The many uses of the Internet in the Classroom (Assignment 5)

This essay is going to take a different tone, since it is on my blog.  It seems appropriate that in writing about the role of the Internet in the classroom, that I use my blog to write it.  Why not?

It doesn't seem to matter these days if you love or hate technology.  You are forced to use it in school, at work, and in your social life unless you want to commit academic, career, or social suicide. The generations above us that got away without using technology in virtually every aspect of their life are quickly falling behind and surrendering to Smartphones and Facebook, much to many peoples' chagrin. If you can't beat 'em, join 'em. Right?

It seems to me that the more you know (in technology and in life) the more you realize you don't know.  However, we still must run to keep up.  As teachers, we are becoming more and more responsible for teaching our students about the world outside the classroom and this includes educating them about Internet ethics and responsibility.

As a future English teacher (and having previously student taught high school English students), it is nice to know that sometimes the "good ole fashioned" book is still used, and still does the trick for many things.  What I have to keep reminding myself, and often, is that the Internet is simply a tool. It is not reinventing the wheel (it has not rewritten Shakespeare or changed history) but it has expanded our knowledge, and made information more accessible, which is extremely helpful to both teachers and our students.

As teachers, perhaps we should be one step ahead of our students, but this task might be nearly impossible considering the rate of change in technology, and how quickly our students pick up on it.  However, if there is one rule to live by, perhaps it would be to start slow and steady.  Pick one or two new technological endeavors for the year and master them.  Make a website (especially if you must for your school) and stick with i,t or start a blog or a Twitter account for your students. The Internet can be a scary place, so if you start small and monitor it carefully, it will be much more effective.

Listening to students is also key.  They can teach us new things every day, and when it comes to technology, we cannot pretend to know everything - even if we may know a lot.  Let our students teach us new things.  Make it an assignment for students to find two websites that have to do with a book the class is reading and make them review it and teach the class something new they learned.  This way, we are teaching content AND have the opportunity to talk about Internet responsibility and how to determine what can be trusted on the Internet and what cannot.

A discussion about the Internet and its lack of privacy should never be avoided. As an English teacher, any opportunity to have students read articles about technology or the Internet and privacy, etc. will utilized.  Integrating technology in the classroom should not just mean using it, but talking about it as a part of creating the responsible and successful adults our students will become.

Here is a great website, Safe in Your Space, that provides information, outlines, and ideas about Internet safety, students, and the classroom.