Week+One+5362

**Information Systems, Networks, and the Internet: History and Evolution**
My quote is taken from page iii of The Digital Disconnect: The Widening Gap Between Internet-Savvy Students and Their Schools. " 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." Levin, D., & Arafeh,S. (2002). The Digital Disconnect. The widening gap between internet-savvy students and their schools. Pew Internet and American Life Project. Retrieved on January 13, 2010, from []

This article stated that students used five metaphors to explain how they use the Internet in school. The metaphor of a guidance counselor caught my attention because that is the role that I play in the lives of the students with which I work. I have observed an ever-increasing reliance on the use of the internet to provide the same services that have previously been offered by a counselor or advisor not only with college students but also with job seekers. Students or individuals who are seeking direction in their choosing a major or a career field are often referred to web-based assessment tools and then assisted by the advisor or career coach with interpreting the results. Today these programs not only offer the assessment portion but also career exploration tools to allow a student to conduct further research and provide them with assistance in making decisions which may have been previously provided by a guidance counselor. At the post-secondary level we also see students now registering themselves online for college classes which formerly was done by an academic advisor. Job seekers can look for work online from the comfort of home saving the expense of travel.

On a personal note, something that I have also observed about students using these online tools is that they do not always trust the results. There is still a need for the personal guidance that can only be provided by either someone working in the field or someone who is knowledgeable in offering the guidance they are seeking.

Final Word: Matthew, I can appreciate your analogy of the GPS. I have found that the GPS can provide the wrong directions or take me on a less familiar route to get to the same destination. Needless to say, I am a little hesitant about trusting them. I think we all agree that the human factor will continue to be a vital link in connecting students with the information and skills they need to live in the 21st century.

One of the challenges we are now facing on the college level is students who feel they can manage without their textbooks. They go to class the first week and tell me "I'll wait and see if we really need the books the professor is saying we need." Some of them are doing everything they can just to make ends meet and really feel they cannot afford the high cost of textbooks. What I do see is more students downloading the instructor's Powerpoint presentations in order to take notes in class or study them to prepare for the test. It appears they have been in a habit of studying to prepare for the test and don't really care about reading the subject material or trying to grasp the subject matter. They are just trying to do whatever is necessary to please the instructor or pass the exam. One senior student told me this week that one of her goals was to improve her study habits because she felt like she was still studying like she did in high school. She said she was afraid she was not really prepared to work in her chosen field. Our students need more opportunities to take what they are learning and put it into practice. Using the Internet to conduct independent research or Web 2.0 tools to collaborate with other class members would enable this student to do more than just read about her future, but actually put what she is learning into practice.

I conducted a phone interview with my college classmate, Sheryl Parker Muras, who has taught kindergarten since 1981. Sheryl is employed by Sealy ISD and theschool where she teacheshas over 900 students. I asked her to compare and contrast how her teaching experiences have changed since the availability of the Internet in schools. Shestated that in 1981 when she first started teaching the main source oftechnology she had in the classroom was a record player. Now her students want to know what those big black CD’s are. According to Arsham in theUSDLA Journal (2002)“there have been many technological dawns in the last 30 years, during which the desktop computer and the Internet have been developed”(p.1),and ourinterview further illustrated this fact. When Sherylfirst began teachingshe had to have special permission to use the mimeograph and would type the notes that she sent home to parents and then run them off on the mimeo machine. She recalledthinking at that time if there were only some way to backspace and correct errors rather than having to cover her mistakes usingliquid ink. Now she uses a computer, printer, and copier to accomplish the task withmuchgreater efficiency.
 * One** **Teacher’s View of the Internet** **from the Mother Country**

As stated by Levin and Arafeh in the Pew Internet & American Life Project(2002), “the single greatest barrier to Internet use at school is the quality of access to the Internet” (p. iv). Sheryl stated her classroom currently has fourstudent computers withone for the teacher and her school district has oneIT tech that is available to troubleshoot problems. Herschoolsharesone Gifted and Talented liaison between two schools to use as a resource for ideasfor integratingtechnology into the lesson planning process. She takes her class to the computer lab every 6 days if the lab has a teacher available to assist students. Sherylis excited about the fact that her class is getting new ELMO’s or Presentation Stations which will take the place of overhead projectors. She stated that every fourth year her school gets new technology and this process rotates among the 4 schools in her district. The use of the Internet is very restricted in her school district and parents must sign a permission slip allowing their students to use the Internet. They are unable toaccess websites such as Yahoo.com and I was unable to contact her through her school email address. Sheryl stated that teachers could set up a web pagefor their class on their school websiteif they like, but she does not personally use it.

I asked Sheryl how her Internetskills compared to the new teachers who are fresh out of school, she stated that it was “embarrassing” and that many times she found herself “so frustrated”. We discussed the conceptof digital natives versus immigrants and she quipped that shefeels like sheis “still in the mother country!” She stated that although the new teachers had outstanding Internet skills, she knew that she had the years of teaching experience that they do not have so they each have something to share. She said that the new teachers are great at finding online resources, and that she is willing to “let them do it”. She agreed that the Internet makes it so much easier to find the materials she needs for her classroom. She gave some examples of favorite websites such as Kelly’s Korners and Hubbard’s Cupboard as good resources for ideas for teaching reading.

Sheryl stated that she does not always feel that she has the technology tools she needs available to her and that often she hears from administrators that “It’s only kindergarten.” This statement appears to be in direct contrast to the Pew Internet & American Life Project Survey (2001) in whichGraziano and Simon reportthat “95% of parents say it is important for children to learn about the Internet in order to be a success later in life” (p.4). A later report in from Hitlin and Rainie (2005)states that “parents are more likely to believe that children must be familiar with the web by the time they start school”(p.3). As far as opportunities for professional development go, Sheryl stated that the district or the region offers training but that the training is offered in the summer and that she is not ready to give up her summers to attend the training.

In summary, my interview with Sheryl confirms that we have seen tremendous changes over the past 20 years and not all teachers are willing to handle or accept the challenges that technology and the Internet bring to the classroom.


 * Teacher Interview**

Back to Info Systems Mgmt.