The DIESOL Podcast | EdTech in ESL

In this episode, special guest, Sallie Finklea joins us to discuss English War Games, a unique approach to gamification in the ESOL classroom. We chat about how she comes up with language-related scenarios that promote speaking and authentic use of language while supporting autonomous learning. High tech or low tech, this approach can be applied to engage students in week-long segments of a concept.

Show Notes: www.DIESOL.org/80

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Ixchell & Brent break down students names and nicknames and cover the blurry lines between encouraging them to use their given names, helping them understand their "English name" meanings, and respecting the names that students choose for themselves.

Show Notes: www.DIESOL.org/79

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In Episode 78, we sit down with Jose Goulette to talk about simple and practical ways to engage students and motivate learning. Jose has easy ways to turn everyday resources like Uno cards and strings & pencils into fun learning activities with the class. Join in to hear how Jose integrates Gamification & Game Based Learning into his classes without a lot of extra effort. 

Show Notes: www.DIESOL.org/78

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Happy Year of the Rabbit! In this episode, Brent and Ixchell share 23 tools to explore or have on your radar. AI and implications of ChatGPT are taking the education world by storm--how will new tools shape and define the way we approach teaching? What oldies but goodies are worth looking at again in 2023? Join us as we talk through what caught our attention for the new year.

Show Notes: www.DIESOL.org/77

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A couple of weeks ago, ChatGPT exploded onto the scene, and teachers across the globe are scrambling to understand how this automated writing technology will affect every aspect of their teaching, pedagogy, and careers. While nobody has the answers, it's important to open up the conversation and make sure ESOL Teachers have an idea of what they're stepping into. This open conversation with Professor Eric H Roth explores the perils and potential of AI and automated writing in the classroom. Listen in today, and please let us know how you'll be approaching this shift in the paradigm of teaching.

Show Notes: www.DIESOL.org/76

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Flippity.net has provided a handy way to turn basic information into interactive games and resources for years. Brent & Ixchell look at a number of ways TESOL Teachers can use Flippity in the ESOL Classroom. If you have any of your ideas, please share them using the show notes below!

Show Notes: www.DIESOL.org/75

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The connection between coding and teaching English Language Learners may seem like a far stretch, but Holly Sawyer has made the link and has helped students learn practical, future ready skills at the same time as improving their language. Join us as we hear from Holly about her innovative approach to teaching English with coding, game development, robotics, and more. 

Show Notes: www.DIESOL.org/74

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What do we mean when we speak of accessibility in the language classroom? Are there guidelines available for assessing what we currently provide for our students? What factors do we need to keep in mind when making materials accessible for language learners? In this episode Brent and Ixchell discuss the importance of accessibility in TESOL and share some points to consider to ensure your material is accessible for your students.

Show Notes: www.DIESOL.org/73

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All of us are guilty of implementing some "not best" practices. For this spooky special episode, Brent & Ixchell discuss 13 of the worst offenders in the English Language Learning classroom. How many of these are YOU guilty of?? 👻

Show Notes: www.DIESOL.org/72

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We know that speaking another language helps English language teachers to understand and support language learners use of their L1 as a tool to navigate and negotiate the L2. But what about teachers who might be monolinguals? How can they help ELLs language learning experience? What is a Heritage Language (HL) and how does it come into play as a student learns English? Join us in this episode to find out!

Show Notes: www.DIESOL.org/71

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What are choice boards? How can we differentiate instruction for multiple skill levels and in different modalities? Do choice boards support creativity and engagement? In this episode, we share research on differentiating instruction with choice boards and give some tools and ideas to start building your own.

Show Notes: www.DIESOL.org/70

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How can you build rapport and connect with students when you have to launch a new class & cover required content? Listen in as we talk about using forms to make connections that last.

Show Notes: www.DIESOL.org/69 

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In this episode we welcome back Dr. JPB Gerald as we discuss his upcoming book release, "Antisocial Language Teaching: English and the Pervasive Pathology of Whiteness." Where is he now? What has progressed since our initial interview on decentralizing whiteness in language teaching? Have any professional language organizations changed their approach to move to less racism in the ELT field? Join us for a chat and preview this fresh resource that we feel should be a required textbook in all language teacher programs.

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Do restrictive cell phone policies work? What effect do students' perceptions of instructors with strict policies have on student teacher ratings? How has the pandemic changed expected appropriate behavior for students who have been using mobile devices for emergency distance learning? Will Gen Z instructors have a different approach to cell phone policies in the classroom? Brent and Ixchell discuss these questions and look at what pre-pandemic and current research articles say about it.

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Winnie Dinh is a professor of ESL at Irvine Valley College, specializing in working with students beginning their journey in learning English. Winnie joins us to talk about how to engage beginners and how to make tech work when the students are still developing the fundamentals of English. She also shares about making videos for students on YouTube and TikTok to help them build their skills wherever and whenever they want!

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You may have heard teachers talking about UDL, but what does Universal Design for Learning mean, and how can we implement it? Brent & Ixchell give a brief introduction to UDL and explain some tools that can help you implement it. 

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Want to support the show?

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How does classroom design affect student behavior and their learning environment? A search for classroom design might yield expensive or time-consuming decorated set-ups on Pinterest or Instagram. However, true classroom design takes into account maximizing student learning, interaction, and freedom. What does that approach look like in today’s classroom?Join us for a discussion on approaching classroom design even in classrooms that may not seem like they can be redesigned.

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Also, updated features allow for Cloze activities in Google Docs, but are they pedagogically sound? We jump into the research to find out.

We are back from our break and we've got news! After sixty episodes, we start our third year on the air by making a few adjustments to the content of our show. We want to include innovation that is not limited to digital tools only. We know there are many creative ways our listeners are innovating and that might simply be with pen and paper! Join us as we shift our gears and introduce you to DIESOL 2.0 : Developing Innovation in ESOL!