BENEFITS OF USING THE INTERNET
IN THE CLASSROOM
Since language learning involves numerous social, psychological,
and cognitive aspects which are not present in other types of
subjects, what motivates a language learner using the computer
and its tools might be very different from learners studying other
subjects. Teachers have long known that having their students
exposed to real life situations of the target language, newspapers,
magazines and other materials that present the culture of that
language foster students motivation for mastering that language.
One of the apparent benefits of the Internet is that it enhances
student motivation by providing them a less threatening means
to communicate providing stimulating international contact and
facilitating work on meaningful projects. Therefore, teachers
can enhance student motivation by helping students gain knowledge
and skill about using computers and the Internet by carefully
integrating Internet activities into the regular structure of
the course.
Interaction
Today everyone is talking about the degree of interaction that
should exist in any learning process. This suggests that students
should get involved in their learning experience to make it more
meaningful and therefore everlasting. Many software companies
proclaim that their products allow for that "interactivity"
to occur while the client is using their products. The reality
is that this word is being use almost by everybody. Even though
there is no study to demonstrate the truth about this, educators
have seen that students of all ages learn better when they are
actively involved in their own learning processes.
One of the key problems in education is that students are mostly
exposed to the traditional teaching system where they are subject
to a lecture. Here they have nothing to do but to listen and write
what their teacher is saying. This system is failing because the
students have no use or interest in much of the material as it
is presented; it just doesn't captivate them. In order to expand
their understanding and keep their motivation and interest alive
they must become involved in the entire teaching process. What
better way of learning about a certain country than obtaining
the information from people from that country, reading journals
in magazines from that country, and reading the latest news about
that country through the Internet? On Proyecto Sherezade
Spanish teachers can find some interesting interactive stories,
while on MayaQuest Project
students, teachers and real life archeologist will work and interact
on the quest of Maya's civilization. All these and many other
strategies can be incorporated in the classroom just by adding
the Internet as another resource in your lesson plans.
The use of the Internet allows for collaboration between many
different participants. The teacher looking for information on
the Internet to be integrated in the curriculum will find a lot
of interaction and collaboration from other professionals in the
field that are doing the same. News groups, e-mail, RCI and other
communication mediums will permit the teacher to ask questions
and find necessary answers to them. There is no doubt that teachers
learn a lot from other teachers, therefore the Internet is giving
us the opportunity to share our knowledge and expertise with other
co-workers in any part of the world.
What about the students? They definitely have the opportunity
to become involved in active, collaborative and constructive learning
experiences, not only with their classmates, but also with students
from all over the world. How wonderful would it be to have them
investigate a social or economical structure of a specific country
having as the primary information resource students from that
country that share the same interest and willingness to cooperate
in the project! Language learning activities for the World Wide Web
is a site that will offer Spanish teachers many ideas about collaborative
learning projects to use in their classes.
There is another interesting relationship that could be born on
the Internet. This is the one between the teacher and his/her
students. If a teacher prepares a Web Page as the primary medium
of connection to the class the students will be using it and communicating
with the teacher to either improve it or add some extra ideas.
Sometimes students prefer to communicate in writing rather than
orally, and the Internet is giving them that opportunity.
One of the most valuable tools of the Internet is the World Wide
Web and its capability to provide access to all kinds of information.
For the foreign language teacher the WWW
brings to the classroom vast resources on current affairs, popular
culture and up-to-date research involving the target language.
It also provides the teacher with professional tools and ideas
to improve the quality of teaching. The integration of all these
resources greatly enhance and expand the realm of educational
possibilities available to teachers and students alike.
For the students, the Internet brings to life the culture and
language under study. Their curiosity will be awakened by all
the wonderful and different things that they will be able to discover
on their own. Now they will study documents, texts, and pictures
that will allow them to build their own knowledge; and by building
it themselves it becomes more meaningful and will last much longer.