Internet’S Effect On Student Learning

The internet has become an integral part of the human experience and that has altered the way that humans learn, retain information, look for information and experience life as it goes on around them. In the past fifty years, the way teachers teach and students learn has completely changed for a variety of reasons. Teachers no longer stand at the whiteboard and lecture nonstop for the entire class period, they must engage their students in the learning process and keep them involved. Students have come to expect teachers to entertain them while hiding the learning in games and fun activities in the classroom.

Internet capable technologies can be very beneficial in the classroom when they are used appropriately, but on many occasions technology can be misused in the classroom. Some schools have policies in place now that prevent students from using technological devices in the classroom, due to their potentially disruptive nature in the classroom (Bock). Not all technology is bad so long as it is used appropriately and students are supervised while using the technology in class. Some teachers have “report[ed] cellphone distraction as a "major issue" for classroom management” (Bock). Cell phones present a whole new ballgame in terms of classroom distractions, it is rather difficult to curtail students use of their personal devices without taking away their devices, and doing that is many times not an option or it’s not a good option, in the grand scheme of things.

Due to the ready availability of technology on a pretty constant basis for students and teachers alike, there is a trend that is becoming more apparent, and that is internet addiction. Internet addiction is what happens when an individual has been exposed to the internet and technology to the point that when they are deprived of access to the internet and the technology that they crave, they will be physically distressed and have an uncontrollable urge to be using the internet and technology (Shaw).

The more students are exposed to technology and the internet in the classroom even if it furthers their education in a positive way the more likely they are to develop a form of internet addiction (Soleymani). The probability of students developing some form of internet addiction depends on how much they use the internet and social media throughout not just a day but a lifetime. Using technology in the classroom is not a bad thing as long as it is done in moderation (Services). Technology and internet usage limits are best left up to the user to set for themselves, they know their bodies and minds best and some people don’t enjoy other people setting the rules of their life for them.

Technology can play many roles in the classroom depending on how teachers choose to utilize their technological resources in the course of teaching their classes. “Technology [can] play[s] the role of facilitator in educating a student” (Services). Teaching students to appropriately use technology allows the students to become independent learners who can also still engage in collaborative learning efforts when the need arises (Al-Hariri). One of a teachers main purposes is to create students who are self-sufficient in as many ways as possible and who have a drive to discover more about the world around them.

The internet and technology can have negative effects on how humanity interacts with each other and how humans interact with their physical environment due to the internet altering humanity’s perceptions of life. Due to an excessive use of the internet some students experienced negative physical and mental issues because they used the internet too much (Daraha). Over the course of a few weeks students who used the internet excessively had finger swelling, weight gain, elbow issues, general pain and aching wrists (Daraha). Students and teachers need to be aware of the potential negative side effects that can stem from excessive internet usage in a short period of time, so that they can take steps to avoid having issues.

Something that educators have to keep in mind is that ‘old-fashioned’ learning techniques are still valid in many situations and that sometimes-using technology instead of the basics is detrimental to student learning. In the some cases when students are allowed to drive the learning process and choose whether to use technology or not they tend to shy away from excessive technology use and instead retain the necessary information better when they are using pen and paper instead of computers and the internet (Al-Hariri). Teachers need to implement some guidelines about technology use in their classrooms but they also need to allow their students some autonomy in their choices every so often, in order to create well rounded individuals who can make decisions for themselves.

The transfer of knowledge is important and can be expedited by the use of technology. Teachers exist on some level to create a decent pathway for knowledge exchange, so they have to weigh the pros and cons of using the internet and various forms of technology in their classes each day. The internet allows teachers to break down some of the physical boundaries that are involved in the dissemination of information (Soleymani). Sometimes those boundaries help students develop some grit and that can be an important part of growing up although it could be aggravating for the students. Teachers really need to think about how much of the barrier they want to remove for their students and how much of a barrier they want to keep in the process of data exchange.

Internet and technology have good and bad attributes that everyone needs to be aware of. Teachers and students especially because as educators we are always going to be online looking for new ideas to advance our students learning and students because they are always online doing homework and assignments for class. Students also tend to turn to the internet and technology to escape from the stresses they experience due to classes and homework so they are even more susceptible to the dangers of prolonged internet and technology use.

Bibliography:

1. Al-Hariri, M. T., PhD., & Al-Hattami, A. A., PhD. (2016, August 22). Impact of students' use of technology on their learning achievements in physiology courses at the University of Dammam. Retrieved from https://reader.elsevier.com/reader/sd/pii/S1658361216300683?token=F5C966D9C90D99F15990B592298E572B477333B350A6A76204B6CF5B1811CDDA303E96D7AC60EFADAD4097D0CDD06634
2. Bock, M. (2018, June 20). Teachers Report 'Major Impact' of Internet on Learning. Retrieved from https://www.edweek.org/ew/articles/2013/03/06/23tech.h32.html
3. Daraha, K. (2013, November 16). The Effect of the Internet Use on High School Students: A Case Study of Pattani Province of Thailand. Retrieved from https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1877042813025536
4. Services, S. (2017, September 12). Impact of Technology on Student Learning. Retrieved from http://www.smarterservices.com/blog/impact-technology-student-learning/
5. Shaw, M., & Black, D. W. (n.d.). Internet addiction: Definition, assessment, epidemiology and clinical management. Retrieved from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18399706
6. Soleymani, M. R., Garivani, A., & Zare-Farashbandi, F. (2016, June 1). Retrieved from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4949020/