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Now That We Have the Internet, What Are We Going to Build?
Bill Schmitt, Director of Galaxy Classroom

Today, as never before in human history, educators and students have access to an incredible array of communications technologies. The current "explosion" of technology is a continuing process that was seeded by the development of the telephone, video, computers, and the Internet. We now have a new "digital world" that seemed impossible just a few years ago. While this seems truly incredible, the big question facing many educators is: "So what real difference does this make for learning?"

For decades, new technologies have appeared to hold great potential for improving learning but often they have fallen dramatically short of their great promises. While there are many reasons for these shortfalls, one of the most important is the failure to use the tools in ways that can make a difference.

So let's ask ourselves the following questions at this critical time: What new dimensions for learning are now available? What are our needs today? What do I want the Internet to be?

As educators, we need to be a part of creating new, highly effective dimensions for learning; we must help create visions of what is possible. We can then begin to build uses of technology that go beyond the typical, static collections of information and pictures, and beyond "read and repeat" experiences.

Galaxy Classroom staff have been concerned for many years about these same issues, not only with Web resources, but also with all technologies used in education. One of the challenges in creating effective new dimensions in learning is the difficulty in getting beyond seeing the purpose of education as the "downloading" of information into students heads rather than the interactive, collaborative, and student-centered process of constructing understanding. Because this downloading view is so entrenched, trying to create a new view or paradigm often seems impossible.

Fulfilling the promise of technologies, however, is dependent upon the abilities of educators to create new visions and use tools such as the Internet and the Web as strong facilitators of student inquiry through research, collaboration, publishing of student ideas, and as tools to help students create questions that they really want to pursue.

The biggest challenge we have is that very few good models for this kind of learning exist. The downloading paradigm is so embedded in our thinking that we often fail to find the most important power of the technology. Thus we can not break out of the mold.

As a case in point, we recently did a survey of 988 teachers at the National Science Teachers Association National Convention. We asked the question: "What is the most important function of the Internet for supporting student science learning?" The results seemed to point to teachers believing in the "download model" as most important. 675 responses stated the most powerful function of the web is "information, data, or research." "Collaboration in inquiry, publishing student work, student-centered learning, debating ideas, and supporting full inquiry" were mentioned in only 80 responses. Many other powerful possibilities were never mentioned.

As we move forward, we continue to search for "what I want the Internet to be." What are your ideas? What are you building?

Email Bill your ideas.

Bill Schmitt has spent his career developing inquiry-based science and technology curricula and teacher support. He has been honored with the NSTA Excellence in Science Education Award, Ohio Sea Grant Award for Leadership in Marine and Aquatic Education, and the Washington Science Teachers' Association Award for Outstanding Service to Science Education.

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