The Internet - a Valuable Tool for Learning and Teaching

I like the Internet. I love the Internet. Ever since the Internet has existed my life has changed. Internet has changed it in thousands of ways, and, I think, all in positive ways as I can’t think of any activity which I can do on the Internet which has a negative consequence for me or my surroundings.

Obviously I can’t stand behind all the different types of activities which individuals and organizations carry out on the Internet. I’m sure that there are people out there who use the internet for who knows what reason but, as for me, I love the fact that it exists: in my private life, for example, I can choose books and films when living in a small village without cinemas and only one book shop (which I am not complaining about, by the way, because the boy from the shop works wonders and knows a lot about everything which is published, from a manga for teenagers to the greatest classics imaginable), I can choose toys and presents without having to travel to the city. I can read lots of newspapers and compare products and prices. And as for learning, it’s possible to learn everything… that’s what I like the most: being able to look up questions on Wikipedia which come to me while I’m reading a book; finding out about a painting, a lesser-known town, whatever it is. It’s wonderful!

Social Networks

I did a NNTT (Spanish New Web Technology) course (doesn’t that sound impressive?) in which, like every course, there was a unit dedicated to the dangers of social networks and, as a continuation of the course, we were invited to enter a function room in which participants presented their ideas. The cynics (I want to believe that they just didn’t know what else to say), who declared that young people spend too much time on their computers, were great in number. So I was in the middle of doing my course when, one day, my mom came to visit and put on the TV to watch one of these programs in which people that I’ve never heard of make rude and unintelligent critical remarks about other people I’ve never heard of (well I do at least know who Belén Esteban is), while my daughter was on Facebook, uploading photos of a trip so her cousins could see them. At this moment of familial harmony, my mom said “Put the computer away as it does nothing more than brainwash you all and come and watch the TV with me.”

I repeat:

“PUT THE COMPUTER AWAY AS IT DOES NOTHING MORE THAN BRAINWASH YOU ALL AND COME AND WATCH THE TV WITH ME.”

Okay Mom, TV is much better…clearly

A revolutionary learning and teaching tool

On the other hand, at work, the Internet has become a truly revolutionary tool to educate and inform me, to solve minor doubts, to help me during long lapses of memory, to prepare for my classes with better activities; and for my students, who have access to more tools and possibilities, it helps them learn in a more personal way and, in that respect, in a more meaningful way, that’s to say more worthwhile and enjoyable. It also enables me to stay in contact, and in direct conversation,with colleagues so I can keep up to date with teaching and various publications.  

Somebody will tell me that searching the web is not the solution for everything, that it doesn’t always give access to good quality information and that it’s not always linked to learning. Searching is really about taking that first step outside the house and embarking on a journey of knowledge and discovery which has as its final destination, the mythical Ithaka. On this journey, the soul must come out clean and pure, free of suspicion and mistrust. Without fear, free, full of curiosity and hunger for knowledge, full of enthusiasm and open to making judgments without prejudice or malice.

For this reason, when something quickly arises to stain my immaculate soul and plants a seed of suspicion or negativity, it annoys me a lot. The kinds of people who annoy me are those who want to “bulk up” their curriculum vitae at the cost of my innocence, diminish my enthusiasm with magazine adverts which are really blogs trying to pass themselves off as online magazines and, to make matters worse, have neither a single entry nor article, but only include an appeal to publish.                        

I understand that there is plenty of unemployment and that people, especially young people, have to find a living and look for work opportunities to be able to survive in these extremely difficult times…but please, not at the cost of my enthusiasm and do not destroy the happiness which the world of virtual knowledge gives me. Please, do not corrupt my pure soul.