Many people consider the Internet as a totally inseparable part of today's educational system. In fact, numerous systems view it as an indispensable component of an innovated educational structure.
As part of the consequence in embracing the Internet as an "educational necessity," parents and education authorities have to deal with a more challenging task of safeguarding students from negative elements the Internet has introduced, including pornographic sites, dating sites, and many more.
Though the Internet has good impacts because of its ability to provide information in an instant, it has also its share of negative impacts when abused or misused.
General Reference and Research Sites for Students
The following are top websites that will truly help in addressing the educational needs of the students today. This list shows a combination of general publications, electronic libraries, organization websites, government portals and other relevant archives.
- CNN Student News – a world news multimedia site tailored for students
- Pro Quest – a search-topic site that uses a database of current newspapers, magazines, books, journals, etc.
- Encyclopedia Britannica – an online version of one of the world's most trusted sources of information on science and technology, history and society, arts and entertainment, travel and geography and many others
- Fact Monster – a site designed for kids of all ages showcasing facts and figures with homework help, an almanac and dictionary, among others
- Gallup Organization – provides thousands of poll results, special reports, societal trends and social audits on politics, economy, well being and the world
- Information Please Almanac – a useful tool to search facts on a wide array of subjects
- Internet Public Library – shows a comprehensive collection of over 20,000 titles
- iTools Research – collection of online dictionaries, translations, quotations and more
- Smithsonian Institution – a user-friendly site from the world's largest museum complex and research organization
- Government portals including Library of Congress, National Archives, U.S. Census Bureau, U.S. Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics and U.S. Federal Government
Author Neil Maroki, in a discourse entitled The Impact of the Internet on the Educational Systems in the New Millennium says one major drawback of the Internet is the erosion of the mind.
He states an alarming possibility, "The Internet will eventually cause the mind to be obsolete simply because it will not be used anymore. For this reason, the thinking ability will greatly diminish and man will not be able to do simple things in the future."
He then adds that the mind unused is rendered useless, and that this will greatly affect the educational process because the thinking abilities of the students will be impaired and the information will be stored in the computer's memory not in the student's mind.
The Internet and Parental Supervision
The Internet has already exposed the new generation of students to a risky spectrum of information sources and research sites. Some of these entities capture students' imagination and vulnerabilities and can corrupt their minds when totally unsupervised.
With pop culture infiltrating into students' consciousness, the use of the Internet may seem to defeat its purpose of helping learners acquire what they need and deserve.
Despite the best reference tools and research sites for learners, parents, in the end, still play the most significant role towards a student's educational success.
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Yfur Porsche Fernandez - Yfur writes diverse articles on political economy, media literacy, East Asian affairs, poverty & world development, trivial literature, ...
