Internet and Education

The Internet really didn't develop until the later years of my education. Many schools didn't even encourage or use the Internet for most subjects. There were classes that were based on the Internet that were quite similar to this one, however we still don't see the broad benefits that the Internet has to offer. For the most part my Internet use was limited to finding resource materials and publications for an assignment that was still to be conducted on paper. We still don't fully utilize the Internet as a true learning experience.

Five years from now I imagine that there will be an expansion on the use and need for the Internet but I still believe it will be several years after that before it becomes a full on resource. In order for this to happen on a much more broad educational level a few things need to be in place. First the Internet needs to be safer. The lack of true protection is limiting the use of Internet. Better filters and firewall's need to be in place to keep students from falling prey to inappropriate sites, especially the younger generations. Second there needs to be a much larger curriculum that is based on the Internet. Assignments need to be handed in electronically, research needs to be more Internet based, and classes need to be conducted via the web in a way that is similar to this course. Lastly there needs to be more interest in the field. Schools need to be encouraged with incentives to help develop these programs and funding needs to be provided for the upkeep and training of new equipment and software. Many teachers aren't fully educated on how to use these programs and often become frustrated or discouraged from using the Internet in their classrooms.

In order to connect the nations of the world we need a few things. First we need a more universal language or perhaps a translator to help with communication. We need a worldwide enforcer of the Internet to act as a "watchdog" for unsafe or misuse of the Internet. Another huge and important need is to increase the availability of technology throughout the world. Several nations don't thrive on the Internet like we do. The most important necessity still remains the lack of interest. It will cost a lot of money and time in order to fulfil this dream and many countries show little or no interest in doing so.

The best solution is time. Hands down we can't rush these changes nor expect the world as a whole to accept them so quickly. Every day the Internet is expanding and education is relying more and more on it. We need to continue to fuel and encourage the use of the Internet for academic purposes. Gradually all these things will happen and I don't believe that there is whole lot more we can do besides what is currently being done. Just look at how far we've come in just two decades!