Helping Educators Harvest Internet Resources: The Development of Technology Integration Support Tools

The availability of new internet technologies has reached deep into the educational system with educators being the real gatekeepers of their impact on teaching and learning. Access to the internet has been accelerated by national mandates and State legislation requiring internet access for all students in the educational arena. Through national and state funding, this evolution holds promise for new ways of teaching and learning. However, stories abound about how computers sit idle or are used for glorified seatwork. With this evolution come several questions that must be addressed to prevent unused, misused or underused technology in the classroom. How can educators balance school-level support structures with teaching and learning issues through the strategic integration of technology resources into teaching and learning? How do educators create web-enhanced learning environments that effectively integrate teaching objectives and learning with technology resources? This paper describes how three educator support tools, ID-PRISM, Web-Enhanced Learning Environment Strategies (WELES), and the lesson plan structure of Kids as Airborne Mission Scientists (KaAMS), were created from research designed to investigate these questions.