Ell+and+VoiceThread

When I first got my credential, learning to teach ELL students was not in the curriculum for the credential program. A few years later, we were all required to get out CLAD credential, which meant taking 4 classes on teaching ELL students. One of the teaching methods was visual learning. We brought props to class, acted out certain roles, and had wonderful books full of pictures and words that correlated with the picture. These were all wonderful in the 90’s, but now technology, especially a program like VoiceThread can take all those teaching methods to a whole new level. While English language learning has always been a difficult task for both the student and the teacher, technology has certainly come to the aid of both.

It is well established that English language learners benefit greatly from visual learning. Visual learning allows any type of student to retain more information and with ELL student’s visual support allows the students to relate words with objects. This is why VoiceThread is the perfect tool for English Language learning. Voice Thread would allow the teacher so set up many different types of learning aids. First, a Voice thread could be made in the student’s language and English that had pictures of vocabulary words that were going to be used in a text the students were reading. The VoiceThread could have the written on the slide in both languages also. An Ell student could see the word, or phrase, have a picture that relayed the meaning, hear the vocabulary in their language and translated in English. Students could also make their own voices threads that celebrate their cultures so other students in the classroom could learn about student’s background and have an understanding of a different culture.

Some of the difficulties a teacher might come across are first, the access to technology. I have 34 students in my classroom and 8 computers, and 2 microphones. I have access to a COW, but it is sometimes a scheduling nightmare to get it. It would be wonderful if students could access it at home with their family, however, some students do not have access to this technology. They may not have a computer, or Wi-Fi, which is a problem at my school. Also, a student will need to understand the teacher’s instructions to learn how to use VoiceThread, which means extra assistance in the classroom. Not a problem if the rest of the students are engaged. However, a teacher have the students work in pairs to support each other’s understanding of the instructions VoiceThread is a very helpful program that brings the old idea of having visuals aids for ELL students, into the 21st century, with the added bonus of also have audio, and being able to access it again and again.

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