Berkshire County Teachers' Uses of the Internet

This study draws on both quantitative and qualitativedata collectedfrom public and private high school teachers inBerkshire County,Massachusetts, to describe their uses of, beliefsabout, andknowledge base surrounding the Internet for teachingand learning.Before the outcomes of teachers uses of the Internetcan beaddressed, there must first be a clear understandingof howteachers are actually using it for preparation,instruction, andstudent-directed work. 142 teachers responded to asurvey and nineparticipants were chosen from six of the schools toprovide richerdetail and further examples of major trendsdiscovered in the surveydata. The grounded theory, complementary methodsstudy elicitedthemes that suggest how and why the preponderance of theparticipants are currently using the Internet toinform and enrichtheir professional practice and suggest a new domainof teacherknowledge, namely technological pedagogical contentknowledge.Key factors influencing teachers decisions aboutInternet useinclude their perceptions about its importance forteaching andlearning as well as about the obstacles it poses.