Arturo Guajardo, Austin ISD

Presentation will be posted at http://www.eduese.com

Title comes from the belief that technology can transform ESL instruction.  Arturo works closely with teachers who teach ESL students.  Goal is to present tools for ESL teachers.  Based on research on Common Principles & Strategies for ESL Instruction.

Background knowledge, Academic Language, Sense of Self are the three ESL strategies that he believes have the most connection to ESL instruction.

Background Knowledge:  ELLs will learn new content and language when it is built on what they already know.

LaDonna Conner and Amy Bramhall-Carrolton-Farmers Branch ISD

Presentation will be posted at http://www.beyond4walls.org

Podcasting and iPods int he ESL/Bilingual classroom

How I Learned English:  55 Accomplished Latinos Recall Lessons in Language and Life (National Geographic Books)

Teacher in CFBISD says, “When I tell them it’s going to be podcast, they practice more than when I have them say it to me.”

20 point difference in test scores in one class.

Two students had failed every benchmark in math.  Gave each student a video iPod frontloaded with Unitedstreaming videos as well as Photostory with the math SEs…both passed TAKS the following year, and one student was 2 points from commended.  Was not the only intervention, but it made a difference. 

I faciliated the Podcasting 101 workshop yesterday presented by Dr. Tim Tyson, principal of Mabry Middle School. Wow! That was such a fun and amazing session! Again, the educational possibilities are endless.

The students of Mabry MS create and publish their own podcasts, which are available on iTunes for the parents and students to download and play. According to Dr. Tyson, students actually voluntarily spend much more time on their writing, revising for a polished product! As he said during the training, when is the last time you had a student ask you to let them make more revisions and improvements to a writing assignment??

Now I have to figure out the tools to translate all of this to PC, because the workshop was done entirely on Macs using iLife06. It may not be easy, because that suite made the process so seamless, but I’m sure we’ll figure it out.