awareness (Gort, 2006;
students’ comprehension and vocabulary while helping them
Gort, 2008). Bilingual websites such as Monterrey Bay
make connections between languages.
Aquarium’s
Pup’s
Supper/La
Cena
del
Cachorro
h t t p : / / w w w. m o n t e r e y b a y a q u a r i u m . o r g / l c / activities/book_pups_supper.asp encourage home school connections and encourage learning across the curriculum.
The
International
Digital
Children’s
Library
http://en.childrenslibrary.org/ is a portal site that makes children’s books from around the world available in a variety of languages. Over 2,800 books are available in 48 languages, free of charge. The simple search feature makes it easy to find books that match the age range and interest level of all students. Each text includes a feature that allows the reader to switch the language for instant translation. Because the books on this website do not require a trip to the library, students can access them at school and at home.
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Sharing Ideas with the Aid of Digital Tools
sun and its importance the solar system (See Figure 4). As
The Internet has made it possible to write in a variety of
directed, she placed a tilde ~ between words that she wanted
forms and reach a wide audience almost instantaneously. By
displayed together, such as sistema~solar so that these terms
introducing new outlets for sharing ideas, emergent bilingual
would be displayed together.
learners make important connections between reading and writing. Wordle http://www.wordle.net/ is a resource that makes it possible for students to generate word pictures using an assortment of words that they chose (in any language). The Wordle interface allows users to input any text and generate a word picture. Based on how frequently inputted terms appear determines the size, placement, and prominence in the final product. The interface eliminates common words such as “the” or “and” so that key words take on greater emphasis. The selection of layout schemes can be used to highlight ideas and relationships among terms. This easy-to-use resource provides students a powerful tool for expressing their developing understanding of words, concepts, or ideas in a motivating and engaging way. For example, Wordle can be used to extend quick write activities. For example, after reflecting, students can be paired up in small groups to input their writing into the interface. Printing out students’ Wordles and creating a gallery walk can be a useful review and reflection activity to summarize what they have learned about a topic they’ve studied. Repetition of similar learning statements in this case would be beneficial since key
RealeWriter (“Really Writer”) http://www.realewriter.com/ is a free Web site that invites users to upload images or drawings, write their own text, and publish professional looking books that can be printed or posted online. Educators have used RealeWriter to author books collaboratively as a class project and also as a tool for individual student authors. Innovative educators all over the world have used these resources to help students express ideas. The ease of the software enriches the writing experience, help emergent bilingual learners find their voice as writers, and turn writing into an experience that is enjoyable, authentic, and social.
concepts would pop visually and aid students in recalling
To get started with RealeWriter, explore the selection of
important ideas. These alternatives for formal writing activities
student published books at http://discover.realelibrary.com/
would also provide teachers a way to formatively assess students’
index.php/RealeBooks/. Topically focused texts can be found
understanding of content studied.
by typing key words into the site-specific search engine at the
Iliana (introduced in the opening scenario) created a Spanish wordle to reflect the concepts she had learned about the
The California Reader
top of the page. Clicking on the featured or popular books tab to view examples that will appeal to all ages and interest levels.
Spring 2012 • Vol. 45, No. 3
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