Internet Information: Is it Better for Our Children?
Many children that are in our newest generation do not know how to use a library or what the system is for finding books. They also don't have as much use of encyclopedias because they are all online. Are we teaching our children that everything is easy? When I would research for a paper as a kid and put so much work into it, when I was done I was exceptionally proud of what I had accomplished because I had to put days into a paper not one night. Kids now take one night find the 3 sources they need write their paper and don't have to think on it. And our schools push this behavior further.
Teachers now since armed with the knowledge of children having access to computers only give one day for reports. What happened to week long deadlines? Instead your child gets less emphasis on what is truly important here which is the hard work. Even college counselors will tell you one of the major reasons for college isn't the classes as much as it is the life long lessons of multi-tasking, hard work, studying, and persevering. This is getting lost with the ease and ability that information is obtained.
Now don't get me wrong I love the internet and I enjoy being able to find things easily and simply. However I wonder if it should be banned as a source for school projects and instead go back to books and research. Research today is typing in a word and hitting enter. Remember in elementary when you would take a field trip to the library to learn how to look up books and research? They don't even teach researching anymore, because it has become so simplistic.
I believe children need the challenge and can meet it. Children need to know they can work hard find obscure texts that help them with their papers and projects and feel pride in all the work they have accomplished. Let kids play on the computer for fun but bring them back into the world of books where their imagination can flourish for school.
Published by Chloe Thorn
I am 33, I have a wonderful daughter who is 14..... I love to read, write, cook, and dance. I also enjoy listening to music as loud as I can crank it. All genres of music interest me but especially, rock, po... View profile
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6 Comments
Post a CommentWhile I share some of your concerns, I'd go about resolving them differently. Books are inherently less useful as references than is the internet. They are static (i.e. don't get updated), difficult to search (i.e. have to use table of contents and index, and these are rarely as complete as one would want), and expensive (so you must use the library). Instead of yearning for the good (or bad) old days, I'd suggest that teachers' assignments should take into account the pros and cons of the internet. They should teach students about the difficulty of assessing the level of expertise of online information and how to find authoritative sites for various subjects. Then they should require that any online source be validated before being cited. This way kids are again challenged, but in a way that fits the evolving paradigm of the internet as the repository of human knowledge.
I'm 28 and I'm jealous I didn't have these resources available then. Life would have been so much easier. That said be careful for what you take for fact online and never quote wikipedia.
while I think the internet is a good tool for research I also think there's not enough "real" knowledge to rely only on the internet. kids will believe whatever they read and this could be a huge mistake for the next generation. plus why the hell aren't kids learning how to use the library? that pisses me off!
great topic for debate...i wonder if a combination of both would be better...if they need 4 sources...make it mandatory that they find at least two at the library...and give them time to find them. The world is so fast paced today...we are losing sight of what's truly important.
I agree. Too bad kids really don't even know how to use a library anymore.
I agree whole-heartedly, however, just want to say that every tries to make their life easier that is what it is all about.