Internet Use in Elementary Classroom

The internet can be a very risky tool in schools. Many things can go wrong, but there are also good uses of the internet.

Some pros to using internet in the classroom would be to connect students to help sites that will help them with their letters, shapes, colors etc. Another good aspect to internet use is the ability to teach students how to safely search the web. Teachers could also use the internet to let the students look up information on a topic they are discussing in class. The students would be working on autonomy.

The cons of using the internet in the classroom are the lack of fine motor skills young students have. These students must learn to first write and hold a pencil before they rely completely on computers to do their work. Also, there is the possibility that students could end-up on a very bad and inappropriate website on accident. Also using the internet for research can leave the student unable to use paper copies found in the library. Using the internet is also not giving the students the social interaction that is so important to early-childhood development.

Personally, I do not believe in using the internet in early-childhood education. I would tell a principal this and also tell them that the only way I may use the internet is to make accomodations for students with exceptionalities. I would also explain to the teacher that I believe in hands-on, movement involving activities that get the kids up and excited to learn. I do not feel that staring at a computer screen and doing the work independently is beneficial to students at such a young age.

I do believe in teachers utilizing the internet for new and creative lesson plans or curriculum ideas. One website I love is author and illustrator Jan Brett's website. On her site she has many different games, flashcards, activities, and crafts to go along with her books. She is my favorite children's book author/illustrator and I love all the activities teachers can print out and use. It can be a really helpful site to incorporate ideas to use her books in your curriculum! Check out her site! It's awesome!