Web Services for Learning in Educational Settings

It is only quite recently that politicians and educational thinkers have begun seriously to reconsider the traditional learning environments and to value the application of Web services into primary and secondary schools. In addition, many school leaders and teachers have been more inclined to value the application of portal technology because they believe that it fosters learning. The continuing concern about the validity of the Victorian models of schooling thus reflects the rapid development of the portal technology. Currently, school district portals cover a spectrum of services and resources from public portals to learning management systems integrated with various internal Web services. Real changes in learning took part once these intranets and the Internet began offering a new tool and medium with which to support and mediate schooling (Abbott, 1995). This article covers the application of portal technology into schools (grade 0-12). By providing guidance for researchers and practitioners in this field, this article aims to add to the body of work in the use of Web resources and services at primary and secondary schools.