57 Standard 2: Tools and digital resources. Standard 2 adds understanding of a basic set of relevant technology resources and tools for language teaching, learning to use them, and continuing to update and expand this set regularly. • Bonnie’s experience as a TESOL instructor has given her an appreciation of the balance that has to be struck between technology-assisted and conventional teaching approaches. The key is to find a blend of the two approaches that enriches the learning experience. As Bonnie remarks, it’s important to create one class, not online studies and resources that exist in isolation from what happens in a face-to-face class. Blending learning components in this way greatly enriches the learning experience. • Inevitably, instructors employing learning technologies will run into technical problems that require basic troubleshooting/problem-solving skills. In the absence of a mentor, Bonnie’s go-to strategy has been to “ask” Google, YouTube, Twitter, and other social media for help. If you’re having a problem, chances are that others have had the same problem and have shared the solutions they found. VIGNETTE 2: PAUL CARTER TASK-BASED EXPERIENTIAL LEARNING Précis The Idea When Paul Carter began developing his lesson plans for a class of CLB 5-7 learners in fall 2015, he took special note of the Home and Community curriculum unit outlined in the LINC activity guide. Aware that many newcomers end up in “first language bubbles” they are reticent to leave, the Home and Community theme offered a way to get students out of the classroom to learn about community groups, services, and activities. To make further use of their language skills, the students could share what they had learned with each other and with other classes verbally and in print. Thus was born the idea of a Community Fair. After three weeks of preparation, two- and three-person student teams, each “representing” an organization they had researched, presented their findings at display tables in their home classroom to more than 200 enthusiastic visitors. The Learners Paul’s students were newcomers to Canada at CLB levels 5-7 – students who had already acquired intermediate English language proficiency. The class of 25 students, made up of 10 men and 15 women, were urban dwellers attending an Immigrant Services Society (ISS) of BC school located on Terminal Avenue in East Vancouver. The students ranged in age from their early 20s to mid-40s, with one man in his early 70s. Most were from Asia, specifically China, Japan, and Vietnam, with others from Mexico, Chechnya, Iran, and Nigeria. The students generally had a high level of digital skills. The oldest student at first had difficulty navigating online but, after spending time in the weekly computer lab and receiving generous help from fellow students, acquired the skills he needed to participate in online preparations for the Community Fair. CC-BY-NC-SA 2025 New Language Solutions Avenue Instructor Standards for Technology-Enhanced Language Learning, version 1.2
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