I never thought too much about if students should be allowed to surf the web during a test. In my opinion, students should not be allowed to surf the web out of fear of cheating. But after reading James Cash (who said YES) perspective in - Point/Counterpoint: Should Students Use the Internet while Taking Tests? - arguing that teachers should not put boundaries around students trying to learn. Furthermore, students looking for answers on the web should [also] be allowed in some cases, depending “on the goals of the test and what you [the teacher] are testing” for. Which, in my opinion, seems a bit ironic or an unusual perspective.
The other half of the story, Jeffery Starr, who also said "NO"! felt like students should never be allowed to surf the web "researching" for answers because that defeats the purpose of testing to see if students know the material or not; which is understandable in my book.
Both arguments had valid points. I felt that Jerry could have packaged his approach a little better then he did and not come across as a control freak wanting to police every aspect of students personal life, as if he never been a child before. Students could possibly feel threatened by his demeanor putting up a resistance if they feel grown-ups are violating their personal privacy, and taking away their freedom. This could cause students to even loose trust in their teacher and not respect them.
What is your take on this issue?
Hi Enoch,
ReplyDeleteGood points about Jerry's response. I too felt like he was a little uptight about the internet and technology in general.
Do you think students would still be considered cheating if they are using the internet for the purpose of generally look up the subject, but then required to analyze it on their own in their own words? I'm uncertain if it is or not. Maybe it isn't if the teacher wants his or her tests to be run that way. I do wonder if this kind of teaching method with using the internet is effective in terms of the students really learning the material rather than temporarily cramming and memorizing facts to regurgitate back on paper.
Sarah,
DeleteI don’t know. Maybe it depends on the teacher/and or rules of the school. It’s hard to say. Again, I think you said it best when saying, “I think using the internet for ideas is not a terrible thing. It definitely depends on the subject/lesson being taught”.
Enoch I believe that use of the internet on testing, lies somewhere in between yes or no. The saying, “there is a season for everything” can be sited in this issue. Mastery of the basics is among the first steps to critical thinking. I agree that Jerry Starr's approach to this article seemed a little sarcastic but I think he wanted to emphasize the need to develop a educational foundation first. There is a place for the internet in testing, but it has to be focused and limited in the lower grades to allow the students to develop their educational foundation first. After they develop a solid foundation then they will have the tools to analyze what they read on the internet to use it to develop their critical thinking skills.
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