Last Updated on September 28, 2024 by Uncle Pat Ugwu
Internet usage is the basic reason why we are having speed technological advancement. Many technological tools heavily rely on internet technologies to deploy their features. This is not different when we talk about the internet in education.
Although we have previously established the advantages of technology in education. This post is specifically on the advantages of the internet in education. We shall also look at its disadvantages.
So, what is internet?
The internet is said to be a global computer network that provides a variety of information and communication facilities. It consists of interconnected networks around the globe using standardized communication protocols. Wikipedia has a more complex definition of the internet.
Today, every home and office in the United States, Canada, United Kingdom, Europe, and other developed countries are covered with internet facilities.
Internet in Education
The internet has grown to become a major tool that supports effective teaching and learning. It provides numerous opportunities to improve the value of education and its qualities.
With an internet connection, learning can take place on a many-to-many rather than a one-to-many basis. Just like the United States, many countries have started using the internet in the classroom. The Covid-19 lockdown brought a sharp rise in online education using internet connections.
Advantages of Internet in Education
There are huge advantages of the internet in education, and we are going to highlight them one after another in this section. Don’t forget that learning digital skills will help you to scale your abilities in this digital age.
1. Global Access to Information
One big advantage of the internet in education is its ability to give both teachers and students access to information globally. They can access different forms of information and study materials from universities and online learning platforms.
This gives teachers access to useful teaching resources at their fingertips. Similarly, they can use this great advantage to prepare a better lesson plan for their students.
2. Bridge Communication Gaps
Internet in the classroom helps teachers to communicate with other teachers in their field. The messages and meetings they have together can be stored for reference purposes. This can be useful for getting a new idea from another region or country.
The internet can also be used to improve the classroom as a way of facilitating communication within and outside the classroom. Email and messaging apps can be used to send messages to students.
3. Online and Distance Learning
Learning Management System (LMS) is an online module software that is used for online learning. A well-organized LMS can help students anywhere in the world to receive lessons as long as there are end-to-end internet connections.
LMS can be safe-paced, which means students choose what to learn and the time he or she chooses to learn. It can be in form of live streaming. These things and better known as synchronous and asynchronous learning.
4. Self-Development Using the Internet
When it comes to self-development, the internet has a very significant role. It has the capabilities to help students to acquire almost any skill of their choice. Platforms like Google, Bing, YouTube, Quora, Pinterest, etc. There are also paid and free online courses with certificates for everyone.
In one of my videos, I stated that YouTube is a university. Watch it below:
The internet saves a lot of time and money for students and learners of all kinds. In fact, when we say Google is your friend, we actually mean the internet is your friend.
5. Sourcing for Updated Information
Sourcing the right information can be very difficult before the advent of the internet. Students will first learn the use of the library before embarking on research. Most times, it takes several hours of searching before a student can find the relevant information he needs. While libraries in the United States and Europe may be up-to-date, those in developing countries are almost obsolete.
But with the internet, thousands of relevant information will appear when you enter a search keyword in the search engine. This has tremendously helped education. Today, there are many online colleges in Florida, USA.
6. Internet Saves Time and Money
The internet helps both teachers and students to save a good amount of precious time. The time that could have been used searching for information in the library will be well utilized when you use the internet. This is because the internet provides the needed information swiftly
For students to attend traditional education, their parents or sponsor will have a lot of money to support them. But the internet has bridged that gap. Students can now learn freely online from the comfort of their homes.
7. Internet Support School Management
When we talk about the advantages of the internet in education, not only does the internet support students and teachers, but it also supports school management. The use of internet can be used by education stakeholders to perform administration roles.
It can also be used to compute and keep students’ results, as well as to keep staff records.
8. Interactive Educational Games
Interactive games are used to stimulate interest among learners. It has many features that enable the student to interact and engage more. Internet games can connect students across the globe with the sole interest of improving education.
If it is done properly, students will learn from each other playfully. There are also ways of improving classroom activities with games. This is known as gamification in education.
Others
Other advantages of the internet in education include virtual field trips and swift feedback. In virtual field trips, technology like Virtual Reality (VR) can be used to go on a trip around the world while physically sitting in the comfort of your home. This is also known as the metaverse, and it is being promoted by Facebook.
Similarly, the internet also helps in education by a way of providing swift feedback. Teachers can use it to get students’ assignments and also respond to their questions.
Final Thoughts
The benefits of the internet in education cannot be overemphasized. The rising of the internet of things (IoT) and the connection of many remote areas have broadened the advantages of the internet in teaching and learning.
There are also some disadvantages of the internet in education. This includes distracting teachers from doing their assigned teaching jobs, watching pornographic images by students, and involving in fraudulent activities. All these internet abuses are covered in my post on child online safety and protection.
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