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I feel the internet is a wonderful opportunity for children to learn new ideas, concepts, and information. The internet will help me as a teacher convey new information to my students.
Emily McCutcheon USA

I only wish that the Internet and CD-Roms were around when I was at school. As long as they complement traditional teaching methods, and don't replace them, they can only enhance a child's development.
Paul Gardner, UK

However, the child must be taught how to distinguish between authentic information and empty propaganda. There are enough gullible Netheads out there already.

There is a new generation of students who are not receptive to old teaching methods. With the right direction, the internet could be a beneficial tool to reach these students.
Elizabeth Burnett, USA

The internet is a passive medium; children should learn in an active, creative manner. The focus of computer aided education should be abstract problem solving with languages such as Logo.
John D Evans, USA

I feel the internet is a wonderful opportunity for children to learn new ideas, concepts, and information. The internet will help me as a teacher convey new information to my students.
Emily McCutcheon, USA

It would be useful if it was used under proper supervision. The access is so wide that children would be able to access useful as well as damaging information to their development and growth. it should be used, but not too excessively.
Joyce Koh, Singapore

The Internet is a huge resource and as such should not be ignored. It's very cheap and easy for schools who already have fast NC-compatible computer hardware to connect to the Internet, costing as little as a thousand pounds a year. Our children deserve the opportunity to develop skills that are sure to be necessary later in life, as the Internet becomes more of a part of everyday life. There is simply no substitute for the experience they can gain through the Internet. There is software to keep them safe, there is content they can look at, there's no financial reason not to, so why don't we do it?
Kieran L Brown, Wales, UK

Will the Internet help children to learn? The answer would have to be a qualified "yes" - provided that sufficient support is given to the teaching profession, so that teachers are equipped to use it as another resource. It will doubtless be pointed out - with some justification - that there is a great deal of incorrect and misleading information on the world-wide web. However, surely one of the objectives in education is to teach pupils to discriminate between good and bad sources. But it must not become the current craze at the expense of other tried and tested resources, but regarded as just one more tool for learning.
Robert Leggat, UK

I assume that we intend not to let our 6 year olds loose on the 'Internet' but rather a controlled stylised version. Building a resourse that can be used by schools from all corners of the UK and the World. There is far too much meaningless information available that even experienced net users fail often to find anything of use. Give our children their own Kids Internet. Link it to sites outside where appropriate but don't let our children waste their valuable time as we do in looking through the 100s of pages that are returned every time we carry out a search.
Kevin Salt, Germany

Give every child 26 volumes of an encyclopaedia or give every school an Internet connection?
Our world is heading increasingly towards a world which will be dependent upon computers. Our children must have the chance to experience tomorrow's technologies today.
Mally Mclane, UK

The Internet will, of course, help children to learn - they will, at least, learn how to use an Internet browser and search for particular web sites. This is useful stuff considering that is where the future is going. However, I can't see any benefit over classroom teaching and good encyclopedias. The cost alone should prevent most schools, although IT always seems to be able to attract more money than other areas of school budgets, including essentials, such a books.
Andrew Dowle, UK

The lesson the Net teaches is a sophisticated one that most don't encounter until they get to college/university: that NO source is perfectly reliable and trustworthy, that wisdom can be gleaned from the oddest places, and that, by definition, the reader is forced to be the ultimate arbitrator whether he/she wants to be or not.
Mick Cassady, USA

The Internet will definitely help children provided controls are put in place to check what they have access to. The Internet can not and should not replace teachers, books and field trips.
Senanu Tsikata, Haiti

We are trying to rebuild this country to take its place in Europe, how can we possibly do this without a highly skilled, flexible work force? We can only create this with educated flexible children. Perhaps if educated with the Iternet as another tool, our children will forge a new cyber empire. If not, why else should I remain a committed IT teacher?
Phil Brookes, UK

Although I acknowledge the potential for killing mindless hours, and the acknowledge the responsibility for guidance, as a parent with a child, I can immediately contact places such as the historic site of Henry VIII's ship, the Mary Rose or converse by email with individuals who found he Anglo-Saxon helmet last year. We have written questions to the orbiting astronauts and rally drivers in the Australian Outback.
There is no substitute for reading books and writing letters, but if we can enhance a childs life experiences by answering more quickly and precisely or by asking the experts AND getting replies, while the topic is fresh and relevant, then there is no question that, with the computer, it is the most valuable tool to be born in decades.
Thomas Roberts, USA

I have been teaching pupils to use the Internet for two years. we have 200 computers in our school, all with Internet access. If used correctly, it is a wonderful tool for learning and is used with tremendous enthusiasm by staff and pupils alike. Of course there are pitfalls and we are learning to overcome them, but the ability to communicate with and to take in information from, outside sources, hitherto uncontactable, is a boost to the education of out pupils.
What is needed is enough time to train teaching staff in the use of the facility so that it becomes less of a nine-day wonder and just another tool for learning. Then it will be really useful.
Elaine Jamieson, UK

Spending millions on computer hardware and then not investing in teacher computer fluency is a bit like buying a new car when you don't have a driver in the family.
Peter Gillings, UK

I have 2 children, aged 2 and 4 and a half. We are certainly introducing them to computers but will not expose them to the realm of the Internet for many years to come! If there were a Child's Only Internet it would be another thing.
I feel there are too many things they could learn from "life" experiences and should be exposed to the realities of life through tangible experiences or they will have nothing to base what they hear of and learn of from the Internet. It is just a big ploy for the companies subsidising to make even bigger bucks! This is a way of dehumanising learning and detaching from the "real world ."
One can read plenty off the Internet about pollution etc...but will have no empathy without seeing first hand and touching and smelling it.
Thea Wesselman, Botswana

I believe that although the internet does not allow children to truly experience these things first hand, it does allow them to experience more than they ever could by trying to travel around the world which is more than far from reality for most of us.
Ryan Shaw, USA

The Internet certainly helps children learn. Contrary to those who insist that reflection on a certain topic is lost with the Internet, where else can children access all the art museums of the world at the click of a button? If they think that trips abroad are the only way for children to learn, then learning is restricted to a select few.
With Internet access in schools and homes, children can partake in adventures that once before, were restricted to those of great wealth. Isn't it better for the exposers to be broad based, so that when these children mature, they will be able to participate at an equal level with those abroad? That is the question that needs to be addressed!
Fred C. Payne, USA

I highly value the imperativeness of reading books and I am concerned that, just like television, the Internet will become an alternative. Regardless, we are in a highly technologically advanced society and must allow our children the access that will allow them to move forward in a technical society.
Ali Morguson, USA

It can only work if the technology is correctly applied and this is only possible if the educators define their requirements from the outset. CD ROMS are more structured, cheaper in large numbers, and devoid of illicit material.
James Fletcher, UK

I think that the use of the Internet is an unecessary step in our already overtechnical way of teaching children how to live in this society that we have created. If we would keep education simple without all of this technology then maybe the children of our mind-polluted world would begin to take us back to an exciting social environment.
Jeremy Goodrich, USA

I personally have opened my eyes and learned many new ideas due to the Internet. This is one beneficial learning tool that should not be looked over.
Wesley Erwin, USA

I personally wish I would have been able to enjoy the Internet at a much younger age. I might have been more enthusiastic about learning.
David Ganser, USA

The Internet is here to stay and rather than asking will kids learn from it, we should ensure that those that are working in the industry should place learning materials on the web and keep them updated. Kids are going to use the web so let's use it as a tool for them.
Sue Webb, UK

I have absolutely no confidence in the Internet as an educational tool. It discourages focus, synthesis and calm reflection. It is thereby destructive of learning and scholarship. Information accessed through the Internet is simply too vast and indiscriminate, severed from context and meaning.
The Internet is at best a modest tool of modest good use, to be used sparingly by self-disciplined adults who received their education with the help of real books and real teachers.
Ronald Fraese, USA

Of course the Internet will help children to learn. The wealth of information available makes it the world's biggest encyclopedia.
Stephen McCready, UK

Parents role at home is also very important to guide and stimulate the interest of the kids, while at the same time protecting them from harmful sites or wrong information.
Tarek Ezzat, Egypt

The Internet cannot substitute formal school education but can certainly complement it.
Children can benefit enormously from the Net if guided correctly by knowledgeable adults (teachers, parents, volunteers). Private companies can certainly donate money, equipment, and know-how to schools for this purpose.
Mourad Chaouch, Frascati, Italy

One very important part of the NetYear initiative is that it will change the way our children perceive the world, and thus the opportunities that world presents. Growing up with the Internet as an important part of their lives will enable them to adapt to the culture of a world in transition, providing them with a significant competitive advantage over those that are not 'wired'.
Extensive debate on the content and delivery of educational programs is needed to ensure diversity of opinion and to maximise the opportunities the Internet offers to the world of education.
Alasdair, Scotland

The Internet is increasingly becoming an invaluable effective learning resource, not only on its own merits but also in making us aware of other sources of information which old methods of learning simply couldn't achieve as effectively. It should be encouraged.
Ian Sinclair, UK

What children need is to develop concentration and not whole lot of information stuffed in. They should be made to enjoy learning first and latter be introduced to higher method of learning. Till they are 12 yrs of age they should be developed in old method of mental calculations etc.
Rama Subramanian Iyer, India

I'm 17 now, and I wish that I'd got the Internet earlier. I don't think it's too hard for little kids to use, actually I think it's very easy; and I am 100% self taught. The Internet is an ideal way of teaching children how to use computers, a far better way than hours of school time spent playing computer games! People are never too young to learn. Computers are these childrens' futures, they should be using them as soon as possible.
Abigail Cooles, Commonwealth of Dominica

The ability to read fluently and with understanding is worth a million Internet experiences.
Dave Mc Iver, IT Co-Ordinator, Sherburn high School, Leeds, UK

It should not be seen as the answer to all problems or as the only investment necessary to improve the performance of our schools but used in the right way, with appropriate training for both students and staff, it will be invaluable.
Many businesses and individuals already use it as a research tool and this will become more common in future so it's vital that children learn to use it as part of normal behaviour.
Neil Tonks, UK

No. Teachers should be teaching our 5-11 year olds to read, write and do basic math, not drool over a computer screen - you can get paid to do that when your older and properly educated. That money should go to deserving teachers (those that get results), not BT or ICL, they've got more than enough.
John Gonzalez, UK

The internet should be treated as per any other media - a learning resource, which needs to be implemented in a manner that ensure children benefit from the advantages that it offers. A shoddy implementation could wreck the whole ethos of internet in schools.
Neil Watson, UK

I am one of the founders of UK NetYear and strongly believe that the Internet can provide both a valuable learning resource and will be a vital skill required of school leavers of the next century.
Mike McKeown, Manager, European Education Marketing, Cisco Systems

The Internet can be very useful in helping all people young and old learn more. As a future educator I will try anything that will help my students understand concepts better.
Vicki Thompson, USA

Without guidance it could simply become another entertainment tool like TV or VCR's. People can learn much from those resourses also but do not always take the opportunity.
Sarah McCormack, USA

The Internet is a mass of unstructured, uncontrolled information. It is akin to a huge interactive dictionary. I would not like my child to be asked to use a dictionary before he could effectively read, write and do arithmetic. At ages 6-10, children need only to be aware of the Internet and how to use it. But later, it will be virtually impossible to stop children from surfing for unsuitable content.
Robert Bramble, UK

My eight-year-old son has already used the internet to research projects on Uranus (taking advantage of direct links to NASA) and on Thomas Jefferson (using links to Monticello and the Internet Public Library). It's not a novelty to children of his age. It's just another source of information. I wouldn't deny him access to the internet any more than I would deny him his library card (but I will make sure that no mindless Nintendo or Sega games ever enter our home; those are the real dangers).
Rick Mumma, USA

Although the internet is the best media for education and knowledge but it must be monitored, otherwise it is very harmful. Students who use the internet for education, could look at some other pages.
Jamal Ahmed, Canada

I'm a student at Cambridge, and even now at the age of 18, and with considerable Internet experience, I find it difficult to locate concise relevant information. I can't see how it will help infant school children.
Chris Rawlings, UK

If you want students to enter the adult world prepared to deal with it, you must let them participate in the community - with the teachers helping.
David Mawdsley, USA

Simply knowing how to use a set of applications is not the same as having a knowledge of computing, and no help in discriminating legitimate from bogus information, and of course, information isn't knowledge.
Therion Ware, Malaysia

Frankly, I don't want to share the Internet with a millions of minors. The internet is a breath of anarchic, deregulated fresh air, providing me with first hand information free of corporate/governmental 'spin' and media manipulation. I don't want the censorship and paranoia which will follow the opening of the Internet to school children.
I don't believe it is necessary either - if you want information there are any number of 'safe' CD Rom based sources. If British children need networked information and communication, how about setting up an enclosed or restricted academic network?
Andrew Booth, UK

Ultimately nothing can replace the capabilities of human beings in terms of interaction.
Caroline Walker-Gleaves, UK

It's like asking "will books help children to learn", or "will TV help children to learn". Of course it *can* help, but it will depend on what information they use it to access. The role of teachers must be to help children understand what is available and how to judge its value -- more or less the same skills as children should learn with respect to books, magazines, TV, etc. Answers to the "opposite" question might be more revealing: "Would it harm childrens' education to deny them access to the Internet?" I think the answer to that will increasingly be "YES!"
Mark Scott, UK

The Internet is awash with facts and information, both important factors in education. But facts don't equal learning, and information doesn't equal wisdom.
John Luby, Scotland

I wrote the UK School Internet Primer four years ago. People said I was crazy. Now I know I am right - I work in a school and see the fruits of educative, eclectic Internet use every day. Education is wider than memorizing the dogma of your age. The Internet is great at reminding us how broad and varied a true education should be.
Nick Mailer, UK

Children need to learn to read and write, and how to learn. Collecting information and new experiences should be done in a variety of ways. If children are not given access to all the sights and sounds of the real world, they will never appreciate the things that can be got from the Internet. I'm sure most web-browsers had trouble getting where thay wanted to go in the beginning, why waste school time sitting in front of a screen when there are books and pictures and other things to be seen.
Maureen Bensa, England

I have doubts that the net is not structured enough and that children will spend many hours seeking after little or no information. But if they are guided there is a use for some activities.
Matt Stribley, England

Nothing and nobody can MAKE children learn.The Internet will help those children who have an interest in wanting to learn to learn more and to learn it more quickly.
We have been teaching the skills this year to children aged 5-15 in a government school.The children have been, almost without exception, extremelyfascinated and interested.
However it requires some degree of sophistication to sort out from all the information what is relevant and useful. The skill involved in using search engines is very important. It would be a mistake, in my opinion, to formalise to heavily the teaching process so that it becomes another subject. The children catch on very quickly and only need to be guided by a competent teacher.
We also provided instruction to teachers on an "in house" basis. Every teacher had access to a small group situation for 40 mins each week over 200 weeks.
Barry McRobert, Australia

Probably of most use is the setting up of intranets within schools - this gives staff control over what is available, and allows a much more directed approach. It is this use of the technology that has the most to offer. The Internet, and its associated technologies, is already revolutionising the way we work, play and do business, and it is crucial that we exploit this from an early age, or others will, to our disadvantage.
Ray Wilkinson, UK

The Internet if used correctly is an aid to learning not a replacement for conventional learning methods. It can benefit all sections of society but the output is only as good as the input. More thought is needed in structuring learning sites for children.
Malcolm Wolsey-Neech, UK

However, that takes away the fun in the Internet.
Ravishankar Hasanadka, USA

The global comuter network, Internet, is a primarily a communication, networking, and publishing tool. As such it is a process in information, as opposed to an object in the world.
seeing the net in this context allows us to ask " how will the educators use the medium?" i.e. challenge then to use the medium properly by putting on-line the primary material which will in turn make it a rich environment for our children.
Paul Reynolds, New Zealand

The Internet should be seen as an important component in primary, as well as secondary education. There is a lot of interesting and useful information available from many Web sites that not only provides the facts and figures, but also serves to stimulate interest. The National Geographic Society's site is a good, but not exclusive example, of how this can work.
I think the biggest benefit the Internet offers relates to sharing experiences and resouces between pupils in different schools...and a great deal could be learned by exposing students and staff to what other schools have done on the same topic.
Cliff Addison, UK

The Internet's educational potential is matched only by the hype. Both are huge. I am a developer of web-based training materials for academia, and I know how important it is that people don't just expect the technology to do the teaching for them. Very strong guidelines are needed. There has to be a genuine purpose behind it.
Iain Middleton, Scotland

In limited amounts. The Internet is merely a tool to give us access to information and provide global communication. Slick graphics and 3D virtual worlds, however, are no replacement for the basic skills. If we begin to sacrifice basic skills for "surfing the net" - our children will be well versed in the world wide web, but have no concept of how to apply it in their lives.
Douglas Stevens, USA

I have used the Internet for over 3 years and it has helped me with my GCSEs and A-Levels. It will help kids.
Peter Richmond, Sunderland, UK

The Internet is much too uncoordinated, slow and complicated for it to be better than conventional programs on disk or CD ROM.
Jamie Vicary, England

Internet is here to stay, so there is no point in keeping children away from this wondeful media. But, this should happen under the guidance of parents or teachers to avoid misuse.
S M Anwarullah, Pakistan

At that age ( 6/7 ) they are still too young to exercise much judgement and they could be exposed to pernicious influences via Right Wing web sites with alternative explanations for the Holocaust for example. Overall I would suggest that 6 or 7 is too young and counter with the trend towards less exercise in todays young people. Perhaps more benefit would be derived from acquiring study skills.
The ability to communicate both visually and aurally with other classroom sites throughout the world however can be beneficial. Overall I would suggest Internet access is not an unmixed blessing but used with due consideration and caution can be helpful.
R Baker, UK

Teacher education is the biggest missing piece. The Internet is just another communications medium, like books, magazines, video, TV, etc. The students need a teacher who understands the medium well enough to help them interpret the content received.
John Ager, US

The Web is a very inefficient place to search for information, and the probability of distraction onto time wasting topics is virtually certain. Children will still find a decent book on the subject they are studying much more efficient. As a leisure activity, the web is great.
Elwin Tennant, UK

I see no reason why the Internet should not be used for teaching children of all ages. There is a wealth of information to be gained from the Internet and provided proper instruction is given to teachers, along with safeguards to prevent access to less desirable sites, children should be allowed access to this ever growing resource.
Ray McKinnie, UK

Only if it can be guaranteed that the quality of the information is true and fair. Learning on the net will need to be strictly focused because of its size and impersonal nature.
Goddie Quaye, UK

I use the Internet all the time, but it's not for kids. Certainly, it should be use for recreation and communication - but not as a teaching tool. Children are so impressionable, expecially when young - and this initiative plans to target kids under 10 years. At that age they should be learning creative skills from more traditional media rather than being confused by technology, especially when a lot of the teacher's won't understand the technology either!
Peter Sambokk, Newcastle, UK

You are never too young to learn. Obviously, the access and content have to be controlled but I believe the Internet is potentiallya new and exciting way of getting information.
Ken Waters, Wales

Yes but everything will have to be a lot more accessible....This 46 year old has a lot of difficulty!
Gary Wilson, England

Boys are under-achieving in schools - why? Most find their Playstations far more exciting than school. Access to the Internet might help boys to take more interest in school work.
Russell Ellis, UK

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