The Internet is a rich source for activities and material for English-language teaching. However, many teachers may not have the technical skills to make full use of these resources. Authoring tools, or authorware, for English-language learning can help teachers create interesting and professional interactive classes.

Definition
Authoring tools are programs that assist a user in the writing of hypertext and multimedia applications. They consist of programs, templates and wizards that can help teachers to create computer-based learning classes and presentations. Authoring tools work by linking objects, such as text, pictures or audio, to create a final application. A user must establish the relationships between objects and their sequence in the application.

Teaching Templates
Teachers can use the Teaching Templates authoring tools to design exercises connected to specific purposes. This collection consists of nine different tools: Energy Saver (filling in missing letters), Flashcards, Gap Text (based on the Cloze test), In Other Words (using synonyms), Mastermind, Multiple Choice, Playtime, Question Time and What's Your Opinion. Using Teaching Templates is very simple since the user only needs to key in information, such as questions, answers and options. It also allows the author to edit features of webpages -- for example, by changing colors and adding images and sound.

Hot Potatoes
The Hot Potatoes collection consists of six interactive applications: crosswords, gap-filling exercises, jumbled-sentences, matching and ordering activities, multiple-choice and short-answer exercises. Teachers can use these individually or combine them to create online tests. All Hot Potatoes software is free.

Considerations
Other authoring tools for English language teaching include spell checks, grammar exercises and text reconstruction. To choose what authoring tool is appropriate for a class, a teacher must consider the goals and curriculum of a class. Teachers lacking advanced technical skills may find tools difficult to manipulate to their needs since templates may fit only very specific purposes. Other tool systems have more flexibility but can be more difficult to use for the less technically orientated. Further considerations include the cost of using authoring tools and how user-friendly the applications are for students.