June 2002 — Features
Print this article | Email this articleClick here to receive your FREE subscription to T.H.E. Journal
The Internet's Impact on Teacher Practice and Classroom Culture
Using the Internet as an additional source of information increased the data available, and in some cases, allowed for assignments that were otherwise impossible. The stock exchange and American Revolution projects were good examples of this. Internet use, however, did not fundamentally change the nature of the projects. While the Internet projects featured active students and teachers guiding student work, this was not remarkably different from student and teacher project behavior before the Internet arrived. If districts expect teachers to use the Internet in a manner that increases higher-order thinking, they need to build this into their staff development plans. In our view, this should be part of the district's overall instructional plan rather than something that is solely relegated to the technology plan. It makes more sense from our viewpoint for the district plan for instruction to include the role of technology rather than a district technology plan that tries to change fundamental teaching practices.
The very nature of the information found on the Internet should also provide an opportunity to increase the frequency of higher-order thinking efforts. Finding information is now easier and much more is available; however, there is a price to pay for this additional information. Teachers, librarians or textbook publishers do not necessarily prescreen Internet information, unlike information from textbooks or library sources. The teachers and students in our study seemed to understand that information on the Internet could not always be trusted. One student said she found work on the Internet done by a third grader. This comment was voiced with the kind of disdain students generally reserve for younger children.
The school's library curriculum did contain one lesson that let students decide if information was reliable or biased. One lesson, however, did not appear to be enough. As we observed students at work, we saw much more effort directed at finding answers to the questions rather than evaluating the quality of the information. This implies that teachers constantly need to encourage students to evaluate what they find. This should be a good thing as the process of evaluating information g'es beyond the simple retrieval of facts.
Conclusions
When the administrators were asked if they had any evidence to prove Internet use had improved student achievement, they cited the appearance of student projects. Despite the lack of objective data, they felt learning their way around the Internet was a skill students would need as they furthered their education and entered the job market. The superintendent told us a story about a group of high school students who used information they found on the Internet to present an argument to the board of education opposing a proposal to start the school day earlier. His comment, "We don't own the information anymore," is one on which all educators should reflect.
Teachers also felt students would need to know how to use the Internet as they continued on through school. This was just one of the many pressures that they felt prompted them to incorporate the Internet into their classroom practice. Other sources included pressure from administration, newly adopted state standards and what they felt were expectations of their community. Students were of one voice when asked about future Internet use. They felt they would be using it much more as they continued their education. Most also felt they would use it on the job, although their answers to this question were largely based on whether their parents used it at work.
