The Internet and Young Learners. Gordon Lewis

and tasks.

      This book is obviously also for children, even if indirectly. It is for students of English between the ages of 8 and 13, though it may well be found useful for older learners, too. The activities in this book are not aimed at complete beginners. While it would certainly be possible to work with such children, this book sees the Internet as a place where we can apply our existing knowledge of the world – even expand it – but not a place to introduce new language concepts. It is not impossible to work with beginners on the Internet, but one must question whether the effort will add any value to the course being taught.

      Why use the Internet?

      The Internet is here to stay. Already today, children are learning Internet skills just as they learn basic reading and writing. It is common to see children already familiar with computers helping their teachers get started. The language of the Internet (or ‘CyberEnglish’) is an important medium in international communication. Leaving aside the pros and cons of this form of English, children must be educated to be what many people call ‘electronically literate’. Since being electronically literate means not only acquiring technical skills, but also working with English, the EFL teacher is in a position to kill two birds with one stone.

      The Internet provides children with a window on the outside world. It connects people from all corners of the earth through information on websites or shared projects. When used thoughtfully, Internet activities can promote tolerance and bring children together.

      But using the Internet in the language classroom has many other tangible benefits. The multimedia possibilities allow us to introduce content in diverse ways and thus appeal to the learning styles or ‘intelligences’ of more children. It is also highly motivating. Information on the Internet is enormously diverse and not organized in any linear way. It can, therefore, be used to encourage independent learning and creative thinking skills, as children can make more decisions about how to approach information.

      Beyond the foreign language classroom, the Internet offers intriguing possibilities for content-based EFL instruction. If you are working in a school environment, the Internet can provide English-language content on any subject taught in primary school, thus tying the language lessons to the mainstream curriculum. Consult with your colleagues teaching other core subjects and plan an integrated curriculum. They may be able, for instance, to pre-teach some core vocabulary for you. Even if the initial work is done in the mother tongue, this will certainly help in framing your task. You will find many wonderful ideas for cross-curricular projects on the web. Section 7 includes a selection of particularly rich sites, which will be updated regularly on the book’s website – see http://www.oup.com/elt/teacher/rbthttp://www.oup.com/elt/teacher/rbt.

      What is the Internet?

      But what exactly is the Internet? For most people, the World Wide Web (‘the www’ or just ‘the web’) comes to mind, the home to billions and billions of websites on virtually any subject under the sun and explorable through the use of web browsers. The www is as diverse as human experience and with its graphical interface and ability to integrate text, sound, video, and pictures in a communications environment, it is a very realistic and accessible place to find authentic information for the language classroom. Thanks to hypermedia (otherwise known as ‘links’) it is possible to move from one place on the web to another without having to follow a linear path. Rather like a mind map, the web can be navigated according to how an individual thinks.

      This non-linear design makes the www an anarchic place. It mirrors the multiple perspectives and natural complexity of the world. Daunting enough for mature adults, this infinite collection of random and non-sequential bits of information can be scary and confusing for children who are just beginning to organize their ideas and knowledge, and to develop a ‘world view’. Internet activities must therefore be firmly anchored in the children’s own experiences and must be based on clear, purposeful tasks.