 performance due to a more hands-on, minds-on approach to learning.
The WWW is making a global economic impact on our lives and schools are critical to the process of preparing children for that world. The purpose of conducting this needs assessment was to gain a better understanding of the school context, school content and WWW resources, and current learning theory and teaching practice so that appropriate teaching and learning strategies for Web-based instruction and learning could be developed. The overall findings from this analysis are reported in these three areas from the perspective of the customer, the teachers who ultimately have the responsibility of deciding what happens in their classrooms.
Three interrelated areas of school context exist: administration, technology, and teachers. For the WWW to be integrated into a school successfully, all of these areas must be addressed and resolved.
The inclusion of Web-based instruction and learning in schools can be accomplished by preparing teachers for the eventuality that they will one day have Internet access. This preparation should help teachers determine how the WWW can be used within their own classroom configuration so that its use is seamless in their instruction rather than being used solely as a "big-time event." It should also prepare teachers to address slow modem speeds and understand that the most dazzling sites may not be the most educationally effective. Teachers need exposure to the different types of Web resources that are available for classroom use and training in efficient search strategies. Instruction exists that teaches teachers how to develop WWW materials. Since fewer materials are available which assist teachers on how to integrate the variety of WWW resources in the classroom, development efforts should be here. When students or teachers have the inclination to learn how to create content for the WWW, they should be encouraged to do so; however, this should not be the only way the WWW is promoted for classroom use. Administrators need to be proactive by budgeting for technical support and including it as part of the technical plan for the school rather than placing this responsibility onto the teacher by default.
The second area of investigation examined the link between school curriculum and existing WWW resources. The National Education Standards were used as a guide to science and mathematics curricula. The WWW was then examined to determine the breadth of resources available to teachers and students.
Web-enhanced lessons can help teachers meet the changing curriculum standards by bringing problems anchored in reality to learners. Any material that is put on the WWW for school use should be tied to the National Education Standards and to state and local education standards whenever possible.
By using a variety of Web resources and integrating rather than producing resources, it becomes feasible to incorporate the WWW in the classroom without it being experienced as an additional responsibility in an already overloaded schedule. The variety of existing materials offers the most flexible strategies for WWW use.
In this area of the investigation, contemporary perceptions about how children learn were examined, along with general classroom teaching practices. Classroom uses of the WWW were studied to determine demonstrated strategies that were school-tested. Existing teacher training about WWW use in classroom was assessed. This analysis has revealed several conditions that should be considered when developing Web-based or Web-enhanced classroom strategies and training for teachers.
Classroom strategies for using the WWW should take into account the shift from a teacher-centered to a learner-centered environment in which the children become active generators of knowledge rather than passive recipients of information. Interactivity on the WWW is not limited to interaction between the learner and the computer information; rather, that interaction can be expanded to the creation of learning partners with the global Web environment. The WWW of