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The Internet in the Classroom
A Valuable Tool and Resource for ESL/EFL Teachers
http://www.eslmag.com/janfeb98art.html
by Christine Meloni
ESL/EFL teachers are known for their innovation. When a new
method or approach comes along, we explore and discuss it, and we sometimes
adopt it, partially or completely. It is probably safe to say that most ESL/EFL
teachers have an eclectic approach, integrating the best elements of several
approaches.
For the past several years teachers have been talking about
computers. The discussion first centered on the use of computers as word
processors, asking questions such as, "Should students use the computer for
writing assignments?" The debate is essentially over now with teachers
accepting the computer as a valuable tool for developing students' writing
skills. It has proved a boon in particular to the popular "process approach"
to teaching composition.
Now the discussion has shifted to the Internet. The debate over the
value of the Internet for ESL/EFL teachers and students is far from over; in
fact, it is just beginning. Is the Internet just another bandwagon? If
reluctant teachers wait, will interest in it simply go away?
Most teachers who have ventured into cyberspace are enthusiastic
about the wonderful learning opportunities offered to ESL/EFL students, as
well as the valuable resources for teachers. They are encouraging their
colleagues to jump on the bandwagon. There are several common reasons for
this Internet enthusiasm.
Increased Student Motivation
Many students love computers. Unlike some teachers, students feel
comfortable with computers and are very receptive to any learning activities
that involve the computer. Increased motivation leads to increased language
use which leads to improved proficiency.
Authentic Language
When a writing activity is truly communicative, as e-mail projects
are, the language is authentic. The students are not going through the
motions of an artificial exercise. They are communicating because they need
and want to communicate. Most of the information on the World Wide Web has
been written in English by native speakers. The Web is, therefore, a rich
source of authentic reading materials in English.
Global Awareness
Information can be exchanged easily between people in different corners of
the world, connecting students around the globe. For example, communication
between students in New York and Tokyo can be swift and smooth. Students
attest that this kind of communication increases global understanding.
Environmental Friendliness
Use of the Internet can decrease the amount of paper used in the classroom.
Much of the writing can be done on the computer. Web sites can replace some
printed materials thereby conserving natural resources.
Despite the benefits touted by the Internet believers, not
everyone is ready to board the Internet bandwagon. Some teachers have
convinced themselves that the Internet is a waste of precious time. Others
harbor a certain curiosity and would like to learn more about the
possibilities but feel that they just cannot invest the time to learn about
what is available and keep up with frequent changes.
Surveys, however, have shown that fear is the main reason many
teachers shy away from the Internet and why they tend to ignore the computer
revolution that is rapidly spreading into all areas of daily life. One of
the fears is a fear of technology itself. Teachers from non-technical
backgrounds are worried that they will not be able to master the new
technology. But ESL/EFL teachers all over the world are amazing themselves
by quickly learning the basic skills needed for computer-assisted language
learning and are progressing rapidly beyond the basics.
Another fear that teachers have is that computers will replace them.
It is true that computers can now do many things that teachers can. Language
learning is, however, a very human experience and human teachers will always
be needed in the classroom.
The computer revolution, however, seems irreversible, and, as Ray
Clifford of the Defense Language Institute put it, "Technology will not
replace teachers...teachers who use technology will probably replace
teachers who do not."
ESL/EFL teachers cannot ignore the Internet. They must be aware of
its potential and how their colleagues are using it. Everyone must remember,
however, that technology should never be used just because it is there.
Technology must be used only when it enhances the language learning
experience. If the computer offers students something that they cannot
obtain from an in-class communicative activity, then the use of technology
is appropriate. When the computer is simply a poor substitute, its use is
not acceptable.
ESL/EFL teachers can make use of the two most popular features of
the Internet, electronic mail (e-mail) and the World Wide Web. Get involved!
Discover how you can maximize this resource to teach English.
E-MAIL PROJECTS
English teachers around the world are finding creative ways to use e-mail in
their classes. They are discovering that e-mail projects can truly help
students improve their writing and reading skills. The communication in
e-mail projects can involve the teacher and each student individually, two
students, small groups of students within a class or groups of students in
more than one class.
Dialogue Journals
Dialogue journals are a popular means of improving the writing fluency and
reading comprehension of students. Students write in their journals in class
or outside of class. The teacher then collects the journals and
responds to the student entries. Since the focus is on communication, the
students write on topics of their own choosing, and their grammar and
spelling errors are not pointed out.
Dialogue journals may easily become electronic, with students
sending the teacher their journal entries via e-mail rather than in a paper
notebook. This type of e-mail writing assignment is an excellent way to ease
students into sharing their writing electronically.
Keypals
Writing to a penpal has long been an interesting activity for children.
Having a "keypal" (an electronic penpal) is even more fun because of the
immediacy of the communication. Teachers can pair their students with
keypals either within their own class or from another class. They may ask
students to gather information and write on specific topics or allow
students to choose their own topics.
One-to-one exchanges can be very effective if both participants are
actively involved. If teachers do not know a colleague whose class would
like to participate in this activity, there are web sites that provide
individual names and classes of students who are looking for keypals.
It should be pointed out that keypals need not be limited to
elementary and secondary school students. Language learners of all ages
enjoy communicating in the target language via e-mail.
Within their own classes, teachers can divide students into groups
for e-mail communication. For example, if the class is reading a collection
of short stories, after the students finish a story, they can write a
summary and a critique of it to send to the other members of their group via
e-mail. Small groups of four or five students work well.
Although it may seem artificial for students to write to classmates
with whom they could easily communicate face-to-face, intraclass e-mail
projects can be effective in helping the students improve their writing and
reading skills in English. It also gives shy students an opportunity to
participate as much as the more outgoing ones.
Of course, it is exciting for students to communicate with students
in other places. It might be another school in the same city or a school on
the other side of the world. If the participants come from different
cultures, the experience will be more stimulating and enriching for all of
the students.
The HUT E-Mail Writing Project and the Cities Project are two
examples of interclass e-mail projects carried out by students in different
cities. While these projects were originally designed for university
students, they could easily be adapted for use with students at any level of
education-elementary, secondary, university or adult education.
HUT E-Mail Writing Project
EFL instructor Ruth Vilmi at the Helsinki University of Technology in
Finland founded the HUT E-Mail Writing Project in 1993. Since then many
students in Finland, Norway, France, the Czech Republic, Egypt, Korea,
Japan, Hong Kong and the United States have taken part in HUT collaborative
writing activities.
Students have collaborated via e-mail on writing research papers,
designing robots and proposing solutions for environmental problems. (See
interclass e-mail project on p. 11.)
The Cities Project
An interesting spin-off of the HUT E-Mail Writing Project is the Cities
Project developed by Andrew Hess, an instructor at the New York University
in New York City.
Hess invited instructors Ron Corio at Virginia Commonwealth
University in Richmond, Virginia and Christine Meloni at The George
Washington University in Washington, DC to develop an e-mail project for
their high intermediate ESL students. The project involved student
collaboration via e-mail on a three-city travel guide.
Classes in New York, Washington, DC, Paris, Trondheim, and Hong Kong
participated in a second Cities Project. In addition to creating a travel
guide, the classes sent each other "culture packages" by snail mail that
included such items as city maps, postcards, newspapers, tapes (both audio
and video) and other memorabilia.
More detailed information about the initial Cities Project and
subsequent projects (including culture packages) can be found at Andrew
Hess's web site:
http://www.nyu.edu/ pages/hess/cities.html.
E-Mail Discussion Groups
Students can also sign up for electronic discussion groups. They will
receive all of the messages posted to the group by the other subscribers and
they can post their own messages as well.
· EslList
This list was created for ESL/EFL students between the ages of 11 and 16.
Participants can write on topics of their own choosing. To subscribe, send
an e-mail message to:
macjord @oxnar-dsd.org. In the
message area write "subscribe EslList" followed by your name.
· SL-Lists
This list is open to ESL/EFL university students. Students may sign up for
one or more of the following topic lists: Chat-SL, Discuss-SL, Business-SL,
Engl-SL, Event-SL, Movie-SL, Music-SL, Scitech-SL and Sport-SL. For
information, send an e-mail message to:
listserv@lugb.latrobe.edu.au. In the message area write "info ENGL-SL".
Or visit the SL-Lists web site at
http://www.latrobe.edu.au/www/education/sl/sl.html.
THE WORLD WIDE WEB
New sites are popping up on the Web at an amazing rate. Many of these sites
can be very useful for students who want to improve their proficiency in
English. The Web is a gold mine of materials for ESL teachers.
A major advantage of the Web is accessibility. It is available 24
hours a day. In addition, while textbooks cost money, materials on the Web
are generally available free of charge.
There are sites created specifically for English language learners
as well as sites for native speakers that are valuable for ESL/EFL students.
Let's first look at some excellent sites that have been developed for ESL/EFL
students.
Sites Designed for ESL/EFL Students
Reading
· Fluency Through Fables
At this site your students will find a short fable to read. After reading
the fable, they can complete a variety of activities: vocabulary matching, a
true or false comprehension exercise, vocabulary completion and written
discussion. They can then use the index to find other fables and
accompanying activities.
http://www.comenius.com/fable/index.html
· U.S. Holidays Page
Students are very interested in holidays. At this site they can read about
the following holidays: Halloween, Thanksgiving, Martin Luther King Day,
Groundhog Day, Valentine's Day, St. Patrick's Day, Passover, Easter and
Memorial Day.
http://www.aec.ukans.edu /LEO/holidays/holidays.html
Writing
· Purdue's Online Writing Lab
This site offers instructional handouts on subjects such as punctuation,
spelling, writing research papers and citing sources. Originally created for
native speakers, it has a special section for ESL students that includes
explanations about the use of articles and the use of prepositions in
English.
http://owl.English.purdue.edu
· Dave's Graffiti Wall
Send your students to this site to write on the Graffiti Wall.
http://www.pacificnet.net/~sperling/wall.html
Vocabulary
· Dave's ESL Slang Page
Why are students always eager to learn slang? Probably because it makes them
feel more a part of the target culture. This slang page is very useful for
students who want to be more "hip" when speaking English.
http://www.eslcafe.com/slang
· Weekly Idiom Page
This site features a new idiom every two weeks. Each new idiom is given with
its definition and a sample dialogue.
http://www.comenius.com/idiom/index.html
· Toon in to Idioms
Students will find this site attractive. They will find an idiom along with
an amusing illustration and a sample dialogue that they can listen to if
their computer has speakers.
http://www.elfs.com/2nInX-Title.html
· Crossword Puzzles for ESL Students
This site is a new project undertaken by the Internet TESL Journal. It
currently has four puzzles and is soliciting volunteers to create additional
ones.
http://www.aitech.ac.jp/~iteslj/cw
Grammar
· Grammar Safari
An adventure-packed site! Students can participate in hunting activities
such as "Hunting adjective clauses in Little Women" and "Hunting past
perfect verbs in a magazine article."
http://deil.lang.uiuc.edu/web.pages/ grammarsafari.html
· Professor TOEFL's Fun Page
Professor TOEFL will respond to your students' questions about English
grammar.
http://www.slip.net/~caa
· Self-Study Quizzes for EFL Students
This site is another project of The Internet TESL Journal. Students can take
grammar quizzes in a variety of subject areas such as holidays, sports and
culture. The quizzes are graded on the spot.
http://www.aitech.ac.jp/~iteslj/quizzes
Lists of Links
The sites mentioned above are just a sampling of the ESL sites on the Web.
To locate additional web pages of interest, go to the following sites that
have continually updated lists of links: Volterre Web Links, Linguistic
Funland, the ESL Study Hall and Dave Sperling's ESL Links Page for Students.
(See addresses on p. 16.)
Interesting Sites Not Specifically Designed for ESL/EFL Students
ESL/EFL students can also benefit from sites designed for native speakers.
Here are some suggestions.
Reading
The vast majority of web sites use English which is a tremendous advantage
for ESL teachers and students. Authentic materials for reading are,
therefore, plentiful. Naturally, not everything is suitable, but wonderful
materials are not difficult to find.
· CNN
This is a marvelous source of current, authentic reading materials. In
addition to the latest news stories, students will find interactive news
quizzes.
http://fyi.cnn.com/fyi
· Newspapers & Magazines Online
Newspapers and magazines have long been popular sources of authentic
materials for ESL/EFL. Teachers can now find online versions of USA Today,
The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, The Washington Post, Time,
Business Week, Life and many others. (See addresses on p. 16.)
· Literature Online
Teachers can find online libraries that contain complete texts of many
books. Imagine sitting at your computer and finding books without leaving
your desk! Some well-stocked virtual libraries are the Online Books Page,
the Internet Public Library and the Children's Literature Web Guide. (See
addresses on p. 16.)
Writing
· Kidproj
This is an extensive and well-organized web site maintained by teachers and
youth leaders who design and oversee projects, particularly collaborative
writing activities for children between the ages of 10 and 15. Projects
include The KIDPROJ Multi-Cultural Calendar, Holiday Legends, Poems and
Stories from Around the World, the KIDPROJ Online Magazine, and the
Multi-Cultural Recipe Book.
http://www.kidlink.org/KIDPROJ
· The Electric Postcard
Your students can send an electronic postcard to anyone in the world who has
an e-mail address. This site offers a nice selection of postcards to choose
from.
http://postcards.www.media.mit.edu/Post cards
Vocabulary
· The Word Wizard
The Word Wizard will answer your students' questions about words. He also
offers amusing word contests. ESL students will probably like best the
Wizard's Slang Street where they will find slang words related to talking,
sleeping, eating and drinking.
http://www.wordwizard.com
· Focusing on Words
This is a very advanced vocabulary site. Students will find vocabulary
quizzes and stories about words.
http://www.wordfocus.com
Teacher Resources on the Web
Resources for teachers on the Web are numerous, so it is difficult to
present a complete list when space is limited. The following are important
sites for ESL/EFL teachers.
· National Clearinghouse for Bilingual Education
Among NCBE's many offerings are hundreds of links to web pages on language
and education issues, lesson plans and other practical classroom
information.http://www.ncbe.gwu.edu
· Ask ERIC Virtual Library
This site offers lesson plans and information guides. Of particular interest
is the AskERIC Toolbox, which offers links to sites on the Internet where
teachers can find information on educational technology and other subjects.
http://ericir.syr.edu/Virtual
· ERIC Clearinghouse on Languages and Linguistics
This is the home page of the ERIC Clearinghouse on Languages and
Linguistics, located at the Center for Applied Linguistics in Washington,
DC.
http://www.cal.org/ericll
· Internet TESL Journal
This is a monthly web journal for ESL teachers. One can find many excellent
articles at this site related to diverse aspects of language teaching.
http://www.aitech.ac.jp/~iteslj
· TESOL
This is the home page of the professional international Teachers of English
to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL) organization. The "Wandering the Web"
columns from TESOL Matters have been put online at this site. There are also
links to all of the TESOL affiliate home pages.
http://www.tesol.edu
· Language Learning and Technology
This is a new online journal for language educators interested in
technology. This journal is edited by Mark Warschauer at the University of
Hawaii. Take a look at the first issue!
http://polyglot.cal.msu.edu/lit/ vol1num1/editor.html
Please be advised that web addresses (URLs) are subject to
change. All of the URLs given in this article were correct and active at
press time. We regret any inconvenience you might experience due to changed
or dead links.
Recommended Reading
Books
· The Internet Guide for English Language Teachers by Dave Sperling,
Prentice-Hall Regents.
· New Ways of Using Computers in Language Teaching, edited by Tim Boswood,
TESOL.
· E-Mail for English Teaching: Bringing the Internet and Computer
Learning Networks into the Language Classroom by Mark Warschauer, TESOL.
· Virtual Connections: Online Activities and Projects for Networking
Language Learners by Mark Warschauer, University of Hawai'i Press.
Magazines
· Yahoo! Internet Life (in print and online at
http://www.yil.com)
· ZD Internet Magazine (in print and online at
http://zdimag.com)
SIDEBAR #1
How to Search the World Wide Web
The World Wide Web has been defined in various ways, but the most common
image conjured up in the minds of educators is that of a virtual library
with constantly expanding resources.
Searching the Web
If you do not have specific web addresses (URL), you need to use a search
engine to find the information you want. Some of the most popular search
engines are the following:
· Yahoo-http://www.yahoo.com
· Alta Vista-http://www.altavista.digital.com
· HotBot-http://www.hotbot.com
· Infoseek-http://www.infoseek.com
· Lycos-http://lycos.cs.cmu.edu
· WebCrawler-http://webcrawler.com
Do not expect searching to be as effortless as searching a
library's online catalogue. Search commands may seem as illogical, and,
unfortunately, there is not a lot of uniformity in commands among the
various search engines.
Another problem is the lack of stability of sources. A web page may
be here today and gone tomorrow. Perhaps the creator decided to move it to
another address or remove it completely.
Evaluate What You Find
Evaluation of information on the Web is a serious issue. Since virtually
anyone can write anything on the Web, one needs to exercise caution in
accepting what one finds. It is important to verify the source although in
many cases this is not easy or even possible.
Creating Bookmarks
When you have found reliable sources that you like and that you find
yourself returning to often, create "bookmarks" (a list of favorite sites)
so that you will not have to search for the URL every time.
SIDEBAR #2
Finding Keypals and Partner Classes
If you are looking for individual keypals for your students or another class
for a collaborative project, look first among people you know. If you do not
know anyone who would like to join you, don't despair. You should be able to
find a match at one of the following web sites:
· Kenji Kitao's Keypals
http://ilc.doshisha.ac.ip/users/kkitao/online/www/keypal.html
· E-Mail Classroom Exchange
http://www.iglou.com/xchange/ece/index.html
· E-Mail Key Pal Connection
http://www.comenius.com/keypal/index.html
SIDEBAR #3
Guidelines for a Successful E-Mail Project
1. Choose a Partner Class Wisely
In considering an e-mail project, the choice of partner classes is crucial.
The participating teachers should have compatible class schedules, similar
course goals and students at comparable proficiency levels. It is also
essential that all students participate in the project.
2. Plan Carefully
While the benefits of e-mail projects can be significant, teachers must plan
them with great care. Before you begin an e-mail project, you might want to
read Thomas Robb's very interesting web article on this subject, "E-Mail
Keypals for Language Fluency" at
http://www.kyoto-su.ac.jp/~trobb/keypals.html.
3. Use Proper Etiquette
Another useful site to prepare you for your project is the Netiquette Home
Page. You will find the rules of Netiquette at
http://www.fau.edu/rinaldi/net/elec.html. Students should read this page
carefully so that they do not commit any faux pas when dealing with students
whom they do not know.
SIDEBAR#4
Class Web Project: "Famous Personages in Japan"
by Thomas Robb, Kyoto, Japan
The "Famous Personages in Japan" project is a web site that my university
students produced as a class project. The web site consists of approximately
200 descriptions of current personalities in Japan including musicians,
politicians, sports figures, TV and movie personalities and writers.
The idea for this project came from my own need, as an American
teaching in Japan, to learn more about Japanese culture, and as a way for my
students to write something that was more than the "standard" composition
which is normally written, re-written and then forgotten.
The project started three years ago when I assigned each student in
my class of 25 to write on three people of their own choosing. Once the
compositions were written to my satisfaction, the students converted them to
HTML for posting to the Web, using a simple template as a model.
In addition to the biographical sketch itself, each piece included a
listing of the students' sources and the name of one other student who
vouched for the accuracy and completeness of the piece. A clickable e-mail
address was also included. This turned out to be one of the best aspects of
the project since my students, much to their delight, soon began receiving
unsolicited e-mail from around the world!
This project was a great success due to its simplicity and the fact
that it allows for a gradual accumulation of information that is of genuine
value to a specific audience-those who want to find out more about Japanese
personalities in English. Even now there are many entries for which no other
information exists on the Web in English, if the results of my searches with
the various search engines are accurate.
Successive classes have added more pages and have revised the older
pages to keep them current. Teachers at other schools have also had their
own students write contributions to the project.
As guidelines for other teachers desiring to produce a class web
page project, I would recommend the following:
1. All pages should center on a specific, narrow topic.
2. The information presented should be new to the web.
3. The content of individual pages should be limited so that students can
finish them
in a timely fashion.
4. The pages should have a unified design.
5. Most importantly, the topic should be of interest to the students
themselves.
View the
"Famous Personages in Japan" web site
SIDEBAR #5
InterClass e-mail Project
The International Writing Exchange
by Ruth Vilmi, Helsinki, Finland
In 1993 I founded what is known as the HUT E-Mail Writing Project. Since
that time, many ESL/EFL teachers and students from all over the world have
been involved in collaborative writing activities. The most popular and
lasting of such activities has been the International Writing Exchange, or
IWE.
The IWE is very flexible, allowing for any number of classes to join for
any length of time. A class can take part for one month or for many years
and can start at any time of the year because each module lasts only four
weeks. While the participants of IWE are primarily university students, this
activity could easily be adapted for elementary or secondary school
students.
First Week
In the first week of every cycle, students write an article on a topic from
a list prepared by their teacher or they may choose their own topic. These
articles are then e-mailed to a special address, and are subsequently
published on HUT web pages, on other participating Web sites and in local
newsgroups.
Students then choose some of other students+ articles to read and offer
their comments. The most popular topics have been abortion, drinking habits,
gender discrimination, TV violence, family and marriage, alternative energy
sources and the legalization of drugs.
Second and Third Weeks
In the second and third weeks, students give feedback on each other's
articles, commenting on style and content according to established
guidelines available online and prepared by IWE teachers.
Students give and receive feedback in many forms: a) from their
classmates and possibly from their class teacher before sending their work
to be published; b) from other students; and c) from their class teacher
after the final draft.
After reading the articles, students work in local groups to consider
which articles were the most successful and then publish a summary of
effective writing criteria. They can then revise their own articles and
create more effective articles during the next cycle. Sometimes students
vote on the best articles, and the winners are published in a journal.
Fourth Week
In the final week, students meet for a conference online in the HUT Virtual
Language Centre. The discussions take place in an informal, friendly
atmosphere where students have a chance to get to know each other and
sometimes form
strong and lasting friendships.
Benefits
With the IWE, students have a wide audience and receive feedback from
international peers, so they are motivated to write well. They exchange
ideas with students globally, rather than writing only for their own
teacher. They learn about other cultures directly, rather than second hand.
They read and write much more than in conventional language courses. The IWE
also avoids the inevitable disappointments experienced with keypal projects
when individual students drop out or miss deadlines.
Student Comments
All students taking part in the IWE are required to evaluate the course.
Below is part of an evaluation done by an Egyptian student from Cairo
University in 1996.
"I realize very well the importance of the Hut project. The most
important point is that we communicate with foreign people. Through their
articles we learn a lot about their culture, traditions and way of
education; for example, by reading others' articles we notice their English
language, way of writing, beliefs, traditions and points of view.
Also, by sending our articles to them we gain a lot; for example, we
benefit from their comments as it opens our minds to others' beliefs, points
of view and traditions, as we are not alone in this world.
What also makes me happy is the feeling that we have a lot of friends in
different countries, something that never makes us feel bored as we are
dealing with different mentalities which is very interesting."
For questions about the IWE or any other HUT projects, contact
Ruth Vilmi.
Ruth Vilmi teaches English at the Helsinki University of Technology,
Helsinki, Finland.
SIDEBAR #6
Additional Web Sites of Interest
Newspapers & Magazines Online
·
USA Today
·
The New York Times
·
The Wall Street Journal
·
The Washington Post
·
Time
·
Business Week
·
Life
Literature Online
·
The On-Line Books Page
·
The Internet Public Library
·
The Children's Literature Web Guide
Lists of Links
·
Volterre Web Links for Learners
·
Linguistic Funland TESL Page
·
The ESL Study Hall
·
ESL Links Page for Students
-----------------------------------
Christine Meloni, Ed.D. is associate professor of EFL and Computer
Education Coordinator at George Washington University. She has lectured
around the world on the Internet and English language teaching and writes
the bimonthly "Wandering the Web" column for TESOL Matters and
Christine Meloni's NetWorthy for ESL Magazine.
This article first appeared in the January/February 1998 issue of
ESL Magazine. |