Three connected ways of creating a digital space for students

Twitter:
@TeacherSarah12

Having set out to better understand how twitter could be used for writing, I believe I have figured out a way to connect Internet-speak and English language learning.

By having students answer prompts with limited characters (including emojis), students can learn to not only be more concise but to be more descriptive without being wordy. For ELLs, particularly those who don’t do much writing in English, this could be a huge, but rewarding, challenge. 

Below are examples of how I would use writing prompts to encourage my writers. Students would be allowed to use emojis but the emojis must make sense in context. This will allow ELLs to really think about what they want to convey and if it makes sense in English.

They would also need to use a weekly hashtag and “@” my twitter handle so make sure I am notified of their work. I also connected the twitter handle to my Google classroom so that students would be able to move from one digital space to the other more fluidly. 

These prompts could be used for homework or for in-class writing. Encouraging the student to explore the Twitter-verse may also help them to understand how fluid and flexible English can be when not in an academic context. It will raise their language awareness and maybe inspire them to write creatively.

1. In 280 characters, describe your English learning adventure. You may use emojis.
2. In two tweets ( 560 characters), explain the most difficult part of learning English?
3. Find 5 hashtags used by other English language learners (ELLs). Read someone of their posts. Write a tweet describing 3 common themes that you found and use those hashtags.

Google Classroom
My classroom code is: ri4gok

In connection with creating a digital space with Twitter, I also set out earlier this semester to understand how to better utilize Google Classroom as a digital collaborative space. As I do not have any students this semester, I was unable to assign grades, etc; however, I feel that I have a good idea of how to use the various tools (embedding videos, using hyperlinks, using Google Drive etc) to suit the needs of my students. I feel that, for me and my ELLs, my Google Classroom would be a space to help them stay organized. I would be able to offer them weekly assignments in an organized fashion as well as make sure they had continued access to the Twitter page, Kahoot! games, etc.

The Google Classroom would also allow me to assign grades so that students (and their parents) could follow their own progress. I believe that I would also be able to use it as a collaborative space. Students can be added to various Google documents so as to create together.

Google Classroom would also enable me to test out curriculum digitally. Using the suite of tools attached to Google Classroom, I could measure the effectiveness of my materials as well as see how/if students utilized extra study materials. Digital materials could be altered if students struggled and I could essentially use the GC to created a flipped classroom. I can supply materials for students to read at home and then they can be assigned work in which to build on their knowledge.



Kahoot!
Username: Teacher_Sarah12

In adding to my digital space for students, I have created a Kahoot! Account in which to create easy-to-use games and study aids for students. My goal had been to better understand how the tools, pre-made templates and question banks on Kahoot! lent themselves to easy game making.

Easy game making is an understatement with Kahoot! In about 5 minutes I was able to make a quiz but efficient study quiz for ELL students regarding prepositions of placement. Even with a free account, the platform allowed me to incorporate my own materials but I was also able to use a bank of pre-made materials for easy drag-and-drop quiz building.

Part of my attraction to Kahoot! Was how easy it is for students to join a game. They do not need accounts and can join a game through a game code/ pin. This could be left in a section of my Google Classroom for them and would be a quick way for me to do micro-assessments during classes. For example, I could use the Placement Prepositions study quiz to gauge how my students were doing with their understanding of not only which terms meant what, but the spelling of the terms as well.

Again, as I did not have any students this year who would have used this, I wasn’t able to test it out with an audience; nevertheless, I am looking forward to being able to try it.