Working in collaborative groups and digital literacy are cornerstones of 21st Century Learning.  With the digital tools available now, teachers can facilitate learning environments that foster creation and collaboration.  This is especially invaluable for emerging English learners who need supports along their path to proficiency.

Having students engage in meaningful interactions becomes more challenging when an ELD class is composed of students who speak a variety of languages.  In this class, however, the teacher has been able to leverage the collaborative nature of Google Slides in conjunction with Google Translate to facilitate effective partnerships among her students.

The teacher’s purpose in creating this assignment includes developing students’ literacy skills as they analyze, evaluate, and orally present information.  Students are allowed some autonomy, but also given supports and a framework within which to work as they progress in their language ability.

Until this point, the teacher had been providing students with posters to present their learnings. She noticed a positive motivational shift when she moved students from that format to Google Slides. 
  
As she began integrating collaborative presentations, the teacher noticed that students improved their vocabulary, and their writing and speaking skills transitioned from simple to more complex. They simultaneously improved their skills on the Google Slides platform from simple sentences to more in-depth writing that included gifs, videos, sounds, and transitions.   
During class, students researched animals and, using their own words, synthesized that information into a Google Slide Presentation. To help them overcome the challenge of being second language learners, students were paired together and they utilized the teacher’s guidance as well as Google Translate.  
     
This lesson is in the Refine/Revise portion of the Lesson Design Cycle because with each new presentation, the teacher adjusts expectations based on the learner’s needs, which supports the Personalized Learning Task Force Recommendation. Students continually improve their strategies for fully utilizing the available digital resources as they progress in their understanding of the English language.