Article: Projects Using Technology for English Language Learners

From http://blogs.edweek.org/edweek/DigitalEducation/2011/06/american_immigrants_digital_na.html

American Immigrants, Digital Natives
By Ian Quillen
June 29, 2011

Project-based learning has been a subject du jour at this year's annual ISTE conference. But while building real-world, collaborative skills is certainly a desired focus for many tech-friendly educators, is it possible to do when those students are English-language learners?

It can be, so long as you measure expectations, said Vicki Reed, a digital-integration specialist at Lancaster County, Pa.'s, Hempfield High School, in a presentation Wednesday afternoon. And in cases where secondary students of many nationalities are learning English together for the first time, she said it's sometimes necessary to find material that addresses language deficiencies while remaining interesting to a high school student.

For example, using digital cameras, students took pictures of their new school environment and labeled the landscape in English. As their English proficiency advanced, they'd move on to projects like a virtual tour of their home countries using Google Earth, and eventually to video projects where they introduce themselves to their other teachers.

Read the full article at http://blogs.edweek.org/edweek/DigitalEducation/2011/06/american_immigrants_digital_na.html