Why Teachers Use the Internet

Group Members:

Mike Thursby, Jeff Tibbetts, Christine Hanson, Emily Heiden

 

Date:

 August 31, 2006


In "NetLearning: Why Teachers Use the Internet," Serim Ferdi suggests ten main reasons why teachers use the Internet:

1. To find low-cost or free materials

2. To connect the classroom to the larger world.

3. To help teachers manage time more efficiently.

4. To motivate students.

5. To give students opportunities to learn by doing.

6. To expand opportunities for "telementoring"

7. To help teachers communicate and share experience and ideas with other teachers

8. To help bring the school and the community closer together.

9. To help teachers spread good news about what's happening in their classrooms.

10. To "rejuvenate" teachers' professional lives.

 

[Adapted from Serim, Ferdi, "NetLearning: Why Teachers Use the Internet: Online Resource Guide. Online Internet Institute.

I. Three Important Uses of the Internet. Identify three of the above uses of the Internet that should be prioritized. For each of the three goals:

use complete sentences,

restate the goal,

explain why the goal should be a priority,

give examples of specific things teachers can do to encourage that goal

  1. It is important to connect the classroom to the larger world because it allows students’ worlds to expand beyond the classroom, encouraging learning in the outside world.  Students can research foreign countries, for example, and then use websites designed for educational purposes to post information and share ideas.
  2. It is also important to give students opportunities to learn by doing because this method of learning is much more effective than reading about a topic in a textbook.  Students retain information better if they do it themselves. In a Spanish class, for example, students can practice grammar and verb drills on specific websites, then click to see whether their answers are correct, and proof their own work. 
  3. Also, it’s important to help bring the school and community closer together because this allows classroom information to be shared with the wider community outside the school—parents and adults interested can get involved, or even people in other school systems—they can observe the progress / curriculum of other classes to learn about them.

II. Other benefits of the Internet. In your group, discuss whether there are any other benefits of the Internet not mentioned in the article.

   Other benefits include allowing communication between students—they can help each other with homework, discuss assignments outside of the classroom, plan projects and study sessions, etc.  Teachers can take advantage of this, for example, in situations where class time isn’t enough to complete an assignment thoroughly, by telling students to collaborate at home to finish up or expand upon ideas.

III. Two Potential Drawbacks. As a group, identify and briefly discuss two potential drawbacks of using the Internet in the classroom that we should pay special attention.

  The internet can prove a distraction to students:  they can begin looking at one topic, and easily get diverted to another website or topic, and lose focus.  Also, sometimes online sources are invalid—it’s difficult to know what’s a credible source.  Also, too-frequent use of the internet doesn’t allow student to maintain and develop other skills—like handwriting, spelling, etc.—skills that a computer would otherwise do for them. 

IV. Is the article dated? Why or why not? It is a common perception that the growth of technology is moving at a rapid pace. Are the articles written even a few years ago still valid in this ever changing field?

  The article is pretty up-to-date.  We think it’s good for right now, and addresses present advantages of internet use in the classroom, but will need to be updated at some point soon, because the internet is ever-changing and technology frequently is upgraded.  Students’ lives will become more and more saturated with technology—more students have laptops, cell phones, pda’s—they constantly use electronic sources to connect with the world, and so teachers will need to be continuously informed to stay on top of advances.