Week 3 Reflection - Internet technologies affecting education

Internet technologies are affecting education, like so many different industries, because they have allowed students who were accustomed to textbooks and libraries to now learn anything from the comfort of a computer. The Internet has also allowed teachers and students to communicate with each other through various means, as well as transmit information via course websites and blogs in addition to file sharing. With constantly improving Internet technology and the ability to speed up information sharing, there is no doubt that the next twenty years will see even more changes in the classroom, especially in the direction of access to class resources outside of class.

Personally, I believe that it is important that classrooms adopt Internet technology and engage students since their future careers will most certainly depend on their ability to navigate an ever changing and highly integrated world. It is understandable that educators would prefer to stick with what has worked in the past (traditional classrooms) but the world is now driven by technology and it is important to pinpoint opportunities where Internet technology can be useful by meeting a well-defined need. Simply integrating short videos into a lesson plan or handling homework/testing online are becoming commonplace, especially as these types of resources are refined by several collaborators over time.

Over the next twenty years I would not be surprised to see more personalized and individualized learning experiences, which aids the educator in adapting the curriculum to meet student’s needs more effectively. Gaming, robotics, and programming will certainly be more utilized in the classroom to create engaging learning experiences, and augmented/virtual reality technology might also have added visibility to create new learning environments. It is hard to predict how quickly schools can adapt and what new technology will arise, but as a young person who has grown up with emerging technology, I’m comfortable with making the transition to increased technology use within the educational system. I would personally prefer, though, for the technologies adapted to be more versatile in the long-term as updates and improvements may also result in increased obsolescence and turnover.

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