Exploring the World Wide Web in the Classroom

Now that 100% of public schools in the United States have access to the internet (Morrison & Lowther, 2010, p. 146), a fact I was surprised to learn, teachers and students have an incredible amount of information available to them at the click of a mouse. Along with this valuable gift come many opportunities and risks. It is the teacher's responsibility to make sure that the World Wide Web is used effectively and securely in the classroom.

There are numerous ways in which features of the Web can be applied as useful learning tools. Search engines such as Google and Yahoo can be used to research and explore infinite amounts of information (p. 150). Applications such as Google Docs function as ways to create, store, and share documents and presentations developed by students (p. 152). Email, websites, discussion boards, blogs, wikis, and web-based video conferencing are tools students can use to communicate and collaborate with other students, experts, and people all over the world (p. 155-156). Teachers can also use these forms of communication to provide parents and community members access to the classroom (p. 159-160).

With all of the advantages of technology come disadvantages of which teachers, parents, and school administrators need to be aware. Despite the filtering software installed on school computers, it is possible for students to access inappropriate information on the Web. Because of this reality, teachers must have classroom management plans in place to deal with these types of security situations. Morrison and Lowther (2010) suggest three ways of handling inappropriate use of the internet. Teachers can organize work areas so that s/he is able to see every computer screen. This makes it easy to monitor the sites students are visiting. Teachers should also know how to use the history tab to supervise the websites students access. When the situation arises that a student mistakenly types the address of an unsuitable website, s/he can close the laptop and notify the teacher who can investigate the incident (p. 163).

As long as teachers and school administrators take the necessary steps to ensure that our students safely and effectively use computers, we can take advantage of the numerous educational benefits technology offers.

References

Morrison, G.R., & Lowther, D.L. (2010). Integrating computer technology
       into the classroom: skills for the 21st century. (4th ed.). Boston:
        Pearson.