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STUDENTS: Technology's Value to Me (r)

(written by iearn@iearn.org, 03/25/1996)

>From   Sat Mar 23 16:29:36 1996

I think that the Internet has a great potential in making
an impact on education.  So far, my involvement with the
internet, specifically communicating with students from other
countries, has had a huge impact on me by broadening my horizons
in many ways. Through the email I get from students in other
countries, I learn about the political issues of those countries, the
point of view that people in those countries have about
international issues, and how those people live everyday.
These are things that most students never get exposed to except
through books or the media which are sterile and dull sources of
information compared to what I can get on-line.  I think that if the
internet were to become an integral part of everyone's education it
would increase ethnic tolerance and understanding.  For example,
learning about the Holocaust out of a textbook gives you mere
facts,  but writing to kids whose grandparents were in concentration
camps really brings home the human side of the Holocaust. I think that
the internet is a great way to supplement things that students learn
in the classroom, and as more and more schools go on-line, the
availability of these kinds of supplements will doubtlessly grow and
become more important in school life in the future.

Topic 2, Question b

I want to be a history teacher when I grow up. I think the Internet
will be of great use to me because I could possibly access important
historical documents via the internet without having to leave my
house. But, more importantly, the Internet has given me a strong
understanding of other cultures. No matter what career path I chose,
I'm sure this will help me in understanding people and the world around
me. I live in a small town where opinions rarely vary, but the Internet
has exposed me to opinions of students worldwide. I now know that it
is impossible to understand any world issue without talking to the
people most directly affected by it.  This has helped me to realize how
complex world affairs are, and how vital it is to take into account
the views and needs of all groups concerned with a particular issue.
This has been invaluable lesson for me to learn, and one I do not think
I would have learned through traditional schooling.

Topic 2, Question c

I have learned so many things on-line that I would never have
learned in a classroom. For example, in class when we learn about a
conflict that the U.S. is having with another country some smart alec
invariably says "Nuke 'em." This insensitivity has no effect on most of
the students in the class because none of them have a personal stake
in the conflict. But, when you're on-line with a student from another
country discussing a conflict such as this you come to appreciate that
student's point of view and want to be very careful what you say.
Things you write can be misinterpreted very easily when your not in
the room to elaborate on what you meant.  Also, learning about others
points of view makes you realize that things aren't as simple as they
seem. As I said before, communicating with students from other countries
makes you realize that there are two sides to every issue, and
things cannot be solved with the phrase "Nuke 'eI have also learned
important skills in letter-writing. I'm sure many people think that
writing a letter to someone is easy. Well, think again when English is
that person's second language. Being able to pick key sentences out of
vague messages is an invaluable skill to e-mailers. As long as there is
one interesting sentence in a message, it can help you think of a
question to ask that person, and their answer might be the gateway
into a whole new discussion. And, in writing to people who do not
have English as their main language, you must be VERY careful about
your choice of words so that confusion is avoided.  I would have
never developed this skill by just sitting in the classroom.

Through my on-line work, I have also learned a lot about some
issues I knew little about through my class studies.  From Australia
I learned a lot about the politics associated with the ban on nuclear
testing.  Students there were very upset over the tests done by the
French in the South Pacific, and they provided a great account of the
conflict that arose between people in that part of the world and the
French government.  The demonstrations that went on, the letter
writing campaigns, and the boycott of French goods would have been
things I would not have know much about were it not for the fact that
I was in daily contact wwith teens there actively involved in these
events. I looked in the newspapers for information on nuclear testing,
but all I found were two-sentance blurbs.  I ended up getting all my
information from my Australian friends.  Similarly, I've learned a lot
through e-mail with teens from Barcelona who've written about the
Catalan indepednence movement; teens from Thailand who've written
about child labor; teens from Lithuania who've written about the
importance of independence from the USSR; and teens from South Africa
writing about the changes that have come to that nation with the end of
apartheid.  I could cite many other such examples, but I think by now
my point must be clear to you.

Tami Thompson
Grade 11
Cold Spring Harbor HS, NY