The Effectiveness of Tablets as a Technological Tool for Teaching ESL
Teaching today’s students is an immense
challenge educators face in the classroom. The vast majority of students live
very active lifestyles, are accustomed to many commodities, and usually have
the most advanced technological equipment in their hands. In essence technology drives their everyday
life. Teachers must take advantage of
this importance students place in the use of technology. Many experts agree that integrating technology
in the classroom, when aligned with subject matter curriculum, increases the
chances of students’ learning and motivates them to actually want to learn. Gunter
& Gunter (2015) state, “Technology, when placed in the hands of teachers
and students, can provide unique, effective, and powerful opportunities for
many different types of instruction and learning.”
What technological tool can be effective in teaching English as a second language, ESL, in the classroom?
What technological tool can be effective in teaching English as a second language, ESL, in the classroom?
There
are an abundant range of technological tools that are beneficial to integrate
in the teaching and learning process. An effective technological tool for
teaching ESL in the classroom is the tablet PC. According to Gunter &
Gunter (2015), “A tablet computer, or simply tablet, is a letter-sized notebook
computer that you interact with by touching the screen with your finger.” Apple was the first to launch the iPad (“tablet
computer”) into the market. The rest of
the tablet computers or tablet PCs were designed resembling the iPad. Tablets
are portable, inexpensive, lightweight, and Wi-Fi enabled. When consumers choose between the iPad and a tablet
PC they take into consideration price, operating system, and quality. Let’s see, the iPad’s operating system (op) is
Apple iOS; you have to pay for many applications (apps), apps a
re well
organized, the interaction with other technologies that are not Apple is
limited, the iPad has the best resolution for images, video, and sound but are
also more expensive than tablet PCs. As opposed to the tablet PC which offers several
operating systems; the most common are Android and Microsoft Windows. Android offers millions of free apps. Tablets
powered by this op are inexpensive; apps are not well organized but are
compatible with a wide range of technology.
For the classroom, tablet PCs operated by Android are a good resource
because they are inexpensive and offer many free educational apps. A survey
issued by Gottesman,
B. (2014) in PC Magazine established the following according to their findings:
re well
organized, the interaction with other technologies that are not Apple is
limited, the iPad has the best resolution for images, video, and sound but are
also more expensive than tablet PCs. As opposed to the tablet PC which offers several
operating systems; the most common are Android and Microsoft Windows. Android offers millions of free apps. Tablets
powered by this op are inexpensive; apps are not well organized but are
compatible with a wide range of technology.
For the classroom, tablet PCs operated by Android are a good resource
because they are inexpensive and offer many free educational apps. A survey
issued by Gottesman,
B. (2014) in PC Magazine established the following according to their findings:
“While Apple had the
highest overall satisfaction, Google's Android is the operating system most
likely to be recommended by its users. Android received an average
recommendation rating of 8.7, slightly ahead of iOS and Windows 8.1 which both
received ratings of 8.5. That's enough for us to give Android that Readers'
Choice award.”
Why are tablets an
excellent technological tool to integrate in the ESL classroom? First of all, tablets
can do almost anything a laptop can.
What is great about tablets and their integration in the ESL classroom is
the amount of free educational apps that are available in the Android market.
Tablets and apps are at a peak point among mobile devices. Everyday new apps
are released appealing to consumers who instantly download, utilize, and rate
them. When teaching and learning a second language the foundational standards
and skills to be developed are: listening, speaking, reading, and writing. The
use of tablets and apps are highly beneficial in aiding learners to develop
these skills. Hein, K. (n.d.), indicates “ESL and TESOL teachers and learners can find a world of
useful apps for every platform to help with such crucial language learning
processes as: vocabulary building, reading comprehension, and pronunciation.” The following apps are accessible through the
Android market, are FREE, and are excellent resources for learning ESL.
Busuu is a website and a downloadable app that can be used to learn
English and other languages. It is easy to access, free, and interactive. The
free version starts up by presenting a visual of common every day vocabulary,
written and pronunciation examples. It allows the learner to stop play and
listen to the pronunciation as many times as necessary. It also makes a recap of the vocabulary,
sentences, and phrases taught and then provide a quiz so the student can demonstrate
what he/she learned. Once a lesson is mastered the learner moves on to a higher
level of difficulty. The student may also choose the vocabulary learned for
purposes of work, culture, or travel. Busuu provides instant feedback allowing
the learner to know if a mistake is made. Students will be able to follow their
progress. This app keeps records of the apprentice’s strengths and weaknesses. Learners
may participate in the correction of other student’s work that are learning their
native language and may interact with them. The student becomes the teacher, a facilitator
of language. Students will enjoy it!
ESL Podcast- Unofficial app-This podcast app offers more
than 8,000 lessons on a wide range of topics in English. This app is great for students to improve
their listening skills, pronunciation, and writing skills of English. For
example, lesson 190 “Taking a Phone Message” Students listen to a person
calling “Tony” and a conversation takes place. The scripted conversation is also
displayed on the screen. The instructor then explains the conversation, gives a
lesson on how dialogues take place in the targeted language, and clarifies
idioms and expressions used in English. The lesson lasts twenty-three minutes
and forty-three seconds.
The Free Dictionary by Farflex-This English dictionary app
defines, translates, and pronounces words. It’s a thesaurus, provides synonyms, antonyms,
examples of words used in context and teaches idioms. It has brain games, hangman, spelling bee, and
vocabulary match games. A dictionary is an essential tool to have when learning
a second language.
Duolingo-
Is
another app for learning languages. This app allows users to receive
instructions in their native language. It teaches to read, write, listen, and
speak in the desired language. Users start by selecting their daily goals, the
amount of time spent on learning the targeted language. Students can select the
beginning level but to advance they need to take a diagnostic test. Duolingo delivers
visuals, sound examples, flashcard games, translations, teaches vocabulary in
context and provides instant feedback. In some sections learners may record their
voice and their pronunciation is rated. The student controls the learning.
English Fun, Easy Learn-It’s an app to learn English. Topics
range from people, appearance, health, home, services, communications, family
and more. The app presents images, sounds, and words to interact with.
The integration of
tablets in the classroom will spark interest in today’s digital students empowering
them to want to learn a second language. The apps presented develop the
fundamental skills of learning a language: listening, reading, writing, and
speaking. If schools lack the budget to purchase tablets teachers may ask students,
with parent’s consent, to bring their own device to class. The examples of apps
presented here are just a miniscule few of the thousands of educational apps
available. It is of the outmost importance that teachers first research, study,
and select the apps that are suitable for students’ age, grade, and level of
learning. The integration of tablets
downloaded with appropriate educational apps carefully chosen by the teacher
and aligned with subject matter curriculum are advantageous for the teaching
and learning of ESL because it exposes students to digital media that is
interactive.
References
Gunter, G.
& Gunter, R. (2015). Teachers Integrating Technology in a Changing World:
Discovering Computers (8th.
Ed.). Boston, MA: Cengage Learning.
Hein, K. (N.D). The Essential Guide to
Apps for Learning English as a Second Language.
Retrieved
from
http://mastersinesl.com/essential-esl-app-guide/
Gottesman, B. (2014). Readers' Choice Awards
2014: Tablets and Ebook Readers. PCMagazine.
Retrieved
from
readers
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