Don’t Reinvent the Wheel!

Over years the internet has grown to become such an essential part of our daily lives. The internet is also growing rapidly into our education system. The benefits the internet provides has changed the learning for students and teachers. The internet increases our convenience of accessing information and ideas.  It allows teachers to search new ideas for the classroom as well as connect and collaborate with other educators across the world.

As a third year teacher, and a college student I find myself in both sides of the usage. When applying the internet usage in my classroom I commonly think of, how it can support lesson? How will it support my limited English or exceptional education students? The internet is such a great source of information and social networking. When planning my units or daily lessons, I always conduct a specific search through common teacher-based websites for great ideas to implement into the learning process.  I frequently visit websites such as, Pinterest, Teachers Pay Teachers, Cpalms, Brainpop and our district adopted site iReady Toolbox. These websites offer extra resources to add to my daily lesson. They provide, quizzes, videos, projects, visual aids, extra practice, and more.

As a college student, I have gained valuable experience with how the internet can become a great advantage. K-12 students are also becoming exposed rapidly to the internet’s power in their learning experience.  Researching has become a great convenience in our schooling. Students are able to access more information in a short period of time, making the process much more efficient. Students have also been able to increase their creativity and social communication skills. Students can stay connected with their classmates and collaborate on group projects using programs like, Google Docs or Edmodo.

Overall, the internet has taken its role in education. From a teacher and student stand point, the internet is useful when used effectively. Educators need to explore the opportunities the internet has for both professional growth and student support.  The internet is simply one of the greatest things that has happened to education! The internet is always there, what you do with it, makes the difference!