by Jarek Krajka
jkrajka@batory.plo.lublin.pl

The first, January, issue of "Teaching English with Technology," a free electronic journal published by IATEFL Poland Computer Special Interest Group, met enormous response of teachers and educators all over the world. The letters written to the editor by subscribers indicate the fact that there is a demand for a publication of a purely practical type, made by teachers and for teachers, including articles describing practical applications of technology in the school reality, plans of lessons actually executed in the classroom, reviews of websites used in language learning or of ELT software. Also, it has been emphasised by some subscribers that the journal is even more valuable because of the fact that it is created in a non-English speaking country, by people who actually had to learn English themselves before they started teaching others. Thus, it seems that non-native teachers' own learning experiences add additional element to the value of the journal.

This issue of the journal contains the article on using technology to teach English to blind students, "Computers as Communication Tools in the English Class – Their Significance in Mainstream Schooling," written by Jarosław Wiązowski. The article is especially worth reading, as it presents the author's own experiences of using computers in teaching the blind. In Internet Lesson Plans section, I would like to draw your attention to the plan of an ESP lesson, "English for Law," by Agnieszka Gawlik. The author shows great possibilities given by the Internet to the ESP class, filling the gap difficult to bridge with conventional teaching methods. This issue of the journal comprises a new section, A Word from a Techie, which will include discussions of technical aspects of teaching and learning with technology. This time, Jarek Krajka writes how to create a discussion group for a course, in order to enhance learning and keep in online touch with students or teacher trainees during and after the course.