Module 3 Reflection: Integrating the Internet

"This module has helped me think about the impact of the internet on my students’ learning in the following ways..."

Prior to this module, my perceived impact of the internet on my students' learning was fairly basic. I'm talking about like e-mail and maybe a classroom blog (not even a website).

Part of that has to do with own technological ineptitude. But another part was concern I have over technological restrictions of my students (means, funds, etc.). I get that students for the most part resort to last-second internet research most of the time. Meaningful interaction, though, is what I worried about.

However, students need practice with 21st century technology skills. While some already possess a small scope of these skills with social media and smartphones, many will almost assuredly need these skills for future opportunities.

Incorporating technology components as major resources may also require students to consider critical thinking skills they may not otherwise utilize: for instance, they will need to consider the validity of open content or the legal and ethical ramifications of misusing sources.

Therefore, I think a class wiki would be a great idea for certain assignments and compiling research or other data. An assessment geared toward information on the wiki would create a sense of ownership while giving the students' work a sense of urgency.

A classroom website is another great tool for communicating weekly, daily, or emergency notifications. It also serves as a readily accessible, central hub of resources for both parents and students. A blog, while effective at times, doesn't seem to carry the weight that a website does.

Hopefully, we can also learn how to efficiently and effectively research material via the internet. Managing your internet resources is a useful tool for anyone who uses the internet. Plus, the internet offers an abundance of resources and tools that can help students learn (as apparent through all the Cool Tool presentations).

The internet is an integral part of academic life, both for teachers and for students. If I can get my students and myself to use it effectively, then we all benefit: not just for the present academic year but also moving forward.