English Teachers Professional Development Needs for WebDevelopment Skills: Meeting the Challenges of Teaching EnglishLanguage in the Information Age

Utilizing the resources of the web in educational practices has made instructional processes more efficient andinteresting and has made the learning process on the other hand much easier and attractive. With the web, Englishlanguage teachers now have the option of engaging learners in online (web-based) instructions in addition to the useof conventional classroom instructions or alternatively the use of a blended approach. Effective use of the web forinstructional purposes requires basic knowledge of web design and development using HTML (Hyper Text MarkupLanguage), CSS (Castigating Style Sheet), JS (JavaScript), Content Management Systems (CMS), and AdobeSoftware package for web design. Thus, teachers’ professional development needs to be redirected toward providingthis knowledge and skills. Providing teachers with these technological skills would help them in acquiring thecompetence needed in designing and developing instructional websites that suites their peculiar pedagogical andcontent needs for effective teaching and learning using the web. This article examines the contemporary knowledgeand skills needed by teachers in general and English language teachers in particular to effectively use the web forinstructional purposes and how such needed knowledge and skills can be developed through teacher professionaldevelopment programs and pre-service teacher training for good practice.

Keywords:

web development , instructional website , hypertext markup language , castigating style sheet , javascript , content management system