Module 8

                While many like to focus on how computers and the internet have improved the ease at which we can perform our jobs, these two inventions have helped many of us before we even stepped foot in our first jobs. The use of computers and the internet has personally helped me through my education both in high school and college by allowing me to take long distance classes, to access books and magazines through multiple sources, and by providing me with instant test results, and access to tutorial services.

                While I was in high school, one service that my school provided was the resources to take collage classes during school time. At the time, I was living in an isolated area and the nearest college campus was over an hour away. I and other students at my school were able to take these classes without traveling. Surrounding colleges would have classrooms for select general education classes wired with cameras and microphones. Our school had one classroom that was wired the same way. These college classes online, and then projected onto a large screen TV within our classroom. The students could watch and hear what was going on in each college class. If a student at the high school had questions, they could press a button on one of the microphones located through out the classroom and ask the professor their question. The professor could pull up the footage from the high school, allowing the teacher to see and speak to the student. This program not only helped to prepare me for taking classes on an actual campus, it also gave me practice taking online classes. Many colleges, like Weber  State provide online classes. Students can take just a few classes like this one or complete full degrees . In this way, computers and the internet have helped to further my education.

                Once I got to college, I was amazed at how may papers I had to write for each class. The best place to go for accurate research is the college library. While in middle school and high school, most of my research was limited to the latest copy of Encyclopedia Britannica and interviews with older adults. The library here at Weber State has the Inter-Library loan system that has expanded my research beyond what books and magazines they have currently on the shelves. I can get online and look for books and magazines that other surrounding colleges have on their shelves.  I can then look at t digital copy on line, or ask a library assistant to order the book for me that I can pick up within a few days. This system also allows me to look up articles from peered reviewed journals that would otherwise be hard to find or that would only post the article abstract online. Once again computers and the many uses of the internet have allowed me to further my education.

                One simple function that computers can do that has relieved some of my college stress is to provide me with instant results to many of my tests. Whether I am taking a test online or in the Testing Center using a Scantron sheet, I can receive instant feed back on most of my tests. This has removed the anxiety that comes with waiting a weekend or a couple of weeks for my professors to grade my tests. It also helps me to prepare questions based on my test results for my next session with my professor. So while it my not necessarily help to advance my education, receiving instant results helps to keep my sanity.

                The last way computers and the internet have helped me with my education is by providing me with access to various websites that have helped me to learn and understand difficult concepts in my math and physics classes. I have been able to find a quite a few websites (including YouTube) that have devoted much of their content to understanding math concepts for mechanical engineers.  I am sure that this area of study is not the only one that has other people willing to those within their degrees. These resources have provided students with a feeling of empowerment to take control of their learning. We no longer have to wait for the professor to have office hours to ask questions.  This has also forced many of us students to look out side the box for answers, which will carry on into our computer dominated careers.