English Language Arts

Integrating Technology into English Language Arts

On this page, you'll find ideas for integrating technology into language arts.

Internet for Instruction 

Specific Integration

Teachers can look at teacher.org to find specific lesson plans they need for their language arts lessons.  The lessons can easily be integrated into any language arts curriculum.  A teacher can simply search by grade level, content matter, or even specifically by a lesson they need to reinforce a lesson they're already teaching.

Relative Advantage

The lessons range from Kindergarten through high school and teachers can search for specific lesson plans based around certain objectives or concepts they're working on.  The lessons are organized and state how long it will take to teach each lesson as well.  The relative advantage is the ease of use and the time it will save teachers with lesson planning.

Expected Outcome

By having a site to help with lesson planning, teachers will be able to easily find lessons to help with what they're working on so they can teach their students with ease.  Since the lesson plans are downloadable and the Common Core standards are already listed, language arts teachers will be able to use these lessons as written or easily tie them in with other lessons they're already teaching from as well. 

Resources for More Information

teacher.org

Tool Software

Specific Integration

Teachers can use screentasting with Screentastify to model instruction.  While students are learning a new concept, teachers can integrate Screentastify into the lesson while taking notes and showing an example.

Relative Advantage

Instead of just explaining an assignment or handing out a worksheet, teachers can visually show students on a whiteboard how to do something or write out an example.  The other advantage of doing screentasting is that the teacher can also pre-record them teaching a lesson with a slide deck on top of it and students can watch the lesson directly from their devices at school or at home. 

Expected Outcome

While teachers are using Screentastify, students will be able to easily follow along while the lesson is being taught or to understand the lesson being reviewed.  Also, if the video is pre-recorded, students can re-watch the lesson as many times as needed. 

Resources for More Information

Screencastify


Instructional Software

Specific Integration

Endless Reader integrates into language arts by helping early learners practice sight words in a fun and engaging way.  Teachers can easily integrate this app into sight word lessons and can focus on specific words they want their students to practice reading.  Also, this will be a great pre-reading activity to have students practice their sight words before transferring those skills to a story or reading lesson.

Relative Advantage

Students can practice reading sight words at home or at school since Endless Reader is an app.  The relative advantage is that students reading skills will improve as they piece together the letters of each word and practice reading the words right along with the Endless Reader monsters. 

Expected Outcome

After using Endless Reader, students will improve their reading fluency, their use of sight word recognition, and the practice of spelling using upper and lower case letters. 

Resources for More Information

Endless Reader

Productivity Software

Specific Integration

Kidspiration is a great tool to integrate into language arts by giving the students the ability to organize their thoughts with writing.  Students can use visual maps, word webs, and other organizational ideas to clearly put together their thoughts in pre-writing.  

Relative Advantage

The relative advantage of using Kidspiration is that students can work on their pre-writing skills by being able to organize their thoughts.  The advantage of doing this on a device instead of using paper, is that students can save their work and go back to put it all together at a later date.

Expected Outcome

When students use Kidspiration, they'll not only practice pre-writing skills, but will be able to piece together all of the parts into a well organized paragraph.  Students will visually be able to see what they're writing and will grow in their confidence as a writer and reader. 

Resources for More Information

Kidspiration

Also see Istation on the math page that can be used for English language arts integration as well. 

Heggery is also a great website for phonics.