Digital Word Walls: Supporting Language Growth with Technology

Recently, over on my ESOL blog, I talked about the importance of creating dynamic word walls that students can really use during learning. That post focuses primarily on physical word walls in face-to-face classrooms. 

However, I know the pandemic has and is continuing to change how we do things, even as we move ever closer to a post-COVID world. One big change is that technology is now even more deeply rooted in educational practice than ever before. With that in mind- I thought I'd talk about how to create digital word walls for your ELLs.

Benefits

One obvious advantage to incorporating digital word walls into your practice is that they can be more easily differentiated. In a classroom, it would be impractical, in terms of space and time, to try to maintain differentiated word walls. Technology makes it easy!

Additionally, you can add media- like audio, video, and images- to digital word walls that are difficult, if not impossible to add to physical word walls. Technology also allows students to return to word walls from previous units as needed, unlike a physical word wall that gets changed out regularly. 

Digital word walls can also allow for students to work collaboratively to build word walls according to their own needs. When students help to create the tools for learning, they take more ownership over that learning. 

Tools

My two favorite tools for this purpose are Padlet and Jamboard. I like Padlet, and it can be a little more organized, however, they do charge a fee for more than three Padlets. Jamboard is free as part of Google Workspace for Education accounts (if your district has not disabled it). But, Jamboard can be a little more chaotic for collaboration. 

• Padlet word wall
• Jamboard word wall

These are two examples, but the word walls you create can be simpler or more complex, depending on the needs of your students. Do you use different tools to create digital word walls? Tell me about your favorite tools!