View Content #20998

From http://blog.tesol.org

Nathan Hall writes, “Those of us who remember computers being a novelty in the classroom probably also remember being told how the new generation of students are “digital natives.” The assumption is that children who grow up surrounded by computers see nothing strange about using one for work or play, and would passively become experts with this technology. In practice, though, I’ve seen many students struggle to find specific information, evaluate the credibility of a webpage, or write comprehensible forum posts. Unless the teacher is aware of these deficits, those students will struggle with technology-related assignments.

“And there’s more to consider with ELL students. There’s no easy answer for how available technology is in other parts of the world. Recently resettled refugees may not have seen a computer in a long time, while other children may be from a country that provides free high-speed Internet to all of its citizens. That’s a wide range of possibilities for your students to fall into, so it’s important to consider digital literacy as a complement to the other domains of literacy when helping your students prepare for a mainstream environment.”

Read on for techniques to find out how well students can use computers for academic work: http://blog.tesol.org/teaching-english-to-digital-natives-common-computer-concerns-for-ells/