Pretend there are plenty of computers in your classroom and they are all connected to the Internet

Describe what you think will be several of the most significant challenges you will face when using the Internet in the classroom.

There are numerous challenges that a teacher will face when using the Internet in the classroom. The first, and most concerning challenge for me would be making sure that all of the students are using their computers for educational purposes. Children today are so used to using their computers for fun and games at home and even at school, that I believe when it comes time to be use it ONLY for learning, there could be a significant problem.

The second challenge would be making sure that everything is done safely. The Internet is a very large and intimidating place, and children could easily find themselves swept up in a "fantasy" world. As the SafeKids website states, parents should get to know the services their child uses, well I feel that this is also true for teachers. If teachers stay current and up to date on what is popular and which websites are the most used by students in the age ranges of their students, it might be easier to combat the safety issue. Teachers can stress the safety precautions and explain what their students should and should not do. Anyone found to be in breach of the safety rules would be severely punished in order to make a point and show the other students that this is not acceptable behavior.

The third challenge would be plagiarism. Plagiarism is a very big problem with students and has been for years, and with such easy access to the Internet, the idea to plagiarize looks even more inviting and even less traceable. What many students do not realize is that there are many ways for teachers to check their work for plagiarizing. There are different types of software, and even easier, search engines that can quickly let a teacher know that the student's work has been plagiarized. Due to these rather simple methods of checking, this problem could become obsolete in a few years as these methods become more intricate.