▶ Your Answer :
Some people think that the advent of the Internet is harmful to students in that it degrades the efficiency of learning. However, in my opinion, the Internet evidently helps students study much more effectively than ever before. This is because there is no spatial and temporal restriction in learning, and they can gather a variety of information thanks to the Internet. To begin with, students can take a class anywhere and anytime. Using e-classes which can be taken on the Internet, they are able to utilize any lectures if the Internet is available. If it were not for the IT technology, one would need to go to a classroom physically to study. For instance, when I underwent a military service, I could not go outside when I wanted owing to security policies. This was a significant disadvantage for me who hoped to improve English skills, because there was no way to register classes I wanted to take. Fortunately, I were able to make use of the Internet cafe in the military building where I lived. Thus, I could study writing English essays by taking e-classes. In retrospect, what made me to speak and write English well was the Internet which was available during the period of military service. On top of that, students can easily acquire diverse educational knowledge through the Internet. It became difficult to see those who go to the library to get information they want. Not only do students exploit the Internet to get information they want, but they also use videos in Youtube and e-books available in a tremendous array of websites in order to write a dissertation, complete an assignment, and so on. For instance, a poll was conducted by the Department of Education in Seoul National University with 300 college students as respondents. The main purpose of the survey was to understand a method they take advantage of most frequently when gathering information to use. As a result, the majority of respondents claimed that they access the Internet the most for such purpose. In detail, an overwhelming 78 percent had replied that the Internet is the main gate for them to acquire information relevant to their work. It was only 13 percent who had responded that they make use of traditional methods such as books or written theses. This was because the information available on the Internet is usually free of charge. Furthermore, there is nothing which restricts them to make an access to the Internet. The result of the survey plainly demonstrates that the Internet is the foremost way for students to get knowledge which help them study effectively. To sum up, the Internet allows students to take classes without restriction, and it helps them to get a wealth of information they want. These are obviously essential factors which determine the effectiveness of one's learning. In this regard, I firmly believe that the rise of the Internet is a catalyst for improving the learning ability of students. |