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 offers the classroom a global rather than a local view of information, jobs, science, mathematics, and technology. Anchoring local classrooms to real-life activities through the WWW is one model of its use in the classroom. Using the WWW in the classroom does not always have to mean elaborate or extensive use. Using simple resources of the WWW to expand those that are available locally is another possible use in the classroom. Strategies for using the WWW in the classroom should apply the most prevalent and effective learning strategies currently used by teachers and not be limited to only one approach.
Teachers need to learn how to manage the WWW in their classrooms in a manner that does not take a great deal of additional time. Rather, the integration needs to be seamless in the normal planning activities required of teachers.
Classroom strategies of WWW use need to be developed that exemplify good teaching practice, are simple to use, and incorporate the variety of WWW resources that provide access to people and information. Training on the use of these strategies needs to include efficient WWW search methods to lessen the time required to find relevant material for lessons.
Administrators need to advocate and plan for WWW use and provide teachers with appropriate access, technical support, training, and time for training with this new classroom resource.
WWW developers need to fit their material into classroom teaching models that consider access, type of Web resources, and teaching and learning styles and specify several options for teachers to use their materials given the realities of the classroom environment, content, and teaching practice. The goal for developers should be to create material that provides the most flexibility and adaptability to the teachers who use their products.
Other NASA Contributors: