Learning Online
The rise of the Internet has changed many different parts of life, from shopping to education. Students are turning more and more frequently to the Internet for research. Quality online education has been on the rise with organizations like the Florida Virtual School. You can even find excellent programs like virtual field trips on the Internet. These activities take your students through quality websites and ask them questions about the information they find. However, there are many issues and problems associated with the Internet that you and your students need to be aware of.
Offensive SitesOne of the foremost concerns of many parents is what their children are accessing on the Internet. Some schools place restrictive software on their computers to limit the types of sites that students can visit. However, this is not always the best solution because both offensive and inoffensive sites can be blocked. Further, there are some legal questions concerning their constitutionality in terms of free speech.
Approximately 220 million people were online in the United States during June 2008. This accounts for over 72 percent of the U.S. population. Since 2000, this number has grown by over 129 percent and will only continue to grow over time.
Conversely, if your school does not have this type of software on its computers, students can access any site. Therefore, schools usually have strict acceptable-use policies concerning what students and teachers can access on the Internet. Students who are caught accessing pornographic or otherwise offensive sites are subject to punishment. It is important to remember that if students access these types of sites during your class, you may be called to answer questions from parents or administrators. Therefore, do your best to make sure that students are working appropriately.
Online Information May Be Wrong or MisleadingAnother issue that often arises with the use of the Internet is the quality of the information that is accessed. While there is a lot of excellent information available, there is also a lot of inaccurate and potentially dangerous material accessible to students. It is very important that you and your students learn to discriminate between good and bad sites.
It is also important that students realize that all people write with a certain amount of prejudice, based on their beliefs. Therefore, if students are citing an article about global warming, they need to be aware that the author most probably has personal beliefs about the situation. If they looked elsewhere, they would probably find contrary opinions. When evaluating websites, you and your students will want to ask the following questions:
Is the author listed, and can you read his or her biographical information?
Is the website associated with a product or sponsored by a particular interest group?
Is the information dated? Does it say when the site was last updated?
Does the author cite any resources?
It is also a good idea to have students compare any unique or controversial data with more established print publications. The quality of the sources that students use should be an integral part of the grading process.
Critical analysis of all sources of information, not just Internet sites, is an important skill that students should learn. Just because something is in print or is on the evening news does not mean that it is entirely accurate or without bias.
