The use of the Internet in the classroom saves time as well as resources. Now, instead of wasting paper on quizzes and activities, teachers can use online resources like Kahoot, Quizlet, Duolingo, online simulations, blogs and more. Online activities mean students can access them even when they get home. This is especially helpful when school is cancelled; schoolwork can be completed using E-days, which are essentially school days conducted online. Online …show more content…
GLOBE is an example of how students can connect with others who live in different regions of America. In this experiment, students collect and submit soil samples from around the United States. Students, and also their communities, are locally and nationally connected by this project because they can compare the soil composition in different locations in the United States ("The Pros And Cons of Education Technology").
Social media websites are another way for students to connect academically with others around the world. Students at the Bilingual School San Francis de Asis in Costa Rica use social media to familiarize students with host families prior to the students’ trip to the United States for a cultural experience. While it does help students connect to others around the globe, social media can provide a huge distraction to kids while they are at school or working on their homework. In addition to distracting students, the Internet is also making them lazier. Students used to write notes down on paper, but now it is becoming more common to type notes on a computer. Some students do not feel the need to handwrite notes because they know they can just find the notes online later. This is an issue because handwriting has been proven in studies to be more beneficial to the student because he or she will be able to remember material better after taking notes by hand …show more content…
For this reason, they should provide services for students who are internet dependent, have had their internet privacy violated, been cyberbullied, or are struggling with self esteem issues. Schools should provide counselors and an open door policy to help their students to know that there is help available. In order to provide the best options for their students, administrators from the school should attend seminars to learn how to best handle cyberbullying and privacy violations, as well as counseling services. Parents and teachers would also benefit from attending these seminars and knowing how to discern internet dependent behaviors, cyberbullying, and self esteem issues, as well as how to handle it. There are also seminars that inform schools on how to limit distractions and cheating so that their students can learn to the best of their ability. Firewalls can be set up and certain distracting sites can be blocked on the school’s wifi; also, stricter punishments for plagiarism should be enforced to discourage this behavior. These restrictions and punishments should be outlined clearly for the students so that students are informed of the consequences of their actions.
Some drawbacks include the expenses of adding extra staff members to provide counseling services,