How Has the Internet Changed the Classroom?
When I first started teaching 28 years ago there were much fewer opportunities for students to obtain information on their own, outside of the classroom. Other than the motivated student traveling to the local library to check out a book, which was probably outdated, the teacher was the main source of knowledge.
Today, with the Internet, and all the fabulous resources online, students have access to information like never before. Online lectures, Wikipedia, the ability to digitally connect to museums throughout the world, have all changed the landscape of obtaining information.
Time in the classroom, before the advent of the Internet, was usually occupied by the teacher giving students facts and information. The teacher would provide students with resources that would have been troublesome, if not impossible, for them to obtain on their own. I am not suggesting that academic facts are no longer important, but merely stating that students can obtain these bits of information easier than ever. Where 26 years ago, I would fill the board or an overhead projector with information for the students to write into their notebooks, this same information can be obtained by them alone with access to the Internet.
So what does the advent of the Internet mean for us as teachers? I believe everything! Hundreds of classroom hours that were spent giving students information and facts can now be done by students on their own. This frees up time in the classroom, like never before, to actually do more engaging, higher-level thinking activities like inquiry-based, problem-solving, and more real-life applications with the information.
How do I run my classroom now? I usually assign a 10 minute video on a topic for the course. I have found many good online video lectures, over the years, in hundreds of different topics. The homework assignment will be for the students to view this video and take notes on what they experienced. The next day, in class, a real-world problem or lab is given that can be completed or solved using information from the video homework. This very powerfully shows the students the importance of coming to class prepared, and how the information in the course can really be used to solve problems and complete tasks in real life situations. Obviously the key to success with this setup is to have collected higher level thinking activities and labs that will create true learning experiences for the students.
Obtaining good online video lectures for some subject areas can be challenging. If you have trouble finding quality videos, you can always create some yourself with screen-capture applications like Screencastify, EZtalks, or Blackboard. This is obviously a more time consuming activity, but the results will be well worth it for years to come.
Now does all this mean their is no room in the classroom for lectures? Or that the Internet has made the teacher obsolete, in some way? Not at all! The teacher is just as important as ever, but the role of the teacher is shifting in new and exciting ways. Instead of focusing on distributing information, it is now important to put our efforts into creating meaningful and exciting learning opportunities for our students. Lectures are still present in my courses. If a concept or a problem is sufficiently difficult that I think that my students will benefit from having me explain it, I will still use direct instruction. However, I am always asking myself, “Is this the best way to get this material across?” “What can I do that will engage my class with the material?”
What do you spend most of your time doing with your students in the classroom? What types of skills are being demonstrated and learned in your room? Are students provided opportunities to apply what they have learned in your room to real life situations?
