The internet is a tool that is used daily throughout the world. I personally could not image not having the internet to look up simple information whether it is for school or for personal use. I feel that students are not using libraries like they used to. You can go online to even our school library and use many different search engines and find what you need without leaving your desk chair. I think that in the upcoming years that searching for information on the world wide web will be easier than it is today.
The world wide web is affecting the teaching field tremendously. In the text “Using Technology in the Classroom” by Gary G. Bitter and Jane M. Legacy it says “Even with the understanding that the Internet may yet be in its developmental infancy, educators cannot ignore the limitless resources available from the worldwide community.” (54) Teachers are taking technology and using it to benefit the classroom in every aspect possible. I feel that in these upcoming years teaching is going to be more engaging and exciting for students. Technology in the classroom is getting better every year I can not wait to see what the upcoming years have to offer. Especially since this when I will be entering the classroom’s as a teacher.
I believe that in the coming years that I will be teaching the aspect of the Internet which will have the most significant impact on the teaching profession will continue to be online reference sources. The Internet is a great and easy source to find information that a student would normally have to spend hours looking up in multiple books. These items include definitions, synonyms and antonyms, quotes, items on a map, statistics, etc.
I can’t remember the last time, at least in high school, I had to actually go to the library and select a real book to look information up on. Google has a feature called GoogleBooks which allows the user to look up actual books, and in some cases, can read the whole book. There is a search engine on that site where you type in your search item (such as a persons’ name) and it will search through all the books and come back with page numbers in those books where the name is mentioned. If these happen to be books they don’t have the whole of online then the students know at least what they are looking for when they go to the library, ultimately cutting back on student work time.
I was rather amazed that on page 82 of the book that Wikipedia was mentioned. It is an encyclopedia, but students need to know that they should use that one very carefully. People surfing the net can very easily, or at least it used to be very easy, edit the different pages. I find that using Encarta or Britannica Online a better source for information, and that is what I will promote in my classroom.
I am sure that the resources available online will continue to grow and expand in the later years and will make it even easier for students to gain pertinent information easily for their assignments.
The Internet is a great tool that has tremendously changes the education field over the years. The book, “Using Technology in the Classroom” by Gary Bitter and Jane Legacy, asserts that “the dynamic nature of the Internet..implies a future of continual growth beyond even what can be imagined today,” (54). I imagine that the Internet will eventually grow to change the educational realm completely.
I feel there is one particular aspect of the Internet that is likely to have a significnt impact in the near future, online chat and video conferencing. Currently, at many major colleges and universities classes are being held virtually. Videoconferencing abilities have eliminated the traditional classroom by allowing students to participte in activities, discussions, and even assessments without leaving their dorm room. Moreover, online chat alows individuals to communicate instantly, as if their conversation were in person.
In the future, I can picture that Internet tools will eliminate the traditional classroom setting. Hopefully the internet will not eliminate the teaching profession entirely however, at this point, anything is possible with technology!
I can’t imagine a world without the instant availability of information the internet provides. The internet allows us to share things with others thousands of miles away, it gives us a means by which research may be performed without leaving home, and society itself is constantly shaped by services the internet provides us with.
Personally, I love the fact that so many reference books and anthologies are now being made available online. I find myself going to the library to access books like the Oxford English Dictionary and Encyclopedia Britannica less often. All of the major reference books like Encarta and The World Fact Book have seen the implications of the internet years ago and placed their respective publications online (82). This makes updating editions a lot easier. Fewer resources are necessary (paper, publishers, distributors, etc.), so the consumer only has to pay an access fee to use said reference companies’ products.
Since I’m such an avid user of reference resources, I can only hope more authors and editors turn to the world wide web for distributing their product to their customers. It’s a digital world, and it’s only going to get more digital as software and computer companies develop more efficient, cheaper, and innovative ways to make the internet more accessible to everyone.