The library or the Internet?

(This blog entry forms part of the series: “Is Technology the Answer to our Education Problems?”)

Your child has a school project to do. Should you invest in a Cyber Nanny program and introduce the child to the search engines on the Internet, or take her to the local library instead?

The advantages of the Internet:
If you have access to the Internet at home, at school or at work, checking information online is faster than browsing through catalogues and finding the right books on the shelves.
The latest, most up-to-date information.
Usually more points of view can be found on an issue than in an officially approved reference book.

The disadvantages of the Internet:
You have no way of knowing whether the information you find is correct or just somebody’s opinion.
References are usually absent, so is the date of publication.
You can experience information overflow.
Because the computer and the Internet itself offer many fun pastimes, it’s very easy to get distracted from your research topic.

Realistically speaking, children will need both skills in life: that of library navigation as well as that of safe Internet browsing.

But did you know that some children prefer to see information on the computer screen, while others need to touch the book for better information assimilation? Or that some children might prefer the busy library environment to the quiet of the house? Find out what your child needs in order to learn new things: visit us on http://www.creativelearningcentre.com/default.asp?page=lsas.