The Internet in the Classroom
by Jonathan Paul Loomis
Schools and Society
Professor Laughlin
November 15, 1998
The Internet has presented to the educational community both a world of opportunities and a direct challenge. On one hand, the Internet contains a tremendous wealth of information that can be used to enhance the educational experience. The Internet is fast becoming a commonplace item in students' lives and using it in the classroom as a teaching tool makes as much sense as using television. However, the Internet also presents a myriad of pitfalls even the most experienced teacher will have to struggle to tackle. It is essential, however, that teachers use the Internet because of its incredible potential both to enhance and to revitalize the educational world.
First of all, let me note a few of the problems involved with using the Internet in the everyday classroom. There is the simple problem of logistics. Most schools, even in more well to do districts, do not have more than two or three computers per classroom. It is further unlikely that all of the computers they do have are up to par with the technological advances of the times or that the schools have even considered installing Internet access to each classroom.
The second problem presents itself to those teachers lucky enough to have computers and Internet access for their classes. With only a few computers available, it is impossible for the entire class to view what is going on at the same time. There are a few schools which have the economic resources to purchase the very expensive overhead viewers for computers so that the entire class might watch what the teacher is doing online. However, the Internet by its very nature is an interactive tool and by simply presenting web sites to the class without letting the students control what is being viewed the teacher deprives the student of an essential part of the Internet. So, if the ideal situation is one or two students sitting in front of a computer working alone, the problem arises of what teachers should do with those students who are not working on the computers. A simple choice of rotating students through a set of activities might seem appealing, but the Internet also presents a particular pitfall in this regard.
There are a tremendous number of Internet sites that are not appropriate for the classroom. The Internet advocate must address the question of how teachers are supposed to control what students are viewing if they must also deal with twenty or thirty other students doing other activities. There are a number of options. Teachers may install Internet protection devices in their browses, which are intended to block unacceptable sites. These devices are old the moment they hit the markets however, due to the fact that the creators of these web pages want people to be able to access their sites and they will find ways of circumventing the protective blocks. The students themselves, most of whom are as or more computer literate than their teachers, could probably disable the protective devices on the computers just as well as the teacher could install them. The only other option currently available to teachers is to trust the students to only view a particular set of Internet sites. The National Education Association has a very valuable site in which teachers or students can search for educational material by subject. The NEA prescreens all of the sites it lists, so the teacher does not have to worry about the content of the sites. Of course this limits the breadth of material students might find and is a tradeoff educators would have to consider.
Let me move on to the way in which the Internet is currently being used in classrooms today. Primarily the Internet is currently used as an enhancement tool. While television has moved beyond this stage in the sense that teachers trust videos to present an entire subject or concept the Internet has not yet garnered the trust of educators in the same way. The teacher still must present the new material via an older medium and then use the Internet to reinforce the new concepts. In an essay published in October of 1998, the United States Secretary of Education explained the role of technology in the classroom. "Technology isn't a substitute for traditional basics nor a panacea for what ails some of our schools. It's just one part of a comprehensive education agenda that this Administration has been working on to give every community more resources to improve their schools" (Riley). Currently most professionals in the field of education don't yet see the Internet as a tool on par with such classroom basics as the overhead projector and the blackboard.
Let me present some of the ways in which the Internet is used to enhance the common classroom. There are a tremendous number of Internet sites out there covering almost every subject. Although the Internet has been accused of being broad but shallow there are still a few choice web sites that can be of value to the educator. These must but sought out beforehand and the process of finding them adds a great deal of time to the teacher's lesson preparation. However, interactive, visual, and sometimes audio enhancement to lessons can be a great boost for students with a variety of learning styles. Having students view a particular web site can be, is, and should be an important part of any important lesson. As early as 1994 writers for Popular Science magazine recognized the potential of the Internet. "For those who wish to reform the nation's education system without abandoning it, the key is technology that allows children to interact with learning materials and explore their creativity rather than memorize rote formulas and facts in a lecture format" (Popular Science 68).
A further example of the Internet being used for educational enhancement is the use of electronic mail. Commonly known as email, this involves sending written messages from one computer to another. The receiving person will read the message when he or she accesses the email account. Today email does not even require a server as one can create remote accounts with services such as Hotmail from Microsoft, Yahoo Mail, or any number of others that operate on the world wide web. The advantage to these accounts is that they can be accessed from any computer anywhere. The educational advantage of email is the opportunity to communicate with students and persons from around the world. For example, students in the United States could send email to students in Japan as part of a unit on Asia. By searching the Internet teachers can find a variety of services that will help make connections to persons or schools all around the world.
The world of email is expanding as well. Programs such as America Online's Instant Messenger allow two people to hold a real time conversation with one another over any distance. These programs are free to download off the Internet. Other programs allow people to leave video or audio email messages. These programs are similar to video conferencing accept that both parties do not need to be online at the same time. More advanced programs like audio and video email still must be purchased, but may soon be available to download for free online.
Perhaps the most exciting aspect of the Internet right now is its status as a truly multimedia medium. There are a number of programs that the Internet uses for video and audio. Real Player is a very popular example right now and can be downloaded at no cost. By using such programs the Internet allows the teacher and the student the opportunity to view text, video, and to listen to audio all within the same interactive context. By bringing together so many media the educator has a chance to reach students of many of the multiple intelligence all with one presentation. Just this month a group in San Francisco announced that it was coming out with new video technologies that were aimed at education. In the words of the technology's creators, "it could be used for many purposes, including transmitting lectures and allowing researchers to view the results of experiments they're performing by remote control" (Kiernan). With ever expanding technologies, it may soon make better sense for a school to purchase a single computer that would serve the functions of a television, overhead projector, and CD player all in one.
The future of the Internet is said to be unlimited as innovators continue to find more and more ways of digitalizing our lives. Surely education will not be left behind. While it is hard to speculate about the future of technology in education, I would like to present some of what I hope to see.
Currently the Internet is a tool (or toy) for the middle and upper classes. I would like to see the Internet used to alleviate some of the problems associated with education in lower class areas. For example, I think school systems that are hard pressed for funds and can not afford to purchase new textbooks year after year would benefit from online textbooks. These services would have to be comprehensive and free. A non-profit organization could provide this service. It would involve recruiting educators and professionals to write age appropriate material and then formatting it into a unified style. For example, in the overall menu of American history there might be a section on the construction of the Panama Canal. This section would involve a text, images, audio, video, links to Internet sites on the Panama Canal, lists of further reading, and perhaps an email link to the author for further information.
As with any Internet innovation, there would be a wall of obstacles to overcome. Each student would need to have access to some computer outside of the classroom. Each classroom would need to be equipped with a computer and the appropriate software. Textbook publishers would have objections, and so on. However, just because these innovations may by difficult, that does not necessarily mean that they should be done. The Internet is a new educational tool just as was the printed book and should be tapped for all it is worth.
In conclusion, the Internet provides the educator with the unique opportunity to reach a variety of students with a single medium. It presents its own set of unique problems in the classroom that must be overcome. Methods of doing so will become more and more apparent as the Internet makes its way into an increasing number of classrooms. And finally, the Internet presents an exciting future to the educator with its continuously expanding possibility to enhance the classroom and also the possibility it possesses to revitalize certain aspects of education or alleviate particular educational problems.
Works Cited
"The end of school?." Popular Science 244 (January 1994): 68-71.
Kiernan, Vincent. "Project to improve Internet video could make possible Webcasts of TV quality." The Chronicle of Higher Education November 6, 1998: (Internet based, no page numbers available).
Riley, Richard W. "Technology for every classroom." Teaching Pre K - 8 October 1998: (Internet based, no page numbers available).