The Internet and My Experience--a learning device or a wicked distraction?

Is the Internet a learning device or is it a wicked distraction? I believe this has been debated for quite some time and I feel I should share my opinion with you fellow moose and to everyone else out there in cyberspace!

Ever since I’ve been going to school, computers have been in or around the classrooms. Computers and the Internet have played a key role in my life, and yes, I know, that may sound sad, but it really is not. I first began to use the Internet when I was in 3^rd to 4^th grade; our teachers used to show us educational programs and fun applications that we slowly, but surely became addicted to. It was something new! We were always excited to be able to go in to the computer lab and play around, but it is not like how it is today. The Internet as you all know now is not new. It now plays an integral part in almost every child’s life. The younger generation (pre-teens and early teenagers) is now raised on the Internet. Children as young as 10 and 12 years old have Myspace’s and update them daily. They use the Internet in school to learn, but when they get home (in most cases), it is used as a social networking device. How is it in the classroom nowadays though? I know I bring my computer to mostly every class I have, depending on the teacher’s preference, but I use it to ultimately take notes. Yes, I know I do go on the Internet and fool around, but I use it mainly for the classes I take. I know that is not always the case for everybody though. This is why a tremendous amount of teachers are upset with their students who use computers in class. They feel that the students are not paying attention to them, and who’s to say they are actually wrong. Both parties (students/teachers) have rights to do what they want, so there really is no one to blame, but what we do on the Internet outside of class is where the real controversy begins.

People use the Internet to learn things! Yes, it’s true despite what some believe! From watching tutorial-videos on websites to reading informational blogs, people are learning through the Internet everyday. The Internet, to me, is an endless source of information that never runs out of memory. Why would we, as students and regular people, not use this tool to it’s fullest potential. Of course there are people who only use the Internet for nonsense, but it is a place for everyone and anyone who needs information and even comfort from socializing! The Internet can be both a learning tool and a distraction, and who is to say either or is bad? Sometimes we need to learn and sometimes we need to be distracted! In my opinion, you can only judge whether the Internet is good or bad in certain situations. I’d say the pros outweigh the cons when it comes to the Internet acting as a learning tool, but I do agree it can act as a distraction as well. We just need to use it correctly in order to see it in the right light.

So far, over the course of this class, I have been joining different social networks, but I am looking to do more with the Internet because of it. I may be starting up a social networking/Live-stream Broadcasting network site for musicians with a few of my friends. I will let you know as more develops, but I really want to see how far we as social moose and as new age “cyborgs” [haha] can take it. Be well my fellow moose, and I will see you all on cyberspace…