Why are the Internet and the World Wide Web Important for Education?
One of the reasons the Internet and the WWW are so important for education is because of the wealth of information they contain. Of course, this is one disadvantage, too, since there is so much information. It is sometimes difficult to find what you’re looking for and then once you find it, verify its reliability. It’s not as easy as finding a book in the library, but it sure is convenient to sit in your office and find full text articles and information on just about anything with a few keystrokes! In Idaho, especially the rural, remote areas, the Internet can provide resources that school libraries just can’t match. Of course, the students need to have Internet access, and this is becoming more and more prevalent across the country. The National Center for Educational Statistics (NCES) reports that progress has been made in this area: By the fall of 2000, almost all public schools in the United States had access to the Internet: 98 percent were connected. In comparison, 35 percent of
