WWW: Beyond the Basics

6. Education

6.1 Introduction

In this chapter we look at the task of using the World Wide Web (WWW) as an effective educational tool, primarily in a K-12 classroom setting. The intended audience is, largely, that of a science or engineering undergraduate student who is moderately computer literate and interested in applying educational technology in a real-world classroom situation. It is assumed that such a reader has a good technological background, but is, most likely, unfamiliar with education, pedagogy, and the classroom environment. The central theme of this chapter is, therefore, to bridge this gap, and enable computer scientists to understand better the needs of educators. Without such an understanding and context, we cannot hope to create effective and usable educational technology for the classroom.

In essence, this chapter is a computer scientist's primer for the world of education and educational technology. However, educators will also benefit greatly from reading it, as it contains useful ideas for effectively integrating the WWW into the classroom and curriculum. It also includes a discussion of appropriate and inappropriate teaching methodologies for use with educational technology, and how one in particular is a natural "fit."

It may not be apparent, but computer scientists see the world through very different eyes from educators. Without understanding the world of educators, it is difficult for computer scientists to create effective tools for them. The first part of this chapter looks at what problems this poses, and highlights some common misconceptions that exacerbate the gulf of understanding that exists between the two communities.

Next, we continue the theme of understanding context by looking at the typical environments of the computer scientist and the K-12 educator so that the computer scientist can better understand and appreciate the milieu of the educator. One striking feature is how different these two environments typically are. If educational use of the WWW is to be effective, this implies targetting its use to the level of available technology. This section points out some special concerns that may not be apparent, and which anyone wanting to bring educational technology to the classroom should bear in mind.

At that point, the computer science reader should hopefully have a much better understanding and appreciation of the world and problems of the educator. The final piece of the contextual jigsaw is an examination of appropriate teaching methodologies. In particular, we focus upon two approaches: didactic and constructivist. Didacticism is the approach most commonly used in the classroom and taught to new educators. It is also, undoubtedly, the educational system with which most readers are familiar. However, it is not the most appropriate for use with educational technology, especially with the Internet and WWW. Instead, we shall see that the other approach, constructivism, is a more natural "fit" in this respect, in that it meshes nicely with the strengths that educational technology has to offer. Educators may wish to dive into the chapter in earnest at this point.

Armed with the required educational context, the reader should now be equipped to look more critically at what has been currently achieved in the use of the WWW for educational purposes. We shall look briefly at how the WWW is typically used today in education, and note how much of this falls under the shadow of the didactic umbrella. We argue that much more can be achieved, and that simply mimicking the didactic model is a severe impediment to the effective use of the WWW in the classroom.

At this point we will be well-placed to determine what factors contribute to an effective use of the WWW in the K-12 classroom. An effective application is one that assumes a realistic view of its intended environment and that contributes to learning (as opposed simply to knowledge). We present several guidelines and underlying rationale as to what we consider contributes to the effective application of the WWW. Computer scientists thinking of introducing educational technology into the classroom would do well to give these guidelines careful consideration.

Next, we shall look at some effective applications of the WWW in the classroom, and describe why we consider these to be an effective use of the WWW. Although superficially simple, these applications bear rich fruit in terms of educational rewards, and provide a fertile learning experience for their participating students and teachers.

A common thread running through the applications covered in this chapter is the goal of fostering critical literacy and information literacy on the student. We will examine this goal, and why, in today's information age, it is a paramount one to pursue. Furthermore, we shall describe how the WWW provides an accessible way of attacking the problem of critical literacy head on, and that, in fact, this may be the greatest contribution the WWW brings to the classroom.

Finally, we end with a look towards some possible future trends and some thoughts about where educational technology might be heading. We also offer some conclusions about the use of the WWW in the classroom. By this point, the computer science reader, in particular, should have a much better appreciation of the opportunities, problems and pitfalls surrounding the use of educational technology in the classroom, and of the lot of the average K-12 educator.

[PREV][NEXT][UP][HOME][VT CS]

Copyright © 1996 Paul Mather, All Rights Reserved

Paul Mather <paul@cs.vt.edu>
Last modified: Sun Nov 24 23:17:53 1996