Teachology Spring 2015 Edition | Page 8

ESL Students Gain Language & Technology Skills Through Video By Nina Trombi Contributor John Graney is often one of the first instructors an international student meets at Santa Fe. As the coordinator of English as a Second Language, John and his staff of faculty and specialists assist students from a variety of cultures, ethnicities, and language skill levels. It’s not unusual to meet an ESL student taking upper-level mathematics courses, and an ESL communications course. In the fall term John took his ESL Communications students to the Educational Media Studio for a very special assignment. They wrote an English- language script for an imaginary news broadcast. With the help of the Media Studio staff, these students were able to make professional looking videos, and try something new to most people – speaking in front of a camera! When I interviewed John Graney about his students’ video assignment, I wanted to know more about how the experience was for the students themselves who, not only must use and practice English, but also go through the process of using a studio. John quoted one student as saying