Silicon Snake Oil:5 Points to Consider:

Silicon Snake Oil by Internet expert and pioneer Clifford Stoll details in depth some reasons that the “Information Super Highway” may not be all that it is cracked up to be. Here are some of the points he makes that all teachers should consider.

1. Information on the Internet is often hard to find and difficult to sort through. Stoll states that when many people search for information on a given topic on the Internet, it is often not as easy as it might seem. The Internet has made everyone a publisher and, unfortunately, this has created a proliferation of web sites that provide inaccurate or untrue information. Often it may take longer for someone to find useful and reliable information on the Internet than it would if one would simply look through a library’s card catalog. Teachers should realize this and try to encourage students to consult printed materials for research instead of always going to the Internet. If they do go to the Internet, teachers should provide a list of reliable sites for them to use.

2. The Internet should not replace libraries. Many schools are investing a lot of money in online card catalogs and computer databases. This might not be the best use of resources. As stated before, just because the Internet has a lot of information on it, doesn’t mean that it is correct or easy to find. Printed media in libraries is often easier to obtain and more reliable in its contents. Almost all libraries stock nothing but reliable sources of information in the way of books and periodicals. Schools shouldn’t assume they need to eliminate their funding for libraries just because they aren’t totally computerized. School systems should instead consider the use of the Internet an “add on” to the library and not a replacement. Students should be encouraged to use both in their research.

3. The Internet isolates people and provides little socialization. When someone spends a great deal of their time interacting with the world online, they miss out on “real” contact with other people. Communicating through chat rooms and emails is not the same as meeting and dealing with real people. A propensity to communicate with the world through online channels can damage a student’s ability to socialize with his/her peer group and cause relationship issues down the road. An educator should carefully monitor how much time students spend online during school. Teachers should construct lessons based on having students work together face to face more than sending them to find information on the Internet on a regular basis.

4. Email is impersonal. Stoll believes email serves only one essential function: communication of contents with little or no style. He believes that communication through email is not creative, allowing for little style in the way of letterheads and style of handwriting. It also eliminates the human side of communication. When you talk through email, one cannot see the other’s facial expressions or body language. This can often result in complications understanding the intentions behind what is stated in the email. Teachers and students need to be aware that email is only one way to communicate with others and cannot provide a complete picture of what a person might be trying to say or express. Face to face communication is much more powerful.

5. The Internet is often abused. For all of the well-intentioned people who may post or roam on the Internet, there are several others who use it to prey on unsuspecting victims. The crimes of fraud and identity theft run rampant. Innocent children may start up a relationship with an online “friend” only to realize too late that the person on the other end is deliberately misrepresenting themselves in order to commit a crime upon them. The Internet has also proved to be a fertile ground for hate and terrorist groups to spread their views in order to influence others. A teacher has to be very diligent in watching over his/her students when using the Internet to make sure that the student is aware of the dangers that may possibly await them in cyberspace.