Internet in the Classroom

I was just reading this article about social networking and how people have finally started to loose interest in novelties such as myspace and facebook. Further reading there was some analysis from an University professor who preaches less blogging and prohibiting Internet in the classroom.

I don't agree with these final two statements. Let me start by defending my point on the first statement, "True friends, need to learn when to stop blogging and go across campus to help a friend." First off, what does blogging have to do with been a true friend. Friends are those who listen as well as share their experiences with one another. Blogging is sharing once experiences with the world. Blogging is also an emotional outlet for those who don't have any other way to get their message out. Lastly, how could an educator encourage individuals to stop sharing their knowledge and know how.

On the second topic at hand, "banning students from surfing the Internet during lectures," I don't suggest putting a stop to these, but more encourage educators to engage their students in conversation and discussions in the classroom. No one wants to spend an hour listening to someone ramble on and on about a specific subject matter. If you want your students to listen, you also have to listen to them. Share your thoughts, but allow them to share theirs as well. Banning computers/internet from the classroom sounds like ignoring the problem more than finding a solution to the problem; in the sense that, students start surfing the Web during classroom time when they are curious about something the teacher just said, or they are bored and the teacher has failed to engage the user into the lecture.

The bottom line is that we can't take back what is already in place, instead, we need to identify the problems that we face and locate a solution rather than punish. If being a parent has thought me anything is that you can punish your child countless times, but if they enjoy the action that got them to the punishment they will continue to perform it. The same can be said for our prison system where there are more repeat customers than new ones. In other words, you can offer a temporary solution, but the problem will reoccur. Instead, we need to find other methods that truly address the issues.