Importance of Internet for Education

by David Morris Content Writer

I know this will shock any millennial to their very core, but did you know there was once a time in human history where there was no such thing as the internet?

It’s true. You can look it up on, well, the internet.

The internet is still a relatively new invention. In fact, it only dates back to 1983. As such, it’s still hard to completely comprehend all of the ways the internet has changed our lives and culture.

There’s no question, however, that the impact has been profound. The internet is probably the main reason there seems to be a bigger chasm between Generation Y and millennials than previous sequential generations. No previous generation had the same quick access to a fountain of information (or misinformation, in some unfortunate cases).

And speaking of information, there’s no question that the internet has cast some of its greatest influence over the field of education.

Here are a few of the reasons the internet has been an extraordinary supplement for educators all over the globe.

Accessibility

Teaching lessons no longer are limited to the classroom. Though the classroom may still be the preferred environment for learning due to a multitude of factors, the internet has made it possible for someone in rural Iowa and for someone on the upper east side of Manhattan to access the exact same information.

There are plenty of municipalities across the country that are not home to an institute of higher learning. For previous generations, this meant that accessibility to certain facilities of education was practically impossible. In today’s world, the playing field still isn’t 100% level, but it is much easier than ever before for residents of poorer, less-educated communities to use tools like video conferencing so that they can attend classes on the other side of the continent.

Student-Teacher Communication

Relationships are an overlooked component of an effective education. When a student can more comfortably communicate with their peers, the learning experience becomes a positive one. And of course, there’s no relationship more important than the student-teacher relationship.

When a student can more easily communicate with their teacher, that student is going to have a much more beneficial educational experience. Before the internet, there was little opportunity to communicate with your teacher outside of the specific class hours. In the age of the internet, however, educators at all levels create online discussion forums that allow students to ask questions and seek new information outside of regular class hours. The flow of student-teacher communication is increasingly unfettered, which provides a better experience for everyone involved.

Research

Remember encyclopedias? In 2012, Encyclopedia Britannica discontinued publishing yearly editions of the hardcopy version of their product. Sales for the once storied brand took a sharp decline year-after-year throughout the aughts, thanks primarily to the growth of the internet and online informational resources.

As important as the aforementioned student-teacher relationship is, there’s no doubt that self-motivated students are generally going to perform better at school. And with the internet, it’s easier than ever before for those self-motivated students to look up information. Technically, it’s easier than ever before for the students who are not so self-motivated to look up information too. Of course, there are online resources that spread misinformation, and education experts will argue it is increasingly important to teach media literacy so that students can more easily discern truth from fiction. The wealth of online information, however, is unprecedented, and makes independent research far more convenient.

Conclusion

The advent of the internet is an unquestionable game-changer on the timeline of human progress and innovation. Sure, much of the internet can be fairly brainless. But the rest of it is incredibly important for fostering a culture of knowledge, so that someone can eventually create the next game-changer. ATT internet prices are more affordable than ever, which means the educational experience for people around the globe should continue to improve.