Teaching And The Internet

[JUDAS]

Greeting's teachers. and please be gentle with me

A few days ago I was watching a report on Fox News ( watch it for entertainment ) regarding the cost of course books faced by students in the USA. During the report it was mentioned that many of these books are now available over the internet, for a price, as e-books. The news article itself got me thinking about the role the internet plays in education these days.

So, to my question. How has the internet affected your role as a teacher here in Thailand and / or your home country?

[toptuan]

Vastly.

I first taught for 5 years in the 70's in my home country (no internet), and now 7 years in Thailand (with internet.)

• I now do 95% of my research (for classes and research projects), and obtain 95% of my supplementary material (supplementary to textbooks used in class) on the internet.
  

• Many of my semester-long projects are organized with internet assistance. For example, my students access sign-up sheets for projects on the 'net, and often collaborate on the net if they are geographically separated during the week or on weekends.
  

• I report their attendance and grades to them throughout the term on the 'net, via a website where their privacy is protected.
  

• About 70% of students' written homework is submitted to me via email, and I review and return via email.
  

• Most written tests are given via the internet at a computer center where a qualified teacher proctors exams all day long.
  

Basically, the internet has freed up my time to concentrate on actual teaching and classroom interaction MUCH more than in the old days.

Good thread subject. Thanks for asking.

Edited September 13, 2009 by toptuan

[phetaroi]

Vastly.

I first taught for 5 years in the 70's in my home country (no internet), and now 7 years in Thailand (with internet.)

• I now do 95% of my research (for classes and research projects), and obtain 95% of my supplementary material (supplementary to textbooks used in class) on the internet.
  

• Many of my semester-long projects are organized with internet assistance. For example, my students access sign-up sheets for projects on the 'net, and often collaborate on the net if they are geographically separated during the week or on weekends.
  

• I report their attendance and grades to them throughout the term on the 'net, via a website where their privacy is protected.
  

• About 70% of students' written homework is submitted to me via email, and I review and return via email.
  

• Most written tests are given via the internet at a computer center where a qualified teacher proctors exams all day long.
  

Basically, the internet has freed up my time to concentrate on actual teaching and classroom interaction MUCH more than in the old days.

Good thread subject. Thanks for asking.

I'm truly impressed!

[elkangorito]

To a student in Thailand, the internet means "Hi-5" or some such other thing.

They already have enough trouble concentrating on a book, let alone trying to concentrate on an ebook:

Student on the web;

"Ok. I've got the ebook...but while I'm waiting for it to load, I'll just see what's happening on Hi-5." 2 hours later, ebook not read (money ran out).

In case you haven't noticed, internet bandwidth drops sharply between the hours of about 5pm to about 11pm...after this, it quickly increases. This is because everybody is playing online games at the local internet shop.

My institution even sent kids home if they had flu symptoms (during the "swine flu" debacle). I told one of my Thai colleagues that this was silly because they would then spend all of their time at the internet cafe playing games...& sharing their diseases.

To many Thai students, the internet means "fun"...with a capital F.

Of course, this problem could be easily solved with the blocking of "non-educational" sites...but what school does this? I'm not sure that they are even capable of doing this since most Thai computers are infested with viruses etc.

[JUDAS]

Interesting. Toptuan and elkangorito seem to have experiences at either end of the spectrum. Would I be right in saying toptuan teaches at one of the higher end universities in Thailand whereas elkangorito is involved in teaching much younger students?

[Ijustwannateach]

We have a growing intranet at our school which has a lot of potential and is being used for many of the same things which Toptuan mentions, so from that perspective it has made teaching much more electronic. Combined with cart-top projectors they can also be used to prepare powerpoint or other multimedia presentations.

In terms of student use, the internet is a resource, and a valuable one, but not a substitute for personal knowledge, social engagement, group organization, model building, brainstorming, imagination, reading the book, etc., etc. I occasionally hint to the students that information for a particular task or assignment could be found on the internet, but rarely require them to use it (if other sources suffice). One problem is that the overall issues of intellectual property, ethical behaviour online, academic peer review for research and journalism, and assessment of information quality are too big to handle within the scope of my class and it is difficult to 'define' these things down to a recipe for teenagers. I assist students with searching for information but I don't feel they should *have* to do so in order to succeed in my class.

From a more general point of view, at some schools it may be financially prejudicial against some students (or in favour of others) to require much internet use; furthermore, there are some serious issues of liability when it comes to cyberbullying or cyberpredators, or even the accidental display of illegal or inappropriate material through use of an unmoderated internet connection. While it will take some time for professional concern about these issues to arise here, teachers have been fired in other countries for things like spam popup attacks on a public display used in class displaying adult ads and the like.

Good topic!

[phetaroi]

In terms of student use, the internet is a resource, and a valuable one, but not a substitute for personal knowledge, social engagement, group organization, model building, brainstorming, imagination, reading the book, etc., etc. I occasionally hint to the students that information for a particular task or assignment could be found on the internet, but rarely require them to use it (if other sources suffice). One problem is that the overall issues of intellectual property, ethical behaviour online, academic peer review for research and journalism, and assessment of information quality are too big to handle within the scope of my class and it is difficult to 'define' these things down to a recipe for teenagers. I assist students with searching for information but I don't feel they should *have* to do so in order to succeed in my class.

From a more general point of view, at some schools it may be financially prejudicial against some students (or in favour of others) to require much internet use; furthermore, there are some serious issues of liability when it comes to cyberbullying or cyberpredators, or even the accidental display of illegal or inappropriate material through use of an unmoderated internet connection. While it will take some time for professional concern about these issues to arise here, teachers have been fired in other countries for things like spam popup attacks on a public display used in class displaying adult ads and the like.

I agree with you that there are many sources of information students should use...but I think that they should definitely use the internet, when possible. From the perspective of living in the States -- and it's fair to talk about that here since practically every Western teacher on this forum complains about Thai education versus that in the States or other home country -- there are few jobs anymore that do not involve computers. Get your order taken in a restaurant, it's sent back to the kitchen via a computer. Have your car inspected and the data is sent to Virginia state offices instantly via the internet and your sticker is printed at the garage after internet approval...and who's doing it...a mechanic.

The factor about financial problems affecting some children cannot hold a whole society back. When I started teaching in suburban Washington, D.C. back in 1976, we had one family with no indoor plumbing, no running water, and no electricity. We didn't stop requiring homework during winter months when it got dark by 4:45. We have children right here in Thailand who cannot afford paper, pens, and pencils. No schoolwork required?

As you indicate, inappropriate content on computers is a problem in every society. It does require teachers to monitor more carefully while students are working on computers in school. There certainly needs to be some rules about cyberbullying, et.al., and it is a problem that will surface...been there, done that, given presentations on it to the public in Virginia. But again, we cannot stop progress in teaching/learning because of a problem...the benefits of the internet and technology far outweigh the problems.

[toptuan]

Interesting. Toptuan and elkangorito seem to have experiences at either end of the spectrum. Would I be right in saying toptuan teaches at one of the higher end universities in Thailand whereas elkangorito is involved in teaching much younger students?

Lower-end university. I think I'm the only one on staff who uses the 'net to this extent with my students. Some of the instructors are still too afraid to use email because "it's so complicated."

[PeaceBlondie]

My two matayom schols - best in the province, 2005-2005 - were like el kangorito described. Maybe they're better now.

[JUDAS]

Some insightful responses here which just lead me on to another question. Many times on TV I read than Thai students will rarely question anything stated by their teacher/lecturer. I'm wondering if students with exposure to the internet tend to become more inquisitive? After all, in the "old days" knowledge may well have been gleaned from a single text book on a given subject, whereas today the net can supply a virtually unlimited amount of info on any given subject.

Phew, are students thinking more, are they more questioning?

[elkangorito]

Interesting. Toptuan and elkangorito seem to have experiences at either end of the spectrum. Would I be right in saying toptuan teaches at one of the higher end universities in Thailand whereas elkangorito is involved in teaching much younger students?

I teach at a college. The age range is from 16 to about late twenties.

The internet! It's everywhere. It has vast amounts of information. It's cheap. All this is true...when it is working properly.

I would never ask my students to use the internet for any form of study because it is inherently an unreliable facility. Why is it unreliable? Power outages (or instability), ISP problems, "big brother" problems, computer problems, user problems, information validity problems & last but not least, language problems.

Ever seen a sentence originally written in Thai & then translated by google? It is incomprehensible.

Books don't need electricity. Books are only paid for once. Books outlast computers if treated well. Books are not affected by viruses, malware or the like. Most people can operate a book without any training whatsoever. Books don't need to be "upgraded" in order to function correctly. I love books!

The internet may be ok for some things...& I mean the bare minimum.

I think you get my drift

[phetaroi]

Interesting. Toptuan and elkangorito seem to have experiences at either end of the spectrum. Would I be right in saying toptuan teaches at one of the higher end universities in Thailand whereas elkangorito is involved in teaching much younger students?

I teach at a college. The age range is from 16 to about late twenties.

The internet! It's everywhere. It has vast amounts of information. It's cheap. All this is true...when it is working properly.

I would never ask my students to use the internet for any form of study because it is inherently an unreliable facility. Why is it unreliable? Power outages (or instability), ISP problems, "big brother" problems, computer problems, user problems, information validity problems & last but not least, language problems.

Ever seen a sentence originally written in Thai & then translated by google? It is incomprehensible.

Books don't need electricity. Books are only paid for once. Books outlast computers if treated well. Books are not affected by viruses, malware or the like. Most people can operate a book without any training whatsoever. Books don't need to be "upgraded" in order to function correctly. I love books!

The internet may be ok for some things...& I mean the bare minimum.

I think you get my drift

First, I think your age is showing.

Second, among the many arguments I would make would be that yes, books outlast computers...and depending on the topic, may be outdated even before they are published.

[phetaroi]

Some insightful responses here which just lead me on to another question. Many times on TV I read than Thai students will rarely question anything stated by their teacher/lecturer. I'm wondering if students with exposure to the internet tend to become more inquisitive? After all, in the "old days" knowledge may well have been gleaned from a single text book on a given subject, whereas today the net can supply a virtually unlimited amount of info on any given subject.

Phew, are students thinking more, are they more questioning?

Hmmm...now that's an interesting question. I'll be looking forward to the answers you get.

[Scott]

No, the students don't question more because of the internet. The internet is a tool, and like any tool, it can be used correctly or incorrectly.

Students looking up something on the internet are more likely to jump from site to site than to ask a question.

[JiveTalker]

Agree with Scott.

The Internet is a vast and powerful tool within the educative field, if used correctly. It takes time to teach students to use the Internet responsibly and it also takes time to develop decent resources for students that they can benefit from - it's no 5 minute answer to everything. If you have the time and knowledge, you can really improve the learning experience for students of any age.

[Firelily]

Children need to be taught how to use the internet to answer questions or read up on topics they are interested in. Otherwise, they will just get lost in the amazing mass of information and misinformation. Or, simply end up copy-pasting the first hit on any topic for an assignment or project. Using the internet efficiently is one of the most important learning and life skills. The world has changed.

In my classroom, the computer is hooked up to a projector. This has made a huge difference to some of our activities.

[Phatcharanan]

Children need to be taught how to use the internet to answer questions or read up on topics they are interested in. Otherwise, they will just get lost in the amazing mass of information and misinformation. Or, simply end up copy-pasting the first hit on any topic for an assignment or project. Using the internet efficiently is one of the most important learning and life skills. The world has changed.

In my classroom, the computer is hooked up to a projector. This has made a huge difference to some of our activities.

Agreed.

I think most of the other posters on this are getting hopelessly out-of-date with the fast changing IT led world or do not actually know how to use the net effectively as an aid to teaching.

We're now hooked up with SMART boards. Great stuff.

[Scott]

Hey be careful, not only are some of us hopelessly outdated about IT, some of us are just hopelessly outdated. (Just had a birthday and am beginning to feel my age, I guess)!

[femi fan]

I would never ask my students to use the internet for any form of study because it is inherently an unreliable facility. Why is it unreliable? Power outages (or instability), ISP problems, "big brother" problems, computer problems, user problems, information validity problems & last but not least, language problems.

I think, in your case, you've missed out 'teacher problems'.

Have you seriously been unable to get your students to benefit from the internet?

And if students have language problems, then surely exposure to language helps solve this, and therefore the internet is an excellent source of english language reading practice, never mind all the other resources it carries.

[femi fan]

No, the students don't question more because of the internet. The internet is a tool, and like any tool, it can be used correctly or incorrectly.

Students looking up something on the internet are more likely to jump from site to site than to ask a question.

Maybe not overtly, but perhaps they ask more questions to themselves after reading more conflicting information than before. I know adults do this, so why not kids?

I think teachers who want their students to use the internet for educational purposes just need to create the necessary time to help teach them how to get the best out of it for their assignments. Most kids know how to use the net for their own choices, but if teachers want it to be used for class and homework, then i think they need to spend time with their students showing them how best to do this, and motivating them at the same time.

ETA, i see others have already said the same thing!

Edited September 16, 2009 by femi fan

[PeaceBlondie]

I live almost in Thaksin's old back yard. I'm on 2 MB ADSL internet. No other active windows open; TVisa's new server in Thailand. It took 3 minutes to open this page. Imagine being in a Thai scHool, viruses, bad connections, 198 Pongsalakawongasat's sharing the line.....5 minutes to edit this post.

Edited September 16, 2009 by PeaceBlondie
EDIT

[phetaroi]

I live almost in Thaksin's old back yard. I'm on 2 MB ADSL internet. No other active windows open; TVisa's new server in Thailand. It took 3 minutes to open this page. Imagine being in a Thai scHool, viruses, bad connections, 198 Pongsalakawongasat's sharing the line.....5 minutes to edit this post.

As compared to what? A library?

Years ago when I was working on my grad paper -- this was just about when the internet was first being generally talked about -- I was having no luck finding the sources I needed at the university library. I asked for help and the librarian said, "How you lucky you are. You live here in the Washington area and you can go right down to the Library of Congress and find everything you want." So, off I headed. I was assigned a desk, filled out the request form...for about 15 titles. About two hours passed and finally the accession assistant came to my desk and put down 3 journals. "Will the other twelve be coming out soon?" "We can't find them. Some Congressman may have them." "So when will they be returned and become available?" She laughed. "This is your first time here, isn't it?"

[shubh]

Internet, with its vast source of information and new communication technology, has been embraced as an important tool for language teaching. This paper explores how teachers of Business English, a branch of ESP, may make good use of Internet to facilitate teaching. It first specifies the scope of Business English, and explores the resources online that can be employed to optimize the Business English teaching and learning experience. At least for me, it is great tool to teach.

[elkangorito]

I live almost in Thaksin's old back yard. I'm on 2 MB ADSL internet. No other active windows open; TVisa's new server in Thailand. It took 3 minutes to open this page. Imagine being in a Thai scHool, viruses, bad connections, 198 Pongsalakawongasat's sharing the line.....5 minutes to edit this post.

I have the same problem at my college. It's not because of poor bandwidth supplied to our college...it's because of the poorly set up network (Thai IT guru's ), which allows viruses & malware to innundate the system, which in turn slow everything down to a crawl (sucks up the bandwidth).

[PeaceBlondie]

For many Thai students and Thai teachers, the internet as we knew it in Glasgow or Perth doesn't exist.