How should kids access the Internet?
THE INTERNET allows students to access the outside world, to exchange information and engage in thought-provoking discussion. But how should they be allowed to gain access to this system? What would happen if every student in your school had access to a personal, private account? What would be the benefits? What potential problems would have to be overcome? Some would argue that a more efficient solution is to assign an Internet account to each teacher, who will then allow students to use that account for their email and IRC discussions. Though the single account system reduces networking costs for the school and offers well-monitored use of the Internet, it may be impractical for larger classes, for only so many students can use an account at a given time. There are also problems of traffic and confusion with only one account - even a dozen students may produce and receive hundreds of email messages in a given week. And what learning experiences would be lost if groups of students were expected to share accounts, instead of allowing each student to have a personal account?
