| As with everything else involving the
use of the Internet, using it as a tool and a medium for ESL teaching is
leaping ahead at a rate of knots. The number of websites dedicated to ESL
teaching and learning increases almost daily. Software tools for the online
teaching of ESL are similarly proliferating. Most know by now that the
Internet is a vast resource on just about everything. The problem we have
as educators using the Net is distinguishing between what is worth using,
and what is just more grist for a rapidly growing mill. And we have to
assess whether or not it is sensible to use the Internet as a resource
when perhaps more traditional resources may do the job better and quicker.
To wit:
"For a project on wolves, I got more information
from a $6 book than I did in two hours on the on the Internet."
"For a project on Oklahoma, and the origin
of the state flower, after hours of fruitless research on the Internet,
I rang a librarian and got the answer at 11.00 pm."
These comments are taken from a recent email
discussion about the value of using the Net as a resource. I will not argue
a case for or against here, but these comments serve to highlight the fact
that there is an issue around someone automatically turning to the Net
to find their information. It is a wonderful resource but we should also
be encouraging our students to learn and maintain traditional information
seeking skills.
And what of those courses that are offered
wholly online? There are now countless certificate, diploma, and degree
courses available. Are they as good as face to face courses? Some hold
extreme opinions:
"Does anyone really think they can get
a degree online that is the equivalent of getting one from a real university
where you can brush shoulders with colleagues in a professional and academic
environment? ONLINE EDUCATION IS A SCAM. BIG TIME."
This comment and the subsequent reply below
are also from an email discussion list.
"If I hadn’t been able to do my Masters
in Business Admin online it never would have happened. I was able to do
it:
-
while looking after my family
-
without childcare costswhenever I wanted
-
without stress
-
with no travel costs
I received:
-
more one to one attention than I ever got
in a face to face course
-
a reply to queries and assignments within
24 hours, and often 12.
ONLINE EDUCATION IS NO SCAM. IT OPENS
DOORS FOR PEOPLE LIKE ME."
Clearly there are those for whom online
education is a godsend and who swear by it. Others doubt its effectiveness.
What is interesting is that distance education has been around for years
quietly achieving results in the background, and rarely was an eyebrow
raised in objection. With the advent of the Internet and the spread of
online education many now know that distance education is a fact and want
to join the debate as to its effectiveness. A quick examination of the
literature will tell you that online education is no more or less effective
that traditional teaching for those who choose this option, just as older
types of distance education courses (correspondence courses, tele- and
video conferencing) do the job equally well for those who choose to study
in distance mode. The point is that the Internet is just another medium
available for the delivery of educational programs, albeit a very glamorous
one. It is not the answer for all who prefer human contact in the flesh.
Face to face v distance mode
Implied above is the fact that the Internet
can be used both as a tool for classroom based learning, where students
and teachers are in a classroom together and may for example be looking
at various sources of information on the Internet. Distance mode refers
to those courses that are offered entirely online where the teacher and
their students in all likelihood will never meet. Many exercises can be
employed in both situations.
TYPES OF EXERCISES SUITABLE FOR INTERNET
DELIVERY
-
grammar drills These are particularly
useful for ESL learners who can be set to work on a body of exercises on
a particular grammar point or language structure. Most ESL websites with
this kind of exercise have built in correction and feedback so the teacher’s
involvement is minimal once the student is shown the site.
-
find and report (scanning, skimming)
This is where the Internet can be a wonderful asset or a cumbersome beast
that is overloaded with information. Except for all but extremely advanced
students it is advisable for teachers to direct students to particular
sites that the teacher knows have the required information, and where the
language level is suitable. A useful side outcome here can be the practising
of skimming and scanning skills, and indeed, the very phenomenon of reading
text online - a skill that is not the same as reading the printed page,
and one that students need gentle encouragement in. (It is not a good idea
to always print out everything.)
-
specific topic research (see above)
-
comparison of media (current news)
The Internet allows us to read newspapers around the globe from the same
day. Students can for example compare the headlines of newspapers around
the world to see if they have the same front page stories. Many ESL sites
too have links to sites where news is presented in modified language for
ESL learners.
-
email projects These are an exciting
way of exploiting the Internet for language students and already have been
the subject of a lot of research. How effective are they in developing
students language skills? We are not talking here of the kind of
brief, lightweight email contact that students usually engage in initially.
We must all start that way, but the email medium becomes a far more powerful
educational tool when classes of students link up with another class elsewhere
in the world on a regular basis and engage in collaborative projects that
might involve problem solving, negotiation, joint creation of web sites,
etc.
-
chat Chat is a word that has been co-opted
by the Internet and it refers to those places where you can meet other
people and engage in real time chat. In Internet chatrooms chatting of
course means talking by typing, and this kind of communication can quickly
become trite if left unsupervised. Teachers need to set discussion questions,
or specify a purpose for the chat for this to be an effective language
learning strategy in the longer term. A very useful feature of Internet
chat is that a teacher can often log the chat and give it back to the students
later as a written text and use it as the basis of a range of exercises.
This is a good example of something you can do on the Internet that you
cannot do in normal classroom teaching.
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listening exercises It may come as
a surprise to some that one can make extensive use of the Internet as a
listening resource. Sound files of all types are all over the Net and again
there are now several ESL specific sites that present a range of listening
activities, and most new PC’s these days come with speakers and sound capability.
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creating web pages This is a very exciting
and demanding adventure to embark on with students. There are many stories
from teachers that testify that once this kind of project gets underway
you cannot get the students out of the computer room. My experience has
taught me that this is not always so but creating web pages is a great
way of demystifying the Net for students. Once you have your own page the
Internet is no longer a phenomenon outside your experience. Having your
own website gives you part ownership of the Internet!
Software
I mentioned above that there is no shortage
of software available to facilitate teaching online. I will just mention
the few tried and tested tools that I use.
-
MARKIN (Freeware* by Martin Holmes)
If you are receiving student written work
by email and need to send back corrected work electronically this program
is indispensable. This program basically converts the corrected text into
a web page so that when the student gets it back it looks clean and uncluttered,
and has annotations (like marks in the margin of a page) to indicate location
and type of student errors. (NOTE: Freeware means that the product is freely
available from the Internet but the understanding is that if you like the
product you will eventually be honest and pay for it.)
This gem of a program is already used by thousands
all over the world but is an invaluable program that allows students and
teachers to exchange email and chat privately. With ICQ you can also see
instantly if the person you want to talk to is online.
The Palace is widely known as an Internet
pick up joint but it also has a virtual campus attached to it and teachers
can arrange to conduct lessons in their classrooms. The advantage of the
Palace is that it is a 3D environment that allows participants to have
a ‘body’ (an avatar in Net parlance). People can actually move around the
3D space and handle props and offer each other drinks, etc. It is an excellent
way of simulating real world situations.
AUDIO
For one to one communication via email. You
record your spoken message and send it via your email program. Listening
assignments can be sent and received this way, and it enables a teacher
to check a student’s pronunciation.
This program (also widely used by general
Net users) lets you listen to thousands of news programs, music, radio,
speeches, etc.
Education Listservs (Public Email Lists)
The quotes referred to at the beginning
of this article came from email discussion lists called listservs. They
are public email lists that are set up to allow people with a common interest
to read and discuss issues. There are many lists that focus on various
aspects of education. I have found those that deal with language teaching
and technology on the Internet to be of enormous professional development
value. Before actually jumping in and working with the Internet,
listservs are great resources for simply reading and learning
to your heart’s content. You can also contribute to the discussions. Your
email inbox will never be empty again though so be warned.
Here in South Australia there is already
a listserv set up (under TAFE auspices) for ESL teachers. It is called
ESL_SA. Sadly to date it has been very underused and I would urge everyone
who has regular access to email to join the list and help spark it into
life. Though it was set up by TAFE it is a public list and open to all
education sectors. What can you do with this kind of list? One that I know
of, the English teachers association of Israel list, uses it for:
-
sharing lesson plans/ideas
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announcements concerning meetings, policy
developments, reactions
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opinions/suggestions (re student types, admin
issues, strike action, etc)
-
advertising for jobs/relief teachers
If you would like to join this email list
(and please do), please see instructions in the resources list at the end
of this article.
In conclusion, I suggest that not all teachers
make the switch to teaching on the Internet. It is hard to escape the conclusion
however that having a basic knowledge of the Internet and its potential
for language teaching will be an essential skill for all future teachers.
This knowledge can of course be incorporated into classroom teaching. There
will simultaneously be a need for teachers who go down the path of delivering
ESL online. If you choose this path, be ready for the technological challenge,
and the excitement that this mode of delivery can provide, and keep it
human. Though online delivery may seem on the face of it to be a comparatively
impersonal pursuit, research on successful online teaching is very clear
- if the student does not feel a personal link with the teacher and sense
a of being part of a learning community (class), most students will drop
out.
A SELECTION OF ESL RESOURCES ON THE
INTERNET
ESL Websites
Volunteer Teaching on the Internet
Teacher Email Lists
(an essential Professional Development activity)
-
ESL_SA - almost dormant at the moment;
join it and make it come alive!
To subscribe:
1. send a message to majordomo@adel.tafe.sa.edu.au
2. write subscribe ESL_SA in the body
of the message
3. leave subject line blank and turn off
automatic signature if you have one
-
Education Resource - very active list
with many R-12 members
Just send a blank message to: edresource-subscribe@egroups.com
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NETEACH - very active list; more for
teachers of adult ESL/EFL students using Internet/computers. See further
info at: http://www.ilc.cuhk.edu.hk/english/neteach/main.html
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TESL-L - an incredibly prolific list;
concerned with ESL/EFL teaching in general
1. Send a message to: TESL-L@CUNYVM.CUNY.EDU
2. Write subscribe TESL-L in the
body of the message.
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DEOS - a very active list for distance
education in general
To subscribe to DEOSNEWS and DEOS-L, just
post the following commands to LISTSERV@LISTS.PSU.EDU
SUBSCRIBE DEOSNEWS Your Full Name
SUBSCRIBE DEOS-L Your Full Name
Places to find E-Pals
FREE SOFTWARE
* Michael Coghlan's Homepage: http://www.chariot.net.au/~michaelc
* list of ESL sites (needs updating!)
http://www.chariot.net.au/~michaelc/confrefs.htm#websites
* short article - The Fifth Utility:
http://www.chariot.net.au/~michaelc/OTTpaper.htm
Michael Coghlan
ESL Coordinator
Douglas Mawson TAFE
Tel: 82040921
Email: michaelc@chariot.net.au
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