Using Google for ELL

Google Apps for Education (GAFE) are free resources available for any school district K-12. The G-Suite for education is a simple and effective way to implement tech use in your schools. When utilized correctly it can be useful in bridging gaps, accelerating reading, and moving students to proficiency in English Language Development. Google has literally done the hard work and schools across the nation are jumping on board with using G-Suite. The Google Apps for Education includes Google Docs, Google Sheets, Google Calendar, Google Classroom, Google Translate and other various add-ons and apps that support learning.

Most of us have used or heard of GAFE, however in this blog post I'm going to share how I use GAFE to cross barriers in the mainstream classrooms in support of EL students. These are practical and necessary and not our #dreamsolution.
My dream solution would actually put me out of a job, as I'm monolingual and can't speak Russian (my highest demographic in the schools I support). My dream would be a certified educator for every language represented that can build bilingualism in my students. The teacher would support their languages they speak while increasing their ELD... but that isn't the world I live in, so this is what I have done to utilize technology to help me here and now. The following weeks I will highlight areas of GAFE in order to show how I use it and to open discussion on how others are using in the ELL world.

Google translate - yes that is a bad word for many in ELL but for me and in my teaching practice it is a life saving tool. It has helped me teach words and phrases like bathroom, teacher, class, "WEAR PANTS👖 TOMORROW IT IS COLD🥶" (hello middle school teachers...I know you can relate), or even "PLEASE DON'T STAND ON THE TOILET" 🚽, it is clean so you can sit on it"). It has also helped me with bridging the mainstream content with key vocabulary needed for understanding... with Google Translate, students do not need a hand held bilingual dictionary as the dictionary is readily available at their fingertips.

The blue G is Google Translate. You can click on it and translate a whole web page or a word.
For how to change the native language (which should be done for each student) watch the silent video below the blog and feel free to use it with your newcomers or students)

Google translate has multiple options for use from an extension (don't know what that is? Check this out) to translating documents, pdfs, rtf, etc on the website www.translate.google.com, to being utilized in Google Docs to translate or type whole documents in native language.

Google Translate Document options 

There are a million and one different ways for a student to use Google Translate in and outside the classroom and I strongly feel like if you are using technology, G Translate should be an option. I know that a colleague of mine has struggled with the notion that Google Translate can often ruin the data of the parent if Translate is being used to communicate with a parent.  I recognize that concern and agree that we as a district and/or school should be supplying the devices when communicating at school... and we are only google translating real life communication with parents and students.  G Translate for written letters and communication home should only be used in an emergency situation where getting a live translator isn't an option with the time-frame being given and the translator should still be contacted to format a translation that is legible.

Here is an example:

When I worked in a middle school a student had brought a gun to school.The situation was handled quickly by the school police and local authorities so no one was harmed and the incident handled quickly without the student body knowing. The English speaking parents were getting a letter home stating the situation and how it was handled.  I didn't have time to speak to my principal and the administration to discuss how important this communication was and how it needed to be distributed etc. I could start conversations about what to do if and when there was a next time, but I needed to communicate NOW with the parents of the students I supported and advocated for. I simply translated, reverse translated the document, and retranslated the document sent it home with the English document and then sent the formal one off to be translated and sent home the next day. It was by far not a perfect situation, but a real one in a real situation that needed handled ASAP.  I had over seven languages represented and had to do what I could do to ensure parents were notified in a timely manner and communication was followed up with proper translations and parents had a way to get any concerns handled.

This was not a perfect solution, but G Translate allowed me to begin the notification and communication with parents.  If you are one to one you can also add the native language on their Chromebook so they can use it and its keyboard as part of the Chromebook itself.

G Translate can be used in Google Docs seamlessly.  This is a tool that can be used to make content more comprehensible while students are building proficiency.  Google Translate can not replace a teacher but G Translate CAN bridge gaps!

In conclusion, G Translate gets a bad rap because we all know those districts, classrooms, or teachers who ONLY use G translate and don't differentiate and teach the language.  Those instances drive me insane, but to invalidate the usefulness of a form translator because of the potential for harm keeps the benefits from being realized.  What are your concerns and/or uses for G Translate?