Technology & Education: The Internet Era (1990s–2000s)

 The world came into the classroom

By the mid-1990s, the Internet had begun its steady march into schools. Dial-up tones gave way to high-speed connections, and suddenly students could look up more than what was in a textbook. By the 2000s, resources like online encyclopedias, digital libraries, and early e-learning platforms changed research forever.

I remember when the classroom walls felt like they had dissolved. Students were collaborating on projects with peers in other states, even countries. Teachers could send home assignments by email instead of handouts. Learning became global. Online databases transformed research from hours in the library to minutes at a screen.

The World Wide Web, as it was most known back then, delivered on the promises I thought CD-ROMs were going to fufill; massive (alomst 800 megabytes) collections of data with images and even some animations or movies. The web was unlimited, you just had to know where to look.

What the Internet unlocked:

 * Access to vast digital libraries and primary sources.

 * The rise of distance learning and virtual classrooms.

 * Collaboration tools that made students publishers, not just consumers.

But here’s the gap:

 The web didn’t come with a guidebook. Students could find information instantly, but not always evaluate it. Accuracy, safety, and digital citizenship became pressing concerns. Access shifted from “Can we get online?” to “Can we navigate wisely?”

With the world at your fingertips, you have access to both good and bad information in equal measure. 

*👉 The lesson? Every new tool requires new literacies.*

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Posted on LinkedIn