October 2006 Volume 9 Number 4

Comparing works designed using the system with those designed using an Internet browser and word processor,
we have some encouraging findings. For example, previous studies (Small et al., 1998) indicated that seeking
suitable materials from the Internet is time consuming and frustrating owing to the messiness of the databank,
which then limits the amount of supplementary materials teachers can offer. We addressed this difficulty by
providing a URL collector, a URL browser recorder, and a URL resource bank to assist teachers. Teachers in the
experimental group all successfully and without much difficulty completed many instructional materials with the
supporting functions. On the contrary, using the same of preparation time, teachers in the control group failed to
produce instructional materials of similar quality. Furthermore, Roberts et al. (2000) found that teaching
products made through computer-based technology were superior in design and required less time than
handmade ones, but that there was no significant difference in the creativity of the two kinds of products.
However, teachers in the experimental group not only completed better instructional materials, but also their
materials were more creative and diverse, and the overall plans and materials were more coordinated and better
structured.
Innovative instruction relies on both a teacher’s willingness to engage in designing innovative teaching plans and
on having access to facilities for helping achieve such innovation. Computer technology is one of the major tools
that should provide facilities for innovation. However, increased access to equipment and training neither led to
widespread teacher use nor altered existing patterns of teaching practice (Cuban, 2001; Havista & Lesgold,
1996). One possible reason for the failure to achieve the desired level of innovation despite the investment in
effort and resources is the lack of suitable software to optimize the functions of equipment and training. Only
when teachers believe that their workload can be reduced by using computers and quality of teaching can be
enhanced will they be willing to increase their use of computers for instruction. The results of this study also
support this assertion. Both the quantitative and qualitative data from our interviews demonstrate that teachers
using our system experienced a lower workload and higher efficiency. The result was that they then generated
more ideas and designed more activities reflecting their individual styles and originality.
We believe that the design of software for instructional purposes and the exposure to such software are the most
direct ways to link equipment and training, and to optimize the possible benefits of using information
technology. The design and application of our system may serve as a reference for related studies. Due to time
constraints and environmental factors however, this study did not conduct an observation and evaluation of the
use of the system in a real teaching context. Future studies will investigate the usefulness of the system in a
classroom context and other issues related to teaching material design on the Internet.
Acknowledgement
This research was supported by a grant from the National Science Council, Republic of China, under contract
number NSC93-2524-S-003-014.
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