ELL Technologies to Spice Up Lesson Plans

ELL teachers can enliven lesson plans using practical technology tools like apps, audiovisual learning games like Quizizz and Kahoot, and audiobooks & eBooks for their ELL students.

Although tech tools designed specifically for English Language Learners (ELLs) remain rare, plenty of excellent options can assist students in making progress and practicing at their own pace – some are free!

Peer Review

Peer review in the workplace is an assessment process used to judge the work quality of others. Reviews may be positive or negative and help improve productivity and communication while creating an atmosphere conducive to enriching work culture.

Peer review is an integral component of scientific publishing, helping ensure research is valid and reliable and encouraging collaboration within the research community. Although its application has sometimes been criticized as inadequate at detecting all errors, peer review remains a valued standard in scholarly publication.

Peer review provides Jane with constructive, long-term benefits from receiving peer feedback. It highlights areas she could improve, such as organization and task prioritization skills, and gives strategies to develop them further. Such feedback allows her to grow into her role while building trust within the team and improving teamwork.

When writing peer reviews, they must be both transparent and specific. Avoid vague or non-specific language, as this will disengage and discourage colleagues; instead, be positive and helpful when providing feedback, inspiring colleagues to excel further in their roles. Also, remember to adhere to any deadline given – editors track who’s reviewing what and when, so if you miss one, they will know. This shows professionalism, respecting others’ work while building strong relationships among your peers, and increasing chances of peer reviewing again in future projects!

Quizizz

Quizizz is a language-learning game that lets students compete against one another in real-time, answering questions on tablets or smartphones and receiving instantaneous feedback. Teachers can assign quizzes as homework; students can take them in class or at home; they can even create their own.

This game is simple to use and suitable for any subject area. Its blog section provides valuable tips and tricks for new users and ways to collaborate with others and share content. In addition, a teacher resource section explains how best to utilize the app.

Teachers and students can enjoy a free version of this game that limits the number of questions created. A premium plan offers unlimited question creation for lessons, a customizable interface, audio/video support, and the capability of teleporting questions from other quizzes.

This company aims to build a multilingual world using cutting-edge technology. Their programs feature innovative SaaS eLearning solutions and top-tier language learning content; apart from English, they also offer Spanish, Mandarin, and French courses.

Quizizz stands out from other quiz-only systems by offering more gamification features, like music selection and meme editing, along with anonymous student responses or not. Although its privacy-centric design may be appealing, Quizizz often suffers from legginess or bugs which hinder student performance.

Kahoot

Kahoot provides educators with a convenient tool to create, administer, and simultaneously compile quizzes for many students. Used as classroom games or pre-assessments of student knowledge, or formative assessments during interactive lessons, this edtech platform promotes participation while contributing towards more collaborative classroom environments.

Kahoot is easy to set up and use, enabling teachers to create quizzes in just minutes or access quizzes created in advance by others and downloaded in CSV form. Furthermore, Kahoot’s results download functionality makes it possible to integrate Kahoot results with grade book tools or LMS systems seamlessly; live or asynchronous use makes Kahoot particularly suited for short sessions as it increases student alertness through competition against time.

Many teachers combine Kahoot with other learning tools, such as virtual field trips or podcasts, to enhance the effectiveness of their lessons. Furthermore, its ability to record and replay games allows educators to reinforce essential concepts and skills.

Kahoot can rely on network latency, which may reduce gameplay speed and quality; however, most users find the platform worthwhile despite this delay. Kahoot offers educational games and those featuring commercial or pop culture themes; many come directly from popular media companies like Disney or Nat Geo. Parents may wish to read its privacy policy better to understand its collection and usage of personal information.

Audiobooks & eBooks

Digital audiobooks (also referred to as talking books before the internet’s invention) are audio recordings of written texts that can be played back on either a computer or portable digital audio player. Many libraries provide free Overdrive digital audiobook downloads; you may also purchase them through services such as Audible.

One of the significant advantages of audiobooks is their convenience – you can listen while performing other tasks. This allows busy people to learn still while multitasking with other tasks. Audiobooks also will enable you to focus more on the story while learning unfamiliar words more quickly, thanks to a narrator reading them aloud and providing pronunciation instructions.

Audiobooks offer one distinct advantage over ebooks: bookmarking allows you to return where you left off if you become distracted while reading. Ebooks are also less costly since they don’t require a narrator, and printing costs are eliminated.

Utilizing technology to assist ELL students can help them become proficient in English and feel more included in classroom discussions. Some of the most valuable tools include flip grid add-ins that translate content in over 60 languages and the Immersive Reader tool for Chromebooks that decodes any text, reads it out loud, breaks words into syllables, and provides picture dictionary options to increase understanding.

Virtual Field Trips

Virtual field trips provide students with an immersive learning experience they might otherwise never get the chance to visit in person. Virtual field trips can serve multiple functions: previsit for in-person field trips; during field trip itself as a resource supporting learning; post-trip as reflection opportunity and further research opportunity – an invaluable asset during pandemic outbreaks when traditional face-to-face field trips cannot take place; also invaluable when face-to-face field trips cannot occur due to distance.

Virtual field trip providers sometimes charge educators for access to their content; however, many free options are available for educators as well. Web searches can help educators quickly locate virtual field trips that align with their curriculum, or they may access one of many curated lists like Connect 2 Texas, Google Arts & Culture, or Center for Interactive Learning and Collaboration that offer trips to museums, national parks, zoos or other cultural, historical or scientific destinations.

Some immersive virtual field trips have been developed using gaming engines to offer greater interactivity and create more realistic representations of space. Yet, this approach requires significant computing power and data downloads – making it impractical in the classroom environment.

Students should have some control and input over their virtual field trip experiences, and we must consider ways to frame them to enhance engagement and motivation. While this will vary based on the age of students, allowing them to explore their virtual destination on their own can be very encouraging. It would also be beneficial if we created some learning activities during virtual field trips that focus on what students observe or document to assess learning outcomes more efficiently.