Interactive Language Learning on the Web

 

              Web can helps teachers to teach language.  The teacher can take the material, lesson plans and ideas from the Web for using it in the classes.  Web used as a resource for language teaching and learning.  Teachers can create their own interactive language learning activities on the Web.  The benefit of creating your own interactive language learning activities are include accessibility, renewability and adaptability. The greatest challenge for teachers in creating web page is that they do not have technical skills and knowledge.  Another difficulty is that, the teacher should know which browser her students will use and  the connection speed.  Also, when the teachers design Web page she/he should meet accessibility guidelines for individuals with disabilities to be sure about the students with special needs not left out.  The teachers can teach on the Web some skills such as vocabulary practice, grammer lessons,comprehension exercises, reading and writng tasks, and pronunciation exercises.

            Online discussion boards are a good way to improve reading and writing skills. Dave's ESL Cafe' provides meny examples of this kinds of activity.  Like, the teacher can post the questions to start the discussion.  Online discussions boards like those at Dave's ESL Cafe' can be created easily using Common Gateway Interface (CGI)script and HTML. Also the teacher can use Weblog or blogto create online writing discussions and the students can set up their blog free, quickly and easily.

              The teacher can use JavaScript for vocabulary and grammar exercises.  For vocabulary the teacher can put  Games designed on the web to help students learn new vocabulary. Lillian's Fucaloro created a matching exercise for her beginning French course.  In this exercise, words or phrases are matched with definitions then the students click on the link at the bottom of the page to see the correct answers.  Also David Kenosian created a vocabulary matching exercise that provides correction feedback for his German course.  Fucaloro's and Kenosian's were created exercises with JavaScript.  JavaScript also used to create text's French Grammar from the university of Texas at Austin.

          If the teacher want to create an interactive activities such as quizzes and vocabulary and grammar exercises she/ he will require either a CGI script or JavaScript.  JavaScript is more complicated than HTML.

     The teacher can use RealAudio to create listening comprehension and pronunciation exercises such as fill in the gap done while listening to audio.  John's ESL/EFL Resources created with RealAudio and JavaScript a several listening comprehension exercises.  Audio clips can be put into Web page to develop vocabulary and for listening comprehension and pronunciation.  Teachers can use HTML forms and CGI script for online assessment.  John's ESL/EFL Resources provides a good examples using HTML forms and CGI script.  The students can make the quiz on the web then they can submit their answers to the web site.  The answers go via email to the teacher, then after the teacher correct it send feedback directly to the students.