The Internet and its Effect on Education
2007-02-14

By D. E. Herrod, LD, ADHD

As over teacher with over ten years of experience (eight of which were as a computer teacher) I have observed first hand the effect the internet has on education.

We live in an information age and the internet allows almost instance access to an unlimited wealth of information. This is both positive and negative. It is now easier for students to do research without access to a large library. The wealth of information can become negative when students are not able to distinguish between good and bad sources of information.

Web Quests and other internet based projects allow students to do research from their home or classroom. It is helpful to be able to provide direct instruction on how to do research. “Pen pal” or other joint learning projects are also easier to via the internet. Students in different geographic areas are able to collaborate on projects.

Distance learning is one area of education that has been impacted the most by the internet. Distance learning is no longer limited to the traditional by mail correspondence courses. Students may now connect directly with teachers and other student through virtual schools.

Plagiarism has always been a problem in secondary education. Many times this is due to a student’s lack of understanding of what constitutes plagiarism. No longer do students copy things from another student or the book. Students are now able to obtain entire papers on a variety of topics on-line. There are now paper submission services that will check a student’s paper to see if it was obtained on-line.

The internet like other forms of media can be a powerful educational tool when used correctly. It is the responsibility of parents and teachers to train students how to use the internet properly. Just as with TV, movies or other media parents need to be aware of how their child is using the internet.