The Web as an Online Learning Resource

If you have read my previous posts, you will know I am a huge advocate of using the internet as a teaching and learning tool. The huge variety of information and sources makes the internet a unique resource which should be harvested effectively by schools in order to enhance their students education. Many students spend a considerable amount of spare time on the web, and therefore I feel if schools and teachers can replicate this kind of 'research and retrieve' learning, many students would show improved levels of motivation and engagement.

This, I feel, is because they are in control and feel a greater sense of responsibility. Rather than being spoonfed information, students can learn at their own pace, follow their own interests and interact with the materials while at the same time developing valuable life skills for the future.....and the present.

I have found a good article detailing how young people use and interact with the internet. There are some interesting stats that have been gathered from a number of countries from around Europe. For a bitesize article visit http://advisorymatters.naaceblogs.org/2006/07/09/british-schools-stand-up-well-in-european-canadian-research/ where you can link to the whole article.

It also suggestes that only 11.3% of the people questioned did not have access to the internet at home. As the internet supports 24/7 learning, this is a very postive statistic for educators to bear in mind. We must of course consider that this is not a world wide statistic, but I do feel that students will increasingly have access to these type of resources at home.