Issues in Assistive and Adaptive Technology

Whether it's being incorporated as part of the general ELL classroom or as an adaptive technology resource as a remote learning alternative, the integration of technology in the classroom has forever changed the manner in which these students learn. With a never-ending supply of new educational technology applications and software, the inclusion of these tools introduces both benefits and drawbacks, especially during distance learning. Educators must be aware of the various strategies that can be adopted, as well as how to use them correctly in order to facilitate the ongoing process of nurturing student success.

The integration of assistive technology has been proven to help students in several ways, making it critical to ensure that all stakeholders, including administration, teachers, parents, and students, are familiar with the digital resources and are properly trained on how to use them. However, when instruction was disrupted by the onset of the pandemic, many schools suffered because they were underfunded and needed to find new ways to transfer their instruction to an online environment. Being located in an urban community, “there was no existing virtual platform to replace the classroom” (Sayer & Braun, 2020, p. 1) and teachers needed to urgently prepare instructional materials for all students, including for their ELLs. Since teachers were not familiar with many of the available digital tools, they were not properly trained on how to use them and were expected to quickly convert their current in-class lessons to teaching in a virtual learning environment. They had to “simultaneously learn how to use the platform as they were also figuring out how to plan lessons for online delivery. Many secondary teachers struggled to find online content that included accommodations appropriate for ELs” (p. 2). This is shocking because many of these tools offer valuable features and resources for ELLs, and when applied properly, can be extremely effective. Teachers must be informed about the accommodations that various adaptive technologies provide and understand how to adjust their online instruction to properly include these tools and supply meaningful opportunities for higher-order thinking and interactive activities for their ELLs. Unfortunately, it has been found that even if educators have access to resources that are beneficial for their ELLs, “most teachers receive little pre- or in-service professional development related to instruction for ELs at all” (Altavilla, 2020, p. 19), and are unaware of how to effectively apply the digital applications during their remote instruction.

Remote learning has introduced additional issues that need to be addressed, including how it affects students. During the transition from face-to face learning to online instruction, many ELLs lost valuable learning opportunities. Depending on their family’s income status, many ELLs didn’t have access to computers, software, iPads, mobile devices, or the internet. In addition, many parents of ELLs didn’t speak English. This resulted in a need for the translation of all communications to various languages because “parents who are not fluent in English said they have trouble helping their children because all of the work is in English and they haven’t received much information in their native languages from schools about how to help” (Stavely, 2020, para. 17). This is crucial because teachers needed to make sure students “had all the necessary information and technology available for remote learning” (Sayer & Braun, 2020, p. 3). From a learning standpoint, remote learning caused ELLs to lose the much needed interaction of authentic classroom conversation in order for language acquisition and content knowledge to develop. This only occurs when “participating in everyday conversations and school-based discussions about rich, grade level content” (Altavilla, 2020, p. 20). To achieve this, teachers must understand which digital tools can be used to allow these interactions to occur during distance learning.

Since it can be difficult to practice learning a new language in a virtual setting, teachers must employ different strategies in order to continue effective instruction for ELLs. Learning should happen synchronously with all students present because this will allow them to interact with their peers and stimulate authentic oral conversation. This can occur during video conferencing sessions, like Zoom or Google Meet, which also includes a chat feature to further engage them by practicing their writing as well. It has been found that this feature is invaluable because “some students who are normally hesitant to talk out loud are using the chat feature” (Stavely, 2020, para. 29). It’s important to use various applications and provide opportunities for ELLs to “interact with English-speaking peers, from one-to-one video chats to group texts, e-mails, and virtual classroom discussion” (Altavilla, 2020, p. 21) because it will promote an authentic learning environment and improve their academic vocabulary and fluency of the English language.

Teachers must also be aware of the disadvantages that these digital tools present and how they affect their instruction. Since this is a new way of disseminating a lesson, teachers must understand that these tools may not always be reliable. Interruptions to internet access is always a possibility. Another issue could be student engagement. Many students may not be comfortable turning their cameras on while at home because they are caring for their siblings while their parents are at work. Speech recognition software can be another problem because “these programs do not all have a good track record of accurately registering the pronunciation of second-language speakers of English” (p. 20), which could be frustrating for ELLs.

Surprisingly, the pandemic has brought teachers and parents closer together. As a result, it built “a line of communication between classroom teachers and the families of their students. Parents gained more insights into the actual content and processes of their children’s learnings” (Sayer & Braun, 2020, p. 4). Remote learning has also taught these students real-world skills, and improved their “ability to use different technologies and platforms to do creative problem solving in the actual challenges they encountered,” (p. 4) from taking pictures with their devices, uploading them to a digital portfolio in Google Slides, and sending email attachments. These skills are an important asset to possess and will definitely transfer to their future careers.

Through the use of various assistive technology tools in a remote learning environment, ELLs now have access to participate in their learning in a variety of ways. The implementation of these tools cannot be overlooked and teachers must continue to frequently develop their technology skills because improvements to these tools are constantly being made available. When technology is properly integrated into instruction, all participants greatly benefit and will be better prepared for lifelong learning, regardless of their skill level or abilities.

References

Altavilla, J. (2020). How technology affects instruction for English learners. Phi Delta Kappan, 102(1), 18-23. http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/0031721720956841

Sayer, P., & Braun, D. (2020). The disparate impact of COVID‐19 remote learning on English learners in the United States. TESOL Journal, 11(3), 1-5. http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/tesj.546

Stavely, Z. (2020, October 7). Teachers struggle to recreate language-rich classes for English learners online. EdSource. Retrieved July 25, 2001, from https://edsource.org/2020/teachers-struggle-to-recreate-language-rich-classes-for-english-learners-online/641191