Chapter 8-Systemic Issues

I was struck by two significant issues in Chapter 8.

First was the use of technology for ESL students. Growing up in a family with second language learners (3 Vietnamese teenagers) we spent most of our time teaching language through conversation. We relied on repetition, explanation, and creativity to get the point across until their language became proficient enough for them to hold their own. If blogging existed at that time, I think it would have been very beneficial in allowing them to get lots of practice time to continue to develop their written language skills and reading. The authors agree with this point in Chapter 8. I also saw evidence of this when I was teaching overseas. Using computers for communication 'levelled' the laying so to speak. You could email someone and they would have no idea who were first and/or second language speakers. If you check International School Bangkok's blog site, you can see more evidence of how ESL students use technology to improve and sustain their language learning.

Second was the use of technology by special needs students. Their is a mountain of evidence pf this at my school. I work very closely with two non verbal students. They both use technology devices to communicate with teachers. One of them (7th grade) recently replace his Dynavox device with an iPad. The iPad gives him much more flexibility as not only can he use use it to communicate with pictures and words, but he can also get onto the internet, use math games, and access countless other apps. The other student (5th) hopes to retire her Dynavox and pick up an iPad instead. She still uses sign language, but would benefit from the higher flexibility that the iPad offers.

Yours,
Aaron