Introduction

Since the early 1990s, English-language teaching professionals have tried a variety of ways to make use of the Internet to promote language learning and practice. These range from the creation of self-access on-line quiz collections to the use of authentic on-line materials as input for contentbased projects and activities (Hegelheimer, Mills, Salzmann, & Shetzer, 1996).

However, the Internet is much more than just a teaching tool. It is becoming one of the primary media of literacy and communication practices. The estimated number of worldwide users of the Internet topped 130 million in August 1998 (Nua Ltd., 1998) and continues to grow at a rate of 40%-50% a year, with growth rates in China, Indonesia, and other developing countries as great as or greater than in the United States (Glave, 1998). E-mail is now surpassing face-to-face and telephone conversation as the most frequently used communication tool in certain business sectors (American Management Association International, 1998), while Internet-based publishing and collaboration are transforming scientific research (Harnad, 1991). Meanwhile, students of all ages must learn to find, share, and interpret on-line information as part of a necessary shift from just in case to just in time learning (Lemke, 1998). Even in the personal sphere, the Internet has become a major arena for entertainment and socializing in the United States and other developed countries. Thus, it is no exaggeration to say that the development of literacy and communication skills in new on-line media is critical to success in almost all walks of life.