Foreign language teachers continue to explore the role that computer technology can play in the language learning process. In addition to other technological tools, the Internet is increasingly considered as a pedagogical tool to enhance language teaching and the learning process (Dies 1995; Johnson 1991; Oliva and Pollastrini 1995; Patrikis 1995). The fact that the Internet offers vital resources of up-to-date cultural information and authentic materials in the target language has captured the attention of foreign language professionals; specifically on how best to integrate this resource into their curricula and courses.

While implementing Internet resources for foreign language instruction, we need to consider how Internet can create a learning environment in which learners can gain both "linguistic" and "cultural" competence through exploration and personal experience. We also need to keep in mind how the application of Internet activities can support the theoretical perspectives and principles of foreign language learning.

How can the Internet Support Proficiency-Based Instruction?

The "proficiency movement" (Omaggio Hadley 1993) has arisen in response to the focus on the development of the functional skills needed to help learners interact successfully with native speakers. With the emphasis on proficiency-based instruction, foreign language teachers should take into account what major roles the Internet might play in a communicative-oriented foreign language classroom.

Research in theoretical linguistics shows that language acquisition depends on "the amount of comprehensible input the acquirer receives and understands" (Krashen 1982). Internet resources and activities provide opportunities for additional "comprehensive input", one of the necessary elements of second language acquisition (Krashen 1982), and for using a range of functional language skills in a variety of contexts. (Hypothesis 1 and 2 in Omaggio Hadley 1993). The use of the Internet offers self-paced, learner-centered instruction which helps to lower students' "affective filter" proposed by Krashen (1982), and allows for more individualized learning styles (Hypothesis 4 in Omaggio Hadley 1993).

Other linguistic researchers consider learning strategies to be an influential factor in the achievement of language acquisition and learning (Oxford 1990; Oxford and Ehrman 1989). The process of gathering information from the Internet permits learners to use a variety of learning strategies, such as skimming and scanning skills for reading. The final process of selecting, planning, organizing, analyzing, and evaluating information from the Internet involves higher-order cognition processes and promotes learner-centered activities (Bloom 1956; Larsen-Freeman and Long 1991). These strategies are considered important factors influencing language achievement (e.g., O'Malley and Chamot 1990; Oxford 1990).

Access to the Internet resources provides a great deal of cultural information to help students gain C2 awareness and understanding in order to function appropriately in the target language community (Hypothesis 5 in Omaggio Hadley 1993). Using navigational tools to search for cultural information creates valuable opportunities for students to read, interpret, and analyze L2 authentic texts in order to gain insights into the target culture (Knight 1994).

In summary, the application of the Internet for foreign language learning corresponds to some of the principles expressed for foreign language acquisition and learning. With this perspective in mind, foreign language teachers are encouraged to learn "how" to implement Web-based activities. In the following sections, I will first describe how to access to the Web from a graphical browser software such as Netscape Navigator. Then, I will discuss a practical Internet project including design, method and assessment strategies for the use of the Internet both inside and outside of the classroom. Finally, I will conclude with some suggestions for Web-based activities.

How to Access Web Resources?

Web materials can be accessed by using navigational tools such as Netscape and Internet Explorer--graphical multimedia browsers which allow users to view text, graphic images, sound, video and animated graphics; Lynx--a text-based browser without graphics capabilities, and Gopher--a hierarchical menus tool of options which allows users to go from general directories as higher levels to more specific directories at lower levels. These browsing tools allow users to search for information that is called a "page". The start page is often referred to as a "homepage." Each page is identified by a unique address called a URL (Uniform Resource Locator) such as . Most Web pages contain both text and images. Some browsers also have access to sounds and videos. In order to view Web materials, it is necessary to have either a graphical browser (e.g., Netscape) or a text-based browser (Lynx). The following section shows how to access to the Web using Netscape Navigator 3.01 on the Internet:

I. Connecting to a Web-site:

If you know your URL such as :

• In the top portion of the screen where is says "location," using the mouse, highlight the current site address and press the delete key.
  
• Type in the URL: and hit "Return."
  

II. Doing your own search:

• In Nescape, click on "Net Search" and select the search engine you want to use.
  
• In the "Search" area, type in the key words in the target language related to the topic you are looking for, such as "M™sica Latina" for information about Latin Music in Spanish.
  
  1. Click on the search button.
  2. Explore, explore and explore . . .

III. Saving the URLs for the future use:

• Go to the menu bar on the top of your screen. Save the page such as by selecting "Add Bookmark" from the "Bookmarks" menu on the Netscape.
• If you go back to the "Bookmarks" menu, you should see "Gipsy Kings Home Page" in the list.

IV. Downloading Web sites to your hard drive:

• Go to the menu bar on the top of your screen. Under the "File" menu select "Save as."
• In the "Save as" area, type a new file name or use the original name of the document.
• Open the hard drive and click "Save" to download the file to your computer.

The above mentioned section of "How to access Web resources" is a basic four-step procedure to allow users to access, browse, save URLs, and download Web sites and it can be used as instructions while navigating Web sites. Additional hands-on trainings will help beginning users feel more comfortable while using Internet technology. Teachers may arrange training activities with the assistance of computer labs. Training sessions on the use of the Web should be provided at the beginning of the semester so that students have more time to explore Web sites. Strategies for surfing the Web should also be addressed to avoid anxiety, frustration, and time-consuming searches for information. For instance, using the "Bookmarks" menu to save favorite sites and downloading Web sites to local storage for future use before the pages are removed from the Internet (See the above instructions for Downloading Web sites to your hard drive).

How to Integrate the Internet and Foreign Language Teaching?

Basically two types of technologies are available on the Internet: non-interactive and interactive. Non-interactive technologies, such as the Netscape or Internet Explorer are often used as reference tools which allow users to view input information via online newspapers or Web sites while interactive technologies, such as E-mail or chat lines provide opportunities for users to receive input and produce output (Lafford and Lafford 1997). Online current information resources produced around the world allow users to seek out and examine a variety of topics. E-mail systems offer opportunities for real world, authentic communication, making possible immediate cross-cultural information exchanges with native speakers around the world.

Foreign language teachers have become aware of the massive amounts of online information and feel the need to learn how to use these resources effectively and efficiently. When designing Internet activities, several steps need to be taken into consideration:

(1) Objectives--what are the purposes for using Internet?
(2) Method--what instructional strategies can be incorporated into Internet activities?
(3) Procedures/activities--how and what activities do students need to carry out?
(4) Assessment/evaluation--how to measure students' learning outcome?

The following is a sample project for the use of Internet which I have found successful in my Intermediate Spanish courses at the college level. This project can also be implemented for Spanish III or IV at the secondary school.

Objective. The objective of my Internet project is to integrate the Internet tools for cultural projects as part of the course requirements of an Intermediate Spanish course. My main focus is to use combined Internet tools--a browser tool for cultural resources and E-mail for communication or exchange of ideas among users--to help students develop their awareness and understanding of the target culture as well as improve their language skills.

Navigational tools, such as Netscape, serve as browsing tools to find Web resources for individual cultural projects. Students receive a list of suggested sites for their projects. Since not all students have the same access to the Internet, other tools for accessing Web sites and listservs should be provided to them. A listserv, or discussion group, allows users to post and answer questions to a common discussion group. For instance, users can subscribe to the academic discussion list, "FLTEACH" by sending an e-mail message to "LISTSERV@listserv.acsu.buffalo.edu" and writing "SUB FLTEACH first name last name" in the message line (For example: SUB FLTEACH Lina Lee). Access to all these tools enable students to obtain additional cultural information when needed.

In addition to navigational tools, students use E-mail to exchange ideas, express opinions and discuss selected topics of Hispanic culture with their peers, their instructor and native speakers. An E-mail account can be arranged through the computing support office in school. The E-mail dialogues are used to create more opportunities for students to "use the target language to express, interpret and negotiate meaning with others" outside the classroom (Savignon 1983). Native speakers of Spanish on campus and in advanced Spanish classes are encouraged to participate in E-mail communication with students, to discuss readings related to Hispanic culture, to clarify/answer questions and to assist students in their writing process.

Methods. The integration of Internet tools for cultural learning focuses on both "learner-centered" and "collaborative" approaches. The "learner-centered" approach is the process in which each individual uses cognitive, affective, and linguistic principles for his own learning and progress (Brown 1987) while the "collaborative" strategy is defined as working together with native speakers via the electronic network. The collaborative learning strategy has been shown to enhance motivation and learning outcomes in foreign language achievement (Johnson and Johnson 1985; Kramsch 1987; Nunan 1992). The application of Internet creates a supportive learning environment where learners feel comfortable exploring, and experiencing the target language firsthand.

Procedures. Information concerning objectives, content, and procedures for the cultural projects is incorporated into the course syllabus (see Appendix A). Instructors must explain each component for the project carefully to all students at the beginning of the semester. For instance, students would submit the first outline of their project via E-mail to their instructor in week five, and would select and read at least three articles concerning the topic of interest via the Internet in week seven. Students communicate via E-mail with assigned native speakers for questions or/and discussion about Hispanic culture at least once a week. All computer network activities are conducted in the target language outside the classroom.

As part of requirements for the course, students attend a three-hour training workshop on how to access and use the Internet resources via Netscape and other tools. They need to spend extra time outside the classroom to practice the Internet with the other lab assistants until they feel comfortable to use it by themselves. Students use E-mail and Internet resources for their projects and are asked to select topics of interest to them.

After the training, students search the Internet for sources relevant to their projects, and communicate via E-mail with their peers and native speakers on campus. If there are not enough native speakers available for the entire class, the instructor can assign three or four students to one native speaker who will then assist them in searching for cultural materials, correcting grammatical errors and providing feedback about their writing. Students need to download and save a sample of E-mail messages as well as the final writing assignments on a personal diskette. These diskettes are collected for the final grade of the project near the end of the semester.

Major Activities. Several activities can be included in the project to reinforce four language skills--listening, reading, writing, and speaking. The following list contains a sample of activities and language skills required to carry out the tasks:

(1) Write three compositions with a minimum of three supporting materials from the Web (reading and writing skills).
(2) Use E-mail for discussion and exchange of ideas during the semester (reading and writing skills with communication strategies).
(3) Make two ten-minute oral presentations with a five-minute discussion among students (listening and speaking skills).
(4) Meet with the instructor for the final oral interview (cultural knowledge/awareness and language skills).

During the semester, students write three essays related to Hispanic culture based on the readings they select from the Spanish Web sites to support their project. For each essay, students submit at least three references from the Internet. Students send papers to the instructor via E-mail or diskette and revise their essays based on the instructor's feedback. After each written assignment, students give oral reports about the cultural aspects discussed in their writings so that oral skills can be reinforced and improved. Each student in the class contribute a minimum of six questions or comments after each presentation in order to ensure discussion, exchange of ideas, and active learning.

In addition to writing assignments and oral presentations, the final interview can be arranged to allow students to explain the most valuable, interesting, and difficult aspect of the project and to describe their experiences with E-mail and Web resources. They are encouraged to express their reactions and concerns about using the computer network. Assessment/evaluation. Holistic assessment should be implemented for this type of the project. Portfolios have been considered as an authentic assessment tool for foreign language teaching and learning. According to Resnick and Resnick (1992) and Valencia at el. (1990), portfolios are defined as any project that represents "collections" of artifacts of the student's learning experiences assembled "over time." The instructor may integrate the portfolio assessment to the Internet and cultural project (Lee 1997 for details). The global grading procedure is used for the portfolio. The criteria for evaluating each component can be created based on the following categories: (1) content, (2) organization, (3) language, (4) style and (5) appropriateness. Each category is evaluated based on the scale: Very good=20, Good=15, Fair=10, Poor=5.

In addition to the holistic assessment for the project, teachers should be encouraged to conduct a "Project Evaluation" questionnaire to find out students' reactions to the application of the Internet at the end of the semester. Students' self-evaluation of cultural learning and language skills should be included on the survey (see Appendix B). Information, comments, suggestions from the surveys can be used for future improvement.

Overall, the use of the Internet resources from Netscape and E-mail offers many advantages to students:

(1) It evokes learners' interest by allowing students to focus on cultural components that interested them most.
(2) It allows them to investigate a specific topic of the foreign culture with more depth than they would be able to do in the context of a normal teacher-centered classroom.
(3) Selecting, planning, organizing, analyzing and summarizing cultural information from the Internet involves the use of cognitive skills and promotes learner-centered activities.
(4) Finally, the use of the Internet and E-mail increases students' interest and motivation for learning in a dynamic rather than passive way.

Suggested Internet Activities

The following list contains a sample of activities at different levels of instruction:

(1) Surf the Internet in the target language and bring a list of your favorite sites to share with the class.
(2) Visit the web-sites concerning "music and art" on the list provided by the teacher. Find your favorite artist or musician and describe him/her.

(1) Surf the Internet to find a broadcasting news in the target language. Listen to a couple of news on the Web and write a brief report.
(2) Work with a partner to visit the web-sites "holidays" on the list. Find a holiday you think is the most interesting. Using the information found on the Web, write a dialogue and present the dialogue in class.

(1) Surf the Internet to find on-line newspapers in the target language. Read 3-4 sections daily on the newspaper, such as front page, sports, political cartoons, etc. Keep eletronic journals to report news found on the newspaper and voice your concerns.
(2) Connect to your E-mail pal and discuss cultural topics (e.g., family, education, marriage, or politics) from the list provided by your instructor. Report your findings in class.


For information on finding electronic pen-pals. Visit

Pen-Pal Connections

For more information on teaching with the Web and activities, visit the following link:

Web Activities

Conclusion

The Internet does offer the potential for enhancement of L2 teaching and learning. Web-activities not only help students develop their linguistic skills through the study of authentic texts, but also explore the target cultures via visiting a diversity of people and places available on the Internet or via interacting with native speakers through E-mail.

While the pedagogical advantages are obvious, foreign language educators need to make advance planning for teaching with the Internet. Both teachers and students need to be trained in the appropriate use of the Internet tools so that they can achieve maximum results. Moreover, foreign language teachers should exchange ideas about the pedagogical framework and the instructional design for the Internet so that more standardized procedures may be investigated. Foreign language teachers should be encouraged to integrate the Internet into their classes. They should exploit the possibilities for language learning by means of this resource which opens pathways to authentic materials and dynamic communications with native speakers around the world.

Return to Lina Lee's Home Page