using the internet as a homework tool

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Digital Homework

The Federal Communications Commission reports that about 65% of students used the internet at home to complete their homework and 70% of teachers assigned homework that required access to broadband. As technology becomes increasingly common in households, how can educators and parents harness technology to foster students' problem-solving skills?

Going Paperless but Not Effortless

“Alexa, what’s 5 minus 3?” A 6-year-old boy discreetly asked Amazon’s voice-activated assistant for the answer to his homework; he got a perfect answer right back, while his mother was busy doing household chores. This short video was posted on Twitter and received more than 8.5 million views.

National Public Radio introduced this case to raise awareness among parents and educators of the challenges posed by the pervasiveness of digital technology and artificial intelligence in everyday life. As technology is increasingly common in households, one pressing question for educators and parents alike is how technology-assisted homework can foster students’ problem-solving skills rather than crippling indolence. 

Going Paperless

Technology makes our life easy — bills can be paperless; homework can be completed via the internet. Online homework is a major component of e-learning through network technologies. Previous research shows that most U.S. students in sixth grade and above have experience using computers and the internet to complete such “paperless” homework. As students advance in higher grades and education levels, the percentage of digital homework increases correspondingly.

There is no clear-cut definition of what digital homework is. It can be any assignment that students need to complete with the assistance of a computer, the internet, or other information and communication technologies (ICT). Although it would seem the opposite to the traditional homework that students complete with pen, pencil, and paper, it should be noted that, in a broad sense, digital homework includes homework that students write on paper but also requires using computer and/or internet assistance for its completion.

Data show that digital homework is growing in popularity in the 21st century. In 2009, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) reported that about 65 percent of U.S. students used the internet at home to complete their homework, and approximately 70 percent of teachers assigned homework that required access to broadband. Surveys conducted by the nonprofit educational organization Speak Up in 2017 showed that nearly half of the students in grades six to 12 reported getting internet-based homework assignments daily or almost daily. About 90 percent of high-schoolers reported that they had to do internet-based homework at least a few times a month.

Advantages and Disadvantages

The transition from traditional homework to digital assignments offers both advantages and disadvantages. A 2014 study by researchers Marco Gui, Marina Micheli, and Brunella Fiore shows that students who used the internet moderately for homework performed higher academically than students who used the internet too often or infrequently for homework. Many factors can affect the learning outcomes that students are expected to achieve through digital homework, but critical thinking is always the key to success in using technology for learning.

Digital homework benefits students when educators and parents effectively guide students to maximize the use of ICT for learning. For instance, digital homework can increase students’ interest in doing homework, boost their efficiency in submitting assignments as well as teachers’ efficiency in providing feedback (if submitted online), and inspire students to learn more and more deeply by providing immediate feedback (if graded automatically).

Digital homework fosters and hones the skill of using ICT to solve problems, which is important for students’ postsecondary life. Research shows that people who can solve problems using ICT have higher chances of being employed, and even earn more than people without ICT experience. Meaningful digital homework encourages students to think through what they are learning and enriches their experience using ICT.

Parents and educators have legitimate concerns about digital homework. For elementary school students, the concern is that the use of hi-tech mechanization may hinder their cognitive development, such as memorization and sensory motor skills. For high school students, the worry is that students may largely depend on technology for their assignments rather than use their brains for the thought process.

Digital Divide

Educators also consider the digital divide a matter of big concern. In a 2016 nationwide survey (Speak Up, 2016), 49 percent of principals said that ensuring students’ access to technology outside the school was a major challenge, and 44 percent of teachers worried that they could not effectively integrate technology in the classroom because their students may not have access to consistent and safe internet outside the school. It should be noted that among the surveyed students:

• 48 percent went to school early or stayed late so they could use their school’s internet
• 32 percent would access the internet at fast food restaurants or cafes to do their homework
• 30 percent used their public library internet.

Digital homework should be effective in supporting students to master what they have learned and strengthening their problem-solving skills. The data of the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP 2017) show that students who frequently used computers and the internet for math homework performed at much lower rates than students who never or rarely used digital devices for math assignments ( see chart). By contrast, students who received 45 minutes to an hour of math homework every day, regardless of whether digital or traditional, performed the best. The data suggest that persistent practice matters the most for math performance.

Age, grade and subject appropriateness are always the key to the use of technology in education. In sum, digital homework may go paperless, but should never be effortless.

Jinghong Cai Senior Research Analyst

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How to use the internet to study wisely.

BY ALEX HASLAM

The internet is the most powerful research tool on the planet, but as any fellow student will tell you, it can also be a distraction. If you want to stay productive, start with the basics and then build from there. A well-equipped browser will allow you to collect your resources in one place, and a reliable internet connection will let you work as quickly as possible to meet deadlines. Once you have the basics, you’ll also want robust tools to help you research, review, write, and focus.

As studies have noted , some of the best resources are the hardest to find online—so we’ve done the digging for you. Here are a handful of useful free apps and websites available to help you use your time online wisely and get down to the business of studying without the distractions.

Collaborate with StudyStack

Create free flashcards and share them with your study group, or use a deck from the database. StudyStack makes it easy to stay efficient and collaborate with other students. You can also use StudyStack to create and play games with flashcards so cramming doesn’t feel like a chore.

Edit with Grammarly

If you’ve been staring bleary-eyed at the same paper for hours, let Grammarly do the cleanup for you . This free writing assistant catches most simple spelling mistakes, sentence fragments, and significant grammatical errors. Advanced versions of Grammarly may be worth the additional cost as they also check for plagiarism and offer suggestions to align the writing to your audience.

Read with Gutenberg

When you’re scrounging for resources and access to books online, don’t forget about Project Gutenberg . It offers more than 57,000 free e-Books, many available for download or to read online. You’ll also find books in several languages including German, French, Italian, and Portuguese.

Review with Crash Course

Have you forgotten the basics of a subject and you need a quick review before you start cramming? Crash Course is a fantastic place to start. This free YouTube channel, founded by author John Green, breaks down complex topics across a variety of areas like statistics, history, computer science, and study skills. These bite-size videos are fun, dynamic reviews of concepts that get you prepared for a deeper dive.

Focus with Cold Turkey

Sometimes we all need a little help with self-control. Cold Turkey has your back with a free filter that blocks distracting websites and helps you impose time limits for studying online without surfing social media. There’s also a free version for writers that doesn’t let you exit until you’ve reached your selected word count goal.

Stay Productive with RescueTime

It’s said that awareness is the first step towards resolving a problem. RescueTime takes that to heart , monitoring your productivity online and producing weekly reports about how you’re spending your time and which apps or websites might be the most distracting. It also lets you set goals and alarms to keep you focused and give each activity a productivity score so you can track your improvement over time.

Alex Haslam graduated from the David Eccles School of Business at the University of Utah in 2017. Today she is a freelance writer who focuses on consumer technology, entertainment, and higher education.

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How to use the internet as a learning tool in your classroom

The internet shouldn’t just be an occasional afterthought to classroom learning. Finance educators can and should incorporate it into every lesson. 

The internet has transformed everything that we do, from managing complex logistics operations to buying a bottle of shampoo. Among other things, digitization has revolutionized the way we keep up with the lives of our friends and family. Most people I know would not feel comfortable if they walked out of their homes without their smartphone. The march of digital has transformed the way businesses operate around the world.

But one place that has managed to remain relatively unaffected by this sea change in technology is the classroom in institutions of higher learning.

Granted, there are many examples of the use of digital in higher education. There are instructor-led online courses, self-directed “eLearning” courses, corporate webinars, and free courses offered on YouTube by professors from top universities or internet sites such as Khan Academy.

But they are generally used as substitutes for, or supplements to, the traditional classroom. Indeed, these technology-based alternatives are often labelled “virtual” classrooms in contrast to physical, face-to-face classrooms. Technology has also been used extensively to digitize and repackage teaching material. Those of us of a certain age might recall walking out of the campus bookstore during the first week of the semester with 43lbs of textbooks in our bags. Today’s students can now conveniently download all their course material, including only selected chapters of textbooks, in neat files of PDF documents. Yet the way these materials are used in the classroom has hardly changed.

When I talk about integrating digital technology into the classroom, I am not talking about anything radically new. I am simply proposing that instructors start to incorporate the use of the internet during their classroom time. And by this, I don’t mean the occasional insertion of a YouTube clip in a PowerPoint slide show. I mean allowing students to use their smartphones or tablets and laptops in real time to access the internet for information relevant to the class discussion.

This is exactly the opposite of current practice. Many instructors discourage or prohibit the use of any electronic device during class,  amid concerns that this would dilute a student’s full attention to what is going on in class or distract others in the class – including the instructor. Instructors may also be concerned that students would try to google the answers to the questions posed in the class discussion.

Yet I can offer two good personal examples in which the internet has been an effective addition to classroom discussions. One is the discussion of business cases and the second is in the analysis of financial data.

Harnessing the internet in business cases

Two business cases that I often use in my classes are Amazon, Apple, Facebook and Google (Harvard Business School, 2012) and Nokia and the New Mobile Ecosystem (INSTEAD, 2012). But with each passing year – or even month – it becomes more difficult to rely on the information about these companies solely up to the point when the case studies were written.

Therefore, I instruct my students to prepare to discuss these companies and their situations using the information in the business case. But then, in class, after some discussion of the published case, I ask them to use the internet to search out key events that have occurred since the time the case was written. This keeps the material fresh. Of course, students can do this anyway during their pre-class preparation, but they usually use their limited time to concentrate on the assigned case material. I also find that the class discussion itself motivates them to want to find out more about what happened after the case was written. By giving them “on-demand” access to current information, they start to contribute even more to the class discussion. Everyone, including me, learns a lot this way.

Harnessing the internet in financial data

The second example involves the real-time use of the internet when I teach courses or seminars in finance, particularly for corporate education programmes. Financial ratio analysis is an important topic of study in an introductory finance course.

In the old days, instructors in academic finance courses, as well as non-academic courses, were comfortable with using the financial information in a textbook – which was already at least a year old by the time the book was published.

The textbook examples drew on one or two company annual reports. If instructors wanted to supplement this information, they might ask their students to pick one or two companies or they themselves might provide to their students hard copies of the financial reports of a few companies.

But now, with the availability of financial data on the internet, financial information on hundreds of companies is only a few clicks away. There are many sites that provide financial statements and ratios of publicly traded companies such as  www.finance-challenge.com , which I helped to develop in the interest of achieving a more dynamic teaching environment.

As noted, I have found that using the internet to access key financial data during the class is a particularly effective way to bring financial ratios to life. The way I used to teach this subject was to have my students peruse the annual reports that I had selected for them, find the relevant information, and then use this information to compute a list of key ratios that depict the overall financial health of the companies. But once I opened up the class to the use of the internet, I was able to expand the scope and details of the class exercises in a wide variety of ways. Here are two examples:

1. The quiz show approach:

I ask the class a series of questions pertaining to the business operations of well-known companies. Here’s an example quiz:

• Who has the higher profit margin: Whole Foods or Walmart? Why?
• Apple iPhones comprise 20% of the global market for cell phones but over 90% of its operating profit. Why?
• Using the DuPont model as a reference, how do you think McDonald’s makes its money: from its net profit margin or its total asset turnover? Explain.

Students or executive participants go to their devices to find the answer on the internet and the discussion continues with their newfound facts and figures.

2. The A versus B approach

I ask the class to select two or three competitors (for example, Toyota versus General Motors, Coca-Cola versus PepsiCo, Amazon versus Walmart). I then ask them to surmise the absolute and relative magnitudes of their standard financial ratios, such as gross profit margin, net profit margin, total asset turnover. Their answers or “educated guesses” reflect their understanding of the companies’ business models and  competitive positions in their markets. They search out the answers on the internet. Depending on the class time allowed, I ask selected students to lead the discussion regarding their findings.

From classroom to home:

Once students see the immediate application of various financial metrics in these classroom exercises, they become even more motivated to continue to use these readily available internet resources on their own outside of class.

Somehow, the energy level of the class increases when everyone hunts as a group for the relevant data and various individuals start to find the answers for themselves, using the speed and convenience of the internet.

In the learning process, the sharing of the information found on the internet can be just as important as the discovery of the answer itself. Perhaps this is an offshoot of the sharing culture spawned by social media. But, in any case, by sharing what they have found, students, in effect, become somewhat like teachers. And we all recall the old axiom that the best way to learn something is to teach it. (Also see the “learning pyramid using internet access in classroom activities” above)

I’m not saying that students should enjoy an unfettered use of their devices during the class. But for certain class activities, such as those that I have described, I believe that access to the internet is a real aid to the learning process. In the learning pyramid opposite, I try to summarize how I believe that the selected classroom use of the internet helps students to retain what they have learned.

I trust that readers will not misinterpret my main argument. I do not think that Professor Google will take over the classroom anytime in the near future. For me, the ultimate learning app is still a good teacher. But, when used judiciously, the internet can be an amazing classroom teaching assistant.

ILLUSTRATION: ELLY WALTON

An adapted version of this article appeared on the  Dialogue Review website . 

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5 Smart Ways to Use the Internet in the Classroom

The following is a guest post written by Lori Wade, freelance blogger and content writer. If you would like to submit a guest post, please contact us .

To put it simply, every teacher these days has to understand that the millennial generation is gradually becoming the major workforce in the job market, and the millennials that are drawing closer to their college graduation are not overly anxious about the old ways. The same is even more true for the new generation of school students, who are now being tagged as digital natives .

In other words, whichever age group you are working with, it is your primary goal as a teacher to make the environment student-friendly . The good news is that you can easily achieve this effect even on a small school budget. The Internet , in particular, can be a handy and affordable learning tool in every classroom. Here are some ideas on how to make the most of the internet in your lessons:

#1 Take advantage of video lessons

Videos offer a great way to make education fun, no matter which subjects you are dealing with. Plus, the days when you had to book a separate room for any video class are long gone — you can now use software to project films from your phone/tablet directly to the classroom screen.

Another huge perk is that you can easily find plenty of free, educational channels on YouTube. Simply subscribing to a couple of video blogs in your subject area might save you a lot of trouble when preparing for the next lesson — after all, most of these videos are short, funny and visual. This is simply a win-win situation both for the students and the teachers! (If you are a student and accidentally came across this article, this is the part when you start thinking of sharing it with your teacher. No, seriously — just make sure to pick the most liberal professor).

#2 Invite remote speakers

Another great idea that will give any lesson a refreshing vibe is to invite remote speakers. Once again, this solution is suitable for all age groups and subjects, but, of course, you will have to choose your guests accordingly. For the youngest ones, for example, it can be a remote type of ‘who I want to be when I grow up’ lesson, where representatives of different professions attend virtually instead of coming in person to the classroom personally. For older students, you can invite subject matter experts — here, the engagement will mostly depend on your own connections.

Plus, the number of apps to choose from is enormous. From Skype and FaceTime to Viber and WhatsApp, these apps come with no fees or complications — a stable Internet connection and a screen are all you need.

#3 Create collaboration groups

Some projects are all about collaboration. All of the messaging apps mentioned above allow users to create groups where members can discuss project-related topics. Another example of a similar app is Slack, which is widely used in a variety of companies that work in teams.

Creating dedicated chat/discussion groups can be very useful for many subjects, allowing the whole team to works towards a common goal. Whether it is a lab report or a training marketing project, the use of Internet and technology in this example teaches students to collaborate, brainstorm, and contribute their share of effort towards the end result. Another great perk is that these forums prepare students for the real-time work environment, stressing the value of teamwork, and potentially reducing the learning curve in the workplace.

#4 Share public files and documents

Speaking of working together, Google suite has made it simpler than ever. Google allows creating shared access to text documents, spreadsheets, and even entire folders. Apple docs also features the same functionality, but the Apple product has its limits since it is very unlikely that all of your students will be Apple/Mac users. Google, on the other hand, hosts its programs on a cloud, using a web browser to access all of the files; so, user operational system makes no difference here.

There are dozens of ways to use Google Docs to increase productivity. The simplest one is to share all of the new assignments in class. Shared files will also become a perfect addition to shared study boards — instead of simply discussing one project or another online, students can actually work together on documents, presentations, graphs, reports, etc. They can even improve their college essay writing by having access to other papers from their class.

Plus, Google docs features the ability to add comments to a document, so it is possible to choose a couple of sample works and share your insight using this feature. Giving specific paper examples and commenting on what is right and what is wrong with each of the papers is the surest way to teach students writing or any other subject in that matter.

#5 Make your lessons more visual

Finally, the Internet gives teachers a chance to make each and every one of their lessons more visual. Pictures and photos are the surest way to achieve this effect. However, the sky’s the limit when choosing visual materials. For example, when teaching geography, you can make use of online maps, taking your audience to the remote locations. Maps can also prove useful when teaching culture and history (for example, an old photo of the location vs. a present-day street view). This approach creates a sense of connection, which is the surest way for the information to make its way into the student’s’ long-term memory.

Another idea, obvious as it may seem, is to use slides in your lessons. This is not a new concept — slides have been used in lectures for years. But, using the internet can give your old visuals a new vibe. By ‘visuals’ we do not necessarily mean pictures and graphs. Those could also be text fragments with the essential information, quotations, and practically any other written information you want to stress.

As you can see, using the Internet in a classroom does not necessarily mean that students will go through their Facebook feed (well, some of them will). Still, making Internet a part of your education process has more pluses than minuses. Put some effort into your lectures, try to walk in your students’ shoes, and speak their language — this is the best way to engage your maturing audience.

Author’s Bio: Lori Wade is a freelance content writer for Thriving Writer who is interested in a wide range of spheres from education and online marketing to entrepreneurship. She is also an aspiring tutor striving to bring education to another level like we all do. Lori is used to handling many writing orders at the same time and as she likes sharing her ideas and experience, she decided to write a great article for you to show how multiple tasks should be dealt with. If you are interested in writing, you can find her on Twitter or Google+ or find her in other social media. Read and take over Lori’s useful insights!

Reference herein to any specific commercial products, process, or service by trade name, trademark, manufacturer, or otherwise, does not constitute or imply an endorsement, recommendation, or favoring by Touro College.

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Done right, internet use among children can increase learning opportunities and build digital skills, groundbreaking unicef-lse report surveys nearly 15,000 children across 11 countries on internet use.

FLORENCE, 28 November 2019   – Blanket restrictions on children’s internet use prevent them from taking advantage of critical learning and skills development opportunities, according to a new UNICEF report, launched today at the Internet Governance Forum in Berlin.

Produced by the UNICEF Office of Research – Innocenti and the London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE), and based on research by Global Kids Online, Growing up in a Connected World compares data on internet use among nearly 15,000 internet-using children in 11 countries across Europe, Africa, Southeast Asia and Latin America. It finds that the activities children engage in online – even those typically seen as entertainment - are crucial for building digital skills.

“We often hear so much about the risks associated with children using the internet, but less about how we can build their online resilience and digital skills,” said Priscilla Idele, Director, a.i, of UNICEF’s Office of Research-Innocenti. “We should help children navigate how to use the internet in the same way we help teach children how to cross the road. We can’t – and don’t want to – prevent children from crossing the road just because it presents dangers; our role is to teach them how to cross the road safely and responsibly in all situations, and to apply safeguards that enable them to do so."

The report finds that children who participate in a wider range of online activities are more skilled in using the internet, while those whose access to the internet is more limited tend to have weaker digital skills. Online entertainment, for example, like playing videos games and watching videos clips, can help young children develop an interest in educational, informative and social online experiences. Encouraging children to extend their online activities beyond entertainment alone can also enable them to develop a range of technical and critical capacities, according to the report.

“Children need to spend time online to learn how to navigate the digital environment, even if this means being exposed to some level of risk. This is how children learn to navigate the offline world, so why would online be different?” said Daniel Kardefelt-Winther, research lead on Children & Digital Technology at UNICEF Innocenti and co-author of the report.  “If parents are too restrictive, this might leave their children unprepared for the future. The most important thing is that adults are available and ready to support children when they need it.”

However, internet use is not without risks for children, the report notes:

• More than half the children and young people surveyed in South Africa said that they were exposed to sexual content online.
• 22 per cent of those surveyed in Italy and Uruguay say they were exposed to content on self-harm.
• 35 per cent of children surveyed in Italy and Uruguay said they were exposed to hate speech.
• Only 2 out of 5 Facebook users aged 10-14 in Bulgaria keep their accounts public.
• Across the 11 countries surveyed, between 30 per cent and 75 per cent of children say that they may be unable to verify the truth of online information.

To help minimize children’s exposure to the risks of the digital world and maximize their exposure to its benefits, addressing problematic online content or encounters is critical. UNICEF urges tech companies to do more to actively monitor and remove content that is harmful for younger children, and to provide tools that can help parents and educators support children to make the most out of online opportunities.

Parents play a key role, including by talking to children about what they do online or doing activities together, according to the findings of the report. Support from parents enables children to engage in a wider range of online activities, improves their skills, and reduces their exposure to risk, the report says.

“Instead of worrying about how long children spend online, Global Kids Online research suggests that parents should engage positively with their children’s digital world and discuss with them the specific content and contact risks they may encounter, so that children can gain resilience and thrive,” said Sonia Livingstone, Professor of Social Psychology at LSE and co-author of the report.

Schools should also offer opportunities for teachers to guide children on how to use the internet to search for information and evaluate the truthfulness of what they find, the report notes, stressing that teachers need to be empowered and trained to provide this guidance as part of their classroom practice. 

As children increasingly access the internet on their own mobile devices and in their own homes, a balanced approach to children’s online participation is needed to maximize the benefits while keeping children safe, the report says.

Note to editors:

The data from this report were collected in Albania, Argentina, Brazil, Bulgaria, Chile, Ghana, Italy, Montenegro, the Philippines, South Africa, and Uruguay by Global Kids Online , a research network led by UNICEF - Innocenti and LSE. The network is dedicated to collecting comparable data from internet-using children about their experiences in the digital space.

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Importance of Online Homework Assignments

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What is the significance of homework? This is a popular question because doing schoolwork at home isn't viewed as fun by most students. So let's go through some of the fundamental reasons why it's beneficial to any student.

Homework helps the student to learn how to use numerous academic resources, such as libraries, textbooks, and websites. It also teaches them how to study and work independently. In the process, they find ways to overcome difficulties they may encounter in their studies. And those difficulties will be encountered no matter how well students felt they mastered subjects in class during the school day.

Homework is an important component of the academic process, and elementary, middle, and high schools along with colleges and universities provide homework assignments for a variety of reasons. One of the key reasons is that it breaks down barriers and bridges the gap between home and school learning, establishing the realization that learning does not stop once the school day ends.

Another reason homework is assigned to students is that, in addition to learning from an academic perspective, they will also learn to plan and organize their work more effectively and efficiently.Online worksheets can be particularly useful in some areas, such as mathematics where repeated practice is essential. They are also very useful in Science and Language Arts where key concepts and vocabulary must me mastered.

Homework boosts student accomplishment in terms of grades, test results, as well as strengthening their commitment to their studies. Homework aids in the review and reinforcement of learning as well as the development of good study habits and useful skills.

Everyone knows that practice makes perfect. Students often recall only half of the information teachers present in class, and they must apply that information to properly understand it.

Quality online learning is more crucial than ever in the current situation, as many children are still expected to learn remotely. Therefore, online homework assignments must be as accessible at home as it is in the classroom.

Online homework assignments continue to be an important aspect of the remote learning process. Through the use of the Internet, homework can be conveniently planned and supervised with online resources.

Online assignments also allow teachers to better understand issues their students may have. As a result, teachers can more easily provide feedback on online homework performance. Moreover, not only do teachers and parents benefit from online home assignments, but parents can monitor their student’s progress.

The Benefits of Getting Online Homework Assignments for Students

In recent years, an increasing number of classes have adopted online homework systems that allow students to download assignments as they become available and submit them online for rapid feedback. Here are some of the benefits of getting online homework assignments for students:

Availability of Online Resources Students may use online homework assignments to identify areas where they need work. Working through difficult homework challenges as they arise also helps students develop confidence as they continue master academic tasks. Prior to the widespread use of online assignments, students had to wait for guidance until they returned to class. Therefore, as issues arose, they typically couldn't progress past obstacles they encountered in order to progress in their studies.

Development of Computer Skills Technology is here to stay. In order to be effective in the workplace, students of all ages must become familiar with the ins and outs of technology and its applications. Students that learn online computer skills at a young age will transition into the workplace in the years ahead.

Fewer Books and Notebooks to Carry As a result, there are fewer books to be transported from home to school each day, thus things are less likely to be forgotten or left behind. Students can log in to their accounts and print pages from certain sections or chapters as required. As a result, they’ll arrive at class prepared.

Allow Students to Submit Work from Anywhere they have access to the internet. Students have the freedom to carry their work with them wherever they go, whether at home or elsewhere, without having to physically turn in to their assignments.

Feedback in Real-Time Online homework assignments allow students to receive immediate feedback and, in some cases, grades on their work. Students benefit from immediate feedback because it allows them to quickly identify their strengths and weaknesses, allowing them to review their work shortly after completion, rather than waiting days, if not weeks, to find out if they comprehended the material.

What Are the Benefits of Online Homework for Parents?

Parents can have as much or as little access to their child's learning as they want with online resources. Online homework assignments and their results can be shared with parents, allowing them to be as involved in their child's learning and progress as possible.

Teachers can also message parents with any concerns or feedback through the online resource. This allows problems to be resolved swiftly. If a parent is concerned about their child's online homework performance, they can discuss their concerns with the teacher, which will help to resolve the difficulties as quickly as possible.

What Are the Advantages of Online Homework for Teachers?

Online homework assignments eliminate the need to print large volumes of paper for each student and guarantees that the homework assignment is clear and consistent for the entire class.

Also, online homework resources expand the range of activities and exercises beyond the range of what is possible to complete on paper. These online assignments can be tailored to match the needs of individual students, and if a student is having difficulty with a topic, they can communicate with their teacher. This means that teachers can provide critical feedback to students in real-time, and students can promptly correct any errors.

Online homework assignments save teachers time when marking homework, and grades can be easily submitted. As teachers spend so much of their time marking and supervising homework, an online homework assignment will save teachers many hours per week by making the process easier. This allows them to more efficiently use their classroom and classroom preparation time.

• Professional development
• Integrating ICT

Using the internet 2

In this, and an earlier article, we look at the internet and how it can be used by teachers of English as a tool for their own development and as a resource for classroom teaching.

We look at the advantages of using the web, covering some of the problems and providing a few suggestions for dealing with those difficulties. This article looks specifically at using the internet as a materials resource and how to prepare for and manage internet lessons.

• A materials resource
• Some internet lessons
• Preparation, planning and management

A materials resource The internet has a lot to offer the teacher. There are authentic resources and materials, places where you can find prepared lesson plans, ideas and worksheets. The advantages of the internet to teachers include...

• Its vast size The incredible expanse of the internet means the teacher has the ability to tailor lessons very specifically to students' needs and interests. Learners tend to respond better when they feel involved and engaged in the subject and the extent of the web means that if you can find out what the students are interested in, you can find it on the web.
• Its relevance Much material is modern and up to date, which helps motivate students. Good web sites continually update their material.
• Its widespread use Students enjoy using the net in their free time, and will appreciate its use in class
• Its nature It's a dynamic medium involving movement from site to site, promoting decision-making and learner independence

The internet contains a lot of resources that teachers can access and use to prepare teaching materials. These range from sites specifically designed for teachers and learners to sites from national and international newspapers, museums, galleries and so on. Teachers can use these materials much the same way as they would other print-based resources, to create worksheets and exercises for their classes. But if teachers are fortunate enough to have access to a computer room in their school then it is possible to use the internet with students during a class, exploiting the net as a dynamic medium. Using the internet brings the 'real world' into the classroom and gives the students an opportunity to explore learning in a different way. However, having students facing a computer rather than the teacher, means teachers of internet lessons do need to be vigilant. Some examples of internet lessons These lesson ideas were suggested by contributors to the radio series Knowledge on the Net. The lessons show how the internet can bring a new dimension and dynamic into the classroom and they all depend upon student access to the internet - although the first can easily be used as an example of finding resource materials on the internet. News web sites - from an idea by Donna Arbuthnot "Students can compare the treatment of a major news story across different sites - all at the click of a mouse. One idea is to compare an American news site with an English news site. "You need to access those sites yourself before you go into the class, and you need to check that the same news items are being reported on both sites. Just compare and contrast the content and style. "It leads on quite well to follow up activities like the students creating their own web site, or you can get them to compare newspapers in their own country in their own language with the American and the English sites. "You couldn't do this in a normal lesson because you don't have the access to American newspapers - it would be difficult to get hold of them. It would involve a lot of photocopying of 20 newspapers if you could get hold of them. It's much easier to click onto sites quickly and they are able to access things that are included on the web site. They are able to click onto links which may give them background information that you wouldn't be able to provide in the classroom, unless you had an in depth knowledge." Language analysis - from an idea by David Eastment "Students can use a search engine to compare the frequency of different language items. "You could say, for example, 'what is the most common adjective in English?' and students type in a word like 'nice' and 'interesting' and just count how many hits that they get, and this can be very interesting actually. I did it recently and found that the word nice was there 18 million times, and the word super was there 20 million times, but the word special was there 67 million times, so it's 3 times as common as the word nice or super, on the internet. "Another question you can ask is 'what sentence appears only once on the internet?' Until a couple of years ago 'I like English food' had only ever been written once, by a boy in Cambodia. These days a few more people have done it, but no one has written the sentence 'I love Welsh food.' It just doesn't exist, certainly not for the Google search engine, whereas I think that 4 or about 5 people have written 'I like Scottish food.' So with some students that sort of activity can be interesting. "Students could also search for sentences that they have prepared, with the student with the most hits winning!" Research / role play - from an idea by David Eastment "For a group of business English students (or as a role play). The students need to choose a new company car, with a maximum price of perhaps £20 000. The students go to different sites, select a car and then put the picture of the car inside a word document with an explanation of why they chose that particular model and what features it had. "This approach could be endlessly adapted. Students can research for any variety of projects or situations." Preparation, planning and management Internet lessons don't prepare themselves - so it would be wrong to think that using the net in teaching was an easy choice for a teacher. In fact, it calls for just as much, if not more, preparation than a conventional lesson. Here is a check list of key points for preparation, planning and management.

• Have clear aims.
• Check everything thoroughly. Check that the computers are working, check that any sites your students may need to access are still there and have the content you expect.
• Have back-up material or sites prepared in case something happens to the sites while the class is working. If you are teaching an internet class you need to be flexible so that if there are problems with the technology or content, then the lesson doesn't come to a halt.
• Although the web is a new resource, it makes the same demands on the teacher as more traditional teaching resources. And it's important to remember that whatever the resources and material being used - it is still the teacher that does the teaching, not the computer.
• Monitor carefully. The same class management skills needed for a conventional lesson are still needed in the internet class.
• The range of accessible material on the web is one reason teachers need to plan and monitor carefully. There are software programs available to help filter or block certain types of content, but these do not always work effectively. There is no substitute for the teacher being well-prepared and alert.

Top tips The internet is a fantastic tool for teachers. It's not the answer to simple teaching or learning, but it is an incredibly motivating resource for both teachers and learners. You can find materials for use in traditional classes, you can access message boards and discussion groups for your own interest, development and to get ideas and activities for lessons, you can use it as a communication tool which allows your students to interact with people around the world in English and you can use it as the basis of lessons with students accessing the internet live during lessons. It's not always easy to use and it does have its problems but it's a motivating and engaging resource for both students and the teachers.

Here are some top tips for teachers using the internet.

• Don't be afraid of the technology, it's not difficult to learn to use.
• Learn how to search effectively and evaluate the materials you find
• Prepare internet lessons and materials carefully, remember to have alternative material ready in case of technological or other problems
• Before using the internet in class, check any sites that you will be asking the students to use.
• During the lesson, monitor the students carefully
• Finally - have fun and be creative!

If you have any suggestions or tips for using the internet in the class you would like to share on this site, contact us . Callum Robertson, radio broadcaster and online producer, BBC World Service

Research and insight

Browse fascinating case studies, research papers, publications and books by researchers and ELT experts from around the world.

See our publications, research and insight

The Internet as a Tool of Education

You are enrolled in (and hopefully not yet tired of!) a class with students across the country and around the globe, where, through a mix of in-person and online learning, we have been able to explore considerable territory around the Internet and how it is controlled. We have availed ourselves of many of the benefits of the web in doing so: all of our class reading has been publicly-accessible web sites, we use Internet applications like Adobe Connect and the HES platform to deliver content and solicit responses, and the syllabus itself is built on open-source coding designed for collaborative engagement.

But we are still in a fairly traditional model of pedagogy - though one that I hope has been effective this semester. As we wind down our studies, consider for a moment the ways in which this technology can be used for far more radical forms of education, and who stands to benefit from such tools.

Joining us will be Justin Reich , Berkman Fellow and the Richard L. Menschel HarvardX Research Fellow, and Ana Enriquez , Berkman Fellow and Head Teaching Fellow of CopyrightX.

• 2 Optional Readings
• 3 Videos Watched in Class
• 5 Class Discussion
• Wikipedia, Massive Open Online Course (MOOC)
• Justin Reich, Is a MOOC a Textbook or a Course?
• Lee Gomes, Ivy League 2.0 or Just Another Pets.com?
• Radio Berkman, Wikis, Teaching, and the Digital Divide (audio, about 18 mins., listen to all)
• Open letter to Michael Sandel from the San Jose State University Department of Philosophy
• Harry Lewis, MOOCs and MOODs
• William Fisher, CopyrightX
• Andrew Dean Ho, HarvardX and MITx: The First Year of Open Online Courses

Optional Readings

Videos watched in class.

Professor Fisher: http://www.law.harvard.edu/faculty/directory/10270/Fisher

The CopyrightX website: http://copyx.org/

List of Satellites: https://blogs.law.harvard.edu/copyrightx/satellites/

The CopyrightX YouTube videos in the Berkman YouTube feed: https://www.youtube.com/user/BerkmanCenter/videos

You can see the question tool here: http://cyber.law.harvard.edu/questions/list.php

Terry Fisher will be the director of the Berkman Center through end of June. Then Zittrain takes over: http://cyber.law.harvard.edu/node/9116

Forthcoming book from Berkman Faculty Associate Judith Donath: http://www.amazon.com/The-Social-Machine-Designs-Living/dp/0262027011/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1398808182&sr=8-1&keywords=judith+donath

Justin Reich's website: http://www.edtechresearcher.com

edX: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/EdX

Harvard Classics: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harvard_Classics

The "Munchers" games from Justin's (and my) childhood: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Munchers

Moocthulhu: http://moocthulhu.com/

The reference to Cthulhu: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cthulhu

Connectivism: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Connectivism

Stephen Downes: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stephen_Downes

The MacGuffin: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MacGuffin

Story about someone who made a computer that can defeat machine essay graders by generating nonsense A-grade essays: http://www.vox.com/2014/4/29/5664310/machine-generated-nonsense-might-score-better-than-you-on-the-gmat

DS106: http://ds106.us/

Thorndike: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edward_Thorndike

Dewey: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Dewey

Esquires top 15 mustaches in history: http://www.esquire.com/blogs/mens-fashion/best-mustache-1113

Walter Lippman: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Walter_Lippmann (from role of citizens in journalism debates with Dewey)

Papert: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Seymour_Papert

Logo: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Logo_%28programming_language%29

Official Logo site: http://www.microworlds.com

Rainbow Loom videos: https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=rainbow+loom

16 million views: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RI7AkI5dJzo

Khan Academy - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Khan_academy

Paul Tough - How Children Succeed: http://www.amazon.com/How-Children-Succeed-Curiosity-Character/dp/0544104404

Cass Sunstein - Nudge - http://www.amazon.com/Nudge-Improving-Decisions-Health-Happiness/dp/014311526X/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1398812324&sr=8-1&keywords=nudge

Knolwedge Map: http://www.khanacademy.org/exercisedashboard

Disruptive Innovation: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Disruptive_innovation

Quick name check to "The Pit" in Harvard Square: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harvard_Square#Other_features

Justin's essay about Morozov and lure of technological sublime: http://blogs.edweek.org/edweek/edtechresearcher/2014/01/the_lure_of_the_technological_sublime_morosov_and_the_makers.html

Class Discussion

It caught my attention when Justin Reich in the Radio Berkman podcast points out how technology adoption in schools, particularly wiki use, needs to be paired with a human development strategy (which is usually more often found in schools with higher socioeconomic status). I believe that with human development, the right path can be taken in making sure that technology covers an existing need in a better way than a traditional teaching method would; rather than adopting a new technology that covers non existing need and is therefore unsuccessful. I think this ties with Justin’s observation that technology should be in the service of learning. Luciagamboaso 11:12, 26 April 2014 (EDT)

Is MOOC a Textbook - really got my attention and more importantly, I guess, my imagination - wow to think that someday classrooms could be obsolete is truly fascinating to say the least - But what really got me thinkig is that a bunch of teachers say about 10-20 could come together and basically start thier own online university in just a matter of weeks or months, and get accrediation online accrediation in a few years - and basically work from home perpetually - Or selling their courses to different universities across the globe - Why not, labs and the such could be duplicated - mail order chemistry and biology kits would be all the rage - and you end up creating a new e-commerce. Or not. Dancoron 13:14, 29 April 2014 (EDT)

In related news, a very interesting read... The Complex: It’s Not Beijing’s Hackers You Should Be Worried About, It’s Moscow’s

"The Russian forces in Ukraine have integrated cyber operations and conventional military tactics in seamless fashion, current and former U.S. officials and experts say." ... "It was textbook operation that combined centuries old combat tactics with cyber-age assaults." ... "U.S. intelligence agencies were largely caught off guard by the Russian invasion. The occupying forces limited their use of radios and cell phones and went mostly undetected by the United States' surveillance networks, current and former officials said, an indication of the Russians' technological savvy." ... "The Russian success is especially stinging for the U.S. because these types of blended attacks -- cyber strikes launched alongside military operations -- are what U.S. military and intelligence officials have for years said will be the hallmarks of America's future way of fighting a war." -- Seifip 14:09, 23 April 2014 (EDT)

Has anyone seen this: [1] ? It's really thought provoking. On one hand, I see that there is a pertinent argument in that Internet startups might be likely to fail due to not being able to afford to pay the advertising premiums that larger, more established companies can pay, but on the other hand, hasn't this been done already, to some extent? It seems that most internet users utilize search engines such as Google, Yahoo, Bing, etc. to find information, and all of these have advertisers whose sites are pushed to the top of the search results. Add to that the fact that results are almost always displayed based on what sites are visited most, meaning that the largest companies who can afford to either pay to advertise on the site or via other media are already going to be exponentially more likely to garner further clicks, as they will appear before a smaller Internet start up, for instance. It certainly appears that net neutrality is already a mere theory rather than an actual practice. Castille 18:45, 24 April 2014 (EDT)

Listening to the Radio Berkman piece about wikis, teaching, and the digital divide leaves me with some questions about the emphasis on collaboration. While collaboration is an invaluable social skill that should, in a general sense, be fostered in students, it seems that this obscures the fact that many students are not at their best when forced into a collaborative activity. I don't mean to suggest that teachers shouldn't make sure that their students have the ability to collaborate with others, but that still seems distinct from how some students really learn the information/skills at hand. For some, the learning process is less successful/efficient when it's collaborative, and I think there's a trend right now to celebrate collaboration in a way that erases the needs of these other students. This seems to be a particular trend in the tech industries... it makes me think of the increasingly popular open office plans that are supposed to make collaboration easier in the workplace. This mood and the excitement about this way of operating/conducting business reminds me of some of the sort of whimsical, utopian ideas people first had about the Internet. Jkelly 23:12, 25 April 2014 (EDT)

Obviously, as a student enrolled at HES, I think online learning is a wonderful advancement and will change the face of education. Online learning will not only allow individuals more equal access to higher education, but could alleviate the problems that have been incurred by Public universities, like overcrowding and under funding. With this being said, it is likely that online learning will expand to grade school (especially since high schools all over the country have already started online programs), which presents a bevy of potential problems. Technology is a wonderful thing, and same with online education, however there is no substitute for the social and emotional learning one gets from peer-to-peer interaction, especially during one's formative years. Castille 16:44, 27 April 2014 (EDT)

I greatly enjoyed the Gomes article about the impact of online education on quality & level of education, prestige and market value of online education platforms. I agree with Castille that there is no substitute for peer-to-peer interaction and the active & passive learning that are offered by the classroom experience. I also valued Gomes's illustration of the current market for online education and possible advancements and pitfalls that the online model offers. Friends who have received online degrees at both the undergraduate and graduate level experience both direct and more subtle discrimination in the current employment environment, and for me the true value of a degree of course lies in return on investment- there is learning for learning's sake, but far more crucial in today's for-profit educational model is the assurance of upward income mobility and increased marketability that comes with a degree. Like several authors this week, I too anticipate a shift in attitude towards online education and hope that online degrees come to hold the same cachet as typical college and university degrees. akk22 12:08, 29 April 2014 (EDT)

The advances in technology obviously have a great effect in providing greater access to education, especially to people in economically disadvantaged and under developed areas. However, as education and technology improves, I think we will see a shift in how the two interact. There are so many tools that allow for a more catered and individualized approach to education. I think technology will allow for students to pursue different interests and not be constricted to the limited subjects taught at high schools and grade schools. Technology I think will eventually allow us to expand the spectrum of what is taught, shifting from the one-size fits all approach and allowing students to develop other interests. With that said, the importance of social connectivity at schools is important and should never be ruled out. However, greater integration of technology to the school system will fill a gap that at times educators are not able to. Lpereira 19:39, 27 April 2014 (EDT)

The economics behind MOOCs encourage universities to push the movement forward, and I think forcing traditional education workflow in these systems will not maximize the full potential of MOOCs. As previously stated, people learn the best through different mechanisms (collaborative groups or single handedly or a mix of both). I think MOOCs have the potential to be flexible in adjusting not only to a student's interest but also learning style. Personally, I think the biggest barrier of MOOCs is encouraging students to attend and stick to the course schedule. If the dropout rate is high, is that the fault of the MOOC program or the undisciplined student? Hopefully a variety of startups and universities will approach the question of optimizing online education to generate intelligent, efficient thinkers. ( Margorm 17:37, 28 April 2014 (EDT))

Here's my sampling (and analysis) of the comments made by some of the critics of MOOCs: a) inexperienced founders lacking domain expertise; b) venture capital “bubble”; c) dismissive based on current problems / i.e., no expectation for continuous innovation; d) social arguments about some people being left behind; e) the old guard defending aspects of their product which are in fact not valued quite as much by potential customers as they think it should be; f) failure of the old guard to acknowledge large markets they are currently underserving; g) protective of tradition.

It's interesting how many of the criticisms of MOOCs parallel various critiques of various applications of the Internet before growth and innovation transformed whole industries: examples include games, ecommerce, online encyclopedias, social networking, etc. Online education will be no different.

Another observation: people just hate the idea that their favorite university / alma mater might be sharing some of its pedagogy with the hoi poloi. There's a large contingent of Harvardians and Ivy Leaguers who absolutely detest the idea of the Extension School. It wouldn't be a surprise that some would also detest MOOCs, due to the feeling that it makes their education feel less elite (or the similar perception that students in extension programs are free riders on the university's reputation). Jradoff 13:26, 29 April 2014 (EDT)

As often happens with new technology, MOOCs seem to be blamed for all the problems facing the higher educational system today, when they may in fact be its only hope. The proposition that MOOCs are responsible for reduction of the philosophy department's faculty is preposterous. Will it replace them? Possibly. Would they the faculty get reduced if MOOCs did not exist? Most probably. Many universities already have many professors who read the texbook and the slides and add little value to their courses. Should we start blaming textbooks too? Maybe propose that courses should be improvised, use no external content whatsoever, to maximize the ROI on the professors' salary? No. The solution is to work with the faculty to use external content, whether textbooks, MOOCs or any other, in the correct way that benefits the students and allows them to remain useful and irreplaceable. -- Seifip 13:45, 29 April 2014 (EDT)

While first approaches to open unlimited participation courses had little success due to reasons; lack of commitment, cheating, no tuition, and no way to monitor who would take tests all played a role. The idea of MOOCs resurfaced in the 2000’s. Several major universities took steps in the development of MOOCs and by the year 2013 there was a hype or “peak” of educational centers rushing to join or set up there own version MOOC. While there were different ways to setup a MOOC, there seems to be two most common ways: "cMOOC" and "xMOOC" were coined by Stephen Downes. Harvard joined with MIT to create edX from late 2012 to the middle of 2013 and, “the first 17 HarvardX and MITx courses launched on the edX platform”. Some of the programs received criticism like Michael Sandel’s JusticeX; the Philosophy Department from San Jose State University sent an open letter first comparing JusticeX to a course then to a textbook. While MOOCs have made much more progress in recent years, completion rates still are in need of improvement before they can be used regularly as credited courses. Emmanuelsurillo 15:51, 29 April 2014 (EDT)

I think the key's to online learning systems are; 1. people fear what they do not understand, and 2. in the readings we heard the statistics of; most educators take the online platform and teach what they know instead of rethinking the technology and how to newly apply the teaching to it. and 3. Is that there are so many people that are still not adept to the internet, or that can afford high speed internet regularly in order to complete full online degree's. I believe that with a full college degree online platform, they will have to partner with the cable companies in order to proivide the entire service and not leave the connectivity a la carte.

TriciaBy 17:14, 29 April 2014 (EDT)

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Internet Helps With Homework

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For a majority of U.S. teenagers, “homework” is finally living up to its name. Thanks to the Internet, research projects and other school assignments are being completed at home, online, replacing last-minute trips to the library, according to a study released Saturday.

Seventy-one percent of middle school and high school students with Internet access said they rely on the electronic technology the most in completing a project, according to a survey conducted by the Pew Internet and American Life Project.

That compares with 24% who said they rely on libraries the most, according to the survey.

Of students ages 12 to 17, the Pew study found that 73%, or 17 million, have Internet access. The study surveyed 754 students.

Nearly all of them, 94%, said they use the Internet for school research and 78% said the Internet helps them with their homework.

The Pew study quoted one 15-year-old boy who said, “Without the Internet, you need to go to the library and walk around looking for books. In today’s world, you can just go home and get into the Internet and type in your search term.”

Parents are embracing their children’s use of the Internet. The study said that 93% of them believe the Internet “helps children learn new things” and 87% of parents said the Internet helps their children with their schoolwork.

And 96% of teachers said knowledge and use of the Internet were essential to communication.

But using the Internet for homework does have a “dark side” by making cheating easier, according to the Pew study.

“Cutting and pasting text from a Web site and into a [research] paper is effortless. So is wholesale copying or purchasing finished essays or reports,” the study said.

The survey said that 18% of students said they know of someone who has used the Internet to cheat on a research paper or test.

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Should students to use the internet for homework?

At Zeeko, we always start any presentation we make by saying that the internet is a fantastic resource, and it really is! Our internet safety seminars are the leading seminars in Ireland, having attended hundreds of Irish schools throughout the years. Teaching both children and parents how to navigate the internet safely is really important to us. The internet can also be an amazing educational resource for children. In this blog we are going to explore whether to allow students to use the internet for homework or not.

It’s hard to deny the importance of building digital skills. However, computers are not just productivity machines, they are also portals to distraction. How can we confidently trust that students can use the internet for homework and not be distracted by social media, online games and any other enticing popups that we are faced with when we search online.

Is it genuine research or cheating?

Before allowing your child to use the internet, establish whether it is a homework requirement or if they are trying to cheat and make it easier. It is important that your child doesn’t come to rely on the web to provide them with all the answers – encourage them to try to work out an issue before resorting to Google or other search browsers. Encourage your child to look for answers in lots of different ways, for example in a book or asking someone with more experience. Make sure that they understand that reading the answer is not enough. They need to understand it fully so that it can be properly remembered should they be in an exam situation. 

Establish online ground rules

Establishing ground rules is essential. Children and students need a routine. Having specific times where they are allowed to use their devices provides structure and also something to look forward to. It also gives you, as a parent the peace of mind of knowing exactly when your child is on a device, making it easier to monitor and control. Ensure that when the internet is being used for homework that is all it is being used for and there are separate times that the internet can be used for fun and downtime. Make sure these rules are clear and fair. Often, how children behave or are allowed to behave at home or in school can reflect how they behave online. Having learned discipline at home, will help them be disciplined when using the internet for homework.

Develop their online strengths

Using the internet for homework can help develop children's online strengths and help set them up for success in the future. The internet is playing an ever more crucial role in education, not only at the university level but down to secondary and primary level too. By training your children in how to use the internet to properly research information, seek out credible information and develop media literacy, you will set them up for a lifetime of successful learning.   

Here are some dos and don’ts for internet use for homework

Help your children with homework and or projects where they are using the internet. This can be a great way to see how your child is doing academically, while still having fun. When children work on projects, they often don’t feel the same pressure as if they were preparing for a test or completing a standard piece of homework. This means that they can be more relaxed and be learning more as a result!

Ask for advice. Link in with your child’s teacher or some schools have a teacher who has been given specific responsibility for ICT within the school, they will be able to offer some guidance on the best websites to use and may also be in a position to know areas that your child needs to focus on if they are having difficulty with a particular subject.

3. Do encourage your child to use what they find out via the internet as a starting point. Communicate to them the importance of using their own ideas, their imagination and putting forward their own point of view.

Don’t panic! If your child says they have a project to do for school and want to use the internet to do it. If you’re confident about using the internet as an educational tool your child will be too.

Don’t forget to apply the same principles you do to homework to doing projects online. If you feel your child is spending too long on the internet doing the research element of a project, encourage them to move on to another piece of homework and come back to the project later.

3. Don’t feel under pressure to allow your child to constantly use the internet for homework or projects. It is important that your child sees the internet as only one means of doing research and that there are many other ways to discover the answers to the questions they are asked!

Zeeko Internet Safety Seminars  

As there is so much information surrounding the internet and how to be safe online, we understand that sometimes it can be overwhelming. Zeeko Education provides Internet Safety training both virtually and on-site to suit every school’s needs. Some of our packages also include parent seminars to ensure you are up to date with the most relevant information for your child, their class, and their age group. Read more on our seminars here or forward this link to your child's teacher.

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Learning to use the Internet as a study tool: a review of available resources and exploration of students' priorities

2006, Health Information and Libraries Journal

Background: The Internet is a valuable information tool, but users often struggle to locate good quality information from within the vast amount of information available.Objectives: The aim of the study was to identify the online information resources available to assist students develop Internet searching skills, and to explore the students’ priorities in online guides.Methods: A qualitative approach was adopted with two phases. The first was a structured search of available online study skills resources. The second comprised 10 group interviews with a total of 60 students at all stages of five undergraduate health and social care related courses at a UK university.Results: The study found that there were good online guides available, but that, perversely, the better guides tended to require the best searching skills to locate them. A few students were enthusiastic about using online support, however the majority felt that if they had the skills to locate such resources they wouldn't use a study guide to improve these skills, and if they did not have the skills they would not think of using an online guide to develop them.Conclusions: Students wanted assistance when they had problems or questions, rather than sites that offered structured learning experiences. Personal support rather than virtual support was also considered to be most important to the students in this study.

Related Papers

David Fevyer

Melius Weideman

In this thesis, the author attempted to develop a method to help Information Technology/Systems learners find relevant information on the Internet. The literature indicated that it is essential that learners should be able to retrieve relevant information from electronic sources. However, it was also stated repeatedly that searching on the Internet using standard search engines is not an easy task. It was also noted that a move was taking place away from traditional teaching methods to those with more learner involvement, making use of new computer and communication technologies. Initial experiments were done with IT/IS learners to determine how and where they search on the Internet, and what degree of success they had. The most important data gathered from these experiments was the lack of search strategy displayed by learners; the search engines chosen by them; and their success rate. Only 32.2% of all learners in this study managed to find one piece of relevant information in 30 minutes without any assistance. The data was used to design and later improve a tool to guide them in their searching endeavours. This tool, called “Finder Of Information On The Internet” (FOIOTI, at http://www.mwe.co.za), was then extensively tested by measuring searching success, with and without using it. The data was gathered by examining and summarizing the forms completed by the learners during the searching experiments. During this study the author found that most learners had little or no training on Internet usage; often worked on the Internet; could not specify their search properly; used very few of the operators offered by search engines; and had a low success rate in finding relevant data. The two final phases of experiments proved that FOIOTI, as a searching tool, was successful. During these two phases, 71.0% of the participants claimed that they found the specified information when using FOIOTI within 30 minutes. A total of 1109 learners from three continents and 20 institutions took part in the study, spread over 46 sessions. Every session was administered personally by the author. This research project has contributed to the existing body of knowledge on Information Retrieval and education by having developed a tool that enhances learner involvement in the learning process. It enables educators to explore easier alternatives of locating educational resources by drawing on the experience of other website authors in their field. It also entices the average learner to re-skill him/herself on the use of an exciting and promising new technology: Information Retrieval through the Internet.

Medical Education

Rebecca Medlock

lamsfoundation.org

The Journal of Academic Librarianship

BackgroundDuring the COVID-19 pandemic, students have trouble coping with the available health information regarding the coronavirus in their daily lives because of misinformation.ObjectivesThe aim of this study was to evaluate online health information seeking and digital health literacy among information and learning resources undergraduate students at Taibah University during the COVID-19 pandemic.MethodsTo investigate the primary goal, this study used a simultaneous exploratory mixed methods design. Seventeen students participated in phone interviews, and 306 were invited to complete an online survey.AnalysisThe collected data was analyzed using both quantitative (SPSS) and qualitative (NVivo 10) methods.ResultsSearch engines, social media, and YouTube were most often used by the respondents as sources to search for COVID-19-related information. COVID-19 symptoms, restrictions, and the current spread of COVID-19 were the most searched topics by the respondents. Significant and relevant differences emerged for the digital health literacy subscales “information search” and “adding self-generated content”. However, there were no significant differences in the digital health literacy subscale “determining relevance”.ConclusionUsing the internet to provide health information tailored to the needs and interests of students to seek health information online and thereby improve their health literacy.

Esew Michael

This paper discuses online information seeking behavior of students for sustainable education among students of higher learning institutions. Online information seeking behavior is a relatively new phenomenon. However, it is the active process of obtaining data from the Web. Libraries and Universities are continuously adapting and seeking effective ways to respond to the fundamental and interconnected missions of research, teaching and community service, and that is why some have embraced the use of the Internet in service delivery. On the other hand, this study is more concerned with maximizing usage of this resource by students in fulfilling their primary aim of research and reaching out to these resources on the Internet using the requisite navigational skills. The paper says the Internet offers widespread access to electronic resources and also has the advantages of interactivity, and information tailoring. It also agrees that access is inequitable and use is hindered by navigational challenges due to numerous factors e.g. disorganization, technical language and lack of permanence. Meager information evaluation skills add to students' vulnerability. The paper highlights some information seeking models to assist students in their search for information on the Internet. Also it highlights the role of the library in the information seeking process of students. The paper concludes that though Information and communication technologies are being put in place for use by students, they must possess the requisite skill to use them appropriately.

Alison Brettle

Don Sheridan

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John Grattan

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Top 10 Homework AI Tools to Get Answers and Study Help Fast

If you’re struggling to stay on top of your assignments, an AI homework solver can help. AI homework tools are designed to make your learning experience easier and more efficient by providing step-by-step solutions that help students understand the process. Using the latest in AI technology, these intelligent homework helpers provide in-depth answers and explanations to a wide variety of homework questions in seconds. From basic math and arithmetic to calculus and trigonometry, AI homework tools can help you master any topic. By utilizing AI-powered learning, students can reduce stress, save time, and gain a deeper understanding of their coursework. Let’s uncover some of the best AI homework help tools on the web.

1. HIX Tutor – Best Homework AI Tool for Better Grades

HIX Tutor is an advanced homework AI for students to use the power of machine learning and advanced AI algorithms to solve their homework problems and get study help. The AI tutor covers many subjects, from math and physics to literature and foreign languages.

Whether you’re a high school or college student, you can benefit from HIX Tutor. This versatile AI homework helper seamlessly adjusts the complexity of its answers and explanations to match the homework topic and grade level of the student.

Learners can get started with HIX Tutor’s AI homework helper for free. However, they need to upgrade to gain access to the tool’s full features and capabilities.

• Can clearly explain concepts in textbooks. 
• Helps students prepare for exams.
• Creates a personalized learning experience. 
• May take a while to learn how to use it if your requirements are complex. 
• Requires an upgraded plan for full access to features. 

Save time and headaches and solve difficult homework problems with HIX Tutor!  

2. GeniusTutor – Best Homework AI Tool for Instant Learning

GeniusTutor can serve as your personal AI tutor by providing instant assistance, guidance, and feedback. The tool is easy to navigate and available 24/7, allowing students to complete assignments at their own pace.T he revolutionary AI homework help tool is trained on a large database of information, ensuring that students can get the most accurate answers and explanations possible.

It also adapts to each user’s unique learning requirements and delivers personalized feedback based on their specific needs. GeniusTutor offers a free trial to determine if the tool is right for you. If it is, you can upgrade to a paid subscription to continue using the AI homework helper without interruption.

• Enables students to verify their homework answers. 
• Can improve math skills and comprehension. 
• Students can try the tool for free, no credit card is required. 
• The free trial has some limitations
• Cannot replace a classroom environment. 

3. HomeworkAI – Best Homework AI Tool for Multiple Input Options

HomeworkAI is a powerful tool to help students gain an advantage in their study. The fast and intelligent homework AI delivers instant solutions to even the most complex homework questions. It is also easy to use and supports several file formats, such as DOC, DOCX, PDF, and file images. Simply upload your assignment and HomeworkAI instantly gets to work to formulate a reliable solution.

HomeworkAI is suitable for students and educators at all levels, ranging from middle school to university. The AI homework tool also covers most subjects, such as mathematics, physics, biology, chemistry, and more.

• Can help students study for exams.
• Accurate solutions can increase academic performance. 
• Strengthens problem-solving skills. 
• Cannot read very large uploads.
• Does not currently offer an app.

4. Question AI – Best Homework AI Tool for Ease of Use

If you want to improve your homework skills, an AI homework help tool like Question AI is an effective option. Question AI has a 98% accuracy rate to ensure that students learn with confidence.  You can use Question AI’s versatile platform to get in-depth solutions to challenging homework problems or prepare for exams.

This AI homework tool also offers flexible input options to make asking homework questions easy. Just type in your query or upload an image or document to get started. Try Question AI at no cost. If you’d like to integrate the sophisticated AI homework helper into your homework routine, consider upgrading to a paid subscription.

• Highly accurate homework helper 
• Offers multilingual support in over 100 languages
• The interface is easy to navigate. 
• Customization is limited.
• Does not currently offer a mobile app.

5. ExamUp – Best Homework AI Tool Overall

ExamUp is a leading AI homework tool that helps students reach academic achievement at all grade levels. Simply snap a photo of your homework and the tool will rapidly generate the correct answer. With this innovative AI homework helper, students can improve their comprehension, grasp challenging homework concepts, and improve their time management when completing assignments.

ExamUp is recommended for students and learners who face difficulties with certain homework topics and want to improve their grades in school. It also caters to learners across the globe by supporting over 30 languages, including English, Spanish, French, Italian, Japanese, and more.

ExamUp offers a free plan that allows students to ask homework questions at no cost, 24/7.

• Has a 99% accuracy rate. 
• Delivers in-depth, step-by-step solutions. 
• Covers many subjects, such as math, physics, biology, and more. 
• Advanced features require a subscription. 
• Free plan is limited.

6. AI Math – Best Homework AI Tool for Mastering Math

Math is one of the toughest homework subjects to master. Fortunately, AI Math makes it easy to learn a wide range of mathematical concepts. Boasting an accuracy rate of 99%, this powerful AI math tool covers many subjects, such as arithmetic, calculus, and trigonometry. It can also solve math word problems and reinforce your understanding of the key math concepts.

Like other homework AI mentioned above, AI Math offers a free trial at no cost. But for continued homework help in math, you need to upgrade to a paid subscription.

• Offers native-level comprehension of 30+ languages.
• Generates math solutions in less than 10 seconds. 
• Creates transparency in the problem-solving process. 
• Only offer math study help.

7. SmartSolve – Best Homework AI Tool for Smart Web Learning

SmartSolve is the ultimate study assistant. The AI homework helper has a 98.97% accuracy rate and covers a full range of subjects, such as history, science, math, and more. This ChatGPT homework AI alternative provides three ways to gain universal support when asking homework questions. Students can directly integrate the tool into learning platforms like Canvas or McGraw Hill. They can also highlight homework questions found online or take a picture of the problems, and get instant solutions from SmartSolve.

SmartSolve offers a 4-day free trial, followed by a paid subscription. Pay $9.99/month for unlimited question-solving and access to SmartSolve’s Chrome extension. Or save 20% with a 6-month subscription for $7.99/month.

• A SmartSolve Chrome extension is available. 
• Online browsing is kept private. 
• Finish homework assignments up to four times faster.
• Requires students to sign up to try the tool. 
• Some users may find a monthly paid subscription too costly.

8. OddityAI – Best Homework AI Tool for Greater Comprehension

From physics and chemistry to biology and literature, OddityAI provides a range of homework solutions. Get help with core subjects like math or science or use the innovative AI essay writer to generate high-quality essays in your own writing style. This AI homework help tool simplifies the homework process by allowing students to quickly generate answers and step-by-step solutions to their schoolwork. Just upload an image and get answers instantly.

OddityAI offers a free trial that includes 30 free uses. Their monthly subscription plan is just $9.99/month for unlimited use. If you prefer to buy as you go, pay just $4.99 for 150 uses.

• Helps students gain a deeper understanding of homework topics.
• Flexible pricing options. 
• Can help with essay writing with features like grammar and spell checks. 
• The tool does not always provide detailed explanations. 
• Students must sign up before they can try the tool. 

9. Smodin – Best Homework AI Tool for Detailed Homework Help

Smodin Omni uses the power of the internet to help students succeed in school. Ask your homework question and Smodin will rapidly search the internet for the correct solution and provide relevant content, explanations, images, and links to related sites. The AI homework help tool covers the most common languages and offers dedicated tools for individual subjects, such as math, physics, chemistry, and biology. It also crafts a list of useful resources, including web results and relevant YouTube videos.

Smodin offers three convenient subscription plans. The Limited Starter Plan is free, the Essentials Plan is $10/month, and the Productive Plan is $29/month.

• The output includes both a short answer and a longer explanation. 
• Students are provided one free credit to try the tool.
• Answers to homework questions can be shared with friends.
• Some unique questions may not have adequate answers in the database.

10. AI Tutors – Best Homework AI Tool for Live Tutor Support

For students who want an option to speak with a human tutor, AI Tutors is a diverse platform that connects students and tutors with 24/7 support. Students simply need to download the app or sign up on the website, post a homework question, and select a tutor. Choose to either connect with a live tutor via Zoom or receive instant feedback.

With AI Tutors, users also have access to unlimited features, such as a plagiarism checker and Google translator. You can get started with AI Tutors by creating a student account. Once you’re signed in, you can post a homework help request for a minimum of $1.

• Offers a free chat where students and tutors can communicate. 
• Available for both iOS and Android devices. 
• Provides a modern UI design that is easy to use and navigate. 
• Answers provided may include plagiarized content.
• Anyone can sign up to be a tutor and may not be qualified. 

Final Thoughts: Use AI to Do Homework and Study More Easily

Students often struggle to keep up with homework and learn new concepts, and homework AI tools can help them with those tasks. The AI homework helpers listed above can give students access to extensive and accurate homework and study helps.  When used ethically, homework AI tools can help students develop their skills in many subjects and boost their grades in school. So integrate AI technology into your daily homework routine and see how it can make your study easier!

This is a   guest post,   created for informational purposes only, and should not be considered as professional advice. Readers are encouraged to conduct their   own research   and consult with relevant experts before making any financial or investment decisions.

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Scaling a Midsize Startup

• Benjamin Hallen

In between unicorns and mom-and-pop startups lies the “mighty middle.”

The “mighty-middle” segment of startups falls between venture-scale unicorns and small businesses. These startups aim for valuations in the high single-digit to high tens of millions within 5-10 years, targeting midsize niches with significant growth potential. Enabled by internet tools, global advertising, and affordable tech, mighty-middle businesses often bootstrap, use contractors, and require entrepreneurs to acquire diverse skills. They offer a favorable risk-reward tradeoff, allowing founders to retain control and start paying themselves earlier. Investors and corporations find them attractive for their innovation and substantial returns. But to support mighty-middle startups, tailored support is required, emphasizing mentorship and showcasing successful mighty- middle examples.

The popular conception of entrepreneurship is that it comes in two sizes. Venture-scale startups aim for billion-dollar valuations within a decade by targeting large markets disruptively through innovative technologies or business models. Such aspiring “unicorns” capture the attention of many venture capitalists and angels and include success stories such as Google, Meta, and Airbnb. On the other end of the spectrum, small business entrepreneurship encompasses ventures that start small and often remain so, competing in mature markets using established templates, such as local restaurants, retailers, and service firms.

• BH Benjamin Hallen is the Dempsey Endowed Professor in Strategy and Entrepreneurship at the Foster School of Business, University of Washington and an associate editor at the  Strategic Management Journal.  
• EH Ed Hallen is co-founder, chief product officer, and a board member of Klaviyo, a leading provider of marketing powered by data science. He is also the co-founder of Team Engine.

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Privacy and control over your Recall experience

Recall is an upcoming preview experience exclusive to Copilot+ PCs that will help you easily find and remember things you've seen using natural language. To help provide you with that "photographic" memory, Windows saves snapshots of your screen periodically. You can quickly search your snapshots to find things on your Copilot+ PC. For example, content you've seen in apps, websites, images, and documents. Recall doesn't record audio or save continuous video.

You're always in control of what's saved as a snapshot. You can disable saving snapshots, pause temporarily, filter applications, and delete your snapshots at any time.

To help maintain your privacy, Recall processes your content locally on the Copilot+ PC and securely stores it on your device. This page will help you understand how you can control your Recall experience.

Controls from the start

During setup of your new Copilot+ PC, and for each new user, you're informed about Recall and given the option to manage your Recall and snapshots preferences. If selected, Recall settings will open where you can stop saving snapshots, add filters, or further customize your experience before continuing to use Windows 11. If you continue with the default selections, saving snapshots will be turned on.

You'll see Recall pinned to the taskbar when you reach your desktop. You'll have a Recall snapshot icon on the system tray letting you know when Windows is saving snapshots.

You can turn on or off saving snapshots at any time by going to Settings > Privacy & security > Recall & snapshots . You can also pause snapshots temporarily by selecting the Recall icon in the system tray on your PC and selecting the pause option.

For enterprise customers, IT administrators can disable automatically saving snapshots using group policy or mobile device management policy. If a policy is used to disable saving snapshots, all saved snapshots from users' devices will be deleted, and device users can't enable saving snapshots. For more information, see Manage Recall .

Filtering apps and websites from your snapshots

You can filter out apps and websites from being saved as snapshots. You can add apps and websites at any time by going to Settings > Privacy & security > Recall & snapshots on your PC.

Filtering out specific websites will only work in supported browsers such as Microsoft Edge, Firefox, Opera, and Google Chrome. You always have the option to filter out all browsing activity by adding an app filter for a browser. To add support for website filtering, developers need to implement Recall activity APIs .

Recall won’t save any content from your private browsing activity when you’re using Microsoft Edge, Firefox, Opera, Google Chrome, or other Chromium-based browsers.

Recall treats material protected with digital rights management (DRM) similarly; like other Windows apps such as the Snipping Tool, Recall will not store DRM content.

To help you access text and images currently on your screen, when you launch Recall or when you select the Now button, your current screen will be displayed in Recall without saving a new snapshot.

Note that Recall does not perform content moderation. It will not hide information such as passwords or financial account numbers. That data may be in snapshots that are stored on your device, especially when sites do not follow standard internet protocols like cloaking password entry.

Snapshot storage: content stays local

We built privacy and security into Recall's design from the ground up. With Copilot+ PCs, you get powerful AI that runs locally on your device. No internet or cloud connections are required or used to save and analyze snapshots. Your snapshots aren't sent to Microsoft. Recall AI processing occurs locally, and your snapshots are securely stored on your local device only.

Snapshots are encrypted by Device Encryption or BitLocker, which are enabled by default on Windows 11. Recall doesn't share snapshots with other users that are signed into Windows on the same device. Microsoft can't access or view the snapshots.

You can delete your snapshots at any time by going to Settings > Privacy & security > Recall & snapshots on your PC. Windows sets a maximum storage size to use for snapshots, which you can change at any time. Once that maximum is reached, the oldest snapshots are deleted automatically.

Built-in security

The security protecting your Recall content is the same for any content you have on your device. Microsoft provides many built-in security features from the chip to the cloud to protect Recall content alongside other files and apps on your Windows device.

Secured-core PC : all Copilot+ PCs will be Secured-core PCs. This feature is the highest security standard for Windows 11 devices to be included on consumer PCs. For more information, see Secured-core PCs .

Microsoft Pluton security processor  will be included by default on Copilot+ PCs. For more information, see  Microsoft Pluton .

Copilot+ PC devices with compatible hardware will ship with Windows Hello Enhanced Sign-in Security (ESS) , which enables more secure sign-in using biometric data or a device-specific PIN. For more information, see  Windows Hello Enhanced Sign-in Security (ESS) .

Our goal remains simple: make it easy to stay safe and have trust in Windows. The Windows Security Book is available to help you learn more about what makes it easy for users to stay secure with Windows.

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Russia, in New Push, Increasingly Disrupts Ukraine’s Starlink Service

Russia has deployed advanced tech to interfere with Elon Musk’s satellite internet service, Ukrainian officials said, leading to more outages on the northern front battle line.

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By Paul Mozur and Adam Satariano

Paul Mozur reported from Kharkiv and Kramatorsk, Ukraine. Adam Satariano reported from London.

Just before Russian troops pushed across the Ukrainian northern border this month, members of Ukraine’s 92nd Assault Brigade lost a vital resource. Starlink satellite internet service , which soldiers use to communicate, collect intelligence and conduct drone attacks, had slowed to a crawl.

Operated by Elon Musk’s SpaceX , Starlink has been critical to the Ukrainian military since the earliest days of the war with Russia. Without the full service, Ukrainian soldiers said, they couldn’t quickly communicate and share information about the surprise onslaught and resorted to sending text messages. Their experiences were repeated across the new northern front line, according to Ukrainian soldiers, officials and electronics warfare experts.

At the heart of the outages: increased interference from Russia.

As Russian troops made gains this month near Kharkiv, Ukraine’s second-largest city, they deployed stronger electronic weapons and more sophisticated tools to degrade Starlink service, Ukrainian officials said. The advances pose a major threat to Ukraine, which has often managed to outmaneuver the Russian military with the help of frontline connectivity and other technology, but has been on the defensive against the renewed Russian advance.

The new outages appeared to be the first time the Russians have caused widespread disruptions of Starlink. If they continue to succeed, it could mark a tactical shift in the conflict, highlighting Ukraine’s vulnerability and dependence on the service provided by Mr. Musk’s company. As the United States and other governments work with SpaceX, the disruptions raise broader questions about Starlink’s reliability against a technically sophisticated adversary.

Starlink works by beaming an internet connection down from satellites revolving around Earth. The signals are received on the ground by pizza-box-size terminal dishes, which then distribute the connection like a Wi-Fi router to laptops, phones and other devices nearby. Starlink has provided Ukraine with vital internet service since 2022, with soldiers relying on it to guide internet-connected drones that are used for surveillance and as weapons, among other tasks.

In an interview this week, Mykhailo Fedorov , Ukraine’s digital minister, said Russia’s recent attacks against Starlink appeared to use new and more advanced technology. The service previously held up remarkably well against interference on battlefields, where there has been widespread electronic warfare , radio jamming and other communication disruptions.

But the Russians are now “testing different mechanisms to disrupt the quality of Starlink connections because it’s so important for us,” Mr. Fedorov said, without giving details about what he called their “powerful” electronic weapons systems. Ukraine was constantly communicating with SpaceX to resolve the problems, he added.

SpaceX did not respond to requests for comment.

Russia’s Ministry of Defense did not respond to a request for comment. An official who leads Russia’s electronic warfare efforts told state media last month that the military had put Starlink on a “list of targets” and developed capabilities to counter the service.

While Mr. Fedorov said Starlink service should improve soon, some of the outages appeared timed to Russian attacks, according to soldiers and officials. Any disruptions at critical battlefield moments put Ukraine’s already stretched army at a further disadvantage, they said.

“We’re losing the electronic warfare fight,” said Ajax, the call sign for the deputy commander of the 92nd’s Achilles strike drone battalion, who in an interview described the challenges his troops faced after Starlink connectivity failed.

“One day before the attacks, it just shut down,” said Ajax, who would be quoted only on the condition of being named by his call sign, in keeping with Ukrainian military policy. “It became super, super slow.”

The disruptions put the entire unit at a disadvantage, said a drone pilot who goes by the call sign Kartel. During the first armored attacks of the Russian offensive this month, he said, he was in a garage without food or a sleeping bag. His team began to launch drone attacks but was hindered by the connection issues with Starlink. Communicating became so slow that soldiers had to use text messages sent across chat apps, he said — and even then it took a while for the messages to send.

“During the first hours the front line was very dynamic. The enemy was moving. And we were moving as well,” he said. “We needed to be fast in communicating.”

Over three days, he said, the unit held off the Russians, but not without difficulties. “It made everything more complicated,” he said. “Everything was more time consuming.”

Kari A. Bingen, a former U.S. Defense Department official and an expert on electronic warfare, said Starlink and other satellite communications could be disrupted by the use of a high-power radio frequency to overwhelm the connection links. The invisible attacks are typically done from a vehicle with a large radio tower attached to the top, she said.

“It’s naturally in the cross hairs of Russian forces,” said Ms. Bingen, now the director of the aerospace security project at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, a think tank in Washington. “It degrades Ukrainian forces from being able to communicate on the battlefield.”

Explanations for Starlink outages in Ukraine over the past year vary. Several experts said Russia had gotten better at interfering with the signal between the satellites and Starlink terminals on the ground by using powerful and precise jammers. Others suggested that the service had been disrupted by specialized electronic weapons mounted on drones, which can confuse Starlink’s GPS signals, the global positioning system that is used to help locate satellites.

Sharp increases in Starlink use can also degrade service. In some instances, technical restrictions intended to keep Russian forces from using Starlink have hurt service for Ukrainian soldiers along the front line. At other times, disruptions can be more random, such as earlier this month when SpaceX reported service problems worldwide because of solar storms .

Throughout the conflict, Ukrainian forces have tried various techniques to shield Starlink from attacks, including placing the terminals in holes dug in the ground and putting metal mesh over them. Infozahyst, a Ukrainian company that works with the military and specializes in building tools for electronic warfare, said it did not believe such improvised solutions were effective.

Starlink has given Mr. Musk outsize influence in the war because he controls where the satellite service is available and can choose to cut off access. In some instances, Ukrainian officials have appealed directly to Mr. Musk to turn on Starlink access during military operations so they can conduct drone strikes across enemy lines — requests that the billionaire has not always approved. The U.S. government, which has purchased Starlink terminals for Ukraine, has sometimes gotten involved in the negotiations.

Starlink is not sold directly to Russia. But this year, Ukrainian officials publicly raised alarms that Russia was using Starlink terminals bought from third-party vendors, potentially eroding Ukraine’s connectivity advantage.

Experts have warned that Ukraine is overly dependent on a single company for such a vital resource, particularly one run by someone as unpredictable as Mr. Musk. But Ukraine’s reliance on Starlink is unlikely to shrink. Few alternatives exist for such comprehensive and reliable service.

Mr. Fedorov said the Ukrainian government was constantly testing new systems. The military has specialized systems for maritime drones that have destroyed a number of Russian ships in the Black Sea, he said.

“But of course there is no mass-produced equivalent,” he said.

For Ajax, the Ukrainian commander, the loss of Starlink service brought back bad memories from the war. When he fought near the Russian border in 2022, his unit was sometimes cut off from Starlink, disrupting drone video feeds that were used for targeting artillery from a distance. In its place, the unit deployed soldiers to covertly watch enemy positions and direct attacks.

“It became the old way with radios,” he said. “We had to say, ‘Move left 100 foot.’ It was super strange.”

Andrew E. Kramer contributed reporting from Kyiv, Ukraine, and Olha Kotiuzhanska from Kharkiv and Kramatorsk.

Paul Mozur is the global technology correspondent for The Times, based in Taipei. Previously he wrote about technology and politics in Asia from Hong Kong, Shanghai and Seoul. More about Paul Mozur

Adam Satariano is a technology correspondent based in Europe, where his work focuses on digital policy and the intersection of technology and world affairs. More about Adam Satariano