How Do Schools Use the Internet?

Usually the first place a school wires is the library or media center.

Children research school projects & often use the Internet for fun, games, sending e-mail, & chatting. Many schools have eliminated chat altogether, since they have learned that chat poses more risks than educational value.

Librarians & library media specialists typically supervise the children while they are surfing. The monitors are frequently positioned so the screen can be seen from the librarian's desk, which helps keep the kids honest. In a typical large high school library, though, more than 150 teenagers may be using the library & more than forty of them may be using computers with Internet access. This makes direct supervision impossible. That's why many schools have implemented filtering in school libraries, as well as relying on acceptable-use policies.

In many schools, classrooms are often wired as well. In the early days of school Internet use, these classroom computers were used as a reward when students finished their classwork. But, as educational programs were developed, many schools built Internet resources into the curriculum.