ments offline. Four categories were found that exemplified this dimension:
Interactivity with the World Wide Web. This dimension focused on how the students used the WWW. For example, students use the WWW as a research tool to find information, data, or graphics; as a tool to communicate with others; or as a tool to manipulate and report data. Five categories were found that exemplified this dimension:
Types of World Wide Web sites. Types of WWW sites refer to the potential function of the site in the classroom. Sites can be classified into three categories:
Informational sites primarily present data, explanations, examples, images, and content. Instructional sites organize and sequence information into lesson plans. Learning sites engage the learner in cognitive processing and interactive investigation of content.
Origination of sites. The origination of sites refers to who created the Web site. This is important to teachers and students when there is a concern about content accuracy and quality of the Web site. Web sites can be created by
The most critical dimensions in this investigation are use of technology during instruction and interactivity with the World Wide Web. Where there were unsuccessful first attempts at using the WWW, teachers changed how technology was used or the type of interaction students had with the WWW.
Teacher tutorials help teachers make use of WWW resources in a classroom setting. The tutorials in this needs assessment focused on skills related to both instructional and technical issues. To use the WWW in the classroom, teachers need varying degrees of technical proficiency combined with strategies and skills relating to designing instruction and writing lesson plans.
Teacher tutorials were classified into two dimensions. The teacher's level of proficiency in either dimension affects his or her ability to use the WWW for instruction.
WWW producer. Producer refers to tutorials that teach teachers to create and publish content for WWW delivery. The WWW producer tutorials were subdivided into two categories: high producer tutorial, that is, one that teaches how to create content, manage WWW pages, write code, use multiple media types, create interactive sites that require less internal initiative; and low producer tutorial, that is, one that teaches how to produce single media pages and create passive, noninteractive pages that require more internal initiative.
WWW integrator. Integrator refers to tutorials that teach teachers how to enhance their classroom instruction with the resources of the WWW. Two types of WWW integrator exemplify this dimension. The first is the high integrator tutorial, that is, one that teaches how to identify resources, use e-mail, facilitate communication, moderate discussion groups, design and foster interactions, and use multiple media sources. The second is the low integrator tutorial, that is, one that teaches how to use a single or few WWW resources or how to use the Web for demonstration rather than engage learners interactively.
The most critical dimension is WWW integrator because successful use of the WWW is determined by a teacher's ability to incorporate, or integrate, the WWW into the existing classroom curriculum. While some tutorials are directed toward the development of Web-based materials, it is more critical to teach teachers how to become integrators of the WWW rather than producers of Web-based material.
In developing materials to help teachers better utilize NASA's Web-based materials, several theories of learning were considered. In this section, the dimensions represent broad perspectives of the learning process. The levels represent different theories that fall under each perspective and are followed by a description of each theory and how it may be applied in the classroom.
For several reasons, designers should consider theories of learning when they are creating Web-based learning environments. Learning and instructional theories help us accomplish the goal of creating a match between instructional methodology and the content to be taught. The