A self-learning package in elementary number theory for HKIEd students with the WWW: Its rationale and difficulties in the design and implementation

Millions of people now have access to the Internet, and the number is increasing every day. The World Wide Web (WWW) is the most visible, graphical and fast-growing part of the Internet. The role of education in this domain has been studied in recent years. Some have tried to improve the instruction process through appropriate integration of technology via the WWW. Does the access to the WWW, which can be regarded as an Information Superhighway, deliver the anticipated renewal of teaching and learning? If so, under what conditions? Or to what degree? In this paper, we will focus our attention on the teaching and learning in mathematics and provide a preliminary exploration of the above questions. A self-learning package in elementary number theory with the WWW has been developed for the pre-service teachers in our Full-time Certificate of Education (Primary) Course at HKIEd. In this paper, we will also explain our rationale in choosing the topics and the difficulties in our design and implementation. Copyright © 1998 Hong Kong Institute of Education.