REGARDING A NEW YORK TIMES ARTICLE WITH LINK AND EXCERPT BELOW:
The computer and access to the internet can add much to the
education of teachers, students, parents and anyone in general. To have
the computer and internet as an integral part of an education program
requires much attention, preparation, knowledge and skill. The computer
cannot replace or overcome problems of inadequitely trained or too few
teachers. The computer may intensify and increase workload in the schools
rather than reducing the amount of effort required of teachers. Hence the
mere placement of computers in schools and classrooms without related
training of teachers and librarians and without intense efforts at
planning and moderating their use will likely end up being
counterproductive.
There is tremendously valuable information on the use of
computers and technology in the classroom on the New York Times award
winning pages of the Educational Cyberplayground such as these specific
resources:
Technology Page
http://www.edu-cyberpg.com/Technology/Home_TECHNOLOGY.html
TECHNOLOGY AND LEARNING
http://www.edu-cyberpg.com/Technology/TECHNOLOGY_AND_LEARNING.html
Technology Integration and Staff Development Methods
http://www.edu-cyberpg.com/Technology/staffdr.html
SECURITY
http://www.edu-cyberpg.com/Technology/SECURITY.html
My Collection of Interesting Sites
http://www.edu-cyberpg.com/Technology/interest.html
Sincerely,
David Dillard
Temple University
(215) 204-4584
jwne@astro.temple.edu
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Source: New York Times (NYT)
Author: BARNABY FEDER
Title: The Internet and Schools: a Vision and the Reality
Source Date: May 17, 2000
Resource Type: News Article
Description/Keywords: Elementary Secondary Education, Technology,
Advantages, Disadvatages, Quality Education,
Problems, Comprehensive Solutions
URL: Listed Below Article Summary
May 17, 2000
LESSONS
The Internet and Schools: a Vision and the
Reality
By BARNABY FEDER
The problem is not one of access to the technology. So-called
Internet "portals" like the Family Education Network (www.FEN.com),
Lightspan (www.lightspan.com) and Bigchalk (www.bigchalk.com) provide many
free Internet services to teachers, parents and students to attract
traffic for their advertisers. Impoverished districts like East Orange,
N.J., and Lawrence, Mass., have aggressively and successfully pursued
grant money for equipment and software.
But it is hard to shake the feeling that the investment in
technology is often Plan B, the option that politicians and administrators
go for when no one can figure out how to get the money needed to recruit
more and better teachers, reduce class size and repair crumbling schools.
Unfortunately, using computers and the Internet effectively is a truly
daunting management challenge -- a lesson that corporate America relearns
daily at frightful cost. School districts are in way over their heads.
As many of the technology vendors at the show readily agreed,
teachers and students need more time and training than they are getting to
exploit the computer's potential. Some of the strongest testimony came in
offhand remarks by participants in model programs who displayed their
projects at the show.
Many teachers and administrators are overwhelmed by the rapidly
changing landscape, said David F. Warlick, a consultant based in
Raleigh, N.C.
The dangers are frequently discussed in education circles.
Linking schools to the Internet clearly presents a raft of new privacy
issues, like controlling access to classroom chat sites and children's
records. Teachers have to be sure that students looking for information
about the president go to www.whitehouse.gov, not www.whitehouse.com,
which is a pornographic site. Safety and decency concerns aside, while the
Internet opens new vistas for research, it also creates new opportunities
to waste time accumulating false or misleading information.
Web Sites Related to This Article:
Family Education Network
http://www.FEN.com
Lightspan.com Online Learning for School and Home
http://www.lightspan.com
Bigchalk.com
http://www.bigchalk.com
Check My Articles on Database Searching
http://www.Edu-CyberPG.com/
Click on Ringleaders and Then Reference
Diversity University Collaboratory Mailing List (DUC)
http://www.edu-cyberpg.com/diversity.html
Full Story May Be Read At:
http://www.nytimes.com/library/tech/00/05/biztech/articles/17lessons.html
MSNBC.com AND USA TODAY HOT SITE PICK AWARDS
The Educational CyberPlayGround <http://www.edu-cyberpg.com>
Diversity University Collaboratory Listserv [DUC]
<http://www.edu-cyberpg.com/diversity.html>