• Why the web?
• What does the Internet offer?
• Benefits of setting up a school website.

• Return to the Issues page

Why the web?

The Internet is arguably the greatest advance in communication since the invention of the printed word. It is now recognised by the Government as the third official broadcast medium of the BBC, along with Television and Radio. There is no escaping the fact that the Internet has arrived to stay. The question is -how will its educational benefits develop over the coming months and years?

As teachers and ICT coordinators, at a crucial time in the development of the National Grid for Learning, we are in a position to create the Internet based learning systems of the future and take control of the technology for educational use.

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What does the Internet offer children and teachers?

The Internet, or World Wide Web, as it is sometimes called, is a vast collection of text, images and ideas. It spans all cultures and languages reflecting all that is good, and also much that is bad, about the human condition. The information the Web contains flows freely and without restriction around the world, carrying the personality and beliefs of countless millions of people to yet millions more in an almost instantaneous electronic form.

The potential benefits for education are immense and include:

• access to masses of factual data presented in an exciting interactive way.
• bringing the rest of the world directly into the classroom.
• enabling positive and long term contact with people from other countries and cultures.
• providing practical web based resources to support for learning in any curriculum area.
• promoting the sharing of good practice and providing teachers with the latest advice and info.

What are the benefits of setting up a school Website?

By creating a Website, a school is showing its commitment to mastering the new information and communication technologies for educational benefit. It is an inescapable fact, that in this competitive age, a school Website is a showcase that indicates to a prospective parent that a school is commited to achieving Government targets for getting children connected to the National Grid for Learning.

If competition for pupils is not reason enough, there are other far more positive benefits for a school having a "presence" on the Web and developing the use of Internet technology:

• It can provide children with easily managed and secure access to Internet based resources.
• Children's work can be celebrated with and viewed by a worldwide audience, providing a powerful and positive motivational factor.
• The practical ICT skills of making webpages are vital in modern industry & commerce.
• An increasing number of parents with Internet access can be kept informed of events and information about their children's school.
• Parents can be encouraged to interact with the school through e-mail.
• Children can easily have ownership of the design and content of webpages leading to real respect for the technology and higher standards of ICT work.
• A site with well selected link extends the learning experience into the home.
• A website can provide interactive forums and e-mail experiences that develop the communication skills of the future.
• Secondary schools and colleges could look to lucrative commercial enterprises, developing websites and pages for local companies and businesses.