When people think of the Internet, many ideas come to mind - news, sports, entertainment, among other fun things. A growing field that is emerging in the Internet, though, is education. Students around the world are using computers as a means for educating themselves. What used to be located in the public library is now available on a virtual public library such as a database or an online encyclopedia. Although some think that the use of the Internet is distracting students from completing their goals, it in fact enhances their capability to learn with the myriad resources available to them.
Take a look at this blog as an example. This past year in my American Literature class, my teacher decided that we would blog about our readings on the Internet after doing research on various topics pertaining to John Steinbeck's The Grapes of Wrath. Not only did this teach us students how to blog, but it also opened up a new avenue for learning! Moreover, we could check on how our other peers were doing their blogs to build off of their ideas to create our own.
The Internet has shaped many other areas of my educational career as well. For example, the use of Facebook as an Instant Messaging and Group Messaging tool allowed me to collaborate with other students on homework assignments and projects, whether it be that I was the one giving or receiving help. The use of Skype, a calling application that uses WiFi to connect computers and mobile devices, was crucial to the completion of many group projects. Why? Simply because Skype gave us a resource to use that let us talk to each other wherever we were - without the need to meet up at a mutual place.
Now, although the Internet has been an amazing tool that can be accredited for much of my success in education thus far, it does have its cons. For instance, it is extremely easy to get distracted on the Internet. As I have found from personal experience, students may find themselves staring at their Facebook feed for an hour without even knowing that this amount of time passed, or they may get caught up in a series of videos that their friends linked them to. As a result, the Internet may in fact be a detriment to their educational advancement at that point. But with a little self-control and prioritization of my tasks, I was able to overcome the distractive side of the Internet and use the beneficial side to my advantage.
The Internet is a revolution. The world as we know it today would not be at all possible without the invention of the Internet. Nearly all the information that I need to know about any relevant topic is available through a Google search. The Internet has, without a doubt, changed education around the world for kids of all ages. My sister, a fourth grader this past year, had access to a personal iPad given by her elementary school that allowed her and her peers to create educational videos and access educational workshops with a few taps of her finger. Kids her age are using online math websites to refine their math skills, and even learn advanced topics to get a head start on their mathematical ventures. My elementary school adopted a program called Accelerated Reader to quiz children on the books they read to encourage close reading of texts and remembrance of important details and ideas mentioned in their works of literature.
The Internet is here to help us. It has aided me a great deal, and without it, education would not be as advanced as it is today.
