In this on line journal, Dian Schaffhauser discusses with Meg Ormiston how restrictive internet access in the schools is affecting learning. A lot of teachers face many barriers when it comes to access the internet at schools. Either the school does not have enough bandwidth to accommodate everyone streaming the internet at once or there is also the issue of the district purchasing software that chooses what you can access. There are also issues about what the students are exposed to and teaching them responsible computing. Ormiston suggested that allowing educators to use the internet first in a tiered approach where they are able to explore and figure out how to integrate it into their classrooms. After the teachers are comfortable with using the internet, students can slowly be given permissions to access websites. Ormiston makes valid points regarding the lack of trust and technology in schools, if we are not will to progress with where society is going our children are going to be left behind while technology advances.
How can teachers be trusted to use the internet responsibly?
I think that Ormiston’s tiered approach should be expanded on the educator level. The district can open up a few sites at a time and let the teachers research those sites and integrate them into the classroom. This would be a good way to ease in the process of using the internet in the classroom as well as creating a less overwhelming internet atmosphere for the teachers. There could also be tasks created for the new website that teachers can use as ideas on how they can use the website in their teaching.
Should students be introduced to the internet in the same tiered approach as the students?
Yes, this will allow teachers to introduce safe and proper internet usage instead of a free for all for students. Teachers can introduce 1-2 websites at a time that correspond to the topic that is being taught and have students use the websites to enhance their knowledge of the topic.
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