Internet activities in the EFL classroom

Nicholas Kokkas

“Technology will not replace teachers… teachers who use technology

will probably replace those who do not”

Ray Clifford

In the last few years the number of teachers using Computer-Assisted Language Learning (CALL) has increased markedly and numerous articles have been written about the role of technology in education in the 21^st century. Although the potential of the Internet for educational use has not been fully explored yet and the average school still makes limited use of computers, it is obvious that we have entered a new information age in which the links between technology and TEFL have already been established.

While students involved in network-based teaching seem to enjoy it, more and more teachers realize that only by meeting the technology literacy challenge can we get our children ready for their future. Only by teaching them how to navigate can we help them survive in the ocean of information.

In the early 90s education started being affected by the introduction of word processors in schools, colleges and Universities. That mainly had to do with written assignments. The development of the Internet brought about a revolution in the teachers’ perspective, as the teaching tools offered through the net were gradually becoming more reliable. Nowadays, the Internet is gaining immense popularity in foreign language teaching and more and more educators and learners are embracing it.

Why use the Internet in TEFL?

Research and practice suggest that, appropriately implemented, network-based technology can contribute significantly to:

• Experiential Learning. The World Wide Web makes it possible for students to tackle a huge amount of human experience. In such a way, they can learn by doing things themselves. They become the creators not just the receivers of knowledge. As the way information is presented is not linear, users develop thinking skills and choose what to explore.
• Motivation. Computers are most popular among students either because they are associated with fun and games or because they are considered to be fashionable. Student motivation is therefore increased, especially whenever a variety of activities are offered, which make them feel more independent.
• Enhanced student achievement. Network-based instruction can help pupils strengthen their linguistic skills by positively affecting their learning attitude and by helping them build self-instruction strategies and promote their self-confidence.
• Authentic materials for study. All students can use various resources of authentic reading materials either at school or from their home. Those materials can be accessed 24 hours a day at a relatively low cost.
• Greater Interaction. Random access to Web pages breaks the linear flow of instruction. By sending E-mail and joining newsgroups, EFL students can communicate with people they have never met. They can also interact with their own classmates. Furthermore, some Internet activities give students positive and negative feedback by automatically correcting their on-line exercises.
• Individualization. Shy or inhibited students can be greatly benefited by individualized, student-centered collaborative learning. High fliers can also realize their full potential without preventing their peers from working at their own pace.
• Independence from a single source of information. Although students can still use their books, they are given the chance to escape from canned knowledge and discover thousands of information sources. As a result, their education fulfils the need for interdisciplinary learning in a multicultural world.

• Global Understanding A foreign language is studied in a cultural context. In a world where the use of the Internet becomes more and more widespread, an English Language teacher’s duty is to facilitate students’ access to the web and make them feel citizens of a global classroom, practising communication on a global level.

What can we do with the Internet?

There is a wide range of on-line applications which are already available for use in the foreign language class. These include dictionaries and encyclopedias, links for teachers, chat-rooms, pronunciation tutors, grammar and vocabulary quizzes, games and puzzles, literary extracts. The World Wide Web (WWW) is a virtual library of information that can be accessed by any user round the clock. If someone wants to read or listen to the news, for example, there are a number of sources offering the latest news either printed or recorded. The most important newspapers and magazines in the world are available on-line and the same is the case with radio and TV channels. Another example is communicating with electronic pen friends, something that most students would enjoy. Teachers should explain how it all works and help students find their keypals. Two EFL classes from different countries can arrange to send E-mail regularly to one another. This can be done quite easily thanks to the web sites providing lists of students looking for communication. It is also possible for two or more students to join a chat-room and talk on-line through E-mail .

Another network-based EFL activity could be project writing. By working for a project a pupil can construct knowledge rather that only receive it. Students can work on their own, in groups of two or in larger teams, in order to write an assignment, the size of which may vary according to the objectives set by the instructor. A variety of sources can be used besides the Internet such as school libraries, encyclopedias, reference books etc. The Internet itself can provide a lot of food for thought. The final outcome of their research can be typed using a word processor. A word processor can be used in writing compositions, in preparing a class newsletter or in producing a school home page. In such a Web page students can publish their project work so that it can reach a wider audience. That makes them feel more responsible for the final product and consequently makes them work more laboriously.

How often?

How often an EFL class can use the Internet depends on many factors. Questions like the following have to be answered before a teacher decides to have an Internet lesson instead of using other teaching tools:

• Will the Internet be more beneficial than conventional teaching?
• Will the students’ language learning experience be enhanced?
• Which new elements can only be introduced through the Internet?
• What is the response of the class? Do they enjoy working with new technology? Do they participate?
• Do you feel confident that you can face problems (technical, methodological or other) that may arise?

Once such questions have been answered, one can proceed to organizing the lesson.

Lesson Planning

Before an Internet-based EFL lesson begins students should have been given a rough outline enabling them to imagine what they should expect. They should also have been familiar with the basics of technology: use of a mouse and some keys, understanding of search-engines etc. One of the most important prerequisites of a successful lesson is frequent task repetition (Trokeloshvili, p.3). If students do not get accustomed to working with a Word processor and Internet files, they will feel uncomfortable during the lesson. That is why they need to understand the basic techniques by which they can navigate the Web. It is amazing how fast pupils acquire those skills when the demonstration is clear, specific and task-orientated.

What teachers should always have in mind when planning an Internet lesson is the pupils’ needs. They should also set clear objectives before they get started. It is essential to divide the lesson into steps during which they should draw the learner’s attention, provide guidance and help students reach the highest level of performance.

I will now describe briefly a sample lesson in which the Top 20 Vocabulary on Air Travel, Computers and Newspapers is presented/revised and practised. The following URL is used: http://www.englishclub.net/study/vocabulary/index.htm. Firstly, we present the steps which are to be followed. Then, we introduce the thematic fields which we are going to study by asking questions such as: “Imagine you are about to fly by plane. Your luggage is too heavy. Your hand luggage is 7 kg and you have two more suitcases which are 30 kg. The woman at the check-in counter says you should pay more for excess luggage. What does that mean? What is a duty-free shop? What is the opposite of “arrival”?” etc. After the discussion, students are given some time to search for the definitions of new words, either in the above-mentioned site or in the dictionaries we have already bookmarked. During that time they can take notes, work in pairs and ask questions. The next stage is checking what they have learned. During this stage students have to give definitions and examples using the words in context. The same procedure is followed for the next thematic field. Finally, if there is some spare time, students can either read the news of the day from an on-line news agency or search for whatever they want for a few minutes.

The outline of every lesson does not have to look like the one described above. It is up to the teacher to make the lesson match his students’ needs rather than the opposite. It is also advisable to have a backup plan in mind just in case something goes wrong (eg if it is impossible to get a connection). Furthermore, it is useful for teachers to create bookmarks whenever they come across an interesting Web site, i.e. include that site in a list of favourite sites so that they do not have to type the full address every time they need it.

The new role of EFL teachers

The Internet is one of the most powerful tools an EFL teacher can use to help students collaborate, interact and participate actively in the learning process. However, the wealth of available resources may cause confusion among students and discourage them from participating, if they are not given the necessary guidelines. When students are faced with thousands of Internet sources they cannot handle such a big amount of information. One of the most important tasks for EFL teachers is to assist their students so that they can discover what they enjoy most according to their level of linguistic competence. Teachers are also responsible for the evaluation of all the web tools offered.

In an Internet-based lesson, rather than being a single omniscient source of knowledge himself, a teacher is a facilitator helping students build their own learning strategies. What learners acquire with the Internet is less under the control of the teacher (Pickering). The teacher’s role includes planning, analysing, organizing, coordinating and problem-solving in a student-centered environment.

Criticism and obstacles

The truth is that for some teachers the difficulty of embracing technology lies in having to move away from their habits, no matter how old-fashioned they may be. Well, if those teachers insist on working the way they always have, it will be difficult to convince them to do otherwise. And there might actually be no point in trying to do so. On the other hand, some teachers are still in doubt or feel intimidated by computers. All sorts of new technology may seem to them a waste of precious time. They are reluctant to experiment with new methods considering them time-consuming and useless.

There is also some criticism concerning the way we use technology. Singhal (Singhal,p.5) has described some of the disadvantages and obstacles related to the use of the Internet which include the following:

• Access may be denied when lines are busy.
• Lack of training for a great number of teachers.
• Schools with little funding may find it difficult to implement such a technology.
• Some of the sites or issues the Internet gives access to may be unsuitable for children.
• It may take time to download some files, especially if several users are accessing them at the same time.

Although such obstacles should not be ignored, it would be unfair to underestimate the significance of the Internet as a motivational tool and the educational advantages of Internet-based instruction. It is true that network-based instruction is not a panacaea and cannot substitute face-to-face communication. Moreover, it definitely takes some time for teachers to learn what they need to learn before they manage to integrate computers in their classes. It has to be stressed that new technology is not going to prove any better than other methods, if it does not lead to the enhancement of learning. If our on-line activities are not well organized, an Internet lesson will be a failure. For example, a succesful language course would never rely merely on random multiple-choice questions and fill-in-the-blanks exercises. The final goal is communication and students should learn how to use the language instead of merely studying it. It is therefore useful for teachers to take the plunge and approach the Internet as a learning experience themselves (Singhal, p.6). After they have been familiar with it, they should also be able to discover their own balance between computer instruction and other teaching methods.

What the future holds

The explosive growth of the Internet during the last few years has made it a magic window into knowledge. As far as TEFL is concerned, besides engaging foreign language students in linguistic tasks of reading English, developing vocabulary, and interpreting language structures (Kasper, p.8), the Internet seems to be changing not only the way we work and live but also the way we think and learn. As Belisle has written: “Through this increased electronic access to the world around them, students’ social awareness and confidence increases” (Belisle, p.1).

It may be difficult to foresee how the Internet will be integrated into the language classroom in the future but it seems likely that it will be a significant part of the EFL curriculum. The integration of the Internet into TEFL may bring about important changes to:

• The human relationships in the class
• The classroom environment

• The curriculum structure and orientation
• The teachers’ role
• The system of evaluation

• The school management

As we approach the 21st century, we realize that technology as such is not the answer to all our problems. What really matters is how we use technology. Computers can/will never substitute teachers but they offer new opportunities for better language practice. They may actually make the process of language learning significantly richer and play a key role in the reform of a country’s educational system. The next generation of students will feel a lot more confident with information technology than we do. As a result, they will also be able to use the Internet to communicate more effectively, practise language skills more thoroughly and solve learning problems more easily.

REFERENCES

Belisle, Ron, E-mail Activities in the ESL Writing Class. http://www.aitech.ac.jp/~iteslj/Articles/Belisle-Email.html

Bogyo, Janneke, Elizabeth Athanassiades, The Internet facilitates authentic writing in the EFL classroom, TESOL Greece Newsletter, 58, June 1998, 21-22.

Boswood, Tim(editor), New Ways of Using Computers in Language Teaching, TESOL, 1997.

Bush,M.D., R.M.Terry(editors.), Technology-Enhanced Language Learning, 1996

Kasper,L.F., ESL and the Internet: Content, rhetoric and research. Proceedings of Rhetoric and Technology in the New Millennium, 1998. http://members.aol.com/Drlfk/rhetoric.html

Meloni,Christine, The Internet in the Classroom, A Valuable Tool and Resource for ESL/EFL Teachers. http://www.eslmag.com/Article.htm

Mills, Douglas G., A Home on the Web: Our Experience. http://deil.lang.uiuc.edu/resources/index.html

Mor, Nili, Computers in the ESL Classroom – The Switch from “Why” to “How”. 1995 http://ietn.snunit.k12.il/nili1.htm

Ortega, Lourdes, Processes and outcomes in networked classroom interaction, Language Learning & Technology, Vol. 1, No. 1, July 1997, pp 82-93, http://polyglot.cal.msu.edu/llt/vol1num1/ortega/default.html

Pickering, John, Teaching on the Internet is learning, Active Learning, http://www.cti.ac.uk/publ/actlea/issue2/pickering/

Renner, Christopher E, Learning to surf the net in the EFL classroom: Background information on the Internet, TESOL Greece Newsletter, 60, Dec. 1998, 9-11 & 61, Jan. 1999, 11-14

Singhal, Meena, The Internet and ForeignLanguage Education: Benefits and Challenges. http://www.aitech.ac.jp/~iteslj/Articles/Singhal-Internet.html

Sperling,Dave, The Internet Guide for English Language Teachers, Prentice-Hall Regents, 1998

Tanguay, Edward, English Teachers, Prepare Yourselves for the Digital Age. http://userpage.fu-berlin.de/~tanguay/english-teachers.htm

Trokeloshvili, David A., Neal H.Host, The Internet and Foreign Language Instruction:Practice and Discussion. http://www.aitech.ac.jp/iteslj/Articles/Trokeloshvili-Internet.html

Warschauer,M. Electronic literacies: Language, culture and power in online education. Mahwah, LEA, NJ.

Warschauer,M The Internet for English Teaching: Guidelines for Teachers. The Internet TESL Journal. http://www.aitech.ac.jp/~iteslj/Articles/Warschauer-Internet.html

 

* Nicholas Kokkas holds a B.A. in English Language and Literature from the University of Athens and an M.A. in “Tragedy in the Age of Shakespeare” from the University of Hull. He is currently working as a state Secondary School teacher in Xanthi.

USEFUL EFL INTERNET SITES

DAILY STUDY

Daily Page: http://www.aitech.ac.jp/~itesls/daily/

Hint of the day: http://www.eslcafe.com/webhints/hints.cgi

This day in history: http://www.yahooligans.com/docs/tdih/

DICTIONARIES AND REFERENCE MATERIAL

Bibliography of English Language and Literature: http://www.lib.cam.ac.uk/MHRA/ABELL/

Bartlett’s Familiar Quotations: http://www.cc.columbia.edu/acis/bartleby/bartlett/

Basic Internet Dictionary: http://www.studytech.com/dictionaries/basic_index.shtml

British American English Dictionary: http://pages.prodigy.com/NY/NYC/britspk/main.html

Encarta Encyclopedia: http://encarta.msn.com/EncartaHome.asp

Little Explorer’s Picture Dictionary: http://www.enchantedlearning.com/Dictionary.html

Merriam-Webster On-line: http://www.m-w.com/textonly/home.htm

Wordsmyth English Dictionary-Thesaurus: http://www.lightlink.com/bobp/wedt/

English-English Dictionary: http://www.dictionary.com/

Reference Library: http://www.englishclub.net/reference/vocabulary/index-tit.htm

FREE LESSONS

English Today: http://www.homestead.com/englishtoday/NSlessons~ns4.html

London Underground: http://lang.ots.dk/london/

Visiting the Doctor: http://www.sccd.ctc.edu/~ssesl/

Self-Access Centre: http://lc.ust.hk/~sac/sacmaten.htm

GAMES

Hangman: http://www1.tip.nl/~t933344/hangman/

Crossword Puzzle: http://www-eng.tp.ac.sg/tcs/tcs1/compare1x.htm

Word Games: http://www.edgamesandart.com/wordgames.html

Anagrams: http://www.aitech.ac.jp/~itesls/anagrams/

Word Detective: http://www.funbrain.com/detect/index.html

Fun Park: http://www.englishclub.net/leisure/games/index.htm

GRAMMAR AND ENGLISH USAGE

An Elementary Grammar: http://vweb1.hiway.co.uk/ei/intro.html

Common Errors in English: http://www.wsu.edu/~brians/errors/index.html

Elements of English: http://www.myna.com/~prjg/toc.htm

English Verb Tenses: http://deil.lang.uiuc.edu/class.pages/Structure1/tenses.html

Guide to Grammar and writing: http://webster.commnet.edu/HP/pages/darling/original.htm

Irregular Verbs: http://www.gsu.edu/~wwwesl/egw/jones.htm

Interactive English Grammar: http://web.jet.es/jrevusky/GrammarIndex.html

On-line English Grammar: http://www.edunet.com/english/grammar/index.cfm

Verb machine:http://sextant.u-aizu.ac.jp/verbMachine.html

IDIOMS AND SLANG

Common American Slang: http://www.aitech.ac.jp/~itesls/slang/

Dave’’s ESL Slang Page: http://www.eslcafe.com/slang/

Dictionary of Slang and Colloquialisms of the UK: http://www.page27.co.uk/ted/

Idiom Page: http://www.eslcafe.com/idioms/

Map of idioms (in common use): http://www.geocities.com/FashionAvenue/Catwalk/4588/idioms.html

Phrasal Verbs: http://www.eslcafe.com/pv/

LISTENING

BBC Telephone Conversations: http://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/learningenglish/donthangup/

ESL Wonderland: http://grove.ufl.edu/~ktrickel/

Interactive Listening Comprehension Practice: http://deil.lang.uiuc.edu/LCRA/

Internet Talk Radio: http://www.ncsa.uiuc.edu/radio/radio.html

Listening to English: http://www.stir.ac.uk/celt/CALL97/Maki/Fluency/litems.html#dyou

The Voice of America: gopher://gopher.voa.gov/

ON-LINE TEXTBOOKS

Explorations in English: http://www.geocities.com/~newfields/eie/index.html

Internet Basics: http://www.aitech.ac.jp/~iteslj/s/ib/

Internet for International Communication: http://www2.gol.com/users/billp/course/contents.html

PENPALS

Cyberfriends: http://www.cyberfriends.com/new/top.htm

ESL Chat: http://www.eslcafe.com/chat/chatpro.cgi

E-Mail Penpals Club: http://www.geocities.com/SouthBeach/Pointe/2993/mainpage.htm

Why don’t you write us?(Brazil): http://fln-bma.yazigi.com.br/etd3004.htm

PRONUNCIATION

A Selection of Tongue Twisters: http://indigo.ie/~sdblang/personal/papers/tongue.htm

American Accent Training(Intonations): http://www.americanaccent.com/intonation.html

Pronunciation Symbols:http://www.m-w.com/info/vocab/pronguid.htm

Speech Activities: http://www.quia.com/speech.html

Sounds of English: http://www.edunet.com/english/grammar/alpha.html

Sentence Stress: http://www.englishclub.net/study/pronunciation/sentence-stress.htm

QUIZZES

1301 Quizzes: http://www.aitech.ac.jp/~iteslj/links/ESL/Quizzes/

READING

A Midsummer’s Night Dream(simplified): http://members.tripod.com/Nadabs/ThePlay.htm

Children’s stories: http://members.spree.com/platypus/stories/default.html

Eldritch Press (Literature): http://eldred.ne.mediaone.net/

ESL Stories: http://www.nexus.edu.au/Schools/FECHS/esl1.htm

Exchange Magazine: http://deil.lang.uiuc.edu/exchange/toc.html

Fluency through fables: http://www.comenius.com/fable/

Interesting facts about ants: http://lingolex.com/ants.htm

SOON (Easy English Magazine): http://www.soon.org.uk/content.htm

Stories for Scouts: http://www.macscouter.com/Stories/

Meet the Jacobson Family (reading activities): http://www.geocities.com/EnchantedForest/Fountain/2131/readingact.html

SPEAKING

Asking for the way (On-Line lesson): http://www.silk.ie/silc/online.html

Going to a party: http://www.lang.uiuc.edu/r-li5/book/party1.html

Oral Presentation Structures: http://www-eng.tp.ac.sg/tcs/tcs1/oralp1.htm

Shopping in America: http://www.lang.uiuc.edu/r-li5/book/shpcover.html

STUDENT PROJECTS

Camel Private School (Japan): http://plaza18.mbn.or.jp/~camelwakatabe/Camel2-1.html

Claudia Colla de Amorim(Elementary school in Brazil): http://www.geocities.com/EnchantedForest/Cottage/3041/claudia.html

A Cultural Exchange Project: http://www.postech.ac.kr/group/plep/winter97/

German Culture Pages in English: http://www.geocities.com/Athens/Forum/8383/

The English Times of Katerini (Greece): http://www.spark.net.gr/pieria/etimes/

TESTS

Review of the TOEFLTest: http://testwise.com/review.html

TOEFL: http://web1.toefl.org/abttoefl.html

US Naturalisation Self-Test: http://www.ins.usdoj.gov/exec/natz/natztest.asp

PALSO: http://www.palso.gr/english/

VOCABULARY

BBC World Service-Words in the News: http://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/learningenglish/words/

English Express: http://www.ilt.co.uk/English-express/English/fun.htm

English Vocabulary Lists: http://www.best.com/~xah/PageTwo_dir/Vocabulary_dir/vocabulary.html

Etymology: http://eleaston.com/holland.html

Household Items(with pictures): http://www.ampsc.com/~engage/js/HOUSEREV.HTM

1000 most common words: http://www1.harenet.ne.jp/~waring/Wordlists/vocfreq.html

The word spy (recently coined words): http://www.logophilia.com/wordspy/

Traffic Road Signs: http://www.ampsc.com/~engage/htm/RegSigns.html

Vocabulary Self-Study Quizzes: http://www.aitech.ac.jp/~iteslj/quizzes/vocabulary.html

Word Safari(Advanced): http://home.earthlink.net/~ruthpett/safari/index.htm

WRITING

Damaged property (practice telling a story in the past tense): http://webhome.idirect.com/~cclcs/damaged.html

Electronic postcards: http://postcards.www.media.mit.edu/Postcards/

Dave’s Graffiti Wall: http://www.pacificnet.net/~sperling/wall.html

Grammar Poetry: http://home.sol.no/~anlun/gram-po.htm

NEWS

BBC News on line: http://news.bbc.co.uk/text_only.htm

Yahoo headline News: http://dailynews.yahoo.com/tx/

Reuters: http://www.reuters.com/news/

The Sunday Times: http://www.sunday-times.co.uk/news/pages/changing-times.html?999

Athens News: http://athensnews.dolnet.gr/

Athens News Agency: http://www.ana.gr/

CNN Interactive: http://www.cnn.com/

TRAVEL

Holidays in the USA: http://www.eskimo.com/~cjh/esl/book1/chap2.html

Lonely Planet On-Line: http://www.lonelyplanet.com/contents.htm

Travelling in Greece: http://www.greek-tourism.gr/Default.htm

Greek Beauty: http://www.greekbeauty.gr/

UK On-line: http://www.ukonline.co.uk/

Fodor’s: http://www.fodors.com/

British Tourist Authority: http://www.visitbritain.com/

Travelocity: http://www.travelocity.com/

LINKS FOR TEACHERS

BBC Learning English: http://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/learningenglish/network/

IATEFL: http://www.iatefl.org/

TESOL: http://www.tesol.edu/index.html

Dave’s ESL E-mail Connection: http://www.pacificnet.net/~sperling/guestbook.html

Teachers’ Net: http://www.teachers.net/index.html

ATESOL Newsletter: http://hsc.csu.edu.au/pta/atesol/nletter.htm

Hints and Tips: http://www.4w.com/hoe/40tips.html

Classroom Tips: http://www.geocities.com/Athens/Forum/3941/tip.html

Technology Tips: http://osu.orst.edu/Dept/eli/prevtips.html

Fun Ways to teach: http://www2g.biglobe.ne.jp/~reggie/teaching/

A Resource Guide: http://www.nald.ca/province/nb/tesl/guide.htm

TESL Web Links: http://www.aitech.ac.jp/~iteslj/links/TESL/Web_Links/