Integrating ICT and Literacy in Indigenous ESL Classrooms

Maryanne Bohr, Kym Bracegirdle and Selina Toohey

Northern Territory Department of Education Employment and Training (NT DEET)

Abstract

This workshop will explore the integration of ICT to motivate learning and enhance literacy, using examples from Indigenous ESL learning contexts. It will link key ESL and literacy pedagogies used across the Northern Territory (such as Walking Talking Texts and Accelerated Literacy) with ICT integration.

In the Northern Territory, cross sector collaboration is integral to ensuring the sustainability and effectiveness of any ICT integration and curriculum support provided to schools from DEET (Department of Education, Employment and Training). The workshop will showcase examples of this and creative ways of including ICT in current classroom practice.

Participants will have an opportunity to independentlyview resources and work samples that have been developed. Electronic copies of various instructional materials for teachers and students that have been created to support this integration of ICT into an ESL teaching context will be available, and participants will also be given the opportunity to share and discuss ideas, examples and current practice.

The facilitators of the workshop have extensive hands on experience in ICT and Indigenous education in both the Central Australia and Top End Region as part of Northern Territory DEET .

Intended Audience

  • Teachers of ESL students (especially Indigenous ESL students) attempting to integrate ICT into their literacy programs.
  • Teachers using or planning to use Accelerated Literacy (AL) or Walking Talking Text (WTT) programs.

Major Objectives

  • To explore the frameworks, and examples of integrating ICT into the ESLpedagogies of Walking Talking Text and Accelerated Literacy.
  • To provide participants with hands on opportunity to independently view instructional resourceswhich have been developed to facilitate the integration of ICT and literacy.
  • To provide a forum to discuss ideas, examples and current practice of integrating ICT and Literacy in Indigenous ESL Classrooms.
  • To provide participants with electronic copies of the instructional resources viewed in the workshop.

Proposed Duration

45 Minutes

Background of Workshop Facilitators/Presenters

Presenters all have a background in Indigenous Education in the Northern Territory. Currently presenters work supporting remote schools throughout the Territory to integrate ICT into teaching and learning, with an emphasis on improving literacy outcomes. Schools supported consist of very high populations of indigenous ESL students. Two literacy programs used in the NT to improve literacy outcomes for remote indigenous ESL students are AL and WTT, among others.

Workshop Outline

5 minutes – Introductionof presenters and participants and expectations of workshop.

20 minutes - The integration of ICT into the two literacy programs WTT and ALwill be unpacked. This will include sharing ICT Integration ideas within the frameworks of these two approaches and show casing examples of student work to facilitate the exploration of these processes and ideas.

10min - Participants will then be given an opportunity to view a package of instructional resources developed for Teachers and ESL students to support the integration of ICT in the classroom. A copy of these can also be taken on personal memory sticks. A number of CD copies will be ready to distribute to those who may not have the capacity to save on their own drives.

10 min –Discussion and sharing of examples of what has worked and not worked, including additional successful ESL Literacy approaches not encompassed by the examples and ideas covered in the workshop.