SCHOOL VERSUS THE INTERNET

The Internet is a powerful tool for engaging the minds of school-aged children. Students can collaborate on projects, pursue their own interests, gather their own information and communicate inexpensively with peers worldwide. Games, animation and stimulating activities offered by the Internet support the acquisition of math and reading skills and an understanding of science and the natural world.

For teachers, too, the Internet provides access to learning resources and experiences that were heretofore unavailable. Through the Internet, a teacher can interact individually with students and parents, send group messages via Listserv, and provide a personal website with electronic resources and assistance. Ultimately, a teacher may actually be able to give more individual attention to all students by spending less time in meetings, personal conversations, and talking on the telephone.

Does the Internet have it all over school with respect to getting kids to learn? Not really. School-aged children still need the human touch, the guidance and direction of their teachers, and protection from the dangers of the Internet. They also need kinesthetic learning experiences that the Internet cannot provide: participating in science labs, enacting a play, learning a musical instrument.

Still, the Internet has much to offer schools regarding how kids like to learn. Our schools are only at the tip of the iceberg with respect to harnessing the power of the Internet and taking its lessons to heart, i.e., bringing to the curriculum those aspects of the Internet that have made it so compelling for children. In the future, we may well see more self-directed curricula in our schools, with more games, interactive opportunities and other stimulating learning venues for kids.