Computers and technology provide several distinct advantages for non-mainstream learners. Computer-based technologies provide a medium that students can engage in and interact with at their own level and speed. Multimedia projects created on the computer bring together graphics, video, audio, and text, providing students a variety of ways in which they can express themselves creatively.

A multimedia project is defined as one that brings together information in a variety of formats. Software such as Microsoft PowerPoint, HyperStudio, iMovie, and MovieMaker allow for multimedia program planning and development. Multimedia projects promote students' engagement in authentic, real world learning, resulting in greater retention and in the development of higher order thinking skills.

Technology-based projects allow English as a second language (ESL) students to draw on their cultural strengths and background experiences, which may otherwise go unnoticed. Creative projects incorporating visual and aural media address different learning styles and modalities. By constructing knowledge, students become active learners, researchers, and producers and can take pride in their end results.

Technology facilitates project-based learning, allowing students to integrate the content of different subject areas and establish connections to life outside the classroom. A well-developed multimedia project provides avenues for teachers to delve into their students’ background experience and to draw on the knowledge of these students’ families and communities. The process of creating such projects gives students the opportunity to stretch their imaginations and reach for the words to express themselves, providing an enjoyable and interactive way to achieve language learning goals.

Digital Books

Ri Majol

PowerPoint Slide Show

(Konawaena High School)

Ke Keiki Mehameha

Quicktime Version
File Size: 2.1M
Duration: 1'15

(West Hawaii district teacher training workshop)

The What's My Story? digital storytelling unit taps into the knowledge ESL children bring from their home cultures. Students are encouraged to bring in pictures from home, download pictures about their cultures, and develop a narrative about some aspect of who they are.

The activity can be made appropriate for all grade levels. For younger students, prompts about what to discuss can be provided on index cards. Older students can be asked to address more complex topics about their cultures and their memories or values.

Download What's My Story? Lesson Plan (72K PDF file)

Show and Tell

Public Service Announcements

The production of short public service announcements (PSAs) allows students to express themselves in ways that are relevant to them.

The sample projects showcase two groups of students who picked issues important to them and created short videos. One group chose acceptance or inclusion, while the other group chose the topic of discrimination.

Before planning their own PSAs, the students watched examples made by other students, discussed the elements of a PSA, and worked in teams to storyboard their project ideas. They then gathered the resources needed to create these projects. Students took all the digital photos and video, wrote the narration, and edited the PSAs on their own. (These projects were created during a two-day workshop.)

Students can use iMovie to explore themes related to topics they are studying in different subject areas. The samples in this section illustrate the work of high school students at Honokaa High School in Hawaii.

The students were studying the United States’ Bill of Rights in social studies. For their iMovie projects, students were asked to find out what rights people have in their home countries and to discuss their own concepts of human rights. Students enjoyed researching the project using the Internet and downloading pictures. The project helped the students to better understand the topic they were studying in social studies.

This sort of comparative theme-based project can be assigned to enhance social studies and science units. By finding ways to connect the concepts studied in class to the backgrounds or interests of students, these projects give ESL students a chance to better grasp the complex and potentially abstract concepts they are studying in class.

Download Comparative Unit Lesson Plan (64K PDF file)