Knowledge building for use of the internet in education

The purpose of this commentary is not so much to critique the studiesin this special issue as to stimulate deeper thinking and dialogueabout the issues raised by these studies, in the hope of improvingthe usefulness of research in this important area. The key issuesare represented by the following three questions: 1) What kind ofknowledge is needed for how to use the Internet most effectivelyfor educational purposes? 2) What kind of research is needed togenerate that knowledge? 3) What role should technology play inthe nature of that knowledge? In addressing these questions, thisarticle explores the value of design theory relative to descriptivetheory. It explores the value of design-based research relative todescriptive and comparative studies. And it explores the value ofintegrating technology into the methods we have traditionally usedin education relative to harnessing technology to transform thosemethods into ones more focused on learners' needs.