80 Standard 5: Using technology to help all learners thrive. Use technology thoughtfully to identify and address current and future needs of learners in ways that reflect diverse identities and contexts. • Recognizing that when foundation-level students first arrive in class, some cannot write their names and few have little, if any, familiarity with computers or the Internet, Natalina takes a gradual approach. Initially, educational technology is nowhere to be seen. Only when students have become familiar with classroom routines, learned to sign their name, and begun to recognize basics such as days of the week or family member designations is the use of Smartphones introduced to illustrate how technology can enhance learning. • As her students gradually acquire the skills and confidence to venture online, Natalina augments classroom instruction on topics such as family members, health care, or parts of the body with simple Google Classroom matching exercises. The satisfaction of correctly completing online exercises builds confidence and solidifies digital skills. Standard 6: Communicating with learners and observing their progress. Use technology to support, monitor, and assess learner progress. • Natalina’s commitment to keeping up with new language-learning apps, websites, and strategies means that her students benefit from digital resources geared to their language level. For instance, Natalina uses exercises available from Google Classroom and learningchocolate.com to reinforce classroom lessons. As the development of students’ digital and language skills permits, Natalina introduces them to additional learning materials and opportunities for collaboration and discussion through the Edulinc and Avenue language-learning platforms. VIGNETTE 7: DIANA AGUDELO AND LAUREN HEBERT LEARNING TECHNOLOGY FOR LOW LITERACY LEARNERS Précis The Idea For newcomers to Canada who are illiterate or semi-literate in their own language and have little previous exposure to English, learning digital skills in tandem with language learning can be a daunting task. For Diana Agudelo and Laurent Hebert – co-workers at the Edmonton Catholic Separate School Division (ECSD) LINC program – years of experience in ESL teaching for students at the literacy level has resulted in a nuanced approach in which three different streams of technology support are provided depending on learner proficiency. The Learners A typical class at the literacy level of language proficiency consists of no more than 10 learners ranging in age from their late teens to early 70’s, with most in the 30-50 range. At present, the program draws most of its students from Eastern African countries and Syria, with a recent uptick in Afghani enrolees. Most students have less than nine years of education. Literacy classes tend to be weighted more toward female students than male – typically two-thirds female, one-third male. The number of male and female students changes depending on the time of day at which classes are CC-BY-NC-SA 2025 New Language Solutions Avenue Instructor Standards for Technology-Enhanced Language Learning, version 1.2
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy MzA1NjE=