How the Internet Has Changed the World of Education

The Internet has changed the way we live so much that the world is now completely unrecognisable when compared to how it was before the digital age took its grasp. The Internet has cut down distance and made worldwide communication as easy as pressing a few buttons; it has meant that everybody has a vast amount of information, on a vast amount of things, accessible to them and at their disposal at all times; and it has meant businesses can now survive even when they are run from the comfort of one’s home. What the Internet has also done is change the world of education two-fold.

First of all, the Internet is being used in a number of ways to teach young children and keep them stimulated as they do so. By using devices such as tablets, that work hand in hand with the Internet, teachers are now able to extend their students’ learning further than it ever has been able to be extended before, and close those shabby old textbooks while they’re at it. In doing so, there is also an increase in student engagement as they are actively able to make a contribution to the finding of information. And young students are being taught how to use the Internet in ICT classes, which means that children are now coming out of school with digital skills that are not only worth knowing, but digital skills that they now seemingly need to survive in adulthood and in the world of work. For instance, as previously mentioned, businesses and work can now be run and done through the use of the Internet at home, and if somebody doesn’t know how to make use of the various resources that the Internet has to offer, then their ability to do this kind of work is diminished and even eradicated. In learning about simple software such as Microsoft Word and Excel in school, children are then able to transmit the knowledge to similar platforms, such as Google Docs and Google Sheets, meaning that freelance work with companies that use these platforms is something that they can step into.

But the Internet is not just impacting the younger students of this world, it is also having a great affect on those who are partaking in higher education, i.e. university or college. By using learning platforms such as Moodle, lecturers are now able to set work and assignments for their students online which means that there can never be any excuses as to why a particular piece of work hasn’t been submitted. No more ‘the dog ate my homework’: with platforms such as Moodle, and the array of areas filled with computers on the campus, there is never a reason why a student can’t do and submit their work, which ultimately benefits them. As well as this, all the vital information that a student needs to do the work, and even whole classes, can be found on the platform. And it’s not just current students of higher education that are benefiting from the Internet, those who wish to do so, but don’t want to uproot their life so extensively and actually head to a campus, can access online courses that offer the same qualifications that physical courses do. Fresno Pacific Online, for instance, offer an array of courses, in an array of different fields, all of which are completed online. These courses are asynchronous, meaning that assignments and work can be completed at a time that is most convenient for those who have been given it. All they have to do is make sure that they have strong Internet connection and a strong enough self-discipline to be able to complete the work on their own.

What the Internet has done for education, at all levels, is improve it greatly. It readies young children for the technological demands of modern day adulthood, and it allows for adults to go to university without even leaving their home. If that’s not an improvement, then what is?