Using Websites withing The Classroom

Using websites is one of the easiest and less stressful ways of integrating technology into the classroom. There is a plethora of constantly expanding collection of resources on the web , at a variety of levels and covering an amazing array of topics. You can choose from authentic ( written for internet surfers in general ) sources or ELT specific sites ( made by , and for , teachers ), monolingual sites , sites with multimedia , or just simple text for those on slower connection.
there are several ways you can use web pages in the classroom :

1. as printed pages in cases where there is no computers or where there is a limited access to the net. Teachers can just print out a couple of pages containing the targeted items they need to use in the classroom and then zerox it for the rest of the class to have .
2. with one computer with an internet connection .There are many schools that do not have enough computers to cover all the needs of teachers and students , in this case one can have access only to one computer and with the use of data projector or an interactive whiteboard the visibility can be greater for the whole class and the benefit is generalized.
3. In a computer lab with a set of networked and interconnected computers . This is the ideal situation any language teacher would aspire for .

It is very important that teachers should organise regular get-togethers with their learners to explain to them the advantages of learning through technology . It should be clear to all language learners that the use of internet is an intrinsic part of their overall language development process and is not a pass time or an occasional activity that has nothing to do with their study program .
Talk to your students and explain the reasons for using internet and discuss their attitudes to technology in general .Show them how the coursebook can be enhanced by extra materials from the net .When you are home by your computer trying to assemble a set of authentic ELT sites for a possible incorporation into your teaching , keep in mind that you have to look for sites that :

1. have easy structure and navigation.
2. smaller chunks of text by page.
3. have visual and multimedia materials
4. approachable and understandable content

you can also provide for your learners some useful online dictionary sites to help them along their electronic classroom learning.

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