Assisted Learning Imagine you had a computer with 10,000+ times the computing power than was necessary to put man on the moon, now imagine that computer easily fitting into your pants pocket. That is the current state of our technology. Yet even with our tremendous advancements people believe that having such easy access is detrimental to our society. I believe that the opposite is true, the Internet as a learning tool is of tremendous benefit. The Internet has an endless source of information but getting past all the headlines and top 10 lists can be a nuisance but well worth the perseverance. In 2012 author Nicholas Carr published the article “Is Google Making Us Stupid?” in which he argues that the structure of the Internet is resulting in shallower and scattered thought. Carr argues that the amount of information available on the web is causing him to “zip along the surface like a guy on a jet ski” (Carr 2). Carr believes that because information is so vast and quick to access it is rewiring his brain for decreased contemplation. While it may be true that skimming information is the easiest option, I believe that delving into a subject is just as simple. Recently I was interested in learning a programming language and was introduced to the website codeacademy.com where users can take a free guided online class to learn the basics of a language. I finished the class and had a much better understanding of coding than I had prior. But I realized that what I learned was just barely scratching the surface so I turned to another online source to further my knowledge. A specialized section of Reddit.com, an online community where users create posts and comment on other posts, devoted to the specific language I was learning. There I created a thread asking what I should do next to improve my skills and received many replies with suggestions of other websites, books, and projects to work on. Next I ordered one of the suggested intermediate books and have been working through that when I have time. This type of research is possible for any subject and is a great gateway into whatever piques your interest. Another area where the Internet excels at is the ability to get information from many different sources. Carr believes that the web is structured in a way that “there’s little place for the fuzziness of contemplation” (Carr). But I would argue that because of the variety websites and people to get information from, the process of contemplation has taken on a larger role. In Clay Shirky’s book titled “Cognitive Surplus” is also the term Shirky coined for the type on contemplation I am referring to, where many people can come together to state opinions and be responsive to the opinion of others. An example of cognitive surplus is the crowd sourced website Wikipedia, an encyclopedia where everyone is able to edit and add information as they please. So while some may be just using the web as a source to information consumption, there is a “cumulative shift toward participation across a whole population that enables the creation of a Wikipedia” (Shirky 12). As I mentioned earlier, I believe Reddit to be another example of Cognitive Surplus because it consists of mostly user generated content. And from that content stems discussions which results in one of the most information dense websites I have ever used. Participation is not only in the aspect of giving your own thoughts on a subject, but also to seek opinions that differ from your own in order to contemplate other perspectives. On the Internet the playing field is leveled for who has access to education. Online the background of the user does not matter, as long as the user is willing to learn they can find all the information they need. Because of this there is now “access to cheap, flexible tools that remove many of the barriers to trying new things” (Shirky 17). The Internet as removed many of the barriers of learning about something new. While books are still a viable option for learning, there is now a more interactive medium in which to draw from. There are many websites that serve as a platform to the user. A few of my favorite are Khan Academy, a website that provides mini lecture videos on a large amount of subjects from calculus to art history. Another website is Adafruit, which is dedicated to teaching programming and electronics with their step by step tutorials and breakdowns of electronic projects. Also there is Instructables, a website where users can explore, document, and share projects they are working on. These are just a few of the many websites available for the curious mind. It is also worth mentioning that all of these websites are free to use. So as long as the user has access to the Internet whether from a computer or a smartphone, these resources are available. When I watch my nephew’s and nieces play games on their tablets that are designed to teach I’m amazed at how quickly kids learn new concepts. Tablets are now becoming a standard learning tool in schools. "Parents that were using education apps at home were overwhelmingly in favour of using iPads in primary schools, with 88 percent of the respondents supportive of the idea” (Mori 8). A recent Mori survey has highlighted the increased use of iPad and other tablets in the home, which more than doubled in the last year. Using tablets over traditional textbooks has a few benefits that aid in educating children. For example using a tablet can be much less daunting than a textbook filled with information or problems because the tablet can present things in a more approachable manner. There are numerous games that are meant to teach children the basics of mathematics and algebra but many of these games do not use normal equation based problem sets to get the concept across. For example they instead hide the math behind counting or scaling exercises with animations that are attractive to children. These apps can also bring the user instant feedback of whether or not they correctly understand a concept. Whereas with textbooks in order to know if you are doing the work correctly the student would either have to check the back of the book for part of the correct answers or get your worked check by someone who is more knowledgeable. The Internet is creating an atmosphere in learning that is much more accessible and less daunting than traditional methods. Online courses provide an opportunity for people of all age groups to take up subjects of their choice, according to their interests. Anyone from a student, a housewife, or a professional can just start up their computers, connect to the Internet, and take virtual classes. Therefore, people can now gain knowledge according to their need and time available. You are, now, never too old or too busy to learn something new.
The Internet also streamlines academic research through online databases and search engines, which allows students to view the full text of scholarly publications, of research studies, and even of books. Doing this online research also lets students sharpen their critical thinking skills by evaluating Internet sources for credibility, bias and usefulness. Knowing how to determine a source's trustworthiness can help students evaluate online sources they come across. However even with all the different methods of contribution and consumption that exist on the web there are still a large percentage of people only passively participating. Meaning that just like television many people are using the Internet as another source for the consumption of thought. With services such as Netflix, Hulu, Amazon Prime, and HBO Go there are many ways in which the Internet can just be another form of distraction. While there are many ways to kill time on the Internet, for the most part they are at least minimally interactive. “Even when they watch video online, seemingly a pure analog to TV, they have opportunities to comment on the material, to share it with their friends, to label, rate or rank it, and of course to discuss it with other viewers around the world” (Shirky 11). While there are parts of the Internet that lend itself towards passive participation, along side that content is opportunities to do further research. One thing I enjoy doing after watching an episode of a television show is to find a community of other viewers and discuss with them thoughts on various characters or plotlines. This kind of communication was previously only available to the people around you but is now available to people worldwide. Also is in the websites best interest to bring content most relevant to the user. So there is incentive to use the interactive features. Even though these methods are only slightly interactive the fact that there is an option of “doing nothing and doing something” (Shirky19) is bridging the gap between passive and active participation. The Internet as a learning tool is still relatively early in its development and is rapidly changing the way we consume information. There is still a long way to go as far a streamlining the transfer of information to users. But as the technology and education knowledge advances I excited to see what the future holds.

Works Cited 1. Carr, Nicholas. "Is Google Making Us Stupid?" The Atlantic. Atlantic Media Company, 01 July 2008. Web. 2. Shirky, Clay. Cognitive Surplus: Creativity and Generosity in a Connected Age. New York: Penguin, 2010. Print.
3. Ipsos Mori. “Being Online: An Investigation of People’s Habits and Attitudes” 2013 Web.