Blog 6: Pros and Cons of the Internet in the Classroom

There many advantages to having the Internet available in the classroom. One of these advantages is that the Internet gives children and teachers access to an entirely different dimension of learning. There are websites that children can go to that have great activities to help them understand material more clearly. There are also many resources online that can help a teacher plan an effective and exciting lesson.

One con about having the Internet in the classroom is that it can be a dangerous place for children. Online predators are a large problem for children. However, schools should have some form of a filter to make it much harder for children to access dangerous or inappropriate sites.

One online resource that I have used regularly is www.scholastic.com. It has great resources for teachers and students. I have used it many times when I have needed to make a lesson plan.

Education Video

What Kindergarteners Should Know Article

I think it is great that the state finally came out with standards for kindergarten. It had to be a lot more work for kindergarten teachers to try and piece together what the students need between the preschool and first grade standards. This will make it much easier for them. It is also good that they came out with a guide to help explain how to teach each of the skills within the standards. I disagree with the people think the standards are restrictive. I think it is important to have a guide for what to teach, and just because these skills have to be taught, that doesn't mean that other skills cannot be embedded in to the lessons.