Working with Middle and Secondary ELLs: Online Tools Your (Older) Students will Actually Enjoy

In case you didn't know, the iPad is all the rage these days in education! It's portable, it's hands-on, it's cool as hell (pardon me), and the kiddies love it! Even better, it's not something that is going to disappear anytime soon. New resources are constantly being made for the iPad, some good some not-so-good (a few are downright awful).  

Unfortunately when it comes to our ELL students there only seems to be Apps for younger children. The internet is being flooded with Apps that are geared toward Pre-K and Elementary school students. But what about our older ELL students? They are being left out of the loop and, let's face it, these are the students who could quite honestly use the hands-on and practical aspect of the iPad just as much as their young counterparts. Especially with graduation and the prospect of college or career looming just ahead, both of which now require our students to be proficient in 21st Century skills. Skills which they cannot develop without being able to handle computers and iPads on a daily basis. Furthermore, even if you give them the time to use these technologies they aren't going to be very effective if the students are bored out of their minds with irrelevant and babyish games! So, here is a quick overview of some issues I have identified as well as Apps and Online Tools that you can use to get them not only using computers/iPads, but to also get them learning and creating materials all on their own. 

Disclaimer: Please keep in mind that this article is targeted at ELL students who are in the Public School System, mainly those that have been in for at least a year. Absolute Beginner ELL students will need to start from the basics and the iPad can most definitely help with this!

Challenges of working with Middle and Secondary ELL students

•   Half of the iPad Apps and programs for ELL students are geared towards younger learners of English: The ABCs are not the issue with Middle/Secondary school ELL students. No matter what your mainstream teachers tell you (or think they know about these students) 90% of the time the students can read but lack the COMPREHENSION skills to tell you about what they just read which are two completely different things. These students do not need Apps/programs that teach the ABCs and 1,2,3s. They already know them. Instead, give them something to prove that they know the material without requiring them to get tongue-tied. 

• n Half of the iPad Apps and Programs for ELL students are geared towards adults: On the other end of the spectrum we have the iPad Apps that are geared towards adults. Much of the material is dry, boring, and irrelevant (who really want's to read about the hierarchy of dog packs?). I have found tons of Apps and programs for specifically ELL students but they either 1) Treat the student like a baby, or 2) treat the student like a foreign business man who is learning English only to make a good deal. Obviously you can see the issue here. Your Middle/Secondary students will quickly find the adult materials also boring or difficult and this leads to an affective filter which equals no learning.

So, as you can see, the resources out there seem to go half and half. Where is the middle (secondary) ground? Therefore one of the challenges that ELL teachers face when working with students in Middle or Secondary schools is adjusting already existing programs and materials to be more age appropriate while still meeting educational goals and needs.

The goal of this article is to introduce software and online applications that can be adjusted to use with your Middle school and Secondary students. Honestly, this is almost as easily said as done. Many of the activities you already have access to can be adjusted with some creativity.

Without further ado, here are some of the programs that I particularly enjoy working with: 

Minecraft Edu:
Minecraft Edu is specifically designed for teachers and their classrooms.

It offers discounted license purchases along with assistance via onsite training and in-service.The online wiki has multiple teacher-created examples of how to use Minecraft in the classrooms. For ELL students, Minecraft is a fun way to learn how to listen for and follow directions. It offers students the chance to learn how to build and design cooperatively using their language skills as success is dependent on this. 

For more info see their site:Minecraft Edu

 

Pixton:  
Pixton is a free completely online software (no downloading needed) used to create mini comic strips. You can choose different characters, pose them, add props, and publish them online, alternatively ou can add your student’s own photographs to create their own original adventure.

nThis would be a great way to get students to work cooperatively with each other. An fun lesson plan idea would be to have them plan out a script, design characters, and then create a story in Pixton. This give your ELLs an opportunity to use the keyboard as well as get their creative wheels a-turning!

As a teacher, it's fun to play with as well. You could use it to produce introductions to lessons or to make a “punch line point” for a larger lesson or unit. Here is one that I created to introduce "to be" verbs:

 For more info see their site:Pixton

Go Animate!:  This nifty little program is free, completely online, and allows you to record your own voice or you can use the built in text-to-voice program. Voice manipulation allows you to create different “voices”. You can fully animate the characters with poses, animation, facial expressions, backgrounds, and music.The free version comes with more than enough material for your students to play with but does not block “unwanted” content. If you get an educators licensed version you gain full access to security features. You can create your own characters and props in addition to having access to thousands of other pre-made items.This is a fun way for the teacher to create her/his own instructional videos. When working with ELL students this is a quick way to introduce key concepts of grammar and spoken English. It would also allow students to practice their speaking skills by allowing them to create a character that they can then animate.

n

Good Morning by akgill on GoAnimate

Animation Software - Powered by GoAnimate.

Popplet: 
Popplet allows you to create a visual map to represent key points about a subject. Each student can place their own labels, this allows you to keep track of who is participating. This program also allows you to zoom in on each label. ELL students could create interactive vocabulary lists of related terms or terms they need to know for an upcoming exam in either their ELL class or in their other subjects. They can also use Popplet to help them organize materials they have gathered for a research paper presentation, group projects, or to create family trees.

Check out their website: www.popplet.com

Wormworld Saga:  This isn't something the students can play with per-se. This is actually an on-line web comic that is not only beautifully illustrated by Daniel Lieske, it is also 100% kid friendly, is a creative fantasy, is filled with academic English, and is iPad optimized.  You read it by scrolling down on the iPad (or your computer). It is currently up to 5 chapters and is bound to entertain your students while helping them to develop their language skills and get in some reading practice. It also comes in 15 different languages in case you need some translations. I actually have a complete lesson plan for 9th grade ELL students (it includes a Quizzlet exercise) that I will share on a later post. You can see all the chapters at the official website: http://www.wormworldsaga.com

There are several other online programs and applications you can use with your Middle/Secondary ELL students. These just happen to be my personal favorites and I have found many many uses for each of them. In the end, always keep in mind the abilities of your students since you, as their teacher, are the best judge for this. The tried and true always works but it doesn't hurt to let them have a little fun while they are at it!

Here are a couple of articles that highlight other online applications and strategies for teaching that you might want to give a try:

30 Free Online Resources for Teaching ELL 

Preparing ELLs to be 21st Century Learners 

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