Basic Computer Skills for the Beginning ESL Student

Session 1: 10:30am-12:00pm (Friday March 07, 2025)

 

Description

Despite an increase in access to technology in our communities, and despite the fact that the vast majority of adult education students own a smart phone, we are still encountering many ESL students who lack basic computer skills. Many beginning ESL students need to learn not only basic computer skills, but also the language associated with these computer skills. Teachers want to use more technology in their ESL classes, but it can be time-consuming for teachers to embedded basic computer instruction into every day curriculum. To address this, We have created workshops where beginning ESL students can learn both the vocabulary associated with using computers alongside learning basic computer usage. During this presentation, we will demonstrate the instructional methods we use to teach these workshops, share some online tools that have assisted our students and becoming more confident on the computer, and discuss the outcomes of our workshops.

Presenters

Lead Presenter Bio Photo

Sara Nickles

Long Beach School For Adults

Sara Nickles in her 19th year of teaching ESL. She is currently the ESL Lead Teacher at LBSA. She has taught at the university, community college, and adult education levels. She holds an M.A. in Linguistics and a Graduate Certificate in TESOL. Previously, she has presented at the EL Civics Conference, CASAS Summer Institute, CCAE Conference, and even an OTAN Tech Talk. In her spare time, she tries to stay relevant with her two middle school kids by learning all the Gen Alpha slang.

Type of Presentation

Demonstration (60 Minutes)

Audience

  • Teachers

Program Strands

  • English as a Second Language

Category Strands

  • Ensuring Equity and Access
  • Digital Learning Foundations