Looking into the classroom window: Technology in a bilingual class

Imagine a classroom in which both English and Spanish words fly through the air simultaneously as students fill the classroom and prepare to take in the lesson plan for the day. That’s typically the standard morning scenario for educators like Lily Jimenez, a bilingual preschool teacher in Urbana, Illinois. One can easily imagine how technology could be used as a helpful tool in communicating across linguistic lines in such a classroom. But, unfortunately, the availability of classroom technology can often become an issue of access, signifying the disparity between the 'haves' and the 'have-nots'.

“Students are using more technology in the classroom and are expected to have access to it outside the classroom,” Jimenez pointed out. “I think schools might have to think how to teach parents how to use this new technology, so they can also encourage their children to continue to use it.”

Because she works with preschoolers, technology does not play as large of a role in her classroom as it does in others with older students. Nonetheless, Jimenez finds it imperative that schools allow students the opportunity to have access to technology that will become increasingly relevant to their academic lives as the years progress.

“I think in order to continue to be competitive globally, schools will need to increase students’ technology competencies,” she explained. “In regards to improving test scores, I think it depends on how the technology is used. Can it be used as another means to reach kids since so many are interested in technology?”

For many teachers like Jimenez, innovative educational tools that rely heavily on technology, like smartboards, make the classroom a more exciting and inviting place for them and students alike. Unfortunately, says Jimenez, disparities in access to resources can not only affect the access students will have to the technology, but also how effectively it is used in the classroom.

“As an educator I would like there to be more accessibility to technological innovations,” Jimenez noted. “I think it’s great that things are out there, but do school districts have the money to purchase these items, can they maintain them, and can their schools handle the power needed for these innovations? If a school is so old that you cannot run too many smartboards [because of electricity limitations], what is the point of having them? If a school has asbestos and you cannot drill to install internet service, what is the point?”

As some 30 states face deficits that make up least 10 percent of their budget, educators across the nation grapple with finding solutions to the questions Jimenez posed. In the interim, school officials in cash-strapped states continue to face the threat—and reality—of harsh funding cuts during the country's continuing economic recovery.