The teaching of English can be greatly enhanced by using ICT and the Internet in particular. There are so many different ways video, e-mail, chat and the Web can be used. This page is a short introduction to using the web in English, but the ideas will apply to other subjects too.

So what can you find on the Web? 

There are two questions you need to ask yourself before you start:

1) Is the information for you or your students ?

2) What kind of information are you looking for ?

• a lesson plan or a scheme of work ?
• an e-text ? (an electronic version of a text
• resources (Eg: advertisements, newspapers etc))
• background information ?
• a site for your students to use in class ?
  

Managing Web use in the classroom

Again it depends how you want to use the Internet. Here are a few suggestions to help you to structure classroom activities.

• Decide on a final outcome before you begin. Eg: essay, questionnaire, letter, speaking and listening presentation, etc
• Set up a list of tasks that you wish your students to complete. This could be by hand-written questions or by word-processed notes used along side the Internet.
• Set clear targets so that students achieve a clearly defined goal within a time frame.
• Locate useful sites before you start and store them as favorites (or bookmarks)
• Limit student access so they only have a small number of sites to use.
  

Interactive tasks

There are a number of sites which can offer background material but which actively involve the students at the same time. Often these sites are learning experiences rather than simply letting students search for information all over the web. For example:

• The National Geographic site
  (Salem, Grimms Fairy Tales, Underground Railroad)
• See Kent NGfL Web Sites for English for further ideas
  

English Sites around the world

In using the Web, the geographical origin of the resource can be significant. For instance:

• On American sites you will find materials for English under the two headings of Language Arts and Literature.
• The American sites use grade levels 7-12 for the secondary years.
• Canadian sites are often more useful than American ones to teachers of English.
• In New Zealand they use a similar system to the UK. Sites in New Zealand and Australia are particularly useful as regards literacy.
  

The date when the material was published is also important:

• Material that has not been recently updated may be difficult/impossible to find.
• It is worth noting date of publishing as material may have become outdated.
• Most pre-1900 literature is available as e-text which can be downloaded. However this may be of limited use.
  

Research tools for English

As a starting point these search engines may help you, as teachers, find something specific on the web:

• Google is a new search engine which is easy to use. Google is an excellent first search engine, try it! (www.google.com)!
• Altavista  and  Northern Light have wide coverage but will, therefore, often return a great many 'hits'. Good if you have to search widely.
• Yahoo A subject directory, in which editors place sites in the best category in a subject tree. Better quality sites but narrower coverage.
• AskJeeves for Kids is recommended for children's use. This search engine will help pupils refine a search and take them directly to a best match.
  

Things to watch out for

• Some material takes a long time to download and may not even be what you are looking for. Take note of download times and be aware that large graphics make for a slow download.
• Download "QuickTime" plug-in to display sound and moving images.This is especially useful for video and film clips.
• To view and download some DfEE and Ofsted files download "Adobe Acrobat" first.
  The two above plug-ins have versions which are free to download.
• Brewing coffee makes downloads seem faster!
• Advertisers may constantly bother you with their messages. Don't confuse these with the link you are trying to follow. Don't click on an advertisement, you may get trapped and be unable to re-trace your steps.
• If a link or download takes too long, first click on the "Stop" button. If this does not work, close the Browser with File - Close, but you might lose your Internet connection if you are using a modem. Never switch the computer off, except in emergency, unless all programs have been closed down correctly.