Some interesting reading on Internet use by students in school. > The Digital Disconnect: The widening gap between Internet-savvy students and their >schools > August 14, 2002 > > Summary of findings > Full report at http://www.pewinternet.org/reports/toc.asp?Report=67 > > Using the Internet is the norm for today> '> s youth. A July 2002 survey by the Pew >Internet & American Life Project shows that three in five children under the age of >18> -> and more than 78% of children between the ages of 12 and 17> -> go online. Due >in large part to high profile and sometime controversial education technology public >policy initiatives, it is conventional wisdom that much of this use occurs in >schools. Not surprisingly, one of the most common activities that youth report >undertaking online is schoolwork. Yet, little is known about student use of the >Internet for schoolwork or about their attitudes towards the broader learning that >can take place online. Nor has there been much exploration of the consequences of >those teenage views for educators, policy makers, and parents. > > To address this issue, the American Institutes for Research was commissioned by the >Pew Internet & American Life Project to conduct a qualitative study of the attitudes >and behaviors of Internet-using public middle and high school students drawn from >across the country. The study is based primarily on information gathered from 14 >gender-balanced, racially diverse focus groups of 136 students, drawn from 36 >different schools. The student experiences and attitudes revealed in the study> '> s >focus groups were further supplemented by the stories of nearly 200 students who >voluntarily submitted online essays about their use of the Internet for school. > > Key findings from the study include the following: > > Internet-savvy students rely on the Internet to help them do their schoolwork> -> >and for good reason. Students told us they complete their schoolwork more quickly; >they are less likely to get stymied by material they don> '> t understand; their >papers and projects are more likely to draw upon up-to-date sources and >state-of-the-art knowledge; and, they are better at juggling their school assignments >and extracurricular activities when they use the Internet. In essence, they told us >that the Internet helps them navigate their way through school and spend more time >learning in depth about what is most important to them personally. > > Internet-savvy students describe dozens of different education-related uses of the >Internet. Virtually all use the Internet to do research to help them write papers or >complete class work or homework assignments. Most students also correspond with other >online classmates about school projects and upcoming tests and quizzes. Most share >tips about favorite Web sites and pass along information about homework shortcuts and >sites that are especially rich in content that fit their assignments. They also >frequent Web sites pointed out to them by teachers> -> some of which had even been >set up specifically for a particular school or class. They communicate with online >teachers or tutors. They participate in online study groups. They even take online >classes and develop Web sites or online educational experiences for use by others. > > The way students think about the Internet in relation to their schooling is closely >tied to the daily tasks and activities that make up their young lives. In that >regard, students employ five different metaphors to explain how they use the Internet >for school: > > > The Internet as virtual textbook and reference library. Much like a school-issued >textbook or a traditional library, students think of the Internet as the place to >find primary and secondary source material for their reports, presentations, and >projects. This is perhaps the most commonly used metaphor of the Internet for school> >-> held by both students and many of their teachers alike. > > > The Internet as virtual tutor and study shortcut. Students think of the Internet as >one way to receive instruction about material that interests them or about which they >are confused> . Others view the Internet as a way to complete their schoolwork as >quickly and painlessly as possible, with minimal effort and minimal engagement. For >some, this includes viewing the Internet as a mechanism to plagiarize material or >otherwise cheat. > > > The Internet as virtual study group. Students think of the Internet as an important >way to collaborate on project work with classmates, study for tests and quizzes, and >trade class notes and observations. > > > The Internet as virtual guidance counselor. Students look to the Internet for >guidance about life decisions as they relate to school, careers, and postsecondary >education. > > > The Internet as virtual locker, backpack, and notebook. Students think of the >Internet as a place to store their important school-related materials and as a way to >transport their books and papers from place to place. Online tools allow them to keep >track of their class schedule, syllabi, assignments, notes, and papers. > > Many schools and teachers have not yet recognized> -> much less responded to> -> the >new ways students communicate and access information over the Internet. Students >report that there is a substantial disconnect between how they use the Internet for >school and how they use the Internet during the school day and under teacher >direction. For the most part, students> '> educational use of the Internet occurs >outside of the school day, outside of the school building, outside the direction of >their teachers. While there are a variety of pressures, concerns, and outright >challenges in providing Internet access to teachers and students at school, students >perceive this disconnect to be the result of several factors: > > > School administrators> -> and not teachers> -> set the tone for Internet use at >school. The differences among the schools attended by our students were striking. >Policy choices by those who run school systems and other factors have resulted in >different schools having different levels of access to the Internet, different >requirements for student technology literacy skills (e.g., some schools require >students to take a course about basic computer and Internet skills, many do not have >such a requirement), and different restrictions on student Internet access. > > > Even inside the most well connected schools, there is wide variation in teacher >policies about Internet use by students in and for class. In individual schools, >teachers are the ones who choose whether to make assignments that require the use of >the Internet by their students, allow the use of the Internet (often as a supplement >to other sources and tools), or even forbid its use. There are often wide variances >in teacher attitudes about and uses of the Internet from classroom to classroom. > > > While students relate examples of both engaging and poor instructional uses of the >Internet assigned by their teachers, students say that the not-so-engaging uses are >the more typical of their assignments. Students repeatedly told us that the quality >of their Internet-based assignments was poor and uninspiring. They want to be >assigned more> -> and more engaging> -> Internet activities that are relevant to >their lives. Indeed, many students assert that this would significantly improve their >attitude toward school and learning. > > Students say they face several roadblocks when it comes to using the Internet at >schools. In many cases, these roadblocks discourage them from using the Internet as >much, or as creatively, as they would like. They note that: > > > The single greatest barrier to Internet use at school is the quality of access to >the Internet. Many schools confine Internet use to certain times of the day or >certain places in the building (especially computer labs). It is also common, these >students say, for schools to place further social and technological restrictions on >their use of the Internet by, for instance, employing surveillance systems or >requiring special teacher or administrator approvals. > > > > While many students recognize the need to shelter teenagers from inappropriate >material and adult-oriented commercial ads, they complain that blocking and filtering >software often raise barriers to students> '> legitimate educational use of the >Internet. Most of our students feel that filtering software blocks important >information, and many feel discouraged from using the Internet by the difficulties >they face in accessing educational material. > > > Since not every student has access to the Internet outside of school, the vast >majority of students report that their teachers do not make homework assignments that >require the use of the Internet. Most students noted that teachers feel it unfair to >make assignments involving Internet use because some in the class do not have access >to the Internet at home. We heard of more than one occasion when a teacher had made >such an assignment only to rescind it because they worried that those without >Internet access would have difficulty. > > In light of the fact that the Internet is increasingly integrated into the home and >school lives of students, and in the context of larger arguments about the use of the >Internet for school, students> '> concerns can inform several policy debates about >technology and education. This is what we heard: > > > Students want better coordination of their out-of-school educational use of the >Internet with classroom activities. They argue that this could be the key to >leveraging the power of the Internet for learning. > > > Students urge schools to increase significantly the quality of access to the >Internet in schools. > > > Students believe that professional development and technical assistance for teachers >are crucial for effective integration of the Internet into curricula. > > > Students maintain that schools should place priority on developing programs to teach >keyboarding, computer, and Internet literacy skills. > > > Students urge that there should be continued effort to ensure that high-quality >online information to complete school assignments be freely available, easily >accessible, and age-appropriate> -> without undue limitation on students> '> >freedoms. > > > Students insist that policy makers take the > "> digital divide> "> seriously and >that they begin to understand the more subtle inequities among teenagers that >manifest themselves in differences in the quality of student Internet access and use. > > Of course, student use of the Internet for school does not occur in a vacuum. >Students> '> experiences, and those of their states, districts, schools, teachers, >and parents, strongly affect how the Internet is adopted in schools. Nonetheless, >large numbers of students say they are changing because of their out-of-school use of >the Internet> -> and their reliance on it. Internet-savvy students are coming to >school with different expectations, different skills, and access to different >resources. > > > > > >
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