Me and the 7th-Graders/Section A

I was invited to speak on the topic of Internet and my job functions to a 7th-grader class by my officemate’s son, Joshua Alegado, at Mt. Carmel School yesterday. This became an opportunity to look back on my life and ask myself some questions. Why have I started this work and what is this work leading to? What do I want to say about the interactive features that exist on the Internet? But the biggest thing that stood out for me about these students is that they have a driving desire to connect to information superhighway. Answering questions took up the rest of the session.

I was delighted by how interested and inquisitive the students were. We quickly veered from the presentation format and broke into discussion. The students wanted to learn all about how fast a DSL is, or what a network is. We even discussed viruses, worms and hackings, and how everything comes down to the bottom line: programming. It was amazing to see the look on students’ faces when I pointed out that there are as many computers on the Internet network as there were a few years ago. It really made them think.

But when was the last time our students completed a research project that did not involve the use of the Internet? For many students, the Internet is a far more familiar place than the library. They use it to email, to chat online, to listen to music, to surf for entertainment, to post their own Web pages, and to find information they need for school projects. Many, teens in particular, rely heavily on the Internet to support their schoolwork.

Knowing what to ignore, and what to pay attention to, is perhaps the most challenging task for students carrying out Internet searches. The sheer volume of information is overwhelming, and it continues to expand at a dizzying rate. Separating the wheat from the chaff takes skill and knowledge. And anyone can publish on the Web. This democratization is liberating in the sense that it opens the door for multiple perspectives and makes possible a more inclusive society, to the potential betterment of us all. It also means that it is more important than ever that we teach students how to critically evaluate the sites and information they find on the Internet, since there is no guarantee of quality and site creators are sometimes not explicit in their motives for publishing. It is important for students to evaluate sites for authenticity, applicability, authorship, and usability.

School use of educational technology is growing. For students to be able to meet the demands of higher education or future job markets, they must be proficient in communication and information technologies. The increased school use of information and communication technology has the potential to strengthen learning and school-based instruction. To equip students with skills and resources, a school-based educational technology presence needs to be sustained.

For educators and families of school-age children, the rapid emergence of the Internet creates both excitement and anxiety. Though adolescents may be eager in their use of educational technology, many parents are apprehensive. The use of information technologies in schools has improved student attitude and engagement.

Teachers, administrators and parents are finding that using technology requires more than adding Internet access or placing computers in a classroom. Technology affects the way teachers teach, students learn, and administrators operate. Roles and teaching and learning strategies are changing because technology fosters the use of more student-centered learning strategies. While educators and curriculum continue to adapt with these changes, we need to assist our students in the language of educational technology as well as its connections to greater educational purposes.

(Franco O. Mendoza is Systems Administrator of Verizon.)