| Over the past several years information technology, especially computer technology, has altered the way many aspects of modern society function. However, one area that has not been as heavily influenced by the information revolution is education. For over 100 years the process of teaching in many classrooms has remained virtually unchanged. Some educators see considerable promise in the current generation of information technology, but the promise has not yet become a real influence on the daily professional practice of American teachers (OTA, 1995).; The purpose of this dissertation was to develop an electronic resource to help educators, particularly classroom teachers and preservice teacher education students, integrate technology into their curriculum. The resource is a Web site, the Houston Educator Lesson Plan Exchange and Resource (HELPER), which contains lesson plans as models for teachers.; The work developed here has been guided by the constructivist framework. More specifically, situated cognition in the tradition of Brown, Collins, & Duguid (1989) is used. Constructivist paradigms of teaching and learning are particularly appropriate at this point in the development of American society. The constructivist integration of technology into the classroom can provide teachers with the power to create, customize, and modify the learning environment in ways that empower and support student-centered learning. The shift from teacher-centered to student-centered learning models is particularly crucial in an era when knowledge will emerge many times over the lifespan of a student.; There are two aspects to the creation of the lesson plan Web site: the development of the lesson plans and the creation of the hypermedia Web site for the lessons. Both were created using a constructivist approach to instructional design. The design model used for the Web site was the Recursive, Reflective Design and Development Model (R2D2) (Willis, 1995). The model provided the beginning framework for a reflective, recursive design process that focused on a participatory team that shaped and molded the product. The development team had two types of members, experts and potential end users. Several types of data were gathered including interviews, observations, and debriefings; the formative data gathered was used in the successive revisions and reformations of the product. |
