Hi Calesia,

There are so many elements that influence a student's reading and comprehension.  Are you able to determine which specific skills need attention?  This information could be utilized to determine how best to incorporate technology supports.

I will show you a video that I made on youtube and I think it would be useful to teach them. Of course replace sign language for pictograms or their L1  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1G8PDSCIxWk&index=1&list=PLu62H3EFBS2BMy0tBEaaJe6z17zsbO7jw  

 Thanks for your feedback. I will check out the video

Hi Calesia

I don't normally just throw recommendations for tablet apps out there without more needs analysis, but since you asked specifically about tablets, there is an iPad app called Explain Everything that comes to mind. It was designed and piloted for reading skill development. I haven't had occasion to use it for a couple of years, so I haven't kept up with updates. You might want to check it out. The  advantage I see to using something like audiovideo to capture performance is that you have the reader creating something rather than just consuming, by reading an ebook.  If you find a media product that you and the student are confident to use, the student can work independently and you can review and  give feedback later.  It's also easier to document actual psychomotor skill for another reviewer (reading specialist, resource teacher, or caregiver/parent). Students are willing to spend time on task to "get it just right" so they will persist at the task until they get a result they're proud of. The media can also be captured to perhaps create a gift for someone or to contribute to a special reading project, perhaps stimulating more incentive to create a high quality product. Maybe the reader can create a video library of storytime reading for younger kids, gradually increasing the challenge (using lexile as criteron?) as competency increases.  Just some thoughts. but even without using the video capability of the tablet, using the microphone if it has one will capture something for authentic assessment. 

 Thank you I will check it out.

I think you should check out this piece of software, research-based and non-commercial, available for Android and PC: https://graphogame.com/

(and no, I have had no involvement in the research or development of this software myself, however I am very interested in the evaluation and criteria for assessing the efficiency of such software - so please let me know how it goes! Good luck!) 

thank  you I will.

Hi,

You can use the mic of the tablet to record sound. the studenent can practice at home by saying again and again word that he can hear. Try to find a game that lets the student tell a story or word. I think there are good sites that you can use

Best,

Moaes

Most things that can be done on a computer can be done on a tablet. So if there is software to do this on a computer, it might be done on a tablet.

But I would urge you not to ask if a piece of hardware can cause someone to learn. It's just a tool. I would suggest doing research on the most effective reading and comprehension strategies, and only then ask how they need to be delivered.

What if it turned out the instruction could be delivered on paper? The cost would be a fraction.

I would encourage him to use the functions of an e-reader. He can highlight difficult or unknown words, have them pronounced by the e-reader app, and the word or phrase can be checked out on the internet. The highlighted words can then be collated and used as an assessment tool.  I would suggest giving him a couple of pages for reading ( to help with comprehension), but also allow him to listen aurally to the story (text to speech or audiobook) as he will be more likely able to follow the story and, most importantly, enjoy it.

If the student is having a great deal of difficulty with comprehension. I would recommend the Into The Book web link. Into The Book is a series of video clips where children and teachers walk through and model several different comprehension strategies together as in transactional strategy instruction.  The Comprehension strategies are taught explicitly and when the students are ready the teachers in the video gradually release the responsibility of the comprehension strategy to the students themselves.

Calesia: The tablet is an emerging technology especially in the secondary classroom. In chossing your reading material remember to link it to your students' prior reading, experience, or societal/global issue to make it more interesting and engaging for them. This current study gives an insight into its use in teaching at the high school level:

https://docs.google.com/a/dec.uwi.edu/document/preview?hgd=1&id=1rCZcaT3AlKiqPVANLBOMSf3087NYiZBDqdY77wqUYAw

Many thanks,Debra

You as the teacher can use either the tablet or your laptop and download "abcmouse.com" With that program the student will learn: letter sounds, syllables, correct spelling of words and new words. The student will listen to story reading and will also participate in the reading and finally will do independent reading. This is a very effective program for students with reading difficulty.

If you are using a tablet make sure the info the student is reading is of interest to them.  Another thing you can do is have the student tell you a story, record the information, type it up (with edits of course) and then have them read the information. 

You might want to consider Universal Design for Learning using technologies to feature multiple input channels to scaffold literacy teaching. Here's a link to David Rose's lecture for inspiration.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yETe92mwoUE

A specific of example of how to work with book-builder in connection with teaching literacy skills in EFL is demonstrated in the English version of my forthcoming article (to be published as a chapter in a Danish anthology on digital literacy didactics)

First, ask what how you might improve the reading level and comprehension skills of a student who is below grade level (sans the technology). Begin with the pedagogy and reading strategies/invention needed. 

Then, ask in what ways a tablet may aid in the process. I would suggest seeking out information from many districts conducting tablet initiatives, such as Marisa Burkhart in SD#158 or Mark Hamilton of Coachella Valley Unified SD.  

I think you can collect some simple stories and install them in their tablets. They can read stories at home and make questions, draw pictures or find something extra and present it to the class. Students can be divided into groups and students may present representing their groups. You can have a progress chart with the names of groups in which you will give marks for each group for their performances. When students make questions, you can have a Q and A session among groups. This really works.

This has been tested with grade 6 students in Sri Lanka;

Chapter Flipped learning and peer instruction: An attempt to use two...

Conference Paper Transforming English Language Teaching: introducing flipped ...

Regards