ESOL Teacher
Bladensburg Elementary
Prince George’s County |
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". . . technology lies in the heart of my educational style and philosophy."
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How did you get involved with the field of education?
When I first started learning English in 7th grade in South Korea, English was my favorite subject, and English education eventually became a career field to pursue in college and in a graduate school in the United States. With my own experiences in learning English as a second language, my goal has been to minimize any difficulties that English language learners might have to go through in the process of acquiring English and help them become successful students in schools.
Describe your current position.
My job at Bladensburg ES is to provide ESOL students with integrated English instruction into the academic subject areas so that they can perform in their mainstreamed classrooms without difficulty. Outside my daily job, I manage Bladensburg e-Origination on Blackboard, which is a communication tool among staff and faculty, maintain the school’s Web site, and provide colleagues with technology training and one-on-one tutoring to promote technology integration in the classroom.
What role does technology play in your position?
Technology is important part of my daily work within and outside my job. In my first year of teaching, I took advantage of various technology staff development opportunities and tried out tech-infused activities in my ESOL instruction in order to utilize the eight computers in my classroom. While traditional paper-based books can provide students with print-rich environment, computers can help me easily integrate graphics, sounds, animation, or video clips into my instruction and address different learning styles and linguistic and cultural backgrounds that ESOL students bring with them. Thanks to the support from the central ESOL office and the knowledge and skills that I learned through the Instructional Technology program, I could not only incorporate research-based, tech-integrated lessons in to my daily teaching, but I also share my best practices with my colleagues through workshops and conferences at the school, local, state, and national level.
How has technology changed your education style / philosophy?
Since my daily life, both personal and professional, cannot pass without use of technology, technology lies in the heart of my educational style and philosophy. I strongly believe that technology can be an invaluable learning and teaching tool when it is used properly and cannot be separated from our lives in this information age. Thus, technology should be part of daily teaching practice in the classroom so that students can be equipped with the 21st century skills they need in their adult lives.