To Internet or Not to Internet? That is the Question

With the use of technology growing like wildfire in the 21st century, many skeptics wonder if the internet is an appropriate tool to use in the classroom.  After considering the pros and cons the internet provides, the answer is quite clear: the advantages far outweigh the disadvantages for internet usage and I, for one, will be striving to make the internet an integral part of my classroom.

Dewey Deci huh???

The internet has many benefits.  It can be used for effective communication, as a research tool, to connect concepts to the real world, and to collaborate with others, just to name a few.  A class website is a great way to communicate with parents, students, and other teachers.  As a teacher you can post assignments, great links, and even previous lessons that students can go back to watch again!  Long gone are the days of the card catalog.  If a student wants to research a topic, a few keywords and a click of the mouse is all they'll need.  As long as learners know how to find reliable sources, (something that will be taught by a wonderful facilitator), everything needed to research is at the student's fingertips, (literally if they're using their cell phone or a tablet).  This also helps promote visual literacy in students because they are able to find a plethora of visuals for decoding as well as encoding.

Instead of just reading out of a text book, teachers can use the internet to show students how something is relevant.  Dan Meyer shows how the simple use of technology (a video camera and the internet) can bring a boring math problem to life.  Check it out!

Finally, the internet can be used to collaborate with others.  It breaks down the barriers of needing to physically meet up with a group.  Through the use of discussion boards, forums, wikis, and video apps like Skype, you can essentially work with anyone around the world!  As long as students are aware of internet safety, cyberbullying, and proper internet etiquette, the internet can be used as an effective tool in the classroom.
As a math teacher, I want the internet to play a significant role in my classroom.  I want the students to use the internet to collaborate with other classrooms.  I want them to improve their decoding and encoding skills with visuals found on the internet.  I also want to use the internet to make learning meaningful by connecting it to the real world.  I loved Meyer's example so much that I created a problem following his example.  We were working on distance and maps and I created a video that started out with the question, "Who wants to go to Disneyland?"  After that got their attention, I started asking for ways to get there.  I got answers such as "fly" or "drive."  Then I asked them to find the shortest route.  They broke up the problem, step by step, themselves, to find it.  It was amazing to see their collaboration, patience, and use of technology!

Classroom Without Walls

As teachers, we’ve always been taught that all children learn differently.  This has been proven in many different studies done all throughout the 20th century.  It is an educator’s job to cast a wide net, so to speak, and use as many different instructional strategies as possible, to engage and reach as many learners as possible.

The 21^st century adds another component of effective learning: technology.  No matter what type of learner a child is, there is a media that can be used technologically that will enhance learning.  There is no time like now!  Technology must be incorporated into education.  Students and teachers are no longer confined to the four walls of their classroom.  Technology can be used to “travel” the world!  It’s up to the teacher to incorporate technology effectively so students can use devices that they use daily, like cell phones and i-pods, to learn more efficiently and effectively.  21^st century learners are begging to be challenged and engaged!

The digital age has had a huge impact on the way I teach my students.  I no longer just look at lesson plans and wonder how I can differentiate for my students.  I also must think how I can engage them with the use of technology.  How can technology enhance this lesson?  It is a constant question and has become a new focal point because it is an urgent matter.  I will continue to learn about advancing technologies (usually from the students themselves) and continue to challenge myself by incorporating technology in education daily.  I essentially want my students to be life-long, global learners and technology is here to stay.