7ÂŞ AULA
UNIT 7
Text 1: Bringing the Internet to Schools Effectively
Installation of computers and Internet access in schools must be preceded by careful consideration of how to best use and support the technology.
Internet access is spreading rapidly in primary and secondary schools around the world. Virtually 100% of schools are connected to the Internet in countries such as the United States, Australia, Finland, Canada, and Great Britain. The Internet is also fast becoming widely available in schools from Scandinavia to Israel to Korea. Almost daily, countries are making decisions with major educational and financial consequences about whether to connect schools to the Internet, what kind of connections to use, and to whom to permit access. Unfortunately, education officials do not always give sufficient thought to the adoption of Internet and other computer-based technologies in schools. Sometimes computer technology is acquired as a symbol of modernity rather than for carefully planned educational purposes. Furthermore, since the Internet is generally seen as a desirable resource, pressures mount on schools to broaden access in classrooms before plans have been formulated for its effective use there.
(By Janet Ward Schofield, Professor of Psychology and Senior Scientist, Learning Research & Development Center, University of Pittsburgh) Visit: http://www.state.gov/
Vocabulary Study (VocabulĂĄrio de Apoio)
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