The wealth of information and resources available to educators via the Internet is amazing. Over a fairly short learning curve, the equivalent of an immense library, a news stand, an endless strip of museums and exhibits, an enormous database of lesson plans, and a massive historical archive are available right at our virtual fingertips. As educators and others come to this realization, more and more people are getting "wired" and tapping the Internet for these and other informational resources.
Still, the greatest educational potential of the Internet - that which sets it apart from other educational media - remains grossly underused, ignored and untapped by educators and other Internet users. What is the feature of the Internet which transcends the capabilities of other educational media? What gives the Internet the potential to be an incredibly powerful medium for supplementing multicultural teaching practices?
Interactivity. Cross-cultural communication. The Internet provides us opportunities to share our stories, exchange ideas and resources, and connect our students with the most valuable educational resources of all - other people, across cultures and national boundaries. It allows us to step out of our classrooms, communities, counties, states, countries, and continents and interact with people we would previously been afforded no opportunity to learn from and/or to teach.
This is the true educational value of the Internet - the ability to network and educate ourselves and our students multiculturally.
