ESL students are those who are learning English as a second language. ESL, therefore, is the use or study of English by an individual with a different native tongue or language. It can be quite difficult to learn a new language; fortunately, modern technology is making the process easier, less time-consuming, and more enjoyable.
Nowadays students not only asking themselves “who will write an essay for me” but also looking for some help in technologies. Today, many educational institutions are increasingly using technology in the classroom to engage learners in different ways, including teaching English as a second language. It is important for teachers and parents to help their kids understand that gadgets such as tablets and iPads are not just for taking selfies, texting, and playing games. Rather, they are also a great learning and practicing tool.
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iPad Apps for ESL Learning
Apple’s app store has tons of iPad apps for a wide range of applications, ranging from those that help people manage their finances to apps designed for productivity, as well as apps for improving language skills. It has thousands of apps for students of any age or level, including those for ESL students. Some of the top iPad apps for people who want to develop their English language skills or learn English as a second language include:
1. Sounds Right
Developed by the British Council, this iPad app is simple but powerful. It is ideal for ESL students who want to learn British English as it teaches the right pronunciations of vowels, listed by the shape of the mouth, and diphthongs.
2. Conversation English
This iPad app is perfect for ESL students. Using 20 conversational lessons, this app helps people practice and improve their conversational skills, in addition to teaching them more than 200 English expressions and idioms meant to develop their conversational speaking and listening skills.
3. Word BINGO
This is the perfect ESL app for students who want to learn while having fun at the same time. It is a word game involving playing with a list of words, which allows students to learn new words each time they play. In addition, users can choose between three different playing modes as they progress to higher levels of complexity.
4. Speech Tutor
This iPad app for ESL students is ideal for people who want to learn the right pronunciation and sound of different English words. Users of this app get to learn from two different angels, one side view and the other front view, producing sounds from either views or angles. Users can listen to the sounds at different speeds, or pause to practice the pronunciations and sounds.
5. Intro to Letters
This iPad app for ESL students is ideal for kids as it teaches them all the letters of the English alphabet in a simple and engaging way. It also helps them learn the pronunciation and structure of words through digital flashcards, tracing, phonogram puzzles, and audio.
6. Hello-Hello English
Developed through a joint effort between Hello-Hello developers and the American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages, this iPad app for ESL students is very effective when it comes to teaching and developing English conversational skills. Its lessons involve note-taking exercises, real-world scenarios, and other teaching tools such as flashcards.
With its weird exceptions to rules and peculiar spellings and turn of phrases, proper English can daunt even native speakers. Those learning it as a second or third language deserve a lot of sympathies. It is a good thing, therefore, that anyone with access to an iPad can benefit from some fun and helpful English lesson apps that harness the latest technology. Whether one has a few hours to study the complexities of English or a few minutes to check a listing in the dictionary, these top 6 great iPad apps for ESL students are there to meet the needs of all skill levels and ages.
