Contents

Introduction.......................................2Features of Internet-based Language Learning........4

Advantages of Web-based learning.........................4Disadvantages of Web-based learning.......................7Basic components of a Web-based course.....................8

The Internet and its resources for foreign language teaching...........................................11

Electronic mail and chat-technologies in ILT..................12Live online lessons.....................................14Podcasts in ELT.......................................16Discussion boards.....................................18

Development of language skills through Web-based learning...........................................19

Listening and speaking.................................19Reading and writing...................................20

Conclusions........................................22Reference materials................................23

1

IntroductionThe Internet can undoubtedly be called one of the most

exciting of modern technologies. The range of its

facilities is so wide that the Internet can be also

used for language teaching. It is also assumed that

the Internet technologies will eventually transform

the way of teaching and learning foreign languages.

The Internet is a tool which offers unprecedented

opportunities in the field of language teaching (LT).

Internet assisted LT can enhance teacher’s

effectiveness and facilitates his or her work. It also

increases learners’ independence, motivation and

provides a real information gap. Multimedia support

additional information, interesting for learners and

can provide them further education. The Internet also

enables communication through sending e-mail messages,

participating in news boards, discussion groups and

keeping in touch with newspaper editors. Learners use

computers for interactive group work involving problem

solving and simulations. Consequently, Internet

assisted LT helps individuals become more successful

in school and enhances their critical thinking skills

by allowing to judge the value of the information they

find. As a result, learners are engaged in learning2

for their own sake (emancipatory learning). Finally,

Web-based LT encourages and enables cross-cultural

interaction among scholars from different corners of

the world which is very important in a globalized

world as students are led to approach the world in a

new manner.

However the facilities of new technologies are not

infinite and cannot be called perfect, though they are

developing rapidly. The reason is that most LT web-

sites are worked out by programmers, but not by

professional linguists or language teachers. That is

why these web-sites can provide unverified information

or they can lack language teaching methodology.

Besides, the majority of the materials available on

the Internet have not been created for learners of

English. The materials available have mostly been

created by native speakers of English and contain

idiomatic expressions or colloquial expressions. As a

result, they are too difficult or unsuitable to be

used in the classroom or during the web-course. The

language may contain grammatical errors, the

information may be inaccurate. Therefore, teachers

should adapt the Internet texts to suit the needs of

3

the students and the level of their language

proficiency.

My research is focused on the use of the Internet

technologies in foreign language teaching and the

variety of ILT means.

The aim of the research comes down to the following:

to analyse advantages and disadvantages of Web-based

learning, to observe the peculiarities of different

Internet activities in the field of LT, to find out,

whether different Web-based courses have the same

structure and to determine the opportunities students

can get while doing different activities via the

Internet. To do the research I studied different

sources of information: web sites [3,10], articles

[1,2] and monographs [4,6,7, 8,9,11] and also analyzed

different online Web-courses [5], using my own

experience as a student.

4

Features of Internet-based Language Learning The Internet can be used as a new powerful, flexible,

and efficient tool for technology-enhanced learning.

Online education through the World Wide Web has become

a prominent feature of CALL (computer-assisted

language learning) and is also considered to be the

easiest and the most popular approach to education due

to advanced computer technology. Internet-based

learning provides an added value to foreign language

learning. It supports the shift from the traditional

teacher-centered classroom to a learner-centered

environment. Learners are encouraged to learn by

themselves and are motivated to develop their

knowledge. The web-based language learning provides

benefits in the accessibility and availability of

authentic materials, too. The Web provides more rapid

searching tools than traditional searches in

libraries, and the pages retrieved from the web are

more attractive and appealing than traditional printed

media. Moreover, multimedia make the Internet more

attractive to many people. Therefore, more and more

educators are experimenting with the web-sites for

5

learning in order to make their teaching more

attractive and more interactive for students.

Advantages of Web-based learning It is pointed out in The Report of the National

Committee of Inquiry into Higher Education through

Internet networks [7], that is possible to offer

different forms of contact and access to many highly

effective learning materials that were unavailable to

many students before the development of the Internet.

Dearing [7] discussed some benefits that communication

and information technologies bring to English language

learning. In my opinion, these advantages can be

classified in different ways:

Tasks and exercises

The Internet language learning activities can be

distinguished according to their flexibility and

students’ possibility to create their own tasks

according to their needs. For example, the

Internet provides grammar exercises which are

aimed at training grammar rules (tense forms,

articles, language structures etc.) and have

precise structure. These exercises can often

follow relevant information about this particular

grammar rule. Many of the sites are also aimed at

6

practicing pronunciation, vocabulary, listening,

etc.

However, there are activities that are more

flexible and, therefore, more attractive to

learners. For example, with the help of the

Internet-technologies, learners have the

opportunity to adapt such tasks as “writing to a

key-pal” according to their interest. This way

allows learners to develop their English speech

according to their needs and their reality.

Students have opportunities of negotiating,

persuading, clarifying meaning, requesting for

information, exchanging ideas, discussing, asking

questions in the sites that are of particular

interest to them. Through this new learning

approach, students, who cannot attend language

schools and only have the opportunity to study

via the Internet, are able to observe, identify,

and recognize elements of their own and other

cultures, compare and contrast, negotiate

meaning, tolerate ambiguity, effectively

interpret messages, limit the possibilities of

misinterpretation, defend one’s point of view

while acknowledging the legitimacy of others’ and

7

have the ability to accept differences among

individuals.

Variety in means of education

Web-based learning environments are designed to

offer more means of education, such as electronic

communication (e-mail), up-to-date courses,

interaction via newsgroups or forums (online

discussion groups), multimedia lecture

presentations. Thus, the Web has made people

rethink the nature of teaching, learning, and

schooling. That is why it is easier for learners

to choose the way of the foreign language

learning according to their needs and their

wishes. Computer- based programs, such as

tutorials, simulations, exercises and educational

games are highly interactive and provide

activities that students need, to develop their

understanding of the interlocutor’s ideas.

Studying independently or with the teacher

There are still teacher-monitored courses, where

teachers communicate with learners, send them

assignments, check them and explain new rules.

Video and audio – conferences with the language

teacher via skype are very popular nowadays.

8

Nevertheless, online education tends to become

more autonomous. According to R.Dearing, teachers

will give more responsibilities to learners to

monitor their own learning.

Zane Berge, a professor of Michigan State

University, declared challenging roles for

teachers and learners [4]: “a change from

students acting as passive receptacles to

students who are constructing their own

knowledge; a type of student who put hands into

complex problem- solving activities rather than

just memorizing facts; an increased role of

collaborative/cooperative group members and

teamwork in online classrooms; a shifting role

towards autonomous, independent, self-motivated

managers of their time; a role that makes

emphasis on knowledge use rather than only the

observation of the teacher’s expert performance”.

According to him, teacher-learner hierarchy is

broken down, as teachers’ role is changing from

lecturer and instructor to consultant, guide,

coach and resource provider; teachers that become

expert questioners, rather than providers of

answers; teachers that provide structure to

9

student work, encouraging self-direction; a shift

of teachers role from total control of the

teaching environment to sharing the information

with the student as a fellow learner. It is also

an important experience for a teacher, who learns

to adapt the program to learners’ needs.

Distance and immediate communication

Nowadays more and more institutions of higher

education are beginning to use the Internet to

offer accredited courses or distance learning.

The Internet approach can also provide

flexibility in teaching and learning, free from

the physical boundaries of classrooms and the

time restraints of class schedules. The student

can study independently online, communicate with

the coach at any time he can and get answer

within an hour or less, submit assignments, have

access to course guides electronically from

course web sites or communicate realtime

(synchronously) with teachers and classmates for

questions and discussions in chatting rooms.

Moreover, many materials are available to be

downloaded so that learners who are busy at work

can study the materials whenever they want.

10

Disadvantages of Web-based learningDespite the aforementioned advantages, some arguments

related to Internet learning are still in debate.

According to T.C. Russo [11], Web is simply a learning

tool, and this resource does not have major effect on

academic achievement of students if it is only used as

a vehicle to search for and retrieve information.

These are some disadvantages of web-based learning:

Much of web-based courses consist of a text and

some excersises and tasks to the text only.

However, in my opinion, video and audio materials

are now integrated in more and more courses.

The Internet studies sometimes lack the

individual approach and teacher-student

communication

Users might quickly be discouraged because of

technical difficulties such as Internet speed

problems. Students using computers on campus can

download the multimedia material very quickly.

They also can rely on computer technical experts

to deal with system crashes and other bugs. Off-

campus, however, the situation is much less

satisfactory because of low speed connections and

lack of technical help. This is why learning

11

activities should be distinguished according to

the living conditions of the learner: whether a

student has high-speed Internet at home, whether

he lives on campus or not etc.

Lack of training and familiarity with computers

and the Internet (by both teachers and learners)

could lead to frustration, instead of motivation.

Moreover, the Internet provides such an enormous

quantity of information that adequate guidance

should be provided, because the user would see

the World Wide Web as a challenge rather than as

a facilitating tool for learning.

However, in my opinion all these problems can be

solved. Many courses, where video materials are

provided, also have a text-version of the videos, so

that students can download them in case there are

Internet speed problems at home. Besides, some courses

provide technical help to learners and most of the

courses have a very simple and intuitive design.

Therefore the disadantages of Internet-based education

still remain controversial. That is why the

development of a web-based course should consider

certain components for its appropriate use. The

important thing to keep in mind, however, is that the12

greatest potential of Web-based learning is that

educators have a chance to learn from previous

experience, and have opportunities to develop new

learning experience for students which was not

possible before.

Basic components of a Web-based courseA well-designed course design should contain

pedagogical components to ensure its effectiveness.

The same thing happens in a web-based course. A good

web course design will take advantage of technology to

make learning more responsive, relevant, and

meaningful to students, allowing spontaneous

experiences without physical distance constraints.

Also, a good web course should be designed to reflect

the shift from an instructor-centered approach to a

student-centered approach. Some of the web sites are

developed with the help of a teacher or by a teacher

himself, so teachers should be trained to create such

web sites or at least be aware of the particularities

of web-based courses to be able to use them properly.

I have analyzed several online courses [5] and found

out that the following peculiarities were considered

to be major components in the construction of an

effective web-based learning course:

13

1.Course information. The online program should

include course descriptions and prerequisites,

time, credit hours, activities, technical help

and the coach’s contact information (phone, fax,

and e-mail). It is very important that students

know how and when the coach can be reached.

Information about required technology tools, such

as the Internet browser, plug-in programs, and

how to use the course website should be included.

Besides, all supportive and related course

material should be presented and enumerated. It

includes the suggested text references, scanned

documents, books, videos etc. Web materials allow

for easy updating and always provide up-to-date

information for students.

2.Schedule and content of the course. It can also be

referred to as a calendar. This component

provides a timeline for the sequence of topics

and activities in each session. It may include

class requirements (either Internet requirements

or level requirements in cases of advanced

learning), the information, when the content to

be covered in each session, activities,

assignments, quizzes, exams, and surveys to be

14

completed by students. This part probably

includes the most important information for

students.

3.Multimedia and text presentation of content. Perhaps the

most difficult part of developing a web- based

course is creating online content. The resource

provider can begin by transferring basic

materials to the Web and integrating media such

as sound, image, and video. This can make online

learning more attractive and accommodate

different learning styles of students.

4.Assessments. This part should include the criteria

that will be used to determine course grade. It

may include a performance progress tracking

system accessible to students via online.

Students can check the individual progress for

each session. The database of tracking student

progress and grades is useful for the teacher or

course management.

5.Testing. Online drill or practice tests can be

used to reinforce learning. For example, short

essay or multiple choice test formats can be used

by students to provide a self- assessment of

their level of understanding of the text.

15

Without these parts, WB language course is useless,

especially when the ones that will be affected are

precisely the students who want to learn a new

language.

16

The Internet and its resources for foreignlanguage teachingThough the Internet was originally planned for

military purposes and was quite secret, it has grown

into a huge global network connecting millions of

people and giving them many remarkable opportunities

for work, communication, learning and entertainment.

The resources available for LT in the network are

growing daily: the opportunities for studying and

learning range from simple exchanging letters with

native speakers to practicing auding and reading

skills through listening to international news

broadcasts.

It is important for Web-based learning that a student

should be able to study more independently than in

class. That is why the process of education should be

aimed at developing students’ ability to learn and

improve language skills without assistance. The

methodology of language learning should also affect

activation of the student’s personal potential. They

are supposed to use the Internet not only for solving

their professional queries and corresponding with the

17

foreign professional partners, but also for perfecting

their language. [5,8]

Unfortunately, students often lack the ability of

solving learning tasks independently. That is why they

should be taught to find the way of overcoming

incomprehension by themselves. Therefore to teach

language learners how to use the Internet in their

studies is the first step in the introduction of the

Internet learning:

Students are supposed to be acquainted with the

diversity of the websites in the target language

The variety of the interactive tasks in the

Internet and instructions to them are to be

shown to students

The teacher can explain to students that there

are also some linguistic difficulties that

students meet with during their Internet

learning. These difficulties appear due to the

constant changeability of the language and the

variety of colloquial expressions.

Electronic mail and chat-technologies in ILTWriting is probably the most popular activity in the

Internet. The popularity of social networks speaks for

18

itself. E-mail communication increases students’

motivation in learning the language for communication

as writing became an important part of the Internet

activities. Besides, in psychological perspective,

writing can encourage shy students to participate in

class activities.

In my opinion, writing activities can be classified

according to these features:

Asynchronous vs. synchronous means of

communication

One of the most popular resources in language

learning is electronic mail. It belongs to

asynchronous means of communications. The

attraction of e-mail is communication speed:

participants can receive a reply in a matter of

hours. In order to communicate students have to

read and write messages, so different skills are

developed. E-mail is an asynchronous means of

communication, a learner has some time to provide

a considered and a well thought-out answer.

As for synchronous ways of language learning we

can mention such method as Internet Relay Chat

(IRC). The main features of this tool are

immediacy and spontaneity of real-time

19

communication in the English language

(duplicating many characteristics of face-to-face

conversation though the medium is text), ability

to brainstorm and receive immediate responses,

ability to preserve a conversation in written

form. However, scheduling can prove difficult,

the tools work best with relatively small numbers

of participants at a time, and technological lag

or slow typing can impede discussion. Some of

these methods can be accompanied by audio and

video, though these are still somewhat difficult

over the Internet.

Language level of learners

Exchanging e-mail messages can be started even at

the very beginning of the learning process. The

students in A-level can study how to meet the

interlocutor for the first time. The teacher

prepares a list of simple questions for students

like “What is your name?”,” How old are you?” or

“What are your hobbies?”. If communication occurs

between the teacher and the students, the teacher

sends a list of these questions to every student.

This activity can be used after every unit to

20

check students’ knowledge or as an online

assessment test.

More advanced students can participate in the

“Finding partners” activity. The activity

includes finding pen friends around the world and

to correspond with them. This sort of activity

can be a starting point for exchange of opinions

and views.

Students can also send e-mail messages to each

other within the class. Although this sort of

activities does not include multiculturalism,

they can also be a good language practice.

Correspondence vs. achieved messaging

Besides correspondence, electronic mail can also

be used the method of archived messaging.

According to this method students can also

communicate in the English language through

a mailing list, where messages are sent to all

subscribed members via e-mail, or a message

board, where messages are posted and read on a

central website. This way is easier to be

organized, while there is no need in individual

approach. However, the teacher is not able to

check the learners’ activity.

21

Writing activities have different benefits that should

be taken into account in the process of learning and

that probably attract language learners:

Firstly, they help to enrich the word stock of a

learner, as during e-mail communication many

topics in different spheres of life are touched

upon and students have to seek some new words to

provide coherent ideas and to have communication

under control. Grammar is also trained to this

purpose.

Electronic Mail helps learners to communicate

with people from different countries, familiarize

with other cultures, mentalities, customs,

attitudes and ways of thinking. This sort of

knowledge is very important in a globalized

world, as communication is impossible without

sufficient intercultural competence. Therefore,

exchanging e-mail messages can be regarded not

only as a useful task but also as a way to learn

more about the surrounding world. For example,

students can get acquainted with life in an

African village, go on holidays to Latin America

or familiarize with the life of women in a muslim

22

country. But it should be mentioned that this

communication should be under control of the

teacher in order to remain an effective exercise.

At the beginning simple exchange of virtual

greeting cards between learners from different

countries can develop intercultural communication

and be a successful task. More advanced students

can exchange opinions concerning current events.

It can be based on reading electronic journals.

Live online lessonsInternet conferencing is probably the least-known form

of online teaching. Internet conferencing allows the

teacher and the students to connect with each other

live at a pre-arranged time and then speak to each

other, see each other, work on documents together on

their respective screens and more. It is similar to

videoconferencing but with the crucial difference of

taking place entirely via the Internet from a desktop

computer.

Using Internet conferencing it is possible to organize

live lessons which are very similar to a classroom-

based one. The teacher can prepare materials on a so-

called whiteboard; this can be opened during the23

lesson and displayed to all students in the class, who

can then view and manipulate it. This allows the

teacher to prepare materials such as visuals for

students using audio, gap-fills, vocabulary mix-and-

match exercises and more. At any point during the

lesson the students can save the whiteboard file onto

their own computer for future reference. This system

also allows the student to show the teacher documents

they may have prepared for their work, for example if

a student needs to give a presentation the following

week in English and has prepared a PowerPoint

presentation, the teacher can ask them to do a mock-

presentation showing him or her the PowerPoint slides

and narrating them just as he will do in real life.

One important benefit of online teaching is high

motivation for a number of reasons. For some students

it may be the first contact they have with a native-

speaker teacher, which in itself can be valuable. In

addition, the fact of studying in a group lesson with

other students who are in different countries can be

fascinating and exciting. Similarly to e-mail

projects, this gives the teacher the added advantage

of having a built-in information gap to exploit, which

most students are highly appreciative as well. Due to

24

these factors it is quite unusual for a student to

discontinue a course before its completion.

With the constant improvement of Internet connectivity

around the globe the audio quality tends to be very

good as well, thereby allowing the teacher to work on

all skills with the students in a very realistic

environment. If desired, the teacher is able to focus

on problems and weaknesses when they occur, which can

be very valuable to students.

A drawback of live online lessons is that time-zones

can cause challenge. When trying to arrange a lesson

between a teacher in the UK, for instance, and a

student in Japan, at least one of the two may have to

join the lesson at a time which may not be very

convenient for them. Furthermore, such lessons are

invariably more costly than web-based or even e-mail

lessons as they require a relatively large input of

teacher-time. However, the effectiveness may well be

higher due to increased motivation, access to a

realistic situation in which the learner is faced with

unpredictable language input, and immediate tutor

feedback when appropriate.

25

Podcasts in ELTA podcast is a series of regularly-updated audio or

video files that can be played on a number of devices

(either portable, such as mp3 players or mobile

phones, but also static, such as desktop computers)

and are distributed over the Internet via a

subscription service. The possibility of subscription

is an important feature that makes the online audio

file into a podcast, so that the listener is alerted

when a new episode is available and may even have it

automatically downloaded onto a computer ready for

listening or transfer to a mobile device. These

podcasts are one of the most popular means of ELT.

Talk-radio podcasts, such as Absolutely Intercultural,

which are not overtly pedagogical, can be much more

than passive, extended listening practice. However, it

is one of the best ways to train auding skills and to

develop listening comprehension. A podcast can also

include video or pictures. Podcasts also often have a

Web location on a blog where information, sometimes

called "show notes," about each episode is also stored

and where listeners can interact with the podcasters

through e-mail or a comment function. If the podcast

26

file is not understandable for the listener, he can

also see the text of the audio file in the web-site.

For example, there is a web-site

(englishclasspod101.com), where students can download

for free all audio files and 10 text files during two

weeks, after that subscriber can pay for premium

account and then proceed with downloading files. This

web-site became so popular, that web-designers

launched similar sites in Arabic, Bulgarian, Chinese,

Dutch, Filipino and many other languages. Therefore we

can see that this means of LT is much demanded.

Several features of podcasts make them superior to

radio programs as a listening experience for learners:

From an educational point of view, the critical

features of a podcast are content choice, portability,

and time shifting opportunities since these support

personalised and mobile learning.

For language learners specifically, podcasts

provide a unique repository of authentic oral

language materials, an aspect of language

teaching which has often been neglected in the

past in favour of text-based activities.

27

For the EFL teacher, the fact that English is

still a dominant Internet language means that the

choice is enormous. (However, this very wealth of

English language resources may cause problems in

knowing what to choose.)

Most subscriptions are editable, creative commons

copyright, and remixable.

The audio can be slowed down, chunked and

repeated at will.

There is enhanced potential for dialogue with

podcast users

All podcasts are divided into different levels, so

everyone from beginners to advanced learners can make

a profit on this activity. Moreover listening with a

glossary, prepared by the teacher, would help to make

the listening activity accessible to lower levels.

Generally podcasts also offer opportunities to explore

active interactions. These range from the easiest

option of adding a comment to the blog that is almost

always associated with a podcast to the most involved

option of creating and maintaining a regular class

podcast. These options exercise productive language

skills as well as receptive listening skills. 

28

Discussion boardsDiscussion boards are online notice boards where

students can read messages and respond to them. In

other words, students can read and post messages

directly onto a web page from their web browsers.

Discussion boards relate to a given subject. They

consist in free exchange of opinions among Internet

users. This activity can be useful in Internet- based

ELT as it allows for interaction. Interaction

motivates students to develop reading skills. Some

activities consisting in gathering information from

websites have already been presented. Students should

gather information on a given subject to have enough

knowledge. Later they can participate in chats on a

given subject using the knowledge they have acquired.

This sort of exercise is meaningful as students read

to exchange information and opinions. They learn to

present their arguments, take part in discussions and

find out what other people think about important

issues. For example, students can be asked to gather

information from the Net relating to euthanasia which

is a very important issue in Europe nowadays. The

teacher helps them to organize the knowledge and

present arguments. After students have been prepared

29

arguments, they can take part in a chat concerning the

problem of euthanasia. Towards the end of the lesson

students report back what opinions and attitudes they

have encountered.

News boards are very interesting as they provide

information on a variety of subjects. Every newsgroup

is dedicated to a subject. Students can find there

information connected with their interests. News

groups are useful information source and reading

materials source. Students can contribute to a

newsgroup providing information in the field of their

interest. Therefore, students are motivated to read as

finally they can express their opinion or share their

experiences and knowledge. [8,9]

30

Development of language skills through Web-based learningListening and speakingIn order to speak and listen to English speech

learners need to develop their auding skills, be able

to share information, greet, negotiate meaning, agree,

give opinion etc. orally. They also need mastery in

pronunciation, stress, rhythm, non-verbal

communication, etc. To help learners acquire speech

skills, teachers engage learners in a series of

communicative activities such as role-play,

simulations, games, scenarios, information-gap

activities, singing etc.

There’s a belief, however, that these skills are

impossible to be accomplished through web-based

courses, mainly because listening and speaking are

productive skills. The WWW can truly activate

listening and speaking. Via the Intenet, there is a

wide range of listening tasks, starting with listening

activities in web sites, and incorporating listening

to news stories (for example, The Voice of America,

BBC, Euronews.com, CCN.com and many other resources).

These web-sites often include text version of any news

31

story as well, so that a learner can facilitate

comprehension looking through the text. Some news web-

sites also have news stories specially created for

people who do not know the English language well.

Besides, some sites as BBC.com provide English courses

with special podcasts that train students to listen to

ordinary news stories.

There is also a website that helps learners to improve

spoken language and, especially, pronunciation [3].

These websites mainly help learners acquire pragmatic

skills, and self- assessment skills. Then the computer

becomes a means for communication with native speakers

and more advanced speakers of the language, allowing

learners participate in synchronous and asynchronous

conversations:

activities using both synchronous and

asynchronous audio exchanges that include audio

dialogue journals in which two or more

participants record messages and send them to

each other in a running stream of conversation

activities involving students in the recording of

audio segments in presentation software such as

Power Point or trading suggestions (orally) for

32

essay revision in versions of Microsoft Word that

have audio commenting capabilities

In on-line lesson learners have the opportunity to

engage in debate and practice speaking functions such

as the use of argument skills, discussion skills,

critical thinking skills, formulating opinions, asking

for clarification, agreeing or disagreeing. [9]

Reading and writingAs well as listening and speaking, reading and writing

skills include mastery of specific skills like

summarizing, understanding the main point, identifying

organization (for both reading and writing),

evaluating support arguments, predicting, drawing

conclusions, organizing content, developing writing

skills (content, organization, word choice, etc.),

among others.

During online learning, students can check exercises

after they are done, move gradually to more difficult

exercises and tasks according to their levels and

abilities. When learners fail to answer correctly or

perform activities, web sites provide the possibility

to simulate, drill or explain the phenomenon.

33

WBL supports reading and writing skills by providing

tasks and texts for students at all levels and

therefore providing individualized learning. In

individualized learning, learners are expected to be

responsible of their own learning, and to be

challenged to accomplish tasks of their interest and

at their rate. The web also helps learners choose

materials they want to use for reading and writing,

learners can also determine if what they retrieve is

authentic or not, based on their needs or on their

interests. Thus learners have flexibility when they

access the WWW and become autonomous learners.

Students can also be exposed to extensive reading and

writing through conceptualized practice. Learners can

exchange messages and discuss readings or they can

read web-based stories with both audio and video text

exposure, and write comments to other on-line reading

peers about relevant details.

A very useful website that integrates the

aforementioned skills is Grammar.net [10] Grammar.net

is suitable for self-directed learning and also as an

extension to regular class work. It was developed with

that focus in mind that if students train new

structures in different tasks, it becomes easier for

34

them to use many structures of the English language.

Due to this website learners can bridge the gap

between knowing grammatical structures and using them

in everyday life.

35

ConclusionsThe increased use of modern technologies has enabled

us to create new opportunities for teaching languages.

We are able to take tools that have been created in

other domains of the language learning field,

languaging and process writing, and bring these

together with technical cultural artefacts like Skype,

virtual worlds, word processors, wikis, blogs and many

others to improve language development and our

understanding of language development.

The roles that Web-based learning is playing in

language teaching process is making a significant a

real difference to how we understand language learning

and the role of Web-based learning within it. This new

approach generates autonomous learners, facilitating

access to authentic materials towards collaborative

and individualized learning.

The World Wide Web certainly triggers communication.

It is one of the most exciting pedagogical resources

in use today. It encompasses a significant, and

unlimited amount of educational materials that

remodels teaching methodology by incorporating Wed-

based learning as a means to shift from traditional36

teacher-centered classroom to learner-oriented

environment. The WWW is a place of socialization where

communication and authentic opportunities of

interaction are provided. For this reason,

interactivity is the key element in WBL and a crucial

strength in the new technological world. It “gives the

green light” to learners to become active participants

in the learning process for active communication and

self-expression in the second language.

In this research I elaborated on advantages and

disadvantages of Internet-based language teaching,

found out some common features of Web-based courses

and observed different means of Internet-based

learning. As a conclusion I understood that the

Internet can be a great opportunity to study foreign

languages if it is used properly.

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