My first memory of using the Internet was in elementary school. My dad made an email account for me through Comcast for me, but I only used it to email my uncles, aunts, and grandparents. I would say maybe in the 2nd or 3rd grade was the first time I started to use it for school. However, in 2002 and 2003 the Internet was still relatively new to home use. I recall websites being much more stark in terms of layout/decor. I also remember that Yahoo used to be very popular, and I think I used that more at first. Searching something on the Internet used to take so much longer. Now Google will display its search speed at fractions of a second.

One if my first memories of becoming familiar with the Internet and using it for social use was AIM in the 4th grade. My parents would constantly find me on the computer chatting with 2 or 3 friends for hours. If I did something bad or didn’t finish my homework, I would have computer privileges taken away. Now I use the Internet every day for school, leisure, and work related activities. It has definitely become an absolute necessity in higher education. Every teacher uses it in some way, whether it be Blackboard, TopHat, or even blogs such as this one. I think the Internet is highly useful when gathering information, but also somewhat tedious when it comes to assignments. When various teachers use various websites it can be tough to keep up with assignments and announcements. With that being said, the benefits definitely outweigh the consequences of the rise of the Internet. It is a great tool in education.