ESL | Imagine This!

Thursday, September 8, 2011

Putting English learners on the map

CNN.com recently featured a fascinating interactive map that lets you explore the country by numbers. Specifically, the map focuses on population density.

However, there’s more. The map lets you focus on different demographics. For example, you can see where the highest concentration of Native Americans are located, or Pacific Islanders. Even more interesting, you can see how the racial/ethnic makeup of our country has changed in the last ten years, using 2010 census data. For example, which areas of the country have seen the biggest change in the population of African Americans? Hispanics?

So how does this apply to us as educators?

Posted by Carter in ESL | No Comments »

Tuesday, June 14, 2011

The difference a year makes: Christian’s story

Last year I traveled to Miami as part of the video team. We were there to visit schools and meet the great administrators, teachers, and students who were using Imagine Learning English.

During our visit to Southside Elementary School, I met a first-grader named Christian. Christian had moved to the United States from Brazil only four months previously, but he was already beginning to speak English really well. Christian loved the Imagine Learning English program, and my jaw dropped as I watched him read stories on the computer that were beyond his grade level.

Posted by Carter in ESL | No Comments »

Monday, April 18, 2011

Choosing the right technology for your English learners: 8 simple steps

The research on using technology to help English learners improve their reading, vocabulary, and speaking is pretty clear—in fact, most researchers agree that using technology with English learners is a no-brainer. But when it comes to choosing a software program that’s just right for your students, things can get pretty complicated. Luckily, education experts Mary Ellen Butler-Pascoe and Karin M. Wiburg have eight technology tips designed to help you find the perfect fit for your English learners.

Posted by Lauren in EdTech, Education research, English Learners, ESL | 2 Comments »

Thursday, March 10, 2011

Imagine Learning is coming to a conference near you

Next week is the 45th annual TESOL convention, where educators from across the country will gather to exchange ideas and learn about innovations in the field of English teaching. This year, the convention will be held in New Orleans, Louisiana, and Imagine Learning will be there with our brand new booth. So if you’re planning to attend any or all of the convention next week (Mar 17-19), stop by booth #108, where you can play an exciting new game and enter to win an iPod!

Here’s a little video to give you a sneak peek of our new-and-improved booth:

Be sure to come play our “Free the Aliens” game, an interactive game based on our letter-recognition activity of the same name from Imagine Learning English. Think you’ve got what it takes? High scorers win daily prizes like iPods.

Posted by Carter in ESL | 1 Comment »

Wednesday, February 9, 2011

Technology in the classroom: A puzzle we all need to solve

There are many tools in a teacher’s tool kit, and technology may be one of the most indispensable as well as one of the most problematic. During the last few months alone, the educational market has become saturated with online resources, e-readers, apps, and interactive whiteboards. This shift toward electronic learning has left many parents, teachers, and administrators scratching their heads. In some cases, the conversation has gotten quite polarized. Just yesterday I found the following two messages right next to each other on Twitter’s #edchat:

“Looking for easy to use tech tools for teachers who may or may not have ever embraced technology before. Suggestions?”

“If you can read this, thank a teacher… not a LAPTOP!”

The first message came from an inquisitive teacher hoping to successfully fold technological tools into his curriculum. The second came from a passionate teacher who didn’t want fellow educators to forget the all-important human element amid all the e-learning. Both, I think, are very much aware of technology’s changing role in education.