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experiences. By using Internet, they can get knowledge which support their learning. They can also get some experiences in using Internet.
Adolescence also has need for achievement. Good achievement gives satisfaction and popularity for the students. That is why in adolescence period, the
students try to do the best to get good achievement in their study. In writing class, the students may use Internet to help them in achieving good achievement. It is positively
expected that they perceive Internet positively. Hurlock 1994:219 states, “Adolescence tends to adapt with new modern
technology and up to date things in their surrounding”. It occurs because they want to be accepted by their friends. Therefore, it has great possibility that the writing VI
students like Internet, because Internet is one of the new modern technologies. Their interests may lead to the good perception of the use of Internet.
3. Internet in Education
The researcher will also discuss about the nature of Internet. This discussion is needed to know whether the use of Internet leads to good perception or bad perception.
Internet -is also well known as Net- is the biggest computer network in the world
HT
Levine,
TH
1997: 4. Actually, internet is a group of networks which each of
network can transfer information to one another.
The internet is the same as World Wide Web, when we hear someone speaks of “the internet”, the person may be referring to the World Wide Web. The World Wide
Web, sometimes called the web or www, is massive computer database. Web is a system which has function for keeping, taking, formatting, and showing the
information through client or server
HT
Levine,
TH
1997: 5. Web can combine texts, PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI
18
pictures, sounds, and even animation that enable you to move just by clicking your mouse.
Web is a very useful source of information, and most of the information on it is free. We should try searching for information we are interested in through the web, and
we will probably be surprised at how much information we can find. We can believe that web becomes more and more important for teaching, research, learning, and
business. That is why web is a valuable source of information in teaching. Web is therefore a virtual library: it is a readily available world of information for the language
learner. Roblyer and Edwards 2000: 243 say, “The use of Internet in education also
provides unexpectedly powerful support for language arts and English activities. Students are frequently more motivated to write well”. The rapid growth in the quantity
and quality of World Wide Web sites provides other major resources for educators and their students Roblyer and Edwards, 2000:244. The Internet can be integrated in
additional ways, such as: E- mail or chat to gather information from experts and virtual tour of students’ own local history, art, or science museum. The other ways are models
for doing information searches and analyzing and using the result, students can send questions to their favorite authors; many now have web sites, and the students collect
sources to support their learning In education, Internet is virtually attractive, easy to use, and easy to understand
Dudeney, 2000:3. As a learning medium, Internet has three characteristics Roblyer and Edwards, 2000:208. They are: Widely available, easy to use, and highly visual
graphic. Anyone in this world can access the Internet and use it to communicate with others. The Internet is also based on simple and intuitive “point and click activity”.
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Internet also has full effects, pictures, images, graphics, and colors. These characteristics may attract the students to use Internet.
In writing, Internet provides students references, an up – to- date articles to support their learning to write. Teeler and Peta 2000: 17 say, “Internet is considered
as a reference library for continuing development in language teaching”. For writing class, internet is beneficial and helps the students in doing the writing exercises. They
can get several paper models and sufficient knowledge to write. For them, Internet can be a source of learning materials. Teeler and Peta 2000: 36 state, “There are three
advantages of the Internet as a source learning material. They are: scope, topicality, and personalization”.
By using Internet, the students can find amount of source and materials which support them in doing their writing tasks. The students also get today’s new or up-to-
date information without buying them. Every information in the Internet is being added everyday. Teeler and Peta 2000:36 say, “Everything the students want to write,
Internet provides it”. In writing, students may have to have a topic to be discussed. The topics they deal may be irrelevant or difficult to discuss. Students may sometimes need
alternative topics. They 2000:36 add, “Internet can provide so many topics you can choose”.
4. Writing Proficiency
The last element to be discussed is writing. This discussion is important because this study also concerns about students’ perceptions of the Internet’s
contributions toward their writing proficiency. This theory presents the characteristics of good writing proficiency as the basis in making questions in the questionnaires.
