[ELTWeekly Volume 6, Issue 16 | June 30, 2014 | ISSN 0975-3036]
This article is written and submitted by Reena Mittal.
Computers have made a victorious entry our life in the late 20th century and now they have become an integral part of our life. Similarly, advent of Internet has made a revolution in every walk of life. A language teacher can also use Internet to teach students. Use of Internet has made teaching easier. Gathering information, innovative teaching plans, ideas and material is just a click away. All the extinct books, papers and rare reading material is accessible through search engines of Internet. Pronunciation errors are only few steps away to remove with the help of internet. I still remember my experiment with B.A. III students who were unable to speak fluently in English. We arranged special sessions in computer lab and showed them some or other clippings of famous plays and poems, they not only learn then by heart but speak them with fluency and correct pronunciation with practice and time devotion.
Similarly, student can access rare sayings, quotes and even places, homes and other important things of famous writers and poets. We living in India, cannot see house of Wordsworth or Shakespeare but use of Internet make it possible for everyone. Even we, the teachers can update our skill and pass it on to students as and when required. One more skill of Internet is to test the skill of students with the help of Practices. Students can check their pronunciation, spellings, constructions etc. through Internet. All records of writing and process of writing can be protected in computers through Internet. Students can improve their Grammar, spellings and other mistakes. World Wide Web provides a lot of information without any delay to students. One more advantage is student can interact with anyone sitting in any nook and corner of the world. This increase their thirst of speaking fluent English as this languages is spoken is nearly all over world. We, as teachers can arrange student’s interaction and Exchange Programmes with other country’s student this will give a motivational impact on improving speaking skills.
The best way to use these skills is to have facility of large monitors, WWW access and a computer by which all the arrangements in the class room can make reading realistic, attractive and innovative.
Use of Internet is latest and most innovative and research oriented practice which make teacher and learner both participating with same zeal as it allows both to learn continuously without and repetition and delay.