There are currently two schools of thought regarding the use of computers and the Internet in education:
1. The Internet is a valuable resource that can be leveraged by educators to provide rich and meaningful educational opportunities and computer skills are a required life-skill in the information age.
2. Although computer skills are needed and should be taught, the Internet poses too many potential dangers, and its use in the classroom should be eliminated.
The truth is, because there is no governing body to ensure safety and integrity on the Internet, the way people use it (or abuse it) is simply a reflection of the best and worst qualities of our current society. This is not the case with more traditional classroom tools, such as educational videos, because there is always a publisher who is held accountable for the content of the materials.
Internet Dangers
The following list has been cited by many as reasons for limiting or eliminating using the Internet in the classroom.
- Easy access to sites with inappropriate materials
- Student safety and privacy could be compromised
- Internet Fraud
- Computer Viruses
- Copyright Violations
Advantages of Video
On the other hand, using educational videos delivered via DVD allows the teacher to hand-select and preview the topics and information to which their students are exposed. By delivering the educational video DVDs via computer, the teacher can also ensure that the students' need for computer literacy is addressed at the appropriate age level.
Another advantage to videos and DVDs, for the teacher, is the time it takes to find the educational resources being sought. For example, a teacher may spend hours and hours searching the Internet to find resources and activities to teach a particular study unit. That same content, however, may be available via one or more educational videos and easily located by one pass through the publisher's catalog.
For example, on one online school video site, keying the word "multiplication" instantly displays six titles from which to choose. Clicking one of the titles instantly lets the teacher know that the content of this selection is tied to national standards and benchmarks. Done!
Conclusion
Clearly this debate is an issue of control. If you leave a young child to their own devices to search the Internet and absorb whatever information they may stumble across, you lose all control of what they may be learning, both good and bad. Educational videos and DVDs, on the other hand, allows the parent or teacher to control what the young child sees and learns, and if delivered via computer, still offer the exposure to the technology, also a required skill in today's society.
If you're interested learning more and also avoiding "The 7 Biggest Mistakes Teachers Make Using Video in the Classroom" and want to start experiencing the benefits of using video effectively in your classroom, your next step is to download a FREE copy of "The 7 Biggest Mistakes Teachers Make Using Video in the Classroom" right now.
The small company I work for is committed to creating quality educational videos for classroom instruction. From the earliest script stages, all subject area content, images, and music are intensely reviewed and selected for meeting appropriate grade level, curriculum objectives and standards for our proprietary productions. The videos we distribute are also screened to meet our high standards.
Teachers in the 21st century classroom will be better educators if they understand how to use multi media in their lessons, if they understand the processes that research has shown to be the most effective for improved student performance, and if they know how to find quality video resources that will enhance their lessons.
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