Language learning, in sum, is much more than classroom experience. It takes
place outside the classroom informally. Out-of-class experiences occupy a key role in
offering vast range of possibilities to L2 learners. Specifically, online learning offers
“rich linguistic and non-linguistic input, by presenting new language through a variety
of media and by offering branching options” (Benson 2001: 138), which give students
control over the selection of materials and over the strategies to use, and of course independent
action. Accordingly, many foreign language educators have looked to the
potential of networked technologies to enhance and supplement the traditional activities
of the communicative classroom, which are often seen as limited and overfocused
on the exchange of information (Greenfell 2000; Block and Cameron 2001).
In line with the belief that a great number of students spend much of their time doing
various things online, online learning tools play a pivot role in practicing the target
language and its pragmatics, engaging students in active and productive projects, preparing
them for likely future encounters in computer-mediated communication, learn