The School as an Information Ecology: A Framework for Studying Changes in Information Use

Abstract

This article explores the concept of the school as information ecology and proposes the use of this concept as a framework for studying the dynamics of online information-seeking behaviors of educators within the ecology. From an earlier study of teachers' online information-seeking behaviors using online survey and interview methods, four themes emerged: currency of information, sparking of ideas and gaining personal knowledge, resource management and the role of time, and webs of sharing. However, although teachers were using the Internet widely, they were underusing the online digital tools pecifically designed for educational use.