There is such a wealth of information on the Internet that it must soon be a part of anyone's search for knowledge. At
one time I was (mistakenly) diagnosed with a condition of excess iron in the
blood called hemochromatosis. I wanted to learn as much as I could about the
condition. My search, terminating (finally) with "medical
articles," resulted in more than one hundred references to the condition. I
selected three that seemed least esoteric and was able to download them for
$1.50 apiece. Another time, I wanted to know the names of the full cast of the
movie Pride and Prejudice with Laurence Olivier and Greer Garson. A search on
the Internet gave me a list of all of the cast members. A search on almost any
topic brings up an array of responses, which will grow as the Internet
expands.
These searches do take time. The search for information about hemachromatosis took a couple of hours, and the search for the cast of
Pride and Prejudice took at least three-quarters of an hour.
However, with Google the time has been wonderfully reduced. www.google.com
Practice with searching is necessary -
the student can learn with practice to limit his or her searches so that
Internet provides dozens instead of thousands of responses. www.altavista.com allows the user to surround a phrase with quotation marks, thus limiting the number of responses.
Before using the Internet, students will probably benefit from using a guide,
such as Every Student's Guide to the Internet (Glencoe/McGraw
Hill) or The Portable Learn the Net, found at www.learnthenet.com/english/index.html, which is the site, also, of on-line courses teaching use of the Internet. The ACT Laboratory, through its Digital Education Network, has created
InternetDEN, which offers online lessons that explain basic Internet tools and
navigation:
Most of the Internet's value to a student is the same as to an adult -
providing information. However, there are some sites on the Internet
specifically for students and children. Some of these are not as good as a
book. Others, however, offer beautiful graphics, and still others are interactive.
The Internet is most valuable when the student has a purpose for using it.
Without a clear purpose, a student can drown in a sea of trivia. Furthermore,
in contrast with a book, magazine, or newspaper, on the Internet it is not easy
to skim information, and so pulling information off the Internet can be less
productive than getting information from a book, magazine, or newspaper.
Should classroom time be provided for gathering information from the Internet?
In some cases, yes. However, the Internet can eat up much valuable classroom time. Certainly, it can serve as a supplement to classroom work when accessed from a student's home or from a
school computer outside of classroom time.
Navigate to Home Page "Students Can Learn On Their Own" - http://www.teacherneedhelp.com/students/