The Internet is a worldwide collection of networks, both big and small. These networks connect together in many different ways to form the single entity that we know as the Internet. In fact, the very name comes from this idea of interconnected networks. Most traditional communications media including telephone, music, film, and television are reshaped or redefined by the Internet, giving birth to new services such as voice over Internet Protocol and Internet Protocol Television Newspaper, book and other print publishing are adapting to Web site technology, or are reshaped into blogging and web feeds. The Internet has enabled and accelerated new forms of human interactions through instant messaging, Internet forums, and social networking. Online shopping has boomed both for major retail outlets and small artisans and traders. Business-to-business and financial services on the Internet affect supply chains across entire industries.

The Internet is a useful tool that can help people accomplish many different goals. Some businesses or schools use the Internet to provide training to people in the field of education. Such training has both advantages and disadvantages. The advantages follow to be the use of social media in education has been particularly successful in engaging and exciting young people about learning, allowing them to share and play with their peers and to use sites like Myspace and Facebook to set up and collaborate on projects in an exciting and immediate forum.

The movement of education to the internet has opened up a whole new realm of opportunities for students of all ages and backgrounds, from all over the world. Suddenly anybody with an internet connection can attend a series of world-class lectures at Harvard University using video streaming, whilst online universities and degrees invite pupils from the most isolated backgrounds to study alongside their peers. Thanks to education technology, the opportunity for students from economically disadvantaged backgrounds to self-educate has increased exponentially.

The opportunity for young people to engage with other schools and students across the world has opened up a hugely rich insight into the lives and customs of different cultures and religions, providing a diversity of experience hitherto unimaginable in the school classroom. E-twinning allows profitable and exciting links to be formed between schools from different countries, sharing information about completely different cultures, lifestyles and traditions. Training can be available for access at any time of the day. Using the Internet to set up educational training allows the person setting up the system to allow users access to the material at any time. Those with lark sleeping patterns may prefer to review training materials early in the morning. Those who are night owls can learn late in the night. Such availability means each student is learning according to his optimum performance preferences. The Internet allows access to vast quantities of information. Using the Internet to provide educational training allows a school or workplace to provide a great deal of material at low cost. There is no need to hand out large paper folders to each person or to copy each page multiple times. The information can simply be placed on the website in question with a hosting service that may already be in place.

As there benefits there are also drawbacks. The disadvantages start with the risk that the thriving in online learning and education technology has shifted focus away from traditional teaching methods and classroom practice. While the advantages are enormous, there is also a risk that the injection of money and attention in one direction may leave a vacuum behind. Not all education takes place online, and it is important that we also continue to value and develop our offline teaching practice, to support those educators working in a more traditional environment. It has been difficult for some older or less techno-savvy teachers to get on-board with the new media wave in education, with fears that their lack of experience with computers may leave them out in the cold and facing criticism for their ‘old-fashioned’ teaching methods. It is vital that governments and schools provide training and support to induct teachers into new e-learning programs and train them to use education technology effectively. Many well-funded schools and colleges have reported exciting strides in e-learning and fantastically successful conversions to digital courses and iPad-only lessons. However it is important to consider the dangers of excluding schools in more disadvantaged areas, where tight budgets and over-full classrooms make it impossible for pupils to benefit from access to the same kind of modern technology. In many inner city state schools in the UK, pupils still share old and faulty computers between a whole class, a far cry from the slick e-learning success stories of pupils using brand new laptops to bounce blue-ray questions and answers across the classroom. In addition it must not be assumed that all pupils are able to access a computer or the internet at home, putting some at a disadvantage outside the classroom too.

Whilst the internet provides a plethora of exciting and informative educational resources, it is also rife with less school-friendly distractions and even dangers. The temptation to slip off onto social networking or online gaming sites may make classroom control a challenge, and the ever-present threat of adults with ill-intent must always be considered. One of the biggest downsides to Internet education training is that users may be unable to consult with a human being when they have questions about material. They may have to wait for certain specific

hours to have their questions answered. Confusion about material that is confusing or poorly worded may slip through unnoticed as a result. There may be problems with computer software or access to materials. Users of computer Internet educational training may face problems using and gaining access to the website where the educational training materials are located. Outside links may be wrongly entered into the system and thus not work. Problems with browsers can arise, such as a crash or users not having a compatible browser with the needed website. Some users may use Mac computers rather than PCs and find this restricts their access to materials or vice versa. Power may go off during a rainstorm or snowstorm. This can lead to loss of data and the need to redo training materials. This can make it difficult to meet deadlines on projects.

In conclusion, there are a number benefits and undoubtedly hefty drawbacks. It is indeed very beneficial for students who learn differently, as not all students have the same way of learning. But it is also a new technique to eliminate our ancient perennial teaching method. Nevertheless, I believe everything has side effects, as there are a lot of overcoming drawbacks the best option would be to retain using Internet as an educational source alongside our evergreen old teaching methods.