EPY 370

Upon reflection of the Weblog activity and subsequent activities and discussions, I believe I have gained a new understanding for the purpose of the Internet. In the beginning of this class, I knew how to utilize the Internet to my advantage, but I did not know why I believed it was so useful. I will agree that the Weblog activities have informed me of some uses of the Web that I was not aware of, such as the availability of Subject Directories like ”MERLOT”.  However, I believe the most important thing that I have gained through this activity is an understanding for why I think the Internet can be so useful to students, and people in general, based on Vygotsky’s theory of Cognitive Development.

Vygotsky’s theory of Cognitive Development says that people learn through the use of social tools and through people’s cultures and societies (Snowman & Biehler, 2005). The Internet is, without a doubt, one of the most highly informative and widely utilized resources for Americans, as well as many other societies around the world. Not only does the Internet provide us with a source for information, it provides us with the ability to discuss that information with other people through chatrooms, message boards and webcams. That being said, the Internet is certainly a social tool that can help aide and stimulate learning for anyone who has access to it.

I have made a few other connections between my previous understanding of the Internet’s purpose and Educational Psychology principles. As I mentioned in an earlier blog, I stumbled upon the realization that the Internet can be used as a way to accomodate disabled students’ learning. There is also the chance that people, because of diversity issues such as poverty or a person’s living environment, will not have access to the Web, which could limit their ability to learn (Snowman & Biehler, 2005).

In conclusion, what I find to be the most intriguing part of applying Psychological theories to the use of the Internet is the fact that so many principles can be used to describe and define the practicality of utilizing it. For example, I could express how I believe that Gardner’s theory of Intelligence explains how a person can learn using the Internet in that the person had logical-mathematical intelligence and was therefore able to navigate the Internet skillfully (Snowman & Biehler, 2005). I believe that since I spent so much time reflecting on and applying the different principles in Educational Psychology, I have learned many different ways to identify them and utilize them in my thought process.

References:

Snowman, J., & Biehler, R. (2005). Psychology applied to teaching (11^th ed.). New York: Houghton Mifflin Company. 

Cool School – Global Schoolhouse’s Connected World

This youtube.com video demonstrates how students in schools can benefit from talking to other children around the country using the Internet. The students are using a webcam, a small camera that sends video over the Internet, to view and speak with other students from different states in real time. The students get to learn about other people's cultures and lifestyles without leaving their schools. The use of this technology may also be advantageous for the teachers of these classes because they can learn new methods of instruction from the teachers of the other classrooms. If you would like to find out more about this exciting and educational use of Internet social networking, please visit the foundations' website at http://www.globalschoolnet.org/.