College Relations field, Students in a Teachers Training College Develop
Educational Programs and Activities Related to Intelligent Use of the Internet
Orit Zeichner and Rivka Wadmany
Kibbutzim College of Education, Technology and Arts, Tel Aviv, Israel
Israel
Orit.Zeichner@gmail.com
Rivka_Wad@smkb.ac.il
Orly Melamed
Bar Ilan University
Israel
melamed.orly@gmail.com
In recent years the Internet has become a means for mass communications, which
essentially affects the way in which people consume information, purchase and learn
(Hartley, 2007). Together with the Internet’s numerous positive applications and uses
designed for communications, information and online services, there are also negative
and harmful applications and numerous dangers (Kuiper & al., 2005; Miller, 2006).
The growing trend using the internet by youth has provoked the need to examine the
experience and attitudes of students toward the internet (Howland & Moore, 2002; Webb,
2007).
A unique initiative was developed in 2008-2012 at a Teachers' College for all its
teachers, training them for intelligent use of the Internet. In the framework of a variety of
teaching courses, lecturers, pedagogical instructors and their students developed diverse
educational programs and activities aimed at promoting intelligent use of the Internet.
The educational programs and activities relate to the variance within the student
population, the needs of teachers in training, as well as didactic and methodological
aspects that emerge as a result of the students' experience in peer-teaching and actual
teaching at schools.
The present study examines the effect of these educational programs on the attitudes and
the educational practices of students in a teachers training college regarding intelligent
use of the Internet.
The research is qualitative and also incorporates quantitative tools.
The study population comprises of 180 1st, 2nd, and 3rd year students studying in the
college in different departments and courses.
The study’s findings open a window that enhance the understanding of the students’
experience, and help in developing mechanisms of educational programs on intelligent
use of the Internet which advance the teaching capabilities and skills of students as future
teachers, and agents and leaders of change in school and in the education system.
The examination of attitudes reveled that students with positive attitudes towards the use
of the Internet in relation to social and content-related aspects were more significantly
involved in educational programs and activities dealing with intelligent use of the Internet
than students with negative attitudes.
The contribution of the study from the theoretical point of view is in examining the effect
of diverse educational programs and activities related to intelligent use of the Internet on
the approach, position, feelings and educational practices of students in a teachers
training college, regarding the use of the internet.
From the applicative point of view, the results of the study contribute to shaping study
environments that use the Internet intelligently and promote planning models of effective
learning in this area.
Moreover, the knowledge accumulated in the college on intelligent use of the Internet
serves all students in all institutions of higher education in teacher training programs, as a
basis and source for developing additional educational activities on the subject and for
analyzing and discussing real events based on the student-teachers’ experience in the
classroom with their students.
References
Hartley, J. (2007). Teaching, Learning and New Teaching: a Review for Teachers.
British Journal of Educational Technology, Volume 38, Issue 1, p. 42-62.
Howland, J.L & Moore, J.L. (2002). Student Perceptions as Distance Learners in
Internet-Based Courses. Distance Education. 23(2), 183-195.
Kuiper, E., Volman,M., & Terwel, J.(2005). The Web as an Information Resource in
K- 12 Education: Strategies for Supporting Students in Searching and Processing
Information. Review of Educational Research, Vol. 75, No. 3 P. 285-328.
Miller, Michael, J. (2006). Warning children about online dangers; We don't need a
scare campaign, but we do need to educate kids about the basic rules of Internet. PC
Magazine. New York: Vol. 25, Iss. 10; p.1.
Webb, D. (2007). Minding the net. Today's Parent. Toronto. Vol.24, Iss. 11; p. 165.