Obligation to Login.
I remember the days when the Internet was an ill-repute place to be. I also remember the days when the Internet was described as the dark alleys of society. It was the place where the worst of the worst would hangout.
I remember when they used to say that the Internet is bad for your mental health. Social media is not good for you, they said. Being on social media is addictive. The Internet is destructive. It is a distraction.
Some pundits used to echo that being on the Internet takes away the essence of society. People are more insolent on the Internet. They are more abusive. They are more violent. The common view is that people are likely to engage in conducts they would have probably refrained themselves from doing if there were in a face-to-face setting.
A Powerful Tool.
The consensus is that the Internet takes away valuable aspects of being a human being in a civilized environment. People are not themselves when they are behind a computer screen. Some of them feel embolden to be a certain way, particularly when they are holding an electronic device of some sort.
I get it; the Internet is a “powerful tool” in the true sense of the term. That being said, I am sure you would agree that something is wrong with the Internet. Something is wrong about social media. Something will always be wrong about the Internet.
Being on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram is not among the friendliest places to hangout. Yet, most times, they are forcing you, particularly your children, to be in an environment similar to the ones previously mentioned. What is up with that?
The Internet in the Classroom.
Internet use is an essential part of schooling these days. Is it some kind of conspiracy? Could we say that it is ignorance? Is it convenience? Why is there a deliberate attempt to steer children in the wrong direction? What is it exactly?
In recent years, many schools have been relying on the Internet to educate your children. In most cases, everything is online. As a result, students have no choice but to be on the Internet. Internet use is so pervasive in schools that, most times, teachers are nearly absent in the classroom. Everything is via a web portal.
Amid it all, parents have no say. Students have no say. School officials decide what is good for them. The message, if I am not in error, is that the Internet is good for you now. How this could be, I wonder.
The Internet is Still Dangerous.
I do not want to sound too alarmist. But is it not the same Internet, which is still infested with hackers? Is it not the same Internet, which is still saturated with identity thieves, bullies, and other individuals with questionable characters? Please help me understand.
Why the Internet is good for education to a point where it is on the verge of replacing teachers in the classroom? Have there been any tangible changes in the structure of the Internet itself? Is the Internet safer now? I thought the Internet could be a tool or an instrument for learning. I did not know it could be the source of learning itself. It makes little sense.
Let us revisit a few instances where the use of the Internet, notably the use of social media, is being pushed, many a time, aggressively on children. In this series of posts, I will examine the increase in use of the Internet in education. I will explore the benefits and the drawbacks of relying too much on the Internet. I will explore the ramifications of the Internet on students outside of the classroom.
Let us focus on the rise of the Internet in education.
