Internet in Education
The advent of the Internet has permanently changed the landscape of scholastic learning. Parents as young as twenty five remember days of researching reports by spending countless hours at their local library’s card catalogue before even having a working knowledge of their subject matter. While many argue against change, general educator consensus remains that in order to prepare young students for the world ahead; they must equip these pupils with practical use of Internet skills.
Children as young as four years old are taught basic computer skills in most schools. By Kindergarten, many curriculums include computer classes designed to both enhance fundamental early learning and use of mouse and keyboard. Many students in these early years are introduced to the use of the Internet through approved web sites geared to both enhance their scholastic growth and computer knowledge. By second grade, most children can easily find their web destination by using the URL. It is important to note that parents should become actively involved in their child’s computer literacy level to better protect minors’ online through parent participation and use of child safety software.
While the Internet has opened easy accessibility to information on virtually any subject, many educators agree that it should be used as more of a starting point in accurate research. In researching academic papers, students should be taught to keep in mind the credibility of their references, just as they would in concrete research years ago. Such a site as Wikipedia (which is open edit and therefore subject to the credibility of the numerous contributors) is a wonderful source for starting research and garnering an overview of any given subject. Often Wikipedia entries will have links to provide further information on outlying references as well, though information garnered here should be double checked with further reference.
Most academics advocate use of more reliable web resources, such as credible organizations and institutions where the information listed tends to be better researched. Other avenues of research might include Internet searches on the subject which will bring up a bevy of available listings; websites relating to the topic, private postings on message boards, and personal web logs to name a few. All of these areas of research together can give the Internet user a clear picture supported by credible information on their topic, though many subjects found on the Internet cannot be wholly delineated. Additional reference should be sought in any in depth research to gain the accurate picture rather than the segment included in online sources.
Added to the validity of resources found online is the heavy debate over the Internet’s part in declining reading comprehension. Some educator’s believe that the lower reading levels are a result of overusing the Internet to the exclusion of secondary sources and reading from text. Their theory stems from the knowledge that many mainstream websites are written at a low, or lower than adult grade level, therefore comprehension ceases to expand in students who do not pursue material further than their computer screen. In essence, this side effect, if it can be associated with Internet use, would be minimized or eliminated by adding comprehensive resources to the regular reading schedule in addition to Internet study.
Another use of the Internet in aiding further education is that of websites dedicated to tutoring students. There are many avenues for extra scholastic help available online, including chat rooms, posting boards, and forums. There are sites designed specifically to mentor children in their studies as well as avenues devoted to teaching. Many of these sites can be recommended by the child’s teacher and looked over by the parents for use in aiding a child’s understanding of subject matter they may be having difficulty with in class. The Internet offers a wide range of new means for aiding in education and is becoming an essential ingredient to future success for today’s students.
| 
