Children are encouraged to use the Internet in hopes that it will improve the quality of learning and prepare them for the future. But will it? This question is constantly debated. In order teachers to decided whether the Internet is the right tool for their classroom they should first consider the negative and positive aspects it encompasses.

Computers could be used successfully with children of different age groups as supplements to classroom curricula, as a research tool, or in family projects. They have broadened the areas of research previously enabled by these young students. But few people stop to consider that computers, used incorrectly, may do far more harm than good (Healy, 1).

New technologies can be valuable educational tools when used in age-appropriate ways by properly trained teachers. But often schools budgets are insufficiently funded for teacher training and technical support. Likewise, studies suggest that few parents know how to properly assist children’s computer learning; much computer time at home may be wasted time, drawing children away from other developmentally important activities such as reading, hobbies, or creative play (Healy 1).

In fact, children seem to be rewarded for being able to use the technology as opposed to using their imagination or creative skills. Even when one thinks that they are doing a service to the children by giving them so-called learning software, it is more "edutainment" than educational, teaching students more about clicking for some trivial goal than how to think, communicate, to imagine, or to solve problems. Some software, used without careful supervision, may also have the potential to interrupt a child’s internal motivation to learn (Healy 1). Dr. Healy suggests strong warning against using the computer before the age seven, because the brain is primed to take on more abstract challenges.

That is not to say that the Internet cannot stimulate ones mind, if used correctly. Teachers who allow and encourage their students to ask their own questions will find that the Internet can be a useful tool. The amount of information and the number of resources that are available make it possible for students to consider concepts and ideas that would otherwise be outside the realm of the typical classroom (Steen 192).

The internet could be a great way In projects to communicate through the trading of ideas and understanding that student have the opportunity to check their own understanding with that of others and to refine and reflect on their growing ideas about the way the world works (Steen 194).

Some of the Internets other positive aspects include a greater amount of interaction. With the Internet you can interact with a greater variety of people than you could ever hope to reach with out it. This is especially so when the Internet is used to perform discussions with newsgroups. Through the internet you can trade ideas and understand that students have the opportunity to check their own understanding with that of others and to refine and reflect on their growing ideas about the way the world works. An example of this is when two groups of children exchanged emails to do a report on each other’s countries. The children interacted with people they would never have had before, and the knowledge they acquired could not have been found reading a typical textbook.

The Internet could also enhance student’s abilities to ask their own questions, gather information, and communicate with others in the process of reflection and learning (Steen 194). With the exchanging of emails the students responses prompted new questions and put their answers in perspective to life in America. It was all around a learning opportunity that they could not have using regular classroom materials.

In this project we could also see motivation take place. The student anxiously awaited the replies of the students. If the students were simply doing a project that did not have this interaction it would not be any different than any other project and chances are the students would not get as involved as they did in this case.

The children used the Internet in this instance as a research tool. In this case the information was correct, although it is not always so because anyone could publish on the Internet. No single corporation, institution, or government owns or manages the whole Internet (Steen 40). Since the Internet is not regulated, we are as free to see the scholastic journals, as we are to see the inaccurate and biased information. That is why it is important to review the sites you tell the children to visit. Or you should lead the students to kids safe search engines where they can freely search for information without worrying about questionable material showing up. KidsClick and KidsDomain are two great examples of kids safe search engines. Those sites rid parental and community objectives about the pornography, foul language or hate messages being administered to children. As an advantage to the Internet not being regulated it is also a great way to find information on obscure topics, and get instant information on a topic needed. It is quicker to do a search on the Internet than to looks through many books.

One of the greatest resources a teachers can use is the Internet because it is a way to be in constant contact with your students. It could be especially helpful during the summer or in the case for advanced placement classes, who do work over the summer. It could also be helpful with the new wave of online testing and grading of exams.

One of the best things the Internet has provided us is the feeling that the students are in control of there learning. The students are making the decisions of where they want to go and where they want to click most of the time. They are learning hands on directly.

The incorrect use of the Internet could waste time, money, and patience. The Internet should not substitute for a good teacher. Many think that the Internet could be used to take the place of an educator. That is incorrect the Internet is just another use of technology to enhance the learning process. It should not solely be the tool used to educate. Having access to information and having the savvy it takes to interpret it is different (Stoll XIII). A teacher many of the times help, or aid children to process the information so that is not just data. Just because you have information readily available does not mean that you know how to use it.

For one reason besides the information being incorrect, it takes time to find what you are looking for online. There is not order so finding information could take a lot of time with unsatisfactory results. Content is also trivial, only 10 percent of sites advertised as being curriculum rich actually are. Students surf on their own at home at school waste about 95 percent of their time (Healy 258).

It is also not very cheap to buy computers. Many school districts have enough trouble passing the school budget to get new text books let alone technology that will be outdated quicker than it is to set up. We spend 3 billion dollars a year to wire our classrooms with an aim to make our country students computer literate. But that is not considering how much it takes to replace and fix this delicate equipment.

But what does this equipment really offer us? Even the interaction that we stated as a plus is not always positive. The Internet does let us interact but actually it is giving us more the illusion of interaction. The children where interacting with children of other countries and they were unable to do that psychically. However, psychical interaction is still better than sitting in front of an electronic box. Too much time on the computer actually leads to the decline in real world interaction with family and friends and it helps in the decline of social involvement and psychological well being (Stoll 35).

Computer literate does not equal, require, or encourage creativity, or intelligence and that could also hurt us in the long run. It gives us the illusion that we know what we are doing. The use of graphics make students spend more time making their reports look nice and less time understanding the subject matter. We tend to sometimes focus on the visual aspect. If we see something flashy and intricate in design we tend to not see what the student is presenting. A flashy PowerPoint presentation is a great example of that. If there are many animations, color changes, and transitions we tend to look at that before we look at the text.

Also when dealing with internet in the classroom we don’t have to worry about text books flashing advertisement everywhere, that unfortunately is not true with the internet. Advertisements are everywhere, and we cannot help but click on them sometimes because they are so enticing.

Obviously there are many concerns to using the Internet in the classroom. In a good classroom the Internet should be used as a combination of technology with appropriate pedagogy. In order to have successful use of the Internet in the classroom we have to remember that you have to have specific curricular goals. Projects should be well defined and directly supported the larger goals established for the unit. The Internet should be used simply and effectively as a means of achieving those goals specified. The Internet is best discovered when teachers use it for themselves before bringing it to their students. The teacher should preview sites or download those relevant to the assignment. The teacher should help and encourage the students to ask good questions to conduct a productive search and decided on one to two relevant words to narrow the topic.

Some more effective tools are to display the Internet in an overhead projector. Teachers should also make sure kids read the words and not skim the pictures. They should require records of which site have been visited, with critictical evaluation of the value of each. Insist on documentations of sources, just as with text material.

We all have used the Internet and I do not think that anyone could say that they have become instantly more creative or intelligent because they used it. There is no doubt that the information found if processed could aid in creativity, or help you acquire information that you would in other circumstances not have access too. Used correctly it could be a tool we all could benefit from, as long as you are aware of the precautions.