The Caldwell College
Writing Lab Sample Paper

The following is a sample paper for you to examine. Please note that this is not an exceptionally well-done paper, but it does exhibit some of the techniques of good writing. Please be aware that attempts to pirate this paper will most likely be discovered by your professor, especially Caldwell College professors. It is likely that your professor has visited this site, and, therefore, will be familiar with this sample. Please use this sample paper as it is intended, i.e., a guide for preparing to write your own paper.

The Internet is Coming to School

Before the Internet was in use in school, learning was a stagnated process. Students were restricted to using resources that were often only as current as the outdated textbooks that they used. With the introduction of the Internet to the classroom, students and teachers now have access to information that is up to date. Also, the interactive nature of the Internet helps to motivate at-risk students whose socioeconomic status may hinder their progress. Although Internet technology is not time tested in the classroom, it is extremely beneficial in accessing current information and in motivating students toward success.

Clearly, an effective benefit of the Internet in the classroom is students becoming aware that they are not alone in the world. Even students in middle school are able to realize this using the Internet, for the example, in Erving, Massachusetts is a clear illustration. Here, a group of middle school students created the Erving Business Directory Website by interviewing local business leaders and then creating individual web pages for them (Edvancenet 1). In another Edvancenet example, Florida fourth-graders practiced being travel agents and producing individualized packets for destinations. They used the Internet to research local conditions for each destination (1). These two examples show how students utilize the Internet in a manner that helps them to realize that the world is larger in scope than their classroom. While this world-awareness is valuable, this is not the only use of the Internet that teachers should strive for.

Central to the vitality of the Internet in the classroom is the instantaneous access to current information. Researching used to be a static process, confined solely to the dusty shelves of libraries. Even though it is not being suggested that libraries are now without merit, the Internet can augment the research process in many ways. In the not so distant past, researching for a science project was a tedious task, complete with promising but outdated books. Now, in Internet-connected classrooms, students routinely use the Internet to research information for science projects (Furger 84). Not only does this give students access to more current information, but it also stimulates interest in using such an instantaneous medium. There is a section containing links that are valuable to the classroom setting at the end of this paper.

Elementary students can be motivated using the Internet. It is imperative, however, that classroom instruction be modified to include Internet activities (Brooks 16). If the Internet is simply presented to elementary students in a superfluous manner, it will not become an integrated instructional tool. It is vital that Internet resources are incorporated into the body of specially designed lessons that make sure that the students will be able to incorporate the classroom-based an Internet-based instruction into their schema (the brain's method of organizing information).

At the elementary level, interactive Internet resources have the most merit. These resources quickly grab students' attention, and quality sites will keep this attention. Especially effective is interactive literature. Some sites present stories, audio telling of these stories, and pictures related to the stories. Some stories come alive for the students. Central to the merit of these types of sites is the fact that elementary students are engrossed by the computer (Edvancenet 21). However, the use of Internet resources in education does not stop at the elementary level. Students at the secondary level can make use of the Internet's variety of communication possibilities, most notably e-mail. Teachers can use e-mail to communicate with students, and this allows students to pose questions to teachers about homework and projects (Brooks 92). Since e-mail is fast and non-intrusive, it is useful for teachers and students to take advantage of this capability in order to clear up confusion regarding assignments.

Another merit of Internet instruction in the classroom is the prevalence of educational multimedia sites. The site http://www.unl.edu/wglider contains multimedia presentations of biological principles. Sites such as this one, which contain visual and animated activities and illustrations, foster increased learning in students (Brooks 22).

Often classroom-based instruction is skewed against girls and students of low socioeconomic class. A result of this is poor performance by members of these groups. One benefit of the Internet is that is motivates these students to succeed. The example of a Midwest middle school's inclusive "Top Gun" web-based program is to be praised. The program has nothing to do with the movie of the same name, but instead it is an educational tool that explores many topics. Remarkably, this voluntary club is comprised of an almost even amount of boys and girls, a rarity among middle school clubs (Furger 132-33). This gives testament to the fact that Internet instruction has the potential to eradicate the gender gap in education.

In education, the students of low socioeconomic class traditionally have trouble succeeding. One way in which this can be prevented is by better education of teachers. There exist many online resources for teacher regarding effective teaching for these "at-risk" students. One such site is http://www.nwrel.org/request/sept97/. This site leads educators to resources that will help them develop strategies for dealing with at-risk students.

In addition, the Internet will make actual presence in a school unnecessary, or at least reduced, one day in the future. Distance education over the Internet is on the horizon, and this will allow students who are not physically in school, or who cannot physically enter the building, to be educated (Brooks 32). Some colleges, notably Caldwell College, take advantage of the distance education Internet resources.

With all of the apparent benefits of the Internet in education, there are still challenges to bringing this vision to fruition. Many changes will be needed to America's schools. Despite the effort of NetDay 2000 on April 19, 1997 in which classrooms nationwide were connected to the Internet, many schools still have insufficient or no access to the Internet (Furger 81). In addition, districts will have to provide teachers with instructions on how to develop a curriculum that incorporates the Internet, and many financially strapped districts cannot afford this (Means 5). Also, teachers must commit time and energy to experimenting with this technology if they intend to use it in a meaningful way (5). While these are great challenges in some districts, they are not insurmountable. With time and dedication, the Internet can be incorporated into a valuable aspect of the classroom.

The Internet is a strong motivational tool in the classroom. Clearly, it is coming to school whether teachers herald it or not. The challenge is, then, to harness the awesome power of this medium into a constructive aspect of classroom instruction. The Internet alerts students to the fact that they are not alone in the world, makes researching adventurous and current, motivates students on both the elementary and secondary levels, and gives historically neglected groups of students extra chances of success. Indubitably, students are the true winners when teachers incorporate the Internet into the classroom.

Works Cited

Brooks, David W. Web-Training. New York: Plenum Press, 1997.

Edvancenet. "The Leader's Guide to Information Technology: Workforce Preparedness." Located at: http://www.edvancenet.org/res_guide_work2.shtml.

Edvancenet2. "The Leader's Guide to Information Technology: Student Achievement." Located at: http://www.edvancenet.org/res_guide_student2.shtml.

Furger, Roberta. Does Jane Compute? New York: Warner Books, 1998.

Means, Barbara. "Critical Issue: Using Technology to Enhance Engaged Learning for At-Risk Students." Located at: http://www.ncrel.org/ncrel/sdrs/areas/issues/students/atrisk/at400.htm.