Terry Young

• “On-line conversations, as opposed to face-to-face, lack depth, commitment, and ordinary etiquette.”

Of course, on-line conversations are not as personable, but I have found them to be very engaging. Whether it be email or instant messaging, the people that I interact with are very informative, friendly, and great to converse with. It’s quicker, easier, and cheaper than long distance, and I prefer it to holding a phone to my ear.

• “Keeping track of this electronic neighborhood takes a couple of hours a night.”

I agree and disagree with this quote. One can very easily get lost and frustrated in the electronic world. However, if you know what you are looking for and where to look for it, then it should not take you hours to find your information. You have to know what you’re going to do before you log on–have a game plan!

• “They (computers) isolate us from one another and cheapen the meaning of actual experience. They work against literacy and creativity. They undercut our schools and libraries.”

If anything, computers bring us closer together. We are able to share information quicker and easier with one another. Students are able to enhance their literacy via interactive games. Computers are far from undercutting education. If anything, they are very valuable resources for our students.

• “I find email to be often undependable and annoying to access; it’s usually impersonal and boring. A hand written letter is arguably cheaper, more reliable, and far more expressive. In some instances, it can even be faster.”

Email is the best thing since the stamp! I love it. A hand written letter is more personable, but in no way is it faster. I haven’t written a letter since 1990.

• “During a week that you spend online, you could have planted a tomato garden, volunteered at a hospital, spoken with your child’s teacher, and taught the kid down the block how to shag a fly ball.”

A lot of us do get caught up in just surfing the net. However, if we have a purpose, and monitor our time that we spend online, then we should not feel guilty about the time that we spend on the computer. On the other hand, we should make time in our life to do the little things like play catch or to plant a garden.

People in general and teachers in particular can lessen the negative aspects of Internet use by sharing their positive experiences. I have done so with many of my colleagues. I try to speak highly of technology, no matter how frustrating it might be at times. It’s very helpful and useful for me personally as well as in my classroom. Therefore, I tend to show and help others at school how to use the programs that I use, in order to enhance student learning. In order to mitigate the negativity, I try not to gripe about the Internet. Instead, I share the learning process that I went through in order to understand technology and the Internet as much as I do today. I feel that those who are negative about the Internet, are the ones who know very little about it, or the ones who take little time to learn something new. By taking this course, I hope to be able to teach students and adults how to handle the negative aspects of the Internet, and how not to get frustrated, but to be patient and find the proper help.