Education into the 21st Century - The effectiveness of the Internet as an aid to classroom learning

By Nguyen Van Tuyet B.App.Sci.Csc, M.Inf.Tech

Prepared for internet by Vietnamese Missionaries in Taiwan

Abstract
During the last few years, thousands of schools and hundreds of thousands of students and teachers have begun to develop the Internet into a major educational resource. Within the community of educational researchers, the Internet is now an accepted standard. Network use is also growing rapidly throughout the larger educational community. But, does their use add a new dimension to the learning environment or does it simply parallel established classroom practice? In this paper I will discuss the effectiveness of the Internet as an aid to classroom learning. My purpose is to point to the educational gains that can be better achieved with the Internet, or achieved only with this medium. What have been effects of the Internet upon educational society in general and why should we expect Internet in the classroom to have any effects upon education? And attempting to suggest new technologies that can help schools surmount these obstacles.

We live in an age of rapidly changing technology. New tools to enable productive labor appear each day. Each tool affords new ways for people to perform services that others will value and pay for, while it simultaneously replaces a previously valued human skill. The pattern of continual technological change forces most workers to acquire new skilled job roles throughout their productive lives. In addition, the demands of participatory democracy are beginning to impose a similar need for continual learning. With the modern economic and political demands we require a basic education of higher quality. Because the unskilled productive roles in our society are the first to be replaced by machines and because a spirit of egalitarianism requires more universal education. children today need to be more continually educable. That is why our school need to provide information more universally than ever before which would open up a new direction in education.

Students' today - whether they live in rural, urban or metropolitan schools - are growing up in an age focused on electronics and communications. They are getting much of their information from television, computers, video games, the Internet and a vast array of other electronic resources increasingly available in our digitally oriented society. Rapid technological developments of the past decade have made possible an array of technological tools that can profoundly change today's classrooms and reform education. Schools in the mid-1980s typically had a few computers and a video cassette player for instructional use. While some of these more traditional learning tools still have uses, if school is to be on the cutting edge of technology today, it must also make use of new and advanced tools that are able to bring knowledge from the outside world into the classroom and at the same time transport student learning beyond the walls of the school.

Many believe a revolution is taking place in education in the way people learn and the way instruction is given. The education community has been hearing of reforms and revolutions for the past few decades, but most of them have been nonexistent or without any long-term merit or real value. Some believe the method of an instructor lecturing while students listen and "absorb" is really the only viable way to teach or learn. About two decades ago, when personal computers started to become affordable, many thought that computers would revolutionize education, that computer-based teaching and learning would become the saviour of education and the solution to falling test scores. This has never really happened. Over the past two decades, many teachers have successfully prepared students, some with computers in the classroom and some without. Teachers could avoid computers, either because they chose not to learn how to use them or because they had none in their classroom or school to use. Teachers entering the profession have not been required to understand computational technology in order to graduate from college. The Internet has been in existence for almost two decades and began to extend into schools about 15 years ago, first into universities and then into K-12. Although, the Internet did not revolutionize education, it provides an opportunity to expand learning options for teachers and students who were fortunate enough to have Internet access. However, why do we believe there is now a revolution taking place that cannot be ignored by educators? Or what is the difference between the past two decades of computers and Internet access and the present, since even now WWW access requires computers and an Internet connection?

The Internet began at the end of the 1980s, with the financial assistance of the US government, an important research network connecting universities and other social institutions. It used the idea of a decentralized network in which packages of information found their own way along the network in which packages of information travelled along the network guided routers. The Internet is nothing less than a worldwide computer network made up of thousands of computer networks made up of millions of individual computers. It transformed the stand-alone personal computer into a networking station, capable of world-wide communication via e-mail, newsgroups, conferencing, hypertext documents (World Wide Web -WWW), and even synchronous multi-user applications. It offers an infrastructure which allows for both individual inputs and collaboration with others, thus embodying an enticing platform in which users perform as both producers and as consumers. It combines the interactivity of stand-alone personal computers with the sense of collectivity of television. Thus, the difference between the past two decades of computers and Internet access today is that the Web represents information, and information cannot be disregarded the way that computers can be ignored. Teachers cannot choose to ignore or have their students omit available information on any subject when the goal is for them to learn. A revolution is taking place in education.

With the explosion of commercial effort in Web-based technologies, it is clear that the Web is here to stay. The rise of new technologies and the constantly decreasing cost of network bandwidth and processor power will help to insure that the Web is more than just a short-term trend. The next generation of collaborative tools needs to be Web-based. The exponential growth of the Internet and the Web will ultimately change the role of teachers and students. Traditional distance learning, as currently practiced in synchronous modes, largely retains the teacher in a dominant role of disseminating information with the student as a passive recipient of knowledge. However, changes are certain to occur once students have full access to the Internet. As such, students will take more responsibility for their own learning and will collaborate with others to find information outside of classroom walls using tools beyond textbooks and chalkboards. In addition, the role of teachers and students will periodically change – that is, students may become "teachers" and teachers may become "students" (Jones, B. O.; Valdez, G.; Nowakowski, J. & Rasmussen, C.1995). Classroom teachers will serve as facilitators, guides, and co-learners with their students(Department of Training and Education Co-Ordination (DTEC), June 1997, Sec. 2.4).

There is no doubt to say that technology is affecting education in revolutionary ways, and the momentum toward these changes is irreversible. Teachers who have begun to use the Web see this change occurring, even if they only have experience with static information-gathering and display capabilities. Most of these educators have not yet used or even seen the potential of collaborative technologies for their classroom and their school. Universities become leaders in applying technology to education for learning and for collaboration. Colleges of education become leaders in applying computational and information technology for the K-12 community, and university administrators begin to chart the 21st century vision of their institutions, a journey that will include information technology and collaborative learning and teaching (DTEC, Sec. 3.3; June 1997).

So, connection to the Internet and use of Web browsers is among the major priorities for the schools today. Two main services are provided as a result of connecting to the Net: access to vast electronic databases, and the opportunity for users to communicate by means of electronic mail. Computer-based telecommunications can provide opportunities for teachers and for students that are simply not possible through traditional telephone or mail services. Through e-mail, teachers and students can easily converse on-line with many people whom they have never met before, but who share a common interest in practically any topic of study. In addition, they have access to all sorts of information far surpassing what can be found at the school or local library and which is much more readily available than using interlibrary loan. There also exists the possibility of logging on to other computers around the world thereby entering new databases. In short, teachers and students can share ideas and access information and resources with a much broader community than would otherwise be imaginable.

Distance is less often measured in kilometers today, but rather we talk of travel time. Internet has brought about the Global Classroom or virtual communities. This dramatic shift in our perceptions of space is a result of the richness of the information we receive. Two new forms of expression that take advantage of the unique power of information infrastructures are knowledge webs and virtual communities. Both illustrate how information infrastructures can have a major impact on conventional instruction by expanding learning resources beyond the individual teacher and classroom materials, to encompass rich, widely distributed sources of information, expertise, and fellowship. Via information infrastructures, teachers and students can join distributed conferences that provide an instant network of contacts with useful skills a personal brain trust scattered geographically, but offering just-in-time answers to immediate questions.

The Internet allows an interpersonal communication distance simply not possible in a traditional classroom. Students did not have to see other students or teacher, nor did they have to interact. It provides for both synchronous and asynchronous communications. If the desktops are connected through the Internet, a teacher can sit at a desktop workstation and communicate with a "classroom" of students, each of whom has a workstation in front of him and a connection to the Internet. Students no longer have to be in the same room; they can interact with other students and teachers in different locations. This shift is likely to achieve much greater efficiency in learning.

Training is best done on an individual basis in spontaneous, relatively small chunks of time, rather than in classrooms with large numbers of students and a prescheduled, extended block of time to be filled. In turn, this will allow both financial savings form students graduating earlier and the inclusion of additional material in the school curriculum (Forester, T.: 248). Communication that is not time dependent allows students to participate at times most convenient for them. It crosses time barriers, providing great flexibility for teachers and students. Students can drop in and out of communications and homework when they wish. Interaction that is not time specific is increasingly important as students are not as campus based as they once were and often work a variety of schedules. Quick feedback on homework and other assignments is more easily accomplished, allowing for faster turnaround.

Another factor in increasing the rate of societal change will be the continual re-socialization possibilities that instructional technology opens for adults. No longer will a high school diploma signify the effective end of an adult's responsibilities to update his/her knowledge, skills, and awareness of societal issues. Society will benefit as some previously undereducated adults become more capable of coping with laws, bureaucracies, banks, and voting. (Forester T.: 248)

Peer tutoring is another educational use of Global Classroom/virtual communities. This instructional approach aids all students involved, on both an intellectual and an emotional level, but is difficult to implement in traditional classroom settings. Outside of school, virtual interactions, enhanced by group-ware tools, make it easy for students to relate to each other and also prepare them to use distributed problem-solving techniques in adult workplaces.

Moreover, formal education comprises only a small fraction of how students spend their time. No matter how effective the schooling, students are unlikely to make major gains in learning if the other parts of their lives are not educationally fulfilling. Virtual communities can help bring about close cooperation and shared responsibility for learning among all the educational agents of society families, social service agencies, workplaces, mass media, schools, and higher education. Today with e-mail that allows parents to leave messages with teachers and school administrators at any time of day and via versa, e-mail between teachers and parents can be easily established as many families in Australia already have e-mail and Internet facilities – some now even have their own 'home' pages, acting as an Internet constituency newspaper. Teachers can send e-mail messages to parents to inform school programs or progress of their children at school and to allow each and every parents the chance to speak up on every issues related to school's programs without face to face meeting with teachers. This provides new opportunities for involving parents who will never come to a parent and teacher meeting or a school-based event.

Access to information and ideas has been enhanced using Internet and has allowed for a less hierarchical approach, again meeting certain learning style needs. The information is always available when students want to use it. The Internet allows for more lateral exploration access as structured by the student, developing path oriented and self-directed learning. Preparing students for full participation in 21st century society will require expanding the traditional definitions of literacy and rhetoric to encompass "immersionlike" experiences of interacting with information. As tremendous amounts of data become easily accessible through technology, and as options in the presentation of that information multiply, being able to select the best option from the menu of choices, analyze the date's implications, synthesize it with other knowledge, and evaluate the outcome will be crucial to successful intellectual endeavor as DTEC stated in its introduction that "...While basis operational proficiencies may be key short term need, these major challenges will need to be addressed to some degree at every level of the teaching and administrative hierarchy. Habits of linear thinking, of information gathering, of resource production and of the structuring of learning environments will face adjustment as the computer increasingly becomes used as a curriculum tool and as a tutor to facilitate student learning" (DTEC, June 1997).Yes, access to data does not automatically expand students' knowledge; the availability of information does not intrinsically create an internal framework of ideas that learners can use to interpret reality. While presentational approaches transmit material rapidly from source to student, often this content evaporates quickly from learners' minds. To be motivated to master concepts and skills, students need to see the connection of what they are learning to the rest of their lives and to the mental models they already use(Westera W. & Sloep P. B.; 1998). To move students beyond assimilating inert facts and toward generating better mental models, teachers must structure learning experiences that highlight how new ideas can provide insights in intriguing, challenging situations.

The computer is a very versatile machine which can be used to promote more sophisticated learning strategies in which the machine or the student, or both, take a more active part in the learning experience, however, there are dangers in only knowing "what" at the expense of knowing "how". For our society we need problem-solvers who have access both to the information relevant to a problem and to the routines for solving it. Machines can remember facts better than people can, and so we should rely upon the machines for the storage of facts, and rely upon people for problem-solving. This approach advocates the view of the computer as a tool with a variety of purposes which have the common characteristic of the developing of know "what" as well as "how", and the ideal philosophy is somewhere between the two extremes.

The concept of the computer as a tool opens up new directions in education, challenging the roles of both teacher and child and questioning our definition of 'worthwhile' knowledge and skills. An obstacle that needs to be overcome is the view many hold that computers and Internet connectivity are "tools" for learning, and thus an increased grade point average is the only measure of value for these resources. A more important perspective is for administrators and school boards to realize that the Web represents a new environment for learning and teaching and that very soon every teacher and student will need access to the information represented on the Web in order to be competitive in their work and in their lives. Internet is a powerful tool, and it can have powerful effects upon student's minds. However, how can the Internet be used to aid teachers' purposes in fostering cognitive development? Why should we expect children to fine-tune their information handling skills unless they are presented with opportunities which exploit those skills? As the advent of information technology has, in part, forced us to revalue the direction of education, it seems most appropriate that we should use the new technologies to encourage those cognitive skills needed to process the growing flow of information.

Today's digital revolution and the exponential growth of the Internet have given rise to a plethora of databases and an untold number of other individuals who can be contacted through computer networks. While most of the information on the Internet remains text-based, the release of Web "browsers" has made available thousands of materials on the Internet which combine text, audio, graphics, and short video clips. All this information can be downloaded and viewed on one's personal computer at one's own time and leisure. The services of the Internet and the web permit individuals to gather information, keep current on virtually any topic of interest, and communicate with others across the country or around the world at their own time convenience irrespective of geographical location. The potential for access and exchange of information via the Internet is enormous. In fact, according to Backer and Dickson (1994)., it is plausible that asynchronous distance learning which is both time and distance insensitive - coupled with the exponential growth of the Internet - will one day eclipse distance learning programs currently being offered via synchronous mediums.

Although the technology will play an essential role in the realization of the future of education, however the focus here is not on the machine but on the mind, and particularly on the way in which intellectual movements and cultures define themselves and grow. The intellectual skills most important to possess will become increasingly centered on analysis, synthesis, and evaluation. Learning basic facts and definitions from textbooks has become less important than application of knowledge in daily life and the development of higher order thinking skills such as problem solving, critical thinking and decision making. The emergence of the digital society and recognizing the priority of information does not necessarily imply that the level of knowledge is growing as well. Students must learn to acquire information, to communicate, to reason qualitatively and quantitatively and to solve everyday problems. They especially need the self-awareness skills that will permit them to continue learning on their own(CERI,1987;p. 14). Much more information does not equal more knowledge. Although the information society is said to have blossomed because of the digital revolution, this society is not automatically a society of better-informed people. Society is experiencing information overproduction, an information glut. Previously, information was scarce, and information was power. Yes, information is still power, and because information is drifting away from government into the hands of variety of people, power will drift in the same direction. People are still reeling from the first impact of high-performance computing and communications- shifting from the challenge of not getting enough information to the challenge of surviving amid too much information. According to Dede and Lewis, the core skill needed in today's workplace is not foraging for data, but filtering a plethora of incoming information. In this environment, educators must understand how to structure learning experiences that make this kind of immersion possible. So, to successfully prepare students as workers and citizens, educators must incorporate experiences into the curriculum that enable students to create and utilize new forms of expression and that can be activated just in time, at any place, and on demand (Dede and Lewis, 1995). So, the task of teachers and students is making selections from among competing sets of information as Roszak (1994, p.88) stated that: "the principle task of education, therefore, is to teach young minds how to deal with ideas: how to evaluate them, extend them, adapt them to new uses", it also means that "it should be the educational establishment's true vocation to focus on facilitating and supporting the student's learning process, not on controlling it" (Sloep P. B.; & Westera W. 1998, p. 36). However, the most crucial question is raised here is that what stage and to what extent teacher should intervene in the learning process as opposed to letting students solve their own problems?

A real concern is voiced by Clark(Clark R. E., 1984), who question the teaching role of the computer in education by arguing that it is very easy to mistake sophisticated technology for sophisticated learning. It would be a mistake to assume that productive outcomes will necessarily emerge when students communicate with computers. There are indeed many examples of technology being used to achieve low-level educational goals, and the use of drill-and practice programs as electronic worksheets is a case in point here. The US National Science Foundation's project on Time-shared Interactive Computer Controlled Information Television (TICCIT), and the current development of distance learning, are two further examples. In these projects the machine is used for the largely didactic transmission of knowledge from "teacher" to "learner", and subsequent testing of the learner's acquired knowledge base. Although such programs often contain sophisticated models of concepts and operations within a subject domain, they have no knowledge of the students. At the present time, the machine delivers the information to the students and they must the attempt to interpret and assimilate that information into their existing knowledge structure. Effective educators know about the background knowledge and ability of their charges, and describe new material and new concepts according to this knowledge and ability. Consider teachers faced with new students: How should they discuss a new concept on the first encounter? The answer will depend upon what teacher knows about his new student. So, the teacher will have a mental model of the background of a typical student, and will present the material in such a way as to be understandable to that student. Or on the other words, the primary job as educators is to establish conditions that encourage or require students to interact with and process instructional material at a level deep enough for them to learn it well and remember it. This means that teachers must concentrate on understanding what students need to be able to do at the end of the instruction, not on what the teachers would like to cover in the instruction. It also means that the teachers have to concentrate more on designing active learning for them and less on how the teachers want to present the material with all the latest bells and whistles.

Conclusion

Educational institutions will have to rethink their role and position in the learning process. In traditional ways of teaching, the classroom provides a self-evident baseline of unity, alliance, and coherence by forcing students to share the same classroom at the same time. Educational processes are usually fully directed and controlled by the teacher and take place within confines of educational institutions. In contrast, using new communication technologies can act highly autonomously in consultation with the world outside world. The new communication technologies such as the Internet is an open system in which students interact with a world-wide network of resources, tools, and experts to carry out their learning tasks. It means that the distinction between the inside world of education and the outside world of professionals is bound to disappear. Once acknowledging that the educational system ought to be an essentially open system and that institutional knowledge constitutes only part of the relevant domain of knowledge, educational institutions cannot but share their responsibilities an autonomy with students, corporate partners, and external experts. And when students, teachers, parents can communicate via the Internet and begin to collaborate electronically on issues, the traditional educational process may see a fundamental transformation, with decisions about a student's learning being resolved in new and hopefully better ways.

A vital, emerging form of literacy that educators ought to be communicating is how to transform archival information into personal knowledge. Moving students from access through assimilation to appropriation is no simple process. Teachers must provide unsophisticated learners with educational experiences that enable them to construct their own knowledge and make sense of massive, incomplete, and inconsistent information sources. In order to create a learner-centered environment in which students can take full advantage of information infrastructures, it is vital that teachers augment the traditional curriculum with collaborative, learning-through-doing activities based on linked, online materials and orchestrated across classrooms, workplaces, homes, and community settings.

In a very short time period, distance education has become an accepted means of teaching and learning in schools around the world. Today many schools are beginning to connect and use the resources of the Internet and the Web. Technologies have connected teachers and students to a broad expanse of knowledge outside the confines of the classroom. The most widely used forms of distance learning today continue to promote traditional classroom instruction - teacher at a host site discusses, demonstrates, and lectures to student at remote locations.

Distance learning's future will see the convergence of a mix of technologies to deliver instructional content as well as to promote interaction between students and teachers. E-mail may be the main means to conduct "after-class" dialogue between teacher and students with the Web being used to conduct detailed searches for more information. Undoubtedly, print-based materials will continue as a major medium of instructional exchange, but they will increasingly be transmitted digitally, as will images, motion, and sound. And successful teachers and students will use the many technological tools that support distance learning to bring knowledge from outside world into classroom and to transport student learning beyond the school's walls. In an effort to provide expanded access, meet the needs of learners, and overcome some of the problems encountered by students who live and work at a distance from the university, the introduction of Internet as a tool for communication between teacher and students is a good idea.

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