The Internet - an Imperative
for the Christian School

By: Dr. Dennis W. Mills

Eavesdrop on conversations in the faculty room. Just try to make it through one day anywhere without hearing the word: "Internet!" The Internet, or more specifically, the World-Wide-Web, is re-defining how people learn and access information. 40+ million users are on the Internet and by some estimates 60,000 new people join each day! With this tremendous explosion, Christian schools face three problems:

1. Schools are information poor - In many Christian schools, information resources are very limited and often out-of-date. Libraries are small and under-staffed.
2. Classrooms are isolated - By default, teachers are often the ultimate source of wisdom on any given topic. The extent of an individual teacher's knowledge may limit the opportunities for students to learn. Textbooks become quickly dated and are expensive.
3. Financial resources are limited - Traditional learning materials receive greater support than initiatives that seek to make schools more interesting and suitable for learning.

The Internet has become a blessing in disguise for Christian schools. The Internet, if quickly utilized in Christian schools offers benefits and overcomes the above problems.

Internet access expands the information base - Christian schools can access immense repositories of information and resources from around the world. Schools can easily download magazines, journals, even entire books that are current. Teachers can quickly "surf" through large collections of lesson plans, such as those found at CSRnet (http://www.csrnet.org). Students and teachers can utilize numerous "search engines" to find information on a particular subject.

Imagine having your classroom located next to hundreds of libraries with volumes of materials that are always on the shelf! That's exactly what the Internet is to a Christian school. The Library of Congress is just one mouse click away.

Internet access decreases classroom isolation - Internet communications have unconstrained geographical boundaries. Students and teachers can share ideas and classroom projects with others around the world. The location of your school or school size are not limiting factors. The Internet is a great equalizer in the educational arena. The only substantial cost for Internet access is the monthly telephone line charge and your Internet Service Provider (ISP) monthly charge.

Internet access can radically transform the learning environment - Teachers who integrate access to the Internet into their curriculum create dramatically changed learning environments. Consider just a few examples:

"Berichte,Reportagen, Kommentare aus der WELTvon morgen"

Die Welt-http://www.welt.de/

(News, reports, commentaries from the WELT from the morning) - German newspaper for your classroom everyday.

Cascades Volcano Observatory
Volcano information, hydrologic information, images of Mount St. Helens-May18, 1980.

Foreign Language Instruction - http://www.csrnet.org

CSRnet has links to over 21 different languages with soundbytes. Hear how Gaelic, Hebrew, French, Hindi, etc., really are pronounced.

Teacher Talk Forum Lesson Plans

This Indiana University collection of electronic lesson plans covers a variety of topic areas.

I believe the Internet is not an option, nor a fad, for Christian schools. It is an imperative! The Internet is also re-defining what an "adequate" collection of books and magazines means to a Christian school. Now, Christian schools have access to the Gutenberg collection of classic books - all online. The entire collection of Shakespeare - all online.

Access to information used to be the barrier for Christian schools. The real challenge today is teaching students how to process multiple sources of information. The Internet is prompting a radical shift in the way that students will gather their information and learn about their world. Information is an educational tool and it is very important to know how to use tools.

The fundamental Truths of the gospel will never change for Christian schools. Progress and time, however, continually change what is considered important knowledge. The need to learn and the tools we use to learn are relatively constant. The Internet will NOT replace the classroom teacher or all traditional textbooks. Technology will never replace teachers, but teachers who use technology in effective ways will replace those who don't.

 

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This page was last updated on: March 19, 2001