A Web of Choices
A few years ago, there was a popular commercial that showed a man reaching the end of the internet. I don't remember what was being advertised, or why. But I remember laughing and thinking, yep, that's about right. The web had gotten stale. Content was dated. If you searched for information, you generally found yourself stuck in a vicious cycle of visiting inter-related websites that offered little content, but lots of advertising.
The advent of usable CMC's changed all that. Wordpress was born. People started blogging. First, it was teenagers. Then, young moms jumped on board. Suddently message boards were popping up -- much like the BBS's of the 80s, but now with your run of the mill stay at home mom operating her own with little technical training. Suddenly the Web started usurping cable.
We have cable internet in our house. We have 4 networked computers.
We do not have cable television.
We are a growing statistic.
As educators the Web offers us enormous potential. As an English teacher, I have access to libraries of materials worldwide that I never had available before. I rarely have to set foot in a brick-and-mortar library, because the materials I want are available on-line with a few mouse clicks.
Webquests offer new bang for the technology buck. Now, not only can we send students to online Web resources (as I do through my class Website), but we can also send them on virtual scavenger hunts, providing activities that they can engage in beyond simple reading.
Now, if only they'd all get computers and internet access at home.... Or maybe we just need better access to the computer labs at school....
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