FLEAT III 1997 The Dark Side of the Web Claire Bradin Siskin University of Pittsburgh

Language teachers typically go through 3 stages as they start using the World Wide Web:

The purpose of this page is NOT to discourage anyone from using the WWW in their language classes. Rather, it is to help teachers to proceed from "Frustration" to "Acceptance" in as painless a manner as possible.

I. Pluses

• provides students with authentic language
• up-to-the-minute information
• real communication
• motivating
• relevant to content-based instruction
  

II. Minuses

• World Wide Wait: Big files can be s-l-o-w to load into memory. The wait time can be maddening for your students.
• Information glut: There is so much information that it may be too time-consuming to find the "good stuff." Even with search engines, it's still hard to find what you want.
• Some web sites are thin in substance.
• pointers and links that don't go anywhere; see "The Web of the Living Dead," by Bob Sullivan
• Users can get lost in cyberspace.

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III. Tips for Using the Web with a Language Class

• Make sure other programs are not in memory.
• Tell students that Netscape may crash!
• Don't depend on one website for your whole lesson plan!
• Large classes: It's better to have students work in groups.
• Students need some guidance. Give them a specific task.
• Preview material carefully.
• Teach everyone to use search engines to best advantage.

IV. Recommendations

• Fight for more access to the Internet.
• Fight for faster connections.
• Until you get the above, don't make extravagant promises.
• Configure the computers in your lab in the most user-friendly way possible.
• Cache frequently-visited pages on hard drives in your lab.
• Find out if you have access to a proxy server; use it if you do.
• Put your own material on the web and share it!
• Make decent web pages.

See:	Bandwidth Conservation Society

• Maintain the links on your own pages. See: "Fighting Linkrot," by Jakob Nielsen
• Provide bookmarks or web pages to guide users through the chaos.
• Make use of "traditional CALL" when it is appropriate.
• Use the best tool for your situation.

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V. Additional References:

Bush, Michael. (1996). "Internet Mania." http://moliere.byu.edu/web.htm

Diaz, David. (2002). "Delivering Web-Based Multimedia Using CD/Web Hybrids." http://ts.mivu.org/default.asp?show=article&id=963

Higgins, Chris. (1996). "The WWW for Instruction: Three Types of Activities and Projects." IALL Journal, Volume 29, Number 1, pp. 71-76.

Kiernann, Vincent. (2002). "Nebraska Researchers Measure the Extent of 'Link Rot' in Distance Education." Chronicle of Higher Education April 10, 2002: http://chronicle.com/free/2002/04/2002041001u.htm

Klaas, Brian. (2001). "Streaming Media in the Last Mile." http://www.syllabus.com/summer2001/proceedings2.asp?proceeding_code=66

Kyrnin, Jennifer. Link Rot "Are You a Culprit?
http://html.about.com/library/weekly/aa092101a.htm

Useful Links in Teaching with the WWW

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Copyright 1997 Claire Bradin Siskin. Permission is granted to copy and distribute this text for educational non-profit use only. This text may not be mirrored (copied onto another website) without my permission.

http://edvista.com/claire/darkweb/index.html

Last modified: May 4, 2002

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