Language teaching in the Internet age

Baber, Eric (2001/04/09). Language teaching in the Internet age.
Eltnewslwtter, 73, Retrieved 04/09/2009, from http://www.eltnewsletter.com/back/September2001/art732001.htm

What is the internet?

It is necessary to know exactly what the internet is. According to many literatures I have reviewed to prepare this topic; the internet is an infrastructural network of computers which makes possible share of information between different computers in various ways. However, the common misconception is that the internet is the same as the World Wide Web (WWW, web or/ and e-mail). The internet is exactly an infrastructure which allowed information to be shared, sent or received in various ways; the World Wide Web and e-mail are actual uses of this infrastructure.

In general, the internet offers some applications in teaching and considered advantages.
The first one is the possibility for individual search with browsers before class: students gather information on the topic of their choice and come to class to share the results of their search, compare and discuss it with other students. A second application is making internet as a source of information. The third application of internet in language teaching is the use of forums and other chat rooms for communication and exchange across the net. However, the online educational technology is not only internet and there is also the use of email as a tool to develop communication. Indeed the email offers wide range of complementary applications. We can use email for internal use by connecting teachers and students outside of the classroom and between session of a given course for advice, assignment, tutoring and information.

The largest used internet delivery method for teaching language is the World Wide Web. The WWW allows a teacher with some web design skills to put up a website containing contents related to language such as texts for language learners to read through, with tasks that they are encouraged to do in order to enhance their reading skills. Teachers who have better experience and good skills in web design can add self- correcting tasks to the website such as multiple choices and gap filling exercises. Teachers can develop pronunciation skills by recording model words, phrases or sentences, put them on the website, and learners can listen in their own time to improve their listening skills.
Those teachers may encourage learners to read their own words or sentences and email the recordings to them for correction and evaluation, as well as giving feedback to students.

There are many teaching websites with many advantages which are available 24 hours a day, seven days a week, work to offer help for students. I can say, these websites never need to sleep, unlike a human teacher, this means that any student quickly needs help with certain language area, he can navigate on these websites to find the answer. Other advantage of these websites is free to get information or relatively inexpensive because many of them were made by teachers in their spare time. Teachers could use email to enhance and develop writing skills; they could set up an email discussion group which allows students to easily email all group participants. This way of communication allows teachers to set a group of students, a task that requires them to communicate with each other by email, thereby encouraging productive writing skills and collaborative group work. The teachers can monitor the on going email conversation and make necessary corrections.

I think that, using email is more motivated than web- based learning as it offers the learners an opportunity to interact with other students and teachers while they are in different remote locations around the world and have different backgrounds and cultures. The course Eduu: 563 is a good example for what I have already mentioned, students use a discussion board to present their ideas and experiences in different topics; the professor gives feedback online in a way that builds up a virtual community among the participants. Online teaching is high motivation for many reasons, for some students it may be the first contact with multi- cultural studnets of different language backgrounds which itself considers a reinforcement element of cultural awareness concept.

With continuous improvement of internet connectivity round the globe, sending files with videos seems to be very good, thereby allowing teachers to work on all skills with the students in a complete learning environment and offers them time to solve problems and improve their weaknesses when they occur, thus might be valuable to students. Does the internet go further to replace a human- led teaching or does it take a second place in teaching. Of course financial considerations will always play a part, but like CD-ROMs, cassettes, internet-based self access course are likely to be supplements and not a replacement of teacher- led learning.

I concluded that in Defense Language Institute (DLI), for example, Middle East School one; teachers basically depend on the internet in teaching and delivering lessons. Teachers must have to use different technological tools in a classroom such as computer, projector, smart board and blackboard because the whole curriculum is on online and classroom computers are connected with one big server. Therefore, internet is an important technological tool in teaching language at DLI, any interruption in networking might result in many classes and assignment of homework to be postponed, until the damage being repaired and thereby, the internet became an integrated technological tool In teaching/ learning languages.

Referenes:

http://greco.dit.upm.es/~leverage/conf1/gauthier.htm