Angelique+Jackson

Tell Me More Kids English

This is a fun software package that helps English Language Learners grades K-8 to learn English through exploration and play; therefore, it would be best categorized as instructional game software. This software would be best utilized as a supplement to classroom activities. It is based on speech recognition technology. It is very interactive, engaging, and entertaining for students, with amusing characters to guide them along. Its primary focus is oral expression. It encompasses three levels of difficulty: immersion, to get students into the habit of listening; comprehension, where the child must understand the robot; expression, where the child does the speaking.

In implementing this software into my English/Language Arts program, I would incorporate it as an anchor activity for students with tactile/kinesthetic learning styles or use it as a classroom supplement in one of my 20-minute rotations with lower-tiered, intermediate ELL students. This program would serve to strengthen my students’ abilities to understand and communicate English.

Strengths: Truly immersive environment with state-of-the-art graphics Integrated use of advanced voice recognition technology Microphone and speakers or headset included.

Weaknesses: Requires a powerful computer, exceeds general recommended minimum Expensive

System Requirements: PC or compatible. Windows® 98, Millennium, XP or Vista 32/64 bits. Pentium® 600 MHz (1 GHz for Vista), 192 MB RAM (512 MB for Vista), 200 MB available on the hard disk, DVD-ROM drive, DirectX® 8-compatible sound card, DirectX® 8-compatible graphics card with a 1024x768 resolution and 16 million colors (24 bits), microphone and speakers or headset included.

Cost: $209.00

Website: http://www.tellmemorestore.com/product.asp?specific=20&gclid=CPGX7d6v_pwCFShSagod4FdfbA

PixWriter 3.0

This is a very easy to use, picture-supported writing tool that is suitable for ELL and Special Ed students grades K-12. It has a library of Literacy Support Pictures that contains over 9,000 support images in color or black-and-white. Simply type a story and the words and pictures are automatically inserted above the text. PixWriter 3.0 also connects the printed word with the spoken word. Students can also receive auditory support by clicking on any word to hear it read. Also, teachers may choose to target words by either embedding them with pictures or leaving them without pictures for drill and practice. For example: for a newcomer ELL student, a teacher might create a few sentences using key vocabulary and sight words. It may be written, however, so that a student’s first encounter with a word is visually supported with a picture clue, and upon the second or subsequent encounters, you might choose to leave it without the visual support. There are a number of color coding schemes that might also be helpful for students as they are learning to write. For example a teacher may choose to customize words representing various parts of speech with different colored borders. For example: the borders of verbs, green; nouns, blue; prepositions, yellow; etc. Students can also use the picture supports to write their own stories. It may also be used as a visual support tool for math-related concepts.

Implementing this software within my curriculum would save a huge amount of time searching for visual supports for key vocabulary on the Internet and elsewhere. I would use it to create mnemonic clues to teach and reinforce vocabulary. I would also use it during my 20-minute small group rotation as a motivating technology tool for enhancing the composition skills of my ELLs. I’m sure they would prefer to create a narrative essay with visuals rather than plain text.

Software Categories: Drill and practice – ELL students read text and target vocabulary supported with picture clues as visual support. Composition – teachers and students are able to compose a text of up to 500 words embedded with visual clues to assist in English language acquisition. Problem Solving – program can be utilized to produce math worksheets with numeric and fractional representations to aid in visualization of key math concepts.

Strengths: • Easy to use, both for student and teacher • Non- intimidating method whereby ELLs/Special Education students may acquire vocabulary • Visual, auditory, and writing support for ELLs and Special Education • Spanish is built into the program • Provides opportunity for even beginning ELLs to publish their work • Website includes: *Plenteous freebies *Online Tutorial of program: http://www.slatersoftware.com/01%20Picture%20It%20New%20Document/moviePIT01.html *PDFs that demonstrate how the program is aligned with reading, writing, and technology standards: http://www.slatersoftware.com/PW%20Standards.pdf

Weaknesses: • Not comprehensive-does not include elements to teach/reinforce all conventions in writing. • Expensive - 5 site licenses cost approximately $700. • Not available for Windows Vista due to changes in the Microsoft Agent Technology released with Vista.

System Requirements: Windows 2000-XP or Mac OS 10.4-10.5

Cost: $199.00 (single user manual and installation CD), $696.50 (5 site licenses)

Website: http://www.slatersoftware.com/pixwriter.html

Inglés Before You Know It (BYKI)

This software is ideal for a high school ELL Language Arts program grades 9-12 with a high population of Hispanic students, particularly, newcomers. It a software program comprising of a drill flash card system that provides bilingual rote-learning practice. It is intended for Spanish speakers who are learning English. It is great for students who need to quickly develop general or conversational English skills, because its emphasis is not on grammatical correctness. The rote learning method of delivery minimizes anxiety and intimidation.

I would integrate this instructional software program as part of a small group rotation. I would use it as a non-intimidating technological tool for beginner/newcomer ELL students to acquire the necessary basic interpersonal communication skills (BICS) to survive and function on a daily basis. Once past this stage, I would utilize the program only for reinforcement or review.

Strengths • Flash Card approach that is familiar to all Spanish instructions, translations of phrases for Spanish speakers • Ability to add phrases to already extensive list provided in software • Flexible multi-activity approach providing constant repetition ensuring learning • Wide range of essential phrases for common daily situations provided with software. • Each phrase repeated many times to ensure memorization of phrases. • Natural sounding pronunciation example provided for each phrase • Excellent price

Weaknesses • Doesn't provide longer conversations in authentic context • Lacks grammatical instruction • Won't appeal to those who do not like rote learning

System Requirements IBM PC and compatibles; Pentium, 233 MHz or higher, 64 MB RAM, hard disk with 50 MB free disk space, CD-ROM x 8 or higher, 16 bit or higher sound card compatible with Sound Blaster, speakers or headphones, microphone.

Cost: $69.95

Website: http://www.shoptransparent.com/store/transpar/DisplayCategoryProductListPage/categoryID.1443100/pgm.3948600?link=body

Easy Writer

Easy Writer is an interactive multimedia tutorial targeting high school ELLs from intermediate to advanced levels. The program is unique in that it provides hundreds of authentic samples of letters, essays, narratives, etc., written by actual college ESL students, which are used to teach students English grammar by making them correct the common mistakes of these ESL students. The software’s approach is systematic—a simple click and fix; once students find a mistake, they click on it and enter the correct response for it. The authentic writing samples help ELLs to make connections in English. Although the samples are from college ESL students, the pieces appear to be written at a low- to mid-intermediate level of language acquisition. The program’s strength and focus is grammar. However, the grammar is taught in context; this strategy is advocated among many contemporary language acquisition experts as the preferred and most effective approach towards grammar instruction for ELLs. Learning grammar in context helps to make text more meaningful for ELLs. Easy Writer is progressive tutorial in that it keeps track of mistakes and guides the students toward a better understanding of the English language I would incorporate the use of Easy Writer into one of my 20-minute rotations as a supplement for grammar instruction. It would be the perfect supplement to fill in the gaps where my current curriculum lacks in grammar instruction. My current program is focused on literary skills, rather. Because it encompasses a self-check feature, this would free me up to conduct the majority of my small group rotations without disruption. Strengths • Offers four levels of difficulty in one CD-ROM • Clear interface, easy navigation • Easy to use, improved and easy to follow instructions • All essays and examples are from real students' writing in real college ESL classes • Developed by an ESL teacher and tested in college classrooms • Keeps students involved and attentive for hours • The companion book to Easy Writer is full of grammar explanations, examples and activities. • Teaches proofreading and editing skills. • Grammar reference sections that allow students to review appropriate grammar. • Number of essays that focus on the target area and include specific grammar referral sheets.

Weaknesses • A little on the expensive side (but still less costly than many programs for five or more licenses) • Only Easy Writer Deluxe includes audio version (an important component for ELLs)

System Requirements Windows 98/ME/NT/2000/XP, 64 MB RAM, 14 MB hard drive space, 256 color display, and a mouse. Cost: $69.95

Website: http://www.softwareforstudents.com/

READ 180 Program

READ 180 is a reading program marketed by Scholastic, Inc. to support literacy and oral language among struggling students in grades 4-12, with an emphasis on Special Ed students and English Language Learners. READ 180 is breakthrough, research-based, tutorial software that uses student performance data—a variety of assessment tools and reports—to individualize, adjust, and differentiate instruction. Teachers also have the discretion to adjust software instruction according to student need within the comprehensive data management system with just a single click. It incorporates many of the components of Sheltered Instruction Observation Protocol (SIOP), one of the prominent models of instruction used for teaching ELL students, such a cooperative grouping, scaffolding, and plenteous visual support. After 10 years of research and over six years in schools, READ 180 has brought significant gains in reading proficiency for struggling students. A single year in this reading program has frequently achieved quantifiable increases in student proficiency by two grade levels or more.

I use this program as the core curriculum for my own English program for ELL students. It has achieved incredible results with literacy among my students and assists me with the differentiation of my student groups. For example, I might pull a data report on how much gain my students have made with Phonetic skills development—data retrieved from my students’ sessions on the software program. By analyzing this data, I can determine which students are in need of more support with a particular phonetic scheme. I might then create a group comprised of those students to conduct a mini lesson (an ELL strategy) on that particular phonetic scheme. This program has played a significant role in narrowing the achievement gap between ELL students and mainstream students in my high school.

Strengths • Reports to monitor adequate yearly progress (AYP) by demographic groups • District-wide data aggregation • Implementation training offered by Scholastic • Explicit, systematic instructional path for whole- and small-group rotations • Easy-to-use resources online and print to support differentiation • Fast one-step student management • Actionable report for each student, group, or class • Simplified installation and maintenance • Advanced Import/Export capabilities that integrates with existing systems • High concurrent usage (number of students school- or district-wide that can be logged onto server) • Common data base • Eligible for Title I, Response to Intervention (RtI), and other types of funding (inquire with Scholastic) • Small class sizes – 15 students per class

Weaknesses • Extremely Expensive- Ranges from approximately $4,000 for 5 site licenses to over $35,000 for 60 site licenses including (our school has 90 site licenses). Cost includes teaching system, classroom texts and reader sets. • Requires powerful computer. • Must have connection to powerful server. • Price does not come with required headsets with built-in microphones. • Requires 2-period literacy blocks, which may be difficult initially to incorporate into a middle school or high school student’s schedule. • 20-minute rotation schedule with student groups on computers is difficult to initiate, but gets easier with time.


 * Recommended System Requirements**


 * __Teacher Workstation__**

Processor type and speed: Pentium IV/1.5 GHz (Win) G4/1.25 GHz (Mac) Memory (RAM): 512 MB Hard disk space: 500 MB Operating system: Windows XP SP2 OS X 10.4X (Mac) Peripherals: 8x CD-ROM drive Headphone Microphone CD Player 800 x 600 16-bit Color Monitor TV Monitor DVD Player Internet Connection Color Printer


 * __Student Workstation__**

Processor type and speed: Pentium IV/1.0 GHz (Win) G4/1.25 GHz (Mac) Memory (RAM): 256 MB Hard disk space: 500 MB Operating system: Windows XP SP2 OS X 10.4X (Mac) Peripherals: 8x CD-ROM Drive Headphones Microphone CD Player 800 x 600 16-bit Color Monitor


 * __Application Server__**

Processor type and speed: Dual 3.2 GHZ Xeon (Win) Dual 2.0 GHz G5 Memory (RAM): 2048 MB Hard Disk Space: 5 GB Operating system: Windows 2003 Server OS X v10.4.X (Mac)


 * __Data Aggregation Server__**

Processor type and speed: Dual 3.2 GHZ Xeon (Win) Dual 2.0 GHz G5 (Mac) Memory (RAM): 2048 MB Hard Disk Space: 1 GB per school Operating system: Windows 2003 Server OS X v10.4.X (Mac)

Cost: Ranges from approximately $4,000 for 5 site licenses to over $35,000 for 60 site licenses

Website: http://teacher.scholastic.com/products/read180/