Chang, Chew Hung

Information Technology is commonly referred to by its acronym IT. But just what does IT encompass and what are the "technologies" of IT that are useful for learning? How will IT enrich a lesson and enable learning? In particular, the question of how different the advent of new ITs such as the World Wide Web (WWW) is from existing ITs such as the video or TV will be examined. Since learning arises from a constructive process of reflection on the material provided and interaction with it, the mere use of IT in lessons may not be a sufficient condition for learning to occur. It may not even be a necessary condition for learning to occur. Furthermore, IT refers to an extremely varied spectrum of "technologies" ranging from plain electronic manifestation of printed material to self-contained, highly interactive, communication-enabled and multi-mediated materials. There exists a problem on the choice of IT for learning. Examples will be drawn from the comparative study of two University Geography courses, one pre-service and one in-service, on the infusion of interactive online web-based courses to enable learning.

This paper will focus on pedagogical considerations and practical issues of designing web-based constructivist learning activities for Geography and Social Studies topics. Specifically, WebQuest designs will be used to create authentic constructivist learning activities. The strategies discussed are most suitable for Upper Secondary Geography students.

In the official launch of Singapore’s “IT Masterplan 2” on 24 July 2002, the Ministry of Education has announced that the efforts in implementing Information Technology into Education should move beyond providing and sustaining Information and Communication Technology (ICT) infrastructure into effective pedagogical practices using ICT. It is how these ICTs are used rather than what is used that is important. Indeed, one such aspect of ICT use within Geography education – information seeking within web-based learning will be examined in this paper. Much of current literature on web- based learning highlights the flexibility of the web in providing information and enabling students to perform self-guided exploratory learning (Scott 1996 and Kahn 1998). Little empirical research has been done on the actual information-seeking behaviour in web–based learning, especially in Singapore. This paper examines the interactions between the learner and the web through the browsing behaviours of 16 Secondary 3 students when given a task that requires them to search for information on the web to solve a problem. One of the major conclusions from the data analysis is that the students tend to be engaged in rudimentary information-seeking behaviour that does not extend beyond simple keywords searches and following sequential links from search results.