The Internet, often referred to as simply the "Net," or the "Web," and sometimes even "The Information Superhighway," is a hot topic today. But what exactly is it, and what, if anything, does it have to do with reforming education? The Internet allows millions of people access to some of our most treasured documents and memorabilia, as well as pornography and hate messages, all with just a point and a click. It's the world's biggest, most current library, and at the same time, it offers communication capabilities the likes of which our world has never seen. Yes, it can also be frightening, and overwhelming, but I believe it has the potential to create schools where students are not only successful, but also enjoy learning so much that the current buzz word "life-long learner" will become a very common descriptor for our future population.

There is an on-going debate today among teachers, administrators and parents. Should we use the Internet in our classrooms or not? The connections are expensive, and in a world where educators need to fight for practically every dollar just to fund the basic needs of schools, why spend those precious few resources on connecting our students to something known as a web or net? Yet some educators spend long hours of their own personal time writing grants or forming partnerships with businesses to get this technology into their schools. Why? The answer is easy for those who've used this technology: it helps create a wonderful learning environment for students.

Brain research has given educators a wealth of information about how students learn. We now know that the most effective learning experiences are those where the students are actively engaged in the learning process. An active learner takes more ownership of his or her learning, leading to intrinsic motivation, which is necessary to create life-long learners. We also know that authentic learning experiences are not only more motivating to students, but also lead to better retention. The Internet is a valuable tool that teachers can use to create active, authentic learning experiences. There is a plethora of examples, (yes, on the Internet) teachers can use as models to design wonderful, authentic, and interactive lessons and projects.

The Internet offers enormous resources to schools and teachers that greatly increase opportunities for learning. Perhaps the greatest benefit of the Internet is it's potential to help all of us develop better evaluation skills. The very nature of the Net, with its vast amount of information, demands that we develop the skills with which to sort it all out. Using the Internet presents teachers with the perfect opportunity and resources to teach students how to evaluate information for its validity, authenticity and usefulness. This is something rarely done with the textbooks used in schools today, yet it is a critical life-skill that students need, living in an age of media hype and propaganda. The Internet allows teachers to easily present two opposing viewpoints for analysis. It adds an important dimension to the research process, namely questioning the information source. Traditional research meant copying facts from an encyclopedia or other text. With such a plethora of information on the Internet, students must first evaluate their resources. Evaluation helps students become better critical thinkers

The Internet also enables teachers to facilitate communication between students and the experts, or between students and their peers in another town, state, or country. It literally opens the world to our students. Now, instead of reading about what it's like in outer space, they can actually listen to the crew of the space shuttle as they conduct experiments in space. Instead of reading about the ancient Mayan civilizations, students can participate in a Mayan archaeological dig on-line, asking questions of the scientists in the field. It is real life, brought into the classrooms with a point, and a click.

Students are already using the Internet. A large number are connected at home. Sad to say, in many instances, our students know more about the Internet than their parents, and even most of their teachers. And unfortunately, many are using the Internet without adult supervision or guidance. Because the Internet has the potential to be such a quagmire of filth and hatred, it is our obligation as educators to teach students how to effectively use the Internet for educational purposes. How to "navigate" through the muck and get to the good stuff. We must prepare students by giving them the skills they need to become information literate individuals prepared to work in an environment where the "glut" of information can be overwhelming. Having the Internet in their homes, students find their classrooms to be akin to living in the dark ages. They see little application if their classrooms have so little in common with what's happening outside the boundaries of the schools.

And what's happening is an information explosion. Our curriculum must prepare students to face the challenges in such an environment. True, the Internet is just a tool. But it is a wonderful tool that, if used correctly, helps our students develop the higher order thinking skills often taught only if there is time after all the facts are memorized, or only to the gifted and talented. Higher order thinking skills such as problem solving, question posing, and critical thinking are the very tools that are needed in today's workplace. In short, using the Internet in our classrooms will provide students with what they need to be successful in today's world, in the "Information Age."

Because the Internet is a tool, teachers must learn the proper way to use it. The key to successfully using the Internet in the classroom is the teacher. Students cannot effectively use the Internet without guidance and some type of interfacing by teachers. Teachers must control student access, exercising god judgment to determine what students should and should not see. The teacher must also be willing to change roles, from the dispenser of knowledge, to the facilitator, guide or coach for students actively seeking knowledge. We must begin by training teachers the skills they need to quickly and efficiently find or create learning experiences that enhance our existing curriculum.

As educators we have an awesome responsibility today. We need to create educational environments where learning is seen as exciting, fun and relevant. This will make schools successful. This will make our students successful. This will prepare them to face a future where life-ling learning is not a choice, but a requirement.