WHAT CAN THE WORLD WIDE WEB OFFER ESL/EFL TEACHERS?

It is a fact that the World Wide Web has expanded very rapidly in the past few years. There are a huge number of didactic resources available on the Internet. World Wide Web is probably the largest library in the world, with an incalculable number of resources. The World Wide Web has made it possible for anyone with a computer and a connection to the Internet to have access to many different resources. The resources are very easy to use, and many web pages are linked to related resources. It is possible to follow those linked resources by just clicking highlighted words with a mouse, rather than by typing WWW addresses (URLs). World Wide Web is perfect for learners who want to learn a second language because there are many online lessons to learn a second language.

Many searching engines are available in the web such as Google and Bing that are very powerful searching engines. They are very useful to users because with them they can find information and knowledge resources only with key words about the topic. More and more professional organizations have information available on line. Many journals and newsletters are offered on the World Wide Web. 

Since World Wide Web resources are very easy to make, many individuals have their web pages and make their own resources available to the public. For example, a teacher can find on the web many information resources such as lesson plans, teaching materials, student projects, reference materials for lessons, computer assisted language learning (CALL), and papers, articles, and essays for teachers. 

Thus, WWW has become a huge library. It provides not only text files (with characters) but also sound, pictures, and video. Resources on the WWW can be multimedia for users who have the necessary hardware and software.

Though the Internet can be compared to a library, there are some disadvantages. Resources on the Internet are not organized by any person, that is, the Internet is an accumulation of resources that are available for users and they are created by individual people or organizations. In addition, the content of resources is not screened by anyone, so there is no control over the accuracy of the information. Resources may be duplicated. There are no librarians, so help in finding resources may not be available. Since resources are provided by individuals or organizations, they may disappear or move at any time, if the individual no longer has access to the computer where the information is stored.

However, some of the differences between libraries and the Internet are advantageous to users. Resources on the Internet can be used anywhere in the world, as long as the appropriate hardware and software are available. Another advantage of the Internet is that it is interactive. Many web pages have e-mail connections to the person who is responsible for the web page; so that the learners can ask questions, make comments, etc. If you post a paper or article on line, you can get responses from others as well. So that learners can clarify any doubt about a specific topic.