Internet- a boon rather than a bane
The Internet in recent years has brought much advancement in our lives. From being an online collection of information to being able to control our homes, it has affected every aspect of our existence. As it has slowly enveloped everyone, its influence has eventually reached our children.
It is all but natural to worry about the alarmingly negative effects of the Internet on children and their growing addiction to the virtual world, but in the process, we miss out on taking advantage of the other side of this coin. As the famous Billy Joel sang in his song “You May Be Wrong”, ‘You may be wrong for all I know. But you may be right’.
Originally, the Internet was designed as a large network of small networks and to create a large collection of data to be shared among the network itself. This original intent is not as long forgotten as it seems to be. Although it is not as well-known as those addicting video games, many organizations have developed various software programs for this very purpose, which block out explicit and illicit content to protect children and compile useful content into software for learning.
Their virtual obscurity can be attributed to the fact that the software programs are created by non-profit organizations that simply cannot market their product in certain ways that appeal to children nowadays, such as attractive television commercials or paid social media advertisements. This does not limit their popularity as there are some companies that manage to break this barrier by using other free forms of marketing, such as word of mouth.
A great example of this is Rosetta Stone, a company that uses proprietary technology to immerse one into learning a language by using a proprietary computer-assisted language learning (CALL) software. This technology has slowly seeped into our handheld devices which have resulted in applications like Duolingo, which uses games, quizzes and interactive photos in the form of mini lessons to grasp one’s attention for a short period of time. Many statistics recommend one to study for short periods of time with breaks in between in order to retain the most, which is why this software has proved effective. The main selling point of this learning software is the fact that it provides the environment of a classroom without the hassle of being in an actual classroom and, instead, provides a relaxed atmosphere for one to learn in comfort and follow own pace. This was the original reason behind the immersion language system implemented by Rosetta Stone.
Moreover, children can even study certain courses online without an adult present and be awarded for it. I, personally, find this way of learning extremely interesting as it allows one to study what they want at their own convenience and be rewarded for it in school and even higher learning institutions. For example, one can take a Calculus course online, in their free time or over the summer break, and then be allowed to skip the class in college. This concept is on display in Advance Placement Exams with the AP exams administered by CollegeBoard in the USA or the IB examinations administered by the IB in Switzerland. Modern teenagers find this method easier and prefer it over traditional methods of learning mainly because they can choose what to learn in whatever environment they are most comfortable. This method of learning is extremely popular in the American education system to the fact that some colleges even endorse their online education system. This may be accounted to the fact that if one were to skip classes at college and spend less time on campus, one may be able to save money and graduate earlier; all that for just utilizing one’s free time in a more effective manner. A quick Google search on “online courses” and one can see prestigious universities like Harvard University or Stanford University advertising their online education systems. Moreover, there are dedicated companies, like Coursera, that offer these services to students and give qualifications for the same which are then accepted by many universities around the world.
Throughout the article, one can see that there are many positives of using internet especially its impact on learning, either through software, online courses, or just sharing information and data. One may be skeptical of these methods of learning as it defies the norm set by society. On the other hand, one can say that these methods and slowly but surely getting accepted by the society and are making their way to world dominance.
-Saumay Kinra
