Berkshire County Teachers' Uses of the Internet

This study draws on both quantitative and qualitativedata collected from public and private high school teachers inBerkshire County, Massachusetts, to describe their uses of, beliefsabout, and knowledge base surrounding the Internet for teachingand learning. Before the outcomes of teachers' uses of the Internetcan be addressed, there must first be a clear understandingof how teachers are actually using it for preparation,instruction, and student-directed work. 142 teachers responded to asurvey and nine participants were chosen from six of the schools toprovide richer detail and further examples of major trendsdiscovered in the survey data. The grounded theory, complementary methodsstudy elicited themes that suggest how and why the preponderance of the participants are currently using the Internet toinform and enrich their professional practice and suggest a new domainof teacher knowledge, namely technological pedagogical contentknowledge. Key factors influencing teachers' decisions aboutInternet use include their perceptions about its importance forteaching and learning as well as about the obstacles it poses.