Instruction can be defined as a way of organizing and sequencing information in order to maximize the transfer of information from teacher to learner (Dillon & Zhu, 1997). We think of traditional instructional methods as linear in design. Text-based materials, chunked in a systematic order that guide students from basic to higher order concepts. The use of online or Web-based instruction provides these options and many more. The World Wide Web offeres nonlinear options through linked pages of information and content. This nonlinear construction provides students with information beyond that contained within the bindings of textbooks. Deeper understanding and richer learning takes place as students further investigate specific information on a topic. Today Web 2.0 has taken this structure and enhanced its capabilities by adding the element of real-time interaction.

Listen to Dr. Mitchel Resnick's keynote speech on developing new technologies for effective instruction. (This file is 10MB. Be prepared to wait while it downloads.) A key point made in this speech is the development of new technologies with a "low floor and high ceiling." This analogy is used to represent the need for tools that are easy to access but allow for growth into more complex concepts.

Video

Dillon, A. and Zhu, E. (1997) Designing Web-Based Instruction: A Human-Computer Interaction (HCI) Perspective. In B. Khan (ed.) Web-Based Instruction, Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Educational Technology Publications, 221-225.