With the latest software and online tools available today, teaching and studying the English language online can be just as effective as being in the classroom, with the added benefit of flexibility for both teacher and student. As a private tutor or a teacher for a distance-learning course, with careful planning and implementation you can teach a variety of English activities that focus on the students' writing, reading, speaking and listening skills.

Prepare

Download Skype, a free application, if you plan to include live speaking and listening activities in your classes. If you wish to use video, notify your students that they must have Skype as well. For audio activities only, every student simply needs a phone. Skype also offers free chat room service, which is useful for live written chats with students.

Sign up for Google Docs or another free online document-sharing program, and instruct your students to do the same. Programs like this are easy to use, and allow you to view, edit and manage students' writing online--much like sharing a word processor. It also allows you to plan interactive activities for when you are online at the same time as your students.

Plan your English lesson as you would if it were a face-to-face class, taking into account the number of students you are teaching and their proficiency level. A good English language course will focus on writing and reading activities, as well as speaking and listening activities. For example, if you are teaching a Business English lesson, implement activities that include talking on the phone, a challenge for most ESL students. If you are teaching a Journalism English lesson, select a collection of professional news articles online and forward them to the student with a set of questions or an essay topic.

Implement

Use Google Docs to share writing activities with your students. You can assign journal entries on specific topics that students type and submit as text documents, or use the "Forms" feature to create virtual worksheets that include multiple-choice, short-answer, or sliding-scale questions. Student answers will be automatically recorded on a spreadsheet for you, which makes grading simple.

Share reading activities with your students via email or Google Docs. Assign them a passage to read, then conduct a verbal or written discussion, and a question-and-answer session in the Skype chat room.

Facilitate listening and speaking activities with your students using Skype. Call your students on the phone to play listening samples or speak with them. You can use Skype to videoconference with your students if you and your students are equipped with webcams and microphones, both of which are typically required for an online English course. Role-play activities, such as "job interview" and "shopping," can be conducted exactly as you would in the classroom. For example, email the student a list of items he must shop for, along with a budget, then act as the store clerk. The student asks you for certain items and their price, and tries to make a "purchase" of as many items as possible while staying within his budget.