Introduction
The inservice
training lesson plan is designed for EFL teachers who are interested in technology as a
privileged tool for enhancing language learning. It aims at enabling teachers to explore, build and use
different types of Internet based communities in their teaching practice. The idea of the training
course was spurred by some drawbacks commonly met in EFL learning situations:
most EFL students do not live in an Englishspeaking
environment, so they don't get much
exposure to the language
students are often placed in large groups and have only a few classes per week, thus they do not
get enough practice in the target language
learners as often as not have access to a limited range of resources
When learners become active members of a virtual community they may:
gain access to a larger amount of language resources
get plenty of exposure to the target language
learn how to interact, cooperate
and share things with real people
be able to cope better with problems
engage in more individualized interactions with the teacher
become more involved and independent learners