Using the World Wide Web to enhance classroom instruction

The use of the World Wide Web (WWW) as an instructional tool is gaining momentum as more teachers, instructors, and trainers incorporate it into their repertoire. Grouped together, any instruction that makes use of a computer is called Computer Based Training (CBT), and those strategies that employ the Web as the repository for instructional information are known as Web-Based Instruction (WBI). WBI can be employed in a distance education model or as an adjunct to teacher-led classrooms. Specifically, WBI can be used to meet the needs of a more diverse student group. Typical classes consist of students with varying abilities and previous knowledge, and WBI can help a teacher address these differences. WBI also allows students to work a pace that is more comfortable - some students work faster than their peers while others may wish to take longer. In addition, the use of WBI provides the opportunity for multiple grade levels to be accommodated in the same classroom at the same time. From a teacher's perspective, SBI can help with many daily management tasks by reducing the paper flow required for paper-based instruction, allowing for quick and easy revisions to instructional materials, and ensuring that instructional materials are always available to students. In addition, because the bulk of instruction is delivered via the Web, the teacher is free to spend time working with individual students and small groups; less time is spent in whole-class instruction. An added bonus of Web-Based Instruction is the fact that it can offer students a "virtual teacher" because students can access the instructional materials anytime, anywhere. This allows students who were absent the opportunity to access instructional materials away from school, and even the possibility to accommodate students in a course when their schedule is full