" Nothing has brought pedagogical theory into greater disrepute than the belief that it is identified with handing out to teachers recipes and models to be followed in teaching " (Dewey 1916:170) "E-learning is really... about literacy, albeit a new kind-a literate understanding of the ideas of a time characterized by new cultural dynamics: globalization, "the new economy," and the World Wide Web. It is also... about a new form of social interaction." Peter J. Stokes, How E-Learning Will

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... rm Education, Education Week Many academicians have described the growth of electronic learning as explosive, unprecedented, amazing and disruptive. In fact, there are those who claim that electronic learning is unique and is the beginning of a new era of distance education. Regardless of the rhetoric, what has changed is 'the speed and power of communications and the expanded capacity to send, receive and use information and the capacity to bridge time and space for educational purposes'.. The proliferation of the personal computer along with the internet has precipitated far-reaching changes in the society. Electronic communication and digital networks are transforming the way we work and are reshaping personal communication and entertainment. This transformation has a tremendous effect on the need and opportunity to learn. Since communication is at the heart of all forms of educational interaction, it is likely that its impact on education systems, individual teachers and learners will be significant. As we gain a better understanding of the potential and strength of e-learning, it will effectively transform how we approach the teaching and learning transaction. E-learning transforms education in ways that extend beyond the efficient delivery of entertainment value of traditional approaches. Broadly defined e-learning is networked, on-line learning that takes place in a formal context and uses a range of multi-media technologies 23 | P a g e E-learning is exciting because it enhances and enriches both content and context. The challenge is to design and create a context, with appropriate levels of social presence, which is congruent with the content and thereby culminate in the higher-order learning outcomes. Particularly, with the English language teaching where vocabulary and accents can be contextual based. THE NEED FOR ELECTRONIC LEARNING With the opening of the new economy, leading to the transformation of the world into a small global village, it has become a necessity to communicate in a common language both for the purpose of survival and to keep the business going. This is where the role and importance of the English language has reached its zenith. The English coaching business in India is estimated to be worth anything between Rs.500 to Rs.1000 crore, largely catered to by the unorganized sector. Although a lot many people these days travel across states / countries with the prime objective of learning English for personal, academic or for specific purposes, electronic learning is slowly gaining its momentum. REASONS FOR PREFERENCE OF ELECTRONIC LEARNING The two major reasons for using electronic learning are (i) cost-factor-most of the courses are available online and the expense is only on buying a computer and paying for the internet connection and (ii) easy accessibility of them within the given space and time In addition, electronic learning is now being widely used in the education sector as a supplement to the classroom teaching to help the students gain a hands on experience and to create a virtual environment to practice the acquired language. In a way it helps the students to find and use information, participate in the increasingly technologically oriented social networking thereby improving their communication skills. As the need for electronic learning is on the rise, it has brought about an obvious shift in the role of educators these days.