Using Technology to Support and Motivate ELL Students in the Library

Introduction: 
I have never worked in an elementary school library but I do have experience teaching ELL students. I was particularly interested in how technology can be used to support and motivate ELL students participation and use of the library. I included the most relevant resources on technology currently being used in schools that serve ELL students. I did not include resources that could not be applied to an elementary library setting, for example, technology specific to teaching only in a classroom setting or only middle or high school ELL students.

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Boeglin-Quintana, Brenda, and Loretta Donovan. “Storytime Using IPods: Using Technology to
Reach All Learners.” TechTrends, vol. 57, no. 6, 2013, pp. 49-57. https://moe.highline.edu:2597/docview/1461759141/A8A34F063CC84EE7PQ/2?accountid=1327

This article describes a research study of a group of kindergarten students who used an iPod Shuffle for reading compared to a group who read silently over 6 weeks. Reading motivation did in fact increase for the students who used the iPod. Students using the iPod were more likely to read an entire book in one sitting compared to those students who read silently. Reading stories on iPods allowed students to read a story multiple times which increased their comprehension and connection to the text and in turn, built their confidence and motivation. The research also showed the benefits of using an iPod in the home for vocabulary acquisition if students aren’t being read to by their family members regularly. TechTrends is a peer-reviewed journal that uses a panel of editors and other professionals in the fields of technology and educational communication to select submissions. Dr. Donovan is a professor in the Dept. of Elementary and Bilingual Education at the California State University-Fullerton. Ms. Boeglin-Quintana is also from California State University-Fullerton.  
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Curl, Melanie. “Inspiring English Language Learners in the Library.” The Edvocate, 31 March

Melanie Curl’s article explores the use of PebbleGo at her elementary school library in Lubbock, Texas, where she is the Teacher-Librarian. PebbleGo is a digital database of non-fiction articles in Spanish and English designed for use by elementary students. The books are available as audio books and have an easy way to check the definitions of vocabulary words, both features which are beneficial to ELL students. The use of videos, pictures, and graphic organizers helps to increase reading motivation. The author also points out that PebbleGo uses reliable sources which is helpful for teaching research skills to ELL students.
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Cutter, Megan. "Using Technology with English Language Learners in the Classroom" (2015).

This article describes specific technologies that support the learning of ELL students. This article focuses on the classroom but the recommendations can be used in the school library setting as well. Megan Cutter advocates for strong professional development in the use of technology to ensure that it is integrated into lessons effectively. Cutter includes multiple strategies for using iPads, iPods, computers, web pages, and applications to engage ELL students. The research methodology is explained in specific detail and includes three student case studies to support the conclusions. Megan Cutter is a certified teacher for grades 1-12 and taught high school while she completed her Masters in Special Education at St. John Fisher College in Rochester, NY, in 2015.
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Jenkins, Misti. “Serving ELL Students When Their First Language Isn’t Spanish.” School Library

This article provides information and resources for schools that serve non-English speaking students who speak languages other than Spanish, for example, it begs the question - how do you serve a school that has students who speak 40 different languages? Misti Jenkins shares the resources that have been the most effective in serving ELL students in her Nashville High School library. She suggests including popular DVDs in the library collection as a way to entice students to visit the library in turn increasing circulation by ELL students. She also recommends two low-level book series of high interest for older students - Dark Man and Right Now by Saddleback Educational Publishing. Another recommendation Jenkins makes is to build strong relationships with ELL teachers, collaborate with them, and have a flexible schedule that allows for their students to visit the library often as a class. Jenkins has been a high school librarian for over 10 years and an English teacher for 6 years.
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Jules, Jacqueline. “10 Ways to Support ELLs in the School Library.” ¡Colorín Colorado!,

This article includes specific examples for teacher-librarians on how to increase reading motivation in ELL students. It includes a list of links to online websites and databases that can connect students to resources on their country of origin (ex: National Geographic, Lonely Planet) and materials in their native language (ex: PlanetaSaber, International Children’s Digital Library). The other technology tools that are recommended include the use of podcasts and audiobooks using Playaways (audiobook), CDs, iPods, MP3 players, or library computers. There is also a link to the American Association of School Libraries’ 2009 Annual Survey of School Library Media Programs that was focused on ELLs. There is also a link to a video clip on how to make the library accessible to ELLs. Jacqueline Jules has written fourteen children’s books, two specifically inspired by her experiences working with ELL students. She is also an elementary school librarian in Virginia.   
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 Langer de Ramirez, Lori. Empower English Language Learners With Tools From the Web.

Dr. Lori Langer de Ramirez’s book presents specific, researched-based technology tools that are effective for teaching ELL students in grades K-12. It covers the use of blogs, wikis, podcasts, videos (YouTube and TeacherTube), visual media (VoiceThread and Flickr), social networks (Facebook, Twitter, MySpace), social bookmarking (Diigo and Del.icio.us), and virtual worlds (Panwapa and Teen Second Life) with ELL students in any teaching situation. There is a section for each type of technology that answers the what, why, how, when, who, where for that specific tool. Sections also include references, suggested readings, and helpful websites. Dr. Langer de Ramirez has extensive professional experience in second language methodology and is the chairperson of the ESL and World Language Dept. for Herricks Public Schools in New York. She is a previously published author of two books on teaching in the multicultural classroom.  
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Naidoo, Jamie Campbell. Celebrating Cuentos: Promoting Latino Children’s Literature and
Literacy in Classrooms and Libraries. Libraries Unlimited, 2011. https://seattle.bibliocommons.com/item/show/2715083030_celebrating_cuentos

This book is a collection of 17 essays that outline how to integrate quality Latino children’s literature into school libraries. Specific to the research topic, this book addresses ways that librarians, who may not speak a student’s first language, can meet the linguistic and cultural needs of their patrons. There are also three chapters that specifically address the use of technology to promote literacy for Latino children in the library setting. The final section includes a list of online resources in addition to a bibliography of quality Latino children’s literature. Dr. Campbell Naidoo teaches and researches in the School of Library and Information Studies at the University of Alabama. One of his areas of expertise is library services to Latino families.
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Smallwood, Carol, and Kim Becnel. Library Services for Multicultural Patrons: Strategies to
Encourage Library Use. 1st ed., Scarecrow Press, 2013. https://www.linkcat.info/cgi-bin/koha/opac-detail.pl?biblionumber=960659

This publication is a compilation of 37 articles focusing on serving multicultural patrons written by school, public, and academic librarians. It is relevant to my research topic because it includes articles on student engagement and using technology to “empower individuals.” The articles focus on the practical application of tested programs that have been successful in addressing the needs of multicultural patrons, including those whose first language is not English. The inclusion of a multitude of perspectives helps to make this publication a credible source of information. Both editors have written and edited multiple publications on library topics. Smallwood is an experienced public library systems consultant who works with school libraries. Becnel is a professor of library science and researcher of youth services and children’s literature.
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Vander Ark, Tom. “EdTech Products Supporting ELL.” Getting Smart, 22 March 2016,

This article lists the results of a review of 100 learning apps and programs for 17 categories. The tables of the top results list the 17 categories with the ELA product and its ELL supports, the grade level or audience, examples of apps and programs that worked best for that category along with its innovation opportunity. The article also includes information on the product categories and their current level of adoption. These product categories include natural language processing, voice recognition, computer vision, augmented reality, virtual reality, learner profile, telepresence, translation, and automated assessment. Tom Vander Ark is the CEO of Getting Smart, a learning design firm, and was the first Executive Director of Education for the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. He was previously the superintendent of the Federal Way school district. He has published three books on the topics of  learning, parenting, and education.
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Yoon, Tecnam. “Are You Digitized? Ways to Provide Motivation for ELLs Using Digital
Storytelling.” International Journal of Research Studies in Educational Technology, vol. 2, no. 1, 2013, pp. 25-34. https://www.learntechlib.org/p/49787/

This article explores the positive results of digital storytelling on the language acquisition of English language learners (ELLs) in a 5th grade classroom in South Korea in 2012. Digital storytelling includes multimedia technology such as visual images, recorded audio, music/sound, video clips/segments, and written texts to tell a story. The author’s two main research questions address the issue of my research topic, specifically how digital storytelling (the technology) improved reading motivation for ELL students. The article documents the specific data of the mixed research study that was gathered to show the benefits of digital storytelling that was assessed by anonymous reviewers. This article is helpful to library media specialists because it describes the way to use digital storytelling as a research-based tool for reading motivation for ELL students. Tecnam Yoon of the Department of Teacher Education and Curriculum Studies, University of Massachusetts, is also an editor of EduLearn, the Journal of Education and Learning, and has written multiple journal articles on similar topics in technology and language learning.

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