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English as a Second Language
The English as a Second Language (ESL) section provides valuable resources for teaching English to adult learners, focusing on language acquisition and proficiency. This section includes a range of strategies and materials designed to support ESL instructors and learners, offering tailored approaches to improve communication skills and achieve language mastery.
Resources
Change Agent | Website
An Adult Education magazine that is made by and for Adult Education learners. SDE in CT has a subscription available for all teachers to have access to entire issues, recordings, full lessons, and other resources available to use in the classroom. Change Agent also allows Adult Education students to publish articles.
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ESL Story Bank | Website
A product from an Ed Tech Maker Space Project cohort that includes pre-beginner and beginner ESL Stories with lessons and activities to use in the classroom. Access the ESL Story Bank Lessons in PDF to guide teachers in using the stories and ready-to-use activities. You can engage learners with the "Immersive Reader" tool in Wakelet for the stories, Jamboard for interactive, ready-to-use activities, and Flippity for typing practice using the stories.
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​​ESL Toolkits | Toolkits
Access curated resources by Digital ATDN in different content areas. The resources are housed in Wakelet, grouped by programs, and updated throughout the year to include new toolkits and resources.
Toolkits available: ESL | Pre-Beginner & Beginner ESL
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Kahoot! | Website
An online resource where you can create and use the trivia game formula to build on learning. Don't know where to start? The Kahoot Academy section includes many ready-to-play games categorized by topics and resources from different creators.
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Marshall Reading Program | Website
A toolkit that was created by Adult educators. The program provides opportunities to practice vocabulary, fluency, and reading comprehension. The selection of stories can be sorted by reading levels or topics. The toolkit uses Quizlet, the Reading Skills 4 Today website, and Google Forms to practice and develop the skills.
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Newsela | Website
Lexile levels can scale a collection of articles to accommodate different reading levels. Articles include quizzes that assess comprehension. Newsela can integrate with Google Classroom, CANVAS, and other resources.
Reading Skills 4 Today | Website
A website from Southwest Adult Basic Education compiled stories that are grouped by reading levels. Each selection has downloadable documents that include: pre and post-questions, supplemental activities, and the story. They also have recordings that assist in developing fluency, as well as a timer for students to practice.
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Readworks | Website
A website that includes a variety of literature for students in and out of the classroom. Each reading includes comprehension, text-dependent, and short answer questions for students to complete. A few things you can find in each story are the lexile level, word count, and a recording of the story for readers to follow.
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USA Hello | Website
A free online platform that offers educational and informational resources for immigrants, refugees, and asylum seekers. It provides lessons on English, digital skills, citizenship, job readiness, and life in the U.S., helping learners navigate their new communities and build toward personal and career goals.
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USA Learns | Website
USA Learns is a free website that helps adults learn English online for free. This popular website teaches English by providing engaging videos and educational activities. Learners can learn English independently or with the support of their instructor.
We Speak NYC | Read our post on We Speak NYC | Website
We Speak NYC s a free English language learning program provided by the New York City Mayor's Office of Immigrant Affairs. Designed primarily for immigrants, the program offers civic-focused language instruction to help English Language Learners improve their communication skills while also gaining knowledge about accessing essential city services.
Classroom Tools
EdTech tools and online resources create new opportunities for adult learners to build digital skills and engage with content in ways that go beyond traditional instruction. These tools are meant to supplement classroom teaching by offering a multimodal approach that supports meaningful learning through real-world scenarios and scaffolded practice. Below are the following categories:
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Content Creation Tools
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These tools allow educators and learners to design engaging visuals, multimedia presentations, and interactive lessons.
They support creativity and digital communication by offering templates, drag-and-drop features, and real-time sharing to enhance both in-person and online instruction.
Collaboration Tools
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Designed to support teamwork and real-time interaction, collaboration tools create virtual learning environments where students and educators can co-create, communicate, and organize materials.
They may integrate video conferencing, shared documents, and classroom management features.
Assessment & Feedback Tools
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These tools help educators check for understanding, gather feedback, and adjust instruction in real time.
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Through quizzes, polls, and game-based activities, learners can participate actively while receiving immediate results and reinforcement.
Communication Tools
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Communication platforms help educators connect with learners through messaging, translations, and app-based alerts.
These tools support engagement, especially for multilingual families, by ensuring messages are accessible and timely.
The categories clarify the purpose of each tool or resource. We recommend pairing these tools with the Digital Literacy Curricula to create a more tailored approach that can facilitate transferable skills building on what adult learners already know, what they will need to learn in class, and what they will need to apply beyond the classroom.
Please note that the tools listed are simply starting points and may be substituted with other tools that are more familiar to your learners or already in use at your agency:​
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​​Canva | Website​
✅ Content Creation | ✅ Collaboration | ✅ Assessment & Feedback
Canva is a user-friendly graphic design platform that allows educators and learners to create presentations, infographics, handouts, and social media posts. With drag-and-drop functionality and customizable templates, it supports visual learning and creativity across academic and workplace topics.
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​Curipod | Website
✅ Content Creation | ✅ Collaboration | ✅ Assessment & Feedback
An interactive lesson creation tool that uses AI to help educators design engaging presentations, polls, and activities. It supports student participation through real-time responses, making lessons more dynamic and personalized for diverse classroom needs.
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​Digital Learning Selector | Website
✅ Content Creation | ✅ Collaboration | ✅ Assessment & Feedback
The Digital Learning Selector offers ready-to-use digital templates for learning activities that can be implemented in the classroom. Each activity includes recommended tech tools, supporting resources for implementation, and strategies for personalizing instruction to meet the needs of diverse learners.
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Edpuzzle | Website
✅ Content Creation | ✅ Assessment & Feedback
Edpuzzle allows educators to embed questions into videos and monitor learners' progress. Educators can use existing video lessons or create their own using YouTube. The tool supports comprehension checks and engagement by preventing learners from skipping content.
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Google for Education | Website
✅ Content Creation | ✅ Collaboration | ✅ Assessment & Feedback
Google Workspace includes Docs, Slides, Sheets, Forms, Meet, and Classroom. These tools support real-time collaboration, virtual instruction capabilities, and the creation of assignments and digital portfolios. Integrated features help streamline communication, provide feedback, and enhance learner engagement.​
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Google Translate | Website
✅ Communication
A multilingual translation tool that allows users to translate text, speech, websites, and documents between over 100 languages. It supports communication and language access for learners and families, making it a valuable tool in multilingual classrooms and outreach.
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​​Google Voice | Website
✅ Communication
Google Voice allows you to make phone calls and text using a number provided by Google. You can set voicemail and receive call alerts via email.​
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Microsoft Office | Website
✅ Content Creation | ✅ Collaboration | ✅ Assessment & Feedback
Microsoft Office includes Word, PowerPoint, Excel, Outlook, and Teams. These applications support content creation, data organization, communication, and virtual meetings. Office tools are widely used in academic and workplace settings and help learners build transferable digital skills.
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Mote | Website
✅ Assessment & Feedback | ✅ Communication
A Chrome extension that allows you to record and add voice to Google Slides, Docs, and other Google Classroom tools.
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Nearpod | Website
✅ Content Creation | ✅ Collaboration | ✅ Assessment & Feedback
An interactive instructional platform that allows educators to create and deliver lessons with built-in activities like quizzes, polls, videos, and virtual field trips. It promotes learner engagement and provides real-time feedback, making learning more interactive and data-driven.
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Padlet | Website
✅ Content Creation | ✅ Collaboration | ✅ Assessment & Feedback
Padlet is an interactive digital bulletin board that allows educators and learners to post ideas, resources, images, videos, and links. It supports guided discussions, collaborative brainstorming, and resource sharing in real time.​
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Remind | Website
✅ Communication
A communication platform that allows educators to send messages, announcements, and reminders directly to learners via text, app, or email. It supports two-way communication and helps keep everyone informed and engaged, even outside of class time.
Screencastify | Website
✅ Content Creation | ✅ Communication
Screencastify is a Chrome extension that allows screen recording through Chrome. Videos can be saved directly into Google Drive for easy access or downloaded. Other features, like annotating and video editing, are also available.
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Talking Points | Website
✅ Communication
A two-way messaging platform designed for multilingual communication. Free access includes AI and human translation in 100+ languages, with customizable teacher and student language settings.
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WhatsApp | Website
✅ Collaboration | ✅ Communication
A widely used messaging app that supports text, voice, and video communication. It’s useful for quick check-ins, sharing updates, and building accessible communication channels with learners and families.
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Zoom | Website
✅ Collaboration | ✅ Assessment & Feedback | ✅ Communication
A video conferencing platform that supports virtual classes, meetings, and breakout sessions. Known for its ease of use, Zoom allows for screen sharing, live chat, and recording, making it ideal for remote instruction and collaboration.​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​
Using AI to Enhance Language Acquisition
The AI tools highlighted in this section are examples to help you get started. While performance may vary depending on how each model was trained, many tools can be used interchangeably to achieve similar results. The key is to experiment, compare, and choose the tools that best fit your teaching context and learner needs.​​​​​​
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Brisk Teaching | Website
AI Chatbot
An educator-focused AI tool that can create leveled texts, assignments, and assessments based on uploaded curriculum or student data. It can also adjust reading levels and generate lesson ideas aligned to standards.
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Canva Magic Studio | Website
Integrated All-in-One Tool
A suite of AI-powered design tools built into Canva for creating images, videos, presentations, and written content. It includes Magic Write for text generation, Magic Design for layouts, and other tools to edit media quickly.
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ChatGPT | Website
AI Chatbot
A flexible AI chatbot capable of generating text, images, code, and more. Supports brainstorming, research, tutoring, and creative writing, with customizable GPTs for specialized tasks.
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Diffit | Website
Task-Specific AI Tool
An AI-powered tool that generates leveled reading passages, comprehension questions, vocabulary lists, and related activities from any topic, text, YouTube video, or URL. Designed for educators, Diffit offers consistent, reliable output that can be adapted for various reading levels, making it ideal for differentiated instruction and literacy development.
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Google Gemini | Website
AI Chatbot | Integrated All-in-One Tool
An AI assistant built into Google Workspace tools like Docs, Sheets, Slides, and Gmail for summarizing, drafting, analyzing, and reformatting content directly in existing documents.​​
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Microsoft Copilot | Website
AI Chatbot | Integrated All-in-One Tool
An AI productivity tool embedded in Microsoft 365 apps, helping draft text, analyze data, create presentations, and format content.
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Pi AI | Website
AI Chatbot
A conversational AI designed for empathy and emotional intelligence, useful for reflective conversations, coaching, and mental wellness check-ins.​
​Access our Artificial Intelligence Content Area page to explore more about AI, review the Essential Guidelines for Effective Use, and discover additional AI tools and resources.​