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Crippled without internet?

e-dependent
Last Updated 13 August 2012, 13:57 IST

Our young population’s love for technology and internet is not unknown. According to a recent study by Google ‘Students on the Web,’ Indians in the age bracket of 18 to 35 are at number two spot globally when it comes to search queries on internet related to education, second only to US.

What is crucial is that internet is becoming a great source for searching information on course content apart from selecting educational institutions.

This directly indicates that school and college students’ reliance on physical books is going down, whereas information available on internet is coming handy for them.

Metrolife speaks to students, school teachers and principals to understand the long-term impact of this trend.

Delhi Public School (DPS) R K Puram Principal Daulat Ram Saini says there is nothing wrong if students are depending on internet for their routine studies and projects but what needs to be ensured is that they use it as a supplement source. “It is a positive trend that our students are making use of internet. In earlier times, the information was less and time was more. Nowadays, information is overwhelming and time is limited.

Without internet it is not possible to live in this competitive world,” he says. Students explain that they turn to the cyber space because what is available in physical books is also available on internet, in fact more than that. Rahul Anand, a BTech third-year student, says for one subject and topic, many authors are suggested by the teachers.

However, it is not possible to buy all books and there is no need also when everything is there on internet. “When I don’t understand any topic taught in the class, I read it on the internet. Besides, when e-books are there, what is the need to buy the physical versions? For projects also, I am completely dependent on internet,” he says.

Hardik Chaudhary, a Std X student, says, “This is a very important year for me. After a year, I’ll have to select my specialisation. I keep checking on internet which stream will give me maximum avenues.”

According to some teachers, while it is commendable that in order to get more study-related information, youngsters are becoming tech savvy, the worry is they don’t end up being a ‘cut and paste’ generation. 

Ameeta Wattal, principal of Springdales School and Vice Chairperson of National Schools Progressive Alliance says, “A lot many times, when my students submit a write-up or a poem, through a plagiarism checker programme, it turns out that 90 percent content is just cut and paste. That’s my worry. We have to ensure that their habit of using internet for everything does not bar them from thinking. They should used internet as a tool not as an aid,” she expresses. 

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(Published 13 August 2012, 13:57 IST)

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