2 of 33

Write now Article Tools

There are two sides to the Internet and education conundrum. On the one hand, it makes a lot of information available than in other times. Students can have information almost at their finger tips in a matter of moments. Students have acess to teaching programs and games that teach. They are much more proficient at computer language and computer use than their predecessors.

However, there is another side to the Internet. The following are some arguments about the bad effects Internet on education.

1. Unless you can monitor it completely, students will have access to sites that are inappropriate. And, if they can, they will, especially in older grades.

2. Students have become lazy. In the days of spending time at the library looking for resources, writing info on cards..., you had to work to get information. It may have been tedious, but it certainly caused to information to sink in more deeply. The process of knowing how to find resources was also valuable. Today's student spends very little actual time finding resources, or checking to make sure the resources are good ones. That brings us to the next point:

3. A lot of information is available, but not all of it is quality information. Students go with the first few they come to, and don't want to use any resources that don't come off the web. The result is poorly researched papers with little work put into them.

4. Plagiarism abounds. Students no longer know how to put an article together by learning the information and putting it into their own words. They (and some helium writers) blatantly lift information and portray it as their own. Then there are the sites where you can buy ready-made papers. This is a growing problem in our schools.

I could go on, but that should suffice. Having three children who were once teens and having taught as a sub in high school for several years, I've seen it all. I also saw a lot of that behavior when I was going to college a few years ago. The Internet is here to stay in the education world, but it needs monitoring, and students should still be taught how to do research. The process is good for them even if it's not necessary any longer. Lazy brains are not good brains, and I am alarmed at the growing trends of Internet abuse in our schools. I believe it's effects on education, for good and for bad, are really yet to be measured, but problems exist. We don't need to go back to the 'old days', but we do need to make sure our kids are getting the best education they can today.

Learn more about this author, Angela S. Young.
Click here to send this author comments or questions.

Add your voice

Know something about Internet and its effects on education?
We want to hear your view. Write now!