KDLerma Blog for ESL 509

This week's Google alert was an article regarding a new adaptive learning platform from Kidaptive.  The article, Edtech company Kidaptive raises $19.1 million for its adaptive learning platform,  Posted Feb 20, 2018 by  Sarah Perez  ( @sarahintampa )  Edtech startup Kidaptive is an adaptive-learning company that began its life with a suite of curriculum-focused iPad games for kids.   The announcement about the $19.1 million funding with an investment from Korean education company Woongjin ThinkBig. The investment follows a deal with Woongjin that will see Kidaptive powering an English language learning system Woongjin Compass wants to build.  Although Kidaptive started out with educational games for the iPad, the company wants to be more of a “big data for learning” company rather than a maker of educational kids’ games as it was known for just a few years ago. The technology behind this learning experienc...

This week I gained additional knowledge about the benefits of blogging with ESL students in the classroom.  There were benefits, of course, but challenges were resolved as well.  Read the full article here:  Using Blogs to Engage English-Language Learners by Jon Schwartz. https://www.edutopia.org/blog/ell-digital-divide-jon-schwartz Jon Schwartz teaches fourth grade in Oceanside, CA and bridges the digital divide with blogging with his blogging program at  Kids Like Blogs .  He uses blogging  with his combination grade 4/5 class where students use the technology to “find their creative muse and learn about the technological world they are inheriting.” They used optional blogs as an in-class activity which improved student engagement and gave them the important technical exposure and skills in digital citizenship. Additionally, he was able to find resolutions to many challenges such as parental engagement, internet safety, keeping students engaged, in...

Blogging for English Language Learners . Rusual Alrubail, March 16, 2015  Illustration Credit: Rebeca Zuñiga / @Rebezuniga (Click image to enlarge.) As the author of this article Rusul Alrubail explains, “ Student blogging provides opportunities for sharing, reflection, and ownership. With ELLs, blogs can provide deeper engagement and a public forum to demonstrate their developing skills.” The details the author shared makes perfect sense, but for me, as a newbie in this subject matter, I needed more explanation.  Reading the article further gave me just the information I was searching for in order to understand the how and why of using a blog for ESL students.  This article gave me a great introduction to blogging in general and how to use it with ESL students and in the classroom. As we know for society today, blogging can be powerful both personally and professionally,  It’s a form of communication, learning, and reflection that can ...