Abstract:

It is a well known fact that using the Internet has become an indispensable part of teaching any subject in practically any age group in the 21st century because using the Internet can substantially improve learning outcomes. The World Wide Web enables us to get access to various textbooks, resources for teachers and students, videos, quizzes, methodological recommendations for teachers etc. All of these materials are aimed at facilitating the process of teaching and learning, increasing students’ engagement in the learning process. New resources are added to the Web on a daily basis. That plethora of options the Internet provides us with makes it necessary to learn to navigate through them and learn to use the materials we have at hand wisely. Using technology just for the sake of doing so, without any system or method, is unlikely to lead to any positive outcomes. It can be rather time-consuming to find an appropriate activity or resource for the aim any particular teacher or learner might have in mind.

The aim of this paper is to review the previous studies on the use of the Internet in the ESL classroom, analyze the resources available according to different learning needs students have or aims teachers intend to pursue and suggest a number of recommendations which will enable ESL teachers to use the Web more effectively.

Keywords:

Internet, ESL teaching methods, dogme method, innovations in education, learner autonomy.