Theoretical Framework
Children of today learn completely deferent to what their previous generations have. This is the first generation that has ever mastered a multitude of tools essential to society before the older generations have. They have grown up digitally capable. They are DFL (Digital as a First Language). They are, as Prensky (2001) describes them, digital natives who have grown up in the new digital landscape. For this generation, there’s never been a time when computers, the Web, cell phones, and all of the other digital wonders haven’t existed.
Digital natives, pick up new devices and start experimenting with them right away. They assume the inherent design of the devices will teach them how to use a new gadget intuitively. This is because the digital native has adopted a mindset of rapid-fire trial and error learning. They’re not afraid of making mistakes because they learn more quickly that way. They use devices experientially, and have no problems getting help online (Jukes & Dosaj, 2006).
Prensky (2001) describes digital immigrants as the generations born before the digital boom or while this era was being developed. Digital immigrants prefer the telephone over IMing and texting, the newspaper over CNN.com, the weatherman over WeatherBug, face-to-face visits over e-mail exchanges, journals over Google, maps over MapQuest, bookstores over Amazon.com, a daily planner over a iPad tablet or blackberry, CDs over MP3s, a dictionary over Dictionary.com and still feel more comfortable walking to and around the library over searching online journal databases or Google (Prensky, 2001).
Prensky (2001) expressed “Our students have changed radically. Today’s students are no longer the people our educational system was designed to teach”. Digital technology has shaped the way our students learn and the way they are taught. Today students (Digital Natives) and specially ESL students learn more easily with the aid of digital technology. Computer-assisted language learning (CALL) is an approach to language teaching and learning in which computer technology or any kind of digital technology is used as an aid to the presentation, reinforcement and assessment of material to be learned, usually including a substantial interactive element. Levy (1997) defines CALL as "the search for and study of applications of computers or digital technology in language teaching and learning". CALL is meant to supplement language instruction, not replace it.
ESL classroom instruction should stimulate and motivate a student's reading, writing, listening, and speaking skills of English language. The iPad does just that! Check out these video to see how iPads are implented in an ESL classroom environment at McAllen ISD.
Digital natives, pick up new devices and start experimenting with them right away. They assume the inherent design of the devices will teach them how to use a new gadget intuitively. This is because the digital native has adopted a mindset of rapid-fire trial and error learning. They’re not afraid of making mistakes because they learn more quickly that way. They use devices experientially, and have no problems getting help online (Jukes & Dosaj, 2006).
Prensky (2001) describes digital immigrants as the generations born before the digital boom or while this era was being developed. Digital immigrants prefer the telephone over IMing and texting, the newspaper over CNN.com, the weatherman over WeatherBug, face-to-face visits over e-mail exchanges, journals over Google, maps over MapQuest, bookstores over Amazon.com, a daily planner over a iPad tablet or blackberry, CDs over MP3s, a dictionary over Dictionary.com and still feel more comfortable walking to and around the library over searching online journal databases or Google (Prensky, 2001).
Prensky (2001) expressed “Our students have changed radically. Today’s students are no longer the people our educational system was designed to teach”. Digital technology has shaped the way our students learn and the way they are taught. Today students (Digital Natives) and specially ESL students learn more easily with the aid of digital technology. Computer-assisted language learning (CALL) is an approach to language teaching and learning in which computer technology or any kind of digital technology is used as an aid to the presentation, reinforcement and assessment of material to be learned, usually including a substantial interactive element. Levy (1997) defines CALL as "the search for and study of applications of computers or digital technology in language teaching and learning". CALL is meant to supplement language instruction, not replace it.
ESL classroom instruction should stimulate and motivate a student's reading, writing, listening, and speaking skills of English language. The iPad does just that! Check out these video to see how iPads are implented in an ESL classroom environment at McAllen ISD.