SILICON SNAKE OIL ELECTIVE

BY: Katie Haley

The first issue I would like to discuss is the Internet and Education. The point brought up by Stoll is that kids would benefit more from the hands on approach than the online approach. I think there are positives and negatives to both ways. I think that it is very important for kids to have the opportunity to visit places that they are researching so that they can relate to the information they are learning. When kids can see information as tangible and relate to it they are more likely to be interested in it. As great as this may seem it is not always possible to take a field trip to most places, so why not use the Internet? If a topic is researched properly students can greatly benefit from online resources. They can study places in foreign countries and have tons of information at their fingertips. I think teachers can incorporate both ways of learning into the classroom and be effective. The more ways a child learns something the more likely they are to retain it. A teacher is simply not allowed to take a field trip in every unit of study, but they can take as many virtual field trips as they want. Teachers need to research the information, prepare study guides for the Internet, and whenever possible go on a field trip. As long as the Internet is not the only means of instruction I don’t see any issue. I think the hands on approach is still very important and must be considered in all lessons. The average person may not have the time to visit all of the places they are interested as well. It is simply too time consuming and monetarily not feasible for most. The Internet is a reasonable means to learn about many things in a cost efficient way.

The second issue on Computer Network Communities is a very important one with positives and negatives. I can speak from personal experience on this topic because in my first job the computer was my main way of communicating with co-workers. On the positive side this was a very cost efficient way of communicating because my co-workers were in many different states. If I had to pick up the telephone and call every time I needed something, the cost would be tremendous. I could communicate real time with people in other countries and states. Teachers have this ability in the classroom as well. They have material available from all countries and can use this for instruction. At times, this is not possible if the network is down and this can be a real problem if you need transmit documents via email or you don’t plan because you plan on pulling something off the Internet before class. This can put a halt on the entire day if you don’t plan properly. Also, I think that many of my co-workers surfed the Internet instead of working. Teachers can mitigate this problem by planning properly and using the Internet as an educational tool and not the sole means of their instruction. The average person can mitigate the situation by making sure they have alternative means of communication in case there is an issue.