ELL+and+Research+Barriers

I quickly found out my ELL students’ Web 2.0 barriers at the start of this school year. Having only two students in my LEP English class, I decided to have them create a Voice Thread over their home country to share with the class, administrators, and counselors. I thought the students could work on research, speaking skills, and writing/creating for a specific audience. What I found out through this process was that my students did not have even the most basic skills needed to conduct research on the Internet. What I thought was going to be a fun-filled learning experience quickly become a very frustrating few days. Unfortunately, I stopped the lesson and we moved onto the basic writing skills they desperately needed.

What I learned was that my students, both of whom have no computer access at home, did not have the necessary skills to complete the assignment. I take for granted that my regular English I students can use the Internet – I do not explicitly teach this skill. It was certainly a learning experience for me. Teachers have to start at the very bottom with many ELL students when it comes to technology because our students lack access to basic technology. These students still deserve to be challenged to learn new things and to do their very best, but teachers must start a point where ELL students can feel success or frustration will set in and hamper the outcome. I do plan to try this project again next year, but now I know where I need to start and that it will not happen in just a few weeks. I anticipate this project last a good chunk of the semester, something that students work on gradually so as not to overwhelm them and take too much time from the regular curriculum.

The following website provides information on how to teach the basic Internet searching skills to ELL students in a manner that meets their needs. []