Internet Use in New Zealand Schools

The past ten years have seen many changes within the New Zealand education system. In order to position ourselves successfully within the global economy, we need to create a ‘knowledge economy'' where companies are innovative and focus on continual learning. To achieve this, children must be educated in Information and Communication Technologies (ICT. Despite over 83% of New Zealand schools having Internet access, previous research indicates that less than 25% of teachers use the Internet regularly. This study sought information from teachers as to the factors they perceived as influencing Internet use in schools, whether teacher training and development played a role, and any ICT or Internet training they found to be beneficial. Results indicate that teacher confidence in Internet use is low, which will in turn influence Internet use in the classroom. Further research is required to determine the preferred and most beneficial types of Internet training for teachers.