In the developing knowledge-based society information technologies play a particularly significant role. However, even the most advanced technologies will not give a necessary effect, if their usage (application) in the educational system is not adequate to the current development of technologies and increased educational needs. In the author’s opinion, our epoch is marked with global environmental crisis and the advent of information age. Extensive implementation of a range of information technologies into high and higher school curricula and the emphasis on environmental issues in education are two leading trends in contemporary education. We maintain that it would be optimal if the computer (especially using the Internet) is a natural teaching / learning aids like books and other sources of information. On the other hand, it is necessary to create conditions for teachers to raise qualification. This is emphasized by numerous researchers.
It has to be stated that the Internet possibilities in the teaching process are insufficiently used. On the other hand, in principal there are no reliable studies, which would reveal the actual situation in this field. Therefore, the object of our study is the usage of the Internet for teaching physics. The main aim of the study is to analyse the situation of the usage of the Internet for teaching physics and highlight the hindering/encouraging factors of its usage in the teaching process. The most important study tasks have been formulated:
• To analyse the situation of the usage of the Internet for teaching physics;
• To identify the hindering/stimulating factors of Internet usage for teaching physics;
• To highlight the experts’ opinion about the expected development perspectives of Internet usage for teaching physics in the nearest five years period.
The study employed expert inquiry. The type of expert inquiry – “Delphi study”, containing several experts’ inquiries (stages). The data of every round are generalised and repeatedly submitted to the experts. Such procedure is repeated several times, most often 3-4 times. The study was carried out in September – December 2005.
In the first stage of the study the experts replied to 5 essential questions. In the opinion of the majority of experts (62%) the usage of the Internet during the nearest five years will increase only insignificantly. 31% of experts maintain that the usage of the Internet will increase significantly and 7% think that it will not change at all. Having studied and generalised the first stage results, the new questionnaire for the second stage of the study was prepared.
It was identified that the most important factors, hindering the Internet usage were as follows: poor computerisation of physics rooms and the shortage of the Internet access, poor school technical possibilities and poor funding, shortage of specialized Internet websites and of websites applied for teaching physics, poor knowledge of foreign languages, etc. The most important stimulating factors: the wish to interest pupils and search for more diverse teaching forms, the possibility to present the phenomena to the pupils that they find difficult to imagine, the diversification of the demonstration and laboratory teaching aids, etc.
In the third stage of the study the experts had to assess the generalised second stage results. In many cases the experts approved the generalised assessment of the current situation; however, they noted that the situation in town schools and village schools differed. The experts clearly expressed their concern regarding the immoderate ICT usage in the teaching process and emphasized that the computer will never replace the teacher’s explanation and natural experiments with real physical bodies in the real environment.
Some conclusions were indicated:
• The Internet possibilities for teaching physics are not being fully used both for objective and subjective reasons.
• It is expected that during the nearest five years the Internet usage will increase only insignificantly.
• Higher effectiveness of ICT application for teaching physics can be achieved in the presence of continuous monitoring (how the situation changes, what influences it, etc.), on the other hand, the physics teachers need continuous methodical assistance, independent of their formal qualification. Effective ICT application for teaching physics is one of the composite parts of the competence of physics teachers.
• Continuous studies and in-service training institutions should allocate more attention raising the qualification of physics teachers in this field.
Key words: teaching physics, Internet usage, expert inquiry
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