Blog 6- Internet Use

There are a lot of advantages of using the Internet in an early elementary classroom. The Internet provides a wide array of resources that may not be available otherwise. Children can have diversity in the material that is presented to them. Instead of maybe a collection of books by one author, they can browse to see other books on the same subject by different authors. Then if it is a library book they can get it through interlibrary loan thanks to the Internet. Another pro is that children can now go on field trips to anywhere in the world. The virtual world allows for kids to discovery far away places through the Internet and digital video. Another pro for the Internet is that it plays into Howard Gardner’s multiple intelligences. Most every intelligence can benefit from a number of Internet services. Interpersonal people can work together on projects whereas intrapersonal people can work only. There can be graphics for visual people and words for linguistic people.
There can also be a lot of disadvantages to using the Internet in the early elementary classroom. The big con is that there are a lot of untrustworthy websites out there. Filters can help but not all the time. It can expose our young children to things that they should not be seeing just yet. Another con is the social aspect. Young children are spending a lot more time on the Internet and not socializing as much. If it is an individual Internet project kids will not get the socialization that they may need. Another con that using the Internet too much in the classroom may take away from book reading.
Personally, I think the pros of using the Internet in the classroom can outweigh the cons. I think it puts a lot of information at the tips of my children’s fingers, information that they may not have access to otherwise. It can bring them so many new images, videos, and information. Also, it can bring in a world of cultural and diversity that may again not be readily available. I can take them on field trips that they may not ever be able to go on.
My favorite educational website of all time is A to Z Teacher Stuff. To me this site has it all. There are lesson plans for everything. All grade levels and subjects are present. It even has different lesson plans that deal with computer and technology. You can also look at different themes. There are printables and generators to make your own worksheets. They have an article section that talks about every subject a teacher can encounter. My favorite part of the website is the forum. It allows any user (signing up is free) to ask questions whether you are a pre-service teacher or a retired one.