The Internet will replace traditional course books in schools. Do you agree or disagree?

Thanks to the advanced technology, there is a huge range of resources available to the teacher in the modern society. As far as the importance of the right selection of information is concerned, I agree with the argument that there will always be a place for a course book in the school curriculum, despite many merits of the Internet. Given that the modern course books have experienced a surprising progress, I personally believe that they attain superiority over the Internet. In the

first

place, contents in traditional learning materials are far more effective in educating children than those in the Internet. As developed by pedagogical experts, course-books have been carefully designed to incorporate what children should learn each year into the syllabus, including pages that carry out the children’s knowledge check through regular quizzes and assessment. More specifically, given that students’ academic achievement and their potential both have improved even when there is no Internet, these traditional educating materials have long been proven to improve students' performance.

Furthermore

, unlike Internet-based classes where each student reads and verifies the information all by themselves, the use of modern textbooks allows pupils to coordinate their studies as parts of group activities. With creative content that requires interaction with friends, the coursework can make the lessons less teacher-led and more interesting. Ultimately, I believe that the Internet will never be an alternative for course-books in schools, but could play a useful part as a supplement: to provide a range of materials helpful in making children assimilate what they are learning through the books.  Another point worth mentioning starts from the fact that it is children that we aim to educate. It is widely recognised that the Internet can be invaluable for adults who in distance learning or self-study modules.

Additionally

, those mature learners are believed to be able to discriminate and sift information to marshal what they need.

However

, it is a mature skill and we should not assume that school age pupils are ready to do that. If students are provided with the lecture through the Internet, it would be hard to expect any desirable effects. I am firmly of the opinion that the Internet should not be the only means in a classroom,

instead

, it should fulfil a pivotal role in supporting existing textbooks. In conclusion, it appears that course-books, with their quality and depth of material, are set to remain an integral part of the syllabus. If used carefully and under supervision, the Internet can be judged a useful supplement to it