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Florencia Gascón Home Learn More Standards Inspiration About the Author

Using the Right Digital Tools at the Right Time within a Unit is Key for Language Learning

It’s great to see that more and more teachers are starting to feel comfortable using technology in their classrooms.

Nowadays we hear the words Google Drive, Google Classroom, Hour of Code, Chromebook or even Kahoot in every teacher’ lounge. Some of these digital tools such the Google docs are as familiar and feel as necessary as a piece of paper or a pencil.

However, if we look closely at some of the classrooms that are now using digital tools on a regular basis, we will see that technology is not necessarily enhancing the lessons or improving the learning.
When it comes to second language learning, digital tools are oftentimes used in isolation instead of being part of a comprehensive unit of study. I’ve seen certain tools been misused or abused simply because teachers like them or kids “have fun”. I’ve also noticed that in some classrooms technology is driving the lesson plan rather than being used as a tool that can support and improve the lessons and the learning experience of our students.

I’ve been using technology for many years in my classroom, but the way I use it today is very different than when I started. Through lots of trial and error I've learned to mindfully integrate technology into my teaching to increase learning. The SAMR model has guided me through my adoption of technology and has helped me take my teaching to a different level.

The results of my research on “The effects of digital technology in second language acquisition” confirm what I already knew: technology has a positive effect on learning. When we infuse our teaching with the right digital tools and the right pedagogy, there is a boost on student engagement and learning.
With all these thoughts in mind, I decided to share my findings and to create a “Skills” page for second language teachers. This page will help them select the right digital tools needed to enhance learning in each one of the four areas of language: speaking, writing, listening and reading.

What is Under the Other Links on This Page?

Make sure to click on each one of the icons on the top-right side of this page. Here's what you will find:

Skills: Tested useful tools specific to each one of the four areas of language.
Lessons: Samples of two lessons on Digital Citizenship and Flipped instruction in languages plus few other resources on these two topics.
How-Tos: A great selection of my favorite digital teaching tools.
References: Has a wide variety of great links organized by groups such as: Educational websites, Spanish websites and YouTube channels, Books, Academic articles etc.
Assessment: This page includes Rubrics and other measures for assessing second language student competence.

Roadmap to Develop Literacy and Communication Competence

Language teachers refer to the World-Readiness Standards for Language Learning as the "Five C's". The standards were recently modified to focus on real world communication, literacy and the 21st century skills. The five C's are Communication, Cultures, Connections, Comparisons and Communities.
From the five C's of language I find myself referring to the Communication area and its related standards the most.

Communication: Communicate effectively in more than one language in order to function in a variety of situations and for multiple purposes

Interpersonal Communication.
Learners interact and negotiate meaning in spoken, signed, or written conversations to share information, reactions, feelings, and opinions.
Interpretive Communication.
Learners understand, interpret, and analyze what is heard, read, or viewed on a variety of topics.
Presentational Communication.
Learners present information, concepts, and ideas to inform, explain, persuade, and narrate on a variety of topics using appropriate media and adapting to various audiences of listeners, readers, or viewers.

Click on the links below to learn more about the standards and overall foundation of second language education.

Standards for Learning Languages

The World Readiness Standards" are the foundation for the teaching of every second language teacher.

According to the American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages (ACTFL) “The World-Readiness Standards for Learning Languages create a road map to guide learners to develop competence to communicate effectively and interact with cultural competence to participate in multilingual communities at home and around the world”.

Partnership for 21st Century Learning

Click to got to Webpage

The World Languages Skills Maps “Illustrate the integration of World Languages and 21st Century Skills”

This skills map emphasizes using the language to communicate rather than simply learning about the language. It states that “the language classroom in the U.S. has been transformed in the last 20 years to reflect an increasing emphasis on developing students’ communicative competence.... today’s classroom is about teaching languages so that students use them to communicate with native speakers of the language”.

Infographic of my Research on the Effects of Technology on
Second Language Acquisition

My research project was on the effects of digital tools in second language acquisition.
The following Infographic shows a summary of my research study and the results. It was done using two very similar 7th grade Spanish classes over a short three-week period. Nevertheless the results show that digital technology had a positive effect on Spanish learning. The other, not so surprising outcome of the research, was that the big majority of students find technology more engaging, effective, fun and helpful. Using technology to enhance learning is a no brainer!