Critics of a connected classroom correctly point out that attention spans, already shortened by TV, have been made even shorter by the point and click, sound bite content that dominates the Internet. It is true that the Internet lacks any quality control, and there is much that could be considered inappropriate for none but the most jaded or corrupt. While I understand the point made by David Gelenter when he answers an emphatic" No" in a 1998 Time magazine article entitled Should Schools Be Wired to The Internet?, and I agree that a large amount of information available to a populace doesn't necessarily correlate to a well-informed citizenry, the future seems to require, for better or for worse, the ability to navigate through an environment filled with information and rapidly changing technology. Therefore, if schools and educators intend to prepare students for the future, these students will have to learn to navigate this future and thrive using the tools that, in the words used by Vice President Al Gore to answer the question posed by the article in the affirmative, “dominate the economy and shape our society. “ Students are well-served by teachers who incorporate into their lessons instruction on how to navigate through this landscape of the present and future.
Anecdotal evidence from my own teaching practice concurs with the articles from Bread Loaf Teacher Network which point out the many benefits derived from collaboration facilitated through technology. Many students succeed when given the opportunity to create expressive products using technology. The students studying Beowulf in the connected classrooms grew in their abilities to express themselves through text, and other teachers describe the strides made by students in areas such as writing, critical thinking, communication skills, and even empathy through the types of online collaboration referred to in the Harris article, Curriculum-Based Telecollaboration. Of course, collaboration, especially with peers, opens both teacher and student up to criticism and judgment, and this can be uncomfortable.
There will always be technical problems, and there will be some teachers who use technology to pacify students. But there will be many more teachers who will use technology to enlighten and motivate, and there will be students whose lives will be enriched and whose education will be propelled through the use of technology in the classroom.
