Research relating specifically to professional development to support teachers’ use of WBRs in the classroom is scarce. However, some studies investigating various questions or topics relating to using the Internet in classrooms involve some form of professional development while others highlight particular issues and strategies that arise in classroom use of the Internet.
Lee and Tsai (2010) used their TPCK-W framework (see Section 2.3.7) to develop a questionnaire with the purpose of exploring teachers’ self-efficacy and attitudes towards using the Web. Although their study does not use the model in professional development, Lee and Tsai suggest that the information gained on
teachers’ TPCK-W self-efficacy may inform teacher professional development. Findings of their survey of 558 Taiwanese teachers suggest that teachers lack web pedagogical knowledge in particular, and hence they propose that teacher education and further research are needed to address this limitation. They identified a high correlation between teachers’ experience of web use and of web- based instruction and their TPCK-W self-efficacy. They also highlight the tendency for older and more experienced teachers to have low self-efficacy in terms of TPCK-W, suggesting that senior teachers may have more difficulty integrating the Web in their teaching than more junior teachers.
Watson (2006) investigated the long term effects on teacher self-efficacy of a funded professional development programme to train teachers to integrate the Internet in science and mathematics classes in West Virginia. The professional development involved an intensive summer workshop supplemented by a range of online courses. Findings indicated that professional development courses increased teachers’ self-efficacy for using the Internet in teaching and that their self-efficacy remained high years after the programme. The ongoing contact between the in-service teachers that resulted from involvement in additional courses appeared to contribute significantly to teachers’ confidence. This supports the valuable contribution that membership of a professional learning community makes to effective professional development, as discussed in Section 2.4.1 and 2.4.2.
Access to the wide variety of information that the Internet offers is viewed as one of the benefits of ICT, and it is one of the most common classroom uses of ICT (2020 Communications Trust, 2014; Pratt, 2005). However, while benefits for learning are acknowledged, they are not automatic, and it is well established that students’ Internet searching skills, and critical use of the Internet is generally poor (Hoffman, Wu, Krajcik, & Soloway, 2003; Kuiper, Volman, & Terwel, 2005; Pratt, 2009; Ruthven, Hennessy, & Deaney, 2005). For example, in a review of literature from 1997 to 2003, Kuiper et al (2005) concluded that students often do not have the necessary skills to search the Internet effectively, and they need support to develop both searching skills and the ability to critically assess information on the Web. This resonates with other studies which claim that
although students are comfortable using the Internet and may be actively engaged, they use it naively or simplistically (Hoffman et al., 2003), and their ability to synthesise and evaluate the information is very poor (Pratt, 2009). That using WBRs is complex for both students and teachers indicates that students need extensive support to develop the necessary information literacy skills, and that teachers also need help to develop strategies for teaching with and about these skills.
As Wallace (2004) points out, with so many different resources on the Internet it is “a daunting substantive and technical task to find appropriate, useful resources” (p 450). Using case studies of three high school science teachers, Wallace developed a framework to support teaching with the Internet. He hypothesised that when the practice of teaching and the nature of the Internet interact, they can both support and inhibit teaching and learning. He identified five key features of the Internet, which he suggests offer both affordances and constraints depending on how they are used by the teacher. Although published over 10 years ago, the growth of the Internet and Web 2.0 technologies, make these features still relevant:
Boundaries: Unlike conventional resources such as text books, the Internet provides a limitless information space with neither intellectual nor physical boundaries. While this offers huge potential for learning, it can be challenging for teachers to develop strategies to create boundaries in order to support and structure effective learning.
Authority: Most internet resources are not specifically authorised for classroom use. This can be challenging for teachers in deciding what is appropriate and trustworthy. Students need guidance and support to select and use these resources critically.
Stability: Traditionally teachers have been able to rely on resources such as text books to change slowly over time, in contrast to the rapidly changing nature of the Internet. This offers exciting possibilities but also creates instability for teachers because they can no longer depend on what students will find when they visit a particular site.
Pedagogical context: Teachers develop pedagogical strategies that contribute to their PCK over time, making use of the familiar features of the learning environment. Most Internet resources do not provide pedagogical support in terms of how to use them in the classroom. Teachers need to develop their PCK for using Internet resources - this includes knowing the resource exists and how to use it in their classrooms (TPACK).
Disciplinary context: Text books generally provide subject matter that is organised sequentially to provide age- and developmentally-appropriate disciplinary support for students. This is generally not the case with Internet resources. Teachers need to create their own disciplinary framework in the way they select resources, design activities and interact with students.