Before the
invention of computers and the Internet, the average classroom was similar to
the world outside. People worked at desks, got information from books, and
wrote with pencils. However, today the outside world is very different.
People can get information anytime and anywhere. They use this information in
their work and daily lives. At the same time, most schools don’t allow students
to use this tool when they are taking tests. This policy needs to change. Clearly, if schools want to prepare students for the future, they
need to allow college students to use the Internet when they are taking tests.
Students should have Internet
access while they are taking tests because the Internet is the most important
tool in the modern world. Like other tools, students need to learn to use the
Internet if they want to be successful. For example, an accountant who
knows how to get information about tax laws will save clients’ money. A doctor
who can get correct information about new medicines can help her patients. In addition, information
changes quickly. For example, new scientific
information replaces old information every day. No human can learn about or
remember all the changes, so people are better off if they can look up the
newest information. Finally, people are using
more information now than in the past. Take today’s global economy. Business
students need to learn about different markets and products, and they need to
know where to get the best information. Having experience using the Internet to
get the right information is more helpful than studying textbooks with
information that may not be true anymore.
Old-fashioned people say students need to study facts and
information and then use their memories to take tests. They say being able to
memorize is important. They have a point. Memorizing is useful for some things
like poetry, passwords, and people’s names. However, it is not realistic to think
that memorizing is the main skill for life outside of school. Students will be
more qualified if they learn how to use the Internet to get useful new and
correct information. Instead, schools can change their tests so that new ways
of getting information are part of the test.
In conclusion, the Internet is the most important tool for human beings
in the world today. Schools need to stop being afraid of it. Being able to go
online during tests is a better way to help college students prepare for the
real world.
