The Internet and Education

The Internet, also simply called the Net, is the largest and far-flung network system-of-all-systems. Surprisingly, the Internet is not really a network but a loosely organized collection of about 25,000 networks accessed by computers on the planet. It is astonishing to know that no one owns the Internet. It has no central headquarters, no centrally offered services, and no comprehensive online index to tell users what information what is available in the system.

How is everything coordinated through the Internet? This is done through a standardized protocol (or set of rules for exchanging data) called Transmission Control  Protocol/Internet Protocol (TCP/IP). To gain access to the internet, the computer must be equipped what is called a server which has a special software (program) that uses the Internet protocol. Originally developed and still subsidized by the United States government. The Internet connect not only commercial, industrial, scientific establishments but all other sectors including education and its libraries, campuses, and computer centers.

The great attraction of the Internet is that once the sign-up fees are paid, there are no extra charges. Electronic mail, for example, is free regardless of the amount of use. In contrast, individuals using the internet on their own personal computers must pay ongoing monthly fees to whoever is their service provider.

Getting Around the Net

The vast sea of information now in the Internet, including news and trivia, is an overwhelming challenge to those who wish to navigate it. Everyday, the Net user-population and the available information continue to grow, and new ways are continuously being developed to tour the Internet.

The most attractive way to move around the internet is called browsing. Using a program called a browser, the user can use a mouse to point and click on screen icons to surf the Internet, particularly the World Wide Web (the Web), an Internet’s subset of text, images and sounds are linked together to allows users to access data or information needed.

The future of the internet seems limitless. Already its complexity has spawned and continue spawn Net sites including new demand for services to business, industries, science, government, and even homes. Many expert predict that the Internet is destined to become the centrepiece of all online communications on the planet and in some future time in the solar system using interplanetary satellite communications stations.

A View of Educational Uses of the Internet

Today, even elementary school graders in progressive countries like the United States are corresponding via e-mail with pen pals in all 50 states. They ask probing questions like, “What is your state’s most serious problems”, or how much a pizza cost in your state? This educational activity prodded by their schools are paying dividends from increasing the pupil’s interest in Geography to a greater understanding of how people live in large cities and other places in the United States or the world.

Educational software materials have also developed both in sophisticated and appeal. There is now a wider choice from rote arithmetic or grammar lessons to discover and innovation projects. But the real possibility today is connecting with the world outside homes, classrooms, and Internet cafes. And today school are gearing up to take advantage of internet access, where they can plug into the library of congress, make virtual visits to famous museums in the world, write to celebrities, and even send questions to heads of states.

ISSUE

How can we integrate internet to education into different aspect and only from browsing and searching?


Mostly, the use of internet is to surf and browse. In one click you can go to social networking networking sites like facebook, twitter, etc. You can get vast of information by simply clicking in google and wikipedia. And you can get texts, images, sounds and video clips in instant. It's very convenient for the surfer to get information that they want. But aside from this, how can we get information through Net?

We can get information from Net through other surfers. We can ask questions directly from other surfer by the use of gmail, yahoo messenger, skype, etc. The advantage of this activity is the users can have a chance of healthy interaction because they have mutual contact and the one who gives information can reason out why he/she come out with that information.

Understanding Hypermedia

The student has already become aware of multimedia or an audiovisual package that includes more than one instructional media such as text, graphics, audio animation and video clip.
Hypermedia is nothing but multimedia, but this time packaged as an educational computer software where information is presented and student activities are integrated in a virtual learning environment. Most educational IT applications are hypermedia and these include:

• Tutorial software packages
• Knowledge webpages
• Simulation instructional games
• Learning project management, and others

The presentation of information-learning activities in hypermedia is said to be sequenced in a non-linear manner, meaning that the learner may follow his path of activities thus providing an environment of learner autonomy and thinking skills. This fact makes it therefore important to understand hypermedia in the educational context in order to ensure their successful integration in the teaching-learning process.

Characteristics of Hypermedia Applications 

There are two important features that are outstanding among other features that characterize the hypermedia software:

1. Lerner Control- This means the learner makes his own decisions on the path, flow or events of instruction. The learner has control on such aspects as sequence, pace, content, media, feedback, etc. that he/she may encounter in the hypermedia learning program.

2. Learner Wide Range of Navigation Routes- for the most part, the learner controls the sequence and pace of his path depending on his ability and motivation. He has the option to repeat and change speed, if desired. Of course, at the start, the learner may choose the learning activities he prefers. meanwhile, the teachers has the prerogative to determine suitable learning objectives.

Variety of Media- hypermedia includes more than one media (text, graphics, audio, animation and video clip) but does not necessary use all types of media in one presentation. Since only virtual learning activity takes place, it is important from the standpoint of the teacher to optimize the learning process by identifying the characteristics media application, as well as the advantages and limitations of such an application.

In the use of hypermedia the following instructional events will prove useful to the teacher:

•  Get the learners' attention
• Recall prior knowledge
• Inform learners of lesson objectives
• Introduce the software and its distinctive features
• Guide learning, eliciting performance 
• Provide learning feedback
• Assess performance
• Enhance retention and learning transfer 

ISSUE

Hypermedia provides autonomous learning. How can it help the students to be a good learner?

Hypermedia makes the user to be independent. It requires the user to make his own decision on how he outline the media based on how he want it. Hypermedia serves only as a tool and the user is the designer and manipulator. Just like in studying. The students should not only rely on teachers, but they need to learn on their own. There are times that our teachers can't provide the information that we want, so we need to learn on ourselves. There are several ways on how the students deal to that. Some of them is by surfing and searching on the internet, observing, go to the library, and interview some persons that are credible about the topic or issue that we want to know. Learning is not like spoon feeding that the students only depends on their teachers. They need also to explore and learn by their own.
                     

The Software as an Educational Resource

It's more difficult to realize, however, that the computer hardware can hardly be useful without the program or system that tells what the computer machine should do. This is also called the software.

There are two kinds of software:

1. The system software- This is the operating system that is found or bundled inside all computer machines.

2. The application software- this contains the system that commands the particular task or solves a particular problem.

In turn the applications software may be:

(a) a custom software that is made for specific tasks often by large corporations, or

(b) a commercial software packaged for personal computers that helps with the variety of tasks such as writing papers, calculating numbers, drawing graphs, playing games, and so much more.

Microsoft Windows

Also referred to as a program, Microsoft Windows or Windows for short is an operating environment between the user and the computer operating system. Also called a shell, it is a layer that creates the way the computer should work. Windows uses a colorful graphics interface that can be seen on the computer screen or monitor whenever the computer is turned on.

The user can work with on-screen pictures (icons) and suggestions (menus) to arrived at a desired software. Windows 95 (now improved with windows 2003 and 2007) is a software designed for Microsoft Windows. Actually, Windows is in itself a self-contained operating system which provides

• User Convenience- just click a file name to retrieve data or click from program to program as easy as changing channels in your TV screen
• A New Look- fancy borders, smooth and streamlined text fonts
• Information Center- Windows puts all communications activities (e-mail, downloads etc. in a single screen icon); adapts/configures the computer for the internet.
• Plug and Play- configures the computer with added components, such as for sound and video.

Instructional Software

Instructional software can be visited on the internet or can be bought from software shops or dealers. The teacher through his school should decide on the best computer-based instructional (CBI) materials for the school resource collection. but beware since CBI's need much improvement, while web-based educational resources are either extremely good or what is complete garbage. In evaluating computer based educational materials, the following can serve as guidelines:

• Be extremely cautious in using CBI's and 'free' internet materials
• Don't be caught up by attractive graphics, sound, animation, pictures, video clips and music forgetting their instructional worth
• Teachers must evaluate these resources using sound pedagogical principles
• Among design and content elements to evaluate are: the text legibility, effective use of color schemes, attractive layout and design, and easy navigation from section-to-section (such as from game to tutorial to drill-and-practice section)
• Clarity in the explanations and illustrations of concepts and principles
• Accuracy, coherence, logic of information
• Their being current since data/statistics continually change 
• relevance/effectiveness in attaining learning objectives
• Absence of biased materials (e.g. gender bias or racial bias)

ISSUE

Do you consider all the information on the web (articles or blog) are credible and acceptable?

We are now on the information highway. Single click on the web and all the information that we needed will appear. That's the convenience of having the internet and world wide web. You don't need to perspire and sacrifice your effort and time just to go to the library. But the question is, does all the information that we get from the internet are true, credible and acceptable? In my opinion, not all. Because anyone can post a blog or article on the web even if that person is not expert on that topic. Example, a scientist can post a blog or article about language on the web even if that person is not a linguist. So how credible all the information in that blog or article for us to be accepted? For me it's not one hundred percent acceptable because he/she is not expert on that discipline.

In that case, if we want to research about any information about a particular topic and we want it credible, it is better for us that we go to library. Because all the authors of the books are credible and they are expert on the discipline that they chose. But still, it is very helpful for us that we get vast and numerous information and ideas coming from the internet.    

Cooperative Learning with the Computer

Defining Cooperative Learning

Cooperative or collaborative learning is learning by small groups of students who work together in a common learning task. It is often also called group learning but to be truly cooperative learning, five elements are needed:

1. a common goal
2. interdependence
3. interaction
4. individual accountability
5. social skills

Therefore not every group work is cooperative learning since students working on their work sheets physically sat around a table may be working together without these features of cooperative learning.

From several studies made on cooperative learning, it is manifested that cooperative learning in its true sense is advantageous since it:

(a) encourages active learning, while motivating students
(b) increases academic performance
(c) promotes literacy and language skills
(d) Improves teacher effectiveness

In addition, there are studies which shows that cooperative learning enhances personal and social development among students of all ages, while enhancing self esteem and improving social relations between racially and culturally different students.

Cooperative Learning and the Computer

Researchers have made studies on the learning interaction between the student and computer. The studies have great value since it has been a long standing fear that the computer may foster student learning in isolation that hinders the development of the student's social skills.
Now this mythical fear has been contradicted by the studies which show that when students work with computers in groups, they cluster and interact with each other for advice and mutual help. And given the option to work individually or in group, the students generally wish to work together in computer-based and non-computer-based activities.

Therefore researchers agree that the computer is a fairly natural learning vehicle for cooperative (at times called promotive) learning.

Components of Cooperative Learning

Educators are still wary about the computers role in cooperative learning. Thus they pose the position that the use of computers do not automatically result in cooperative learning. Thus therefore assign the teacher several tasks in order to ensure collaborative learning. These are:

• Assigning students to mixed-ability teams
• Establishing positive interdependence
• Teaching cooperative social skills
• Insuring individual accountability, and
• Helping groups process information

These are in addition to assigning a common work goal in which each member of the group will realize that their group will not succeed unless everyone contributes to the groups success. It is also important for the teacher limits learning group clusters so that there can be closer involvement in thinking and learning.

ISSUE

Cooperative learning is learning with the groups, or group work. Aren't there debates in group work?

Group work is brainstorming. Every students have their own ideas based on how the way they see the situation or topic. Yes, most of the times there are debates in group work. We cant prevent this kind of situation. This is natural phenomena in every group work. Example, if there are six members in a group, there may be six ideas on that group in a particular topic. And for the teachers, they need to enlighten their students about the importance of being open-minded, learn from the ideas of others, and construct and outline their best ideas for their group to be strong. And in the end, it's on the students on how they deal with it.