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by Jennifer Crump
In many ways, Brad was an excellent student. Gifted in math and science, he
often worked at levels far above those of his fellow students. But he
stubbornly refused to read more than the bare minimum required to pass his
subjects.
What seemed to be a minor problem grew more serious when Brad
began to fail his English class. Inspired by Brad's interest in computers,
his concerned parents and teachers found a novel way to encourage and
improve his reading skills: the Internet.
There are a number of benefits to using the Internet with reluctant
students like Brad. The Internet reduces much of the pressure normally
associated with classroom learning. The anonymity provided online allows
students to try new things and make mistakes without fearing what their
peers might think.
There are virtually no time constraints. Students have as much time as they
need to find an answer or choose the right words. Research is often provided
in a multi-media format online with images, sound and video accompanying text information. Students like Brad can improve
basic skills and increase their knowledge without even realizing it is happening. In short, Internet learning is fun.
An e-mail account is a good starting point for improving language skills. E-mail exchange is a terrific exercise in free writing. Students can write and read at their own pace, grammar doesn't matter and there are lots of abbreviations for commonly used phrases.
To find mailing lists on a particular topic, try www.liszt.com. Newsgroups can be searched using Deja News. Chats are a hot commodity among teenagers and there are many that cater exclusively to the high school set. Free Zone's Chat Box is one such site. The Internet offers several sites that encourage language use and give students an outlet for their thoughts and feelings. This is the added bonus of the Diary Project which allows students around the world to contribute their thoughts to an online diary. Contributions can be made anonymously, and the site also contains mailing lists, chat rooms and message boards. The Web Poetry Corner publishes poetry submissions from around the world.
The appeal of the Internet can be directly linked to the fascination that all children have with anything technological. The student who refuses to enter the school library will gladly surf through the selections at the Internet Public Library. Surfing is also a fun way to improve a student's research skills -- an important component of school success. Traditional research is done in a library and there are many of those on the Internet. There are also company and association sponsored web sites, sites sponsored by interested individuals and university databases available online. Yahooligans is a website database specifically designed for children and young adults. The site is fully searchable and the indexed links can provide information on almost every subject imaginable. Kids Web bills itself as a digital library for kids and it is well worth a look. Another good starting point for student research is the Cool and Useful Student Resource Page. The links here are organized by subject area. There are also online dictionaries, encyclopedias, museums and science centers that are both interesting places to visit and useful in terms of research. Most major search engines will provide a list of these sites. For students who are having difficulty in a certain subject area, the Star Tribune site offers homework help.
Online games are another invaluable source for teaching math, science and language skills. There are online word games, text-based adventure games and logic games. The Gallery of Interactive Geometry has plenty of math skill games. For language skills, both Adventure Web, a text-based dungeon exploration game and Master Web, a code deciphering game, are lots of fun. Winning these games can be a tremendous self-esteem booster for the struggling student. Self-esteem is an important, but often unrecognized, component of academic success. A student who can succeed in one area will often approach more difficult tasks with more enthusiasm and optimism. A personal homepage can provide self-confidence and a feeling of success. To publish something and have it viewed by thousands of people all over the world is a tremendous accomplishment. Homepage creation is far easier than it looks, and The Web 66 Cookbook can provide you with the essential ingredients for creating your own web site.
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Contact FolksOnline Helping each other use the Net to reach for our dreams. © 1999 Yinspire. All rights reserved. |
Language teachers know that almost all students are willing to read if they
can read something that is of interest to them. Allowing students to surf
the web to find sites that interest them can have an amazing effect. They
will read for hours and it will appear to be virtually painless. 
For students (and parents) who are having trouble understanding difficult
concepts in math and science, 
The Internet has been a boon to parents and teachers of reluctant students
like Brad, and it is an excellent resource for students of all ages and
abilities. There may be problems in terms of security, policing and
misinformation, so supervising students while online is necessary. When
used properly, however, the Internet can become the most valuable tutor a
student could wish for.