Without a doubt, these efforts have aided many in beginning their journey towards computer and internet literacy. However, many aspects of the traditional training methods have proven disappointing to trainers and teachers alike. .
For example, attendance at after-school seminars and workshops has been poor. Perhaps this may be because they have been offered at the end of a teacher's day. Perhaps too, this has occurred because of a lack of communication between trainers and school personnel; as many teachers claim they were unaware of small workshops being offered. Whatever the cause, teachers are not flocking to seminars as anticipated.
Another problem that has faced trainers has been the wide variety of skill levels of teachers at in-services; these varying levels of computer literacy have made individual needs very difficult to meet. There were those who had never used a computer before, and then those who wanted to master specific skills concerning E-Mail, Search Engines, CUSeeMe, Spreadsheets or software installation to mention a few. .
Furthermore, educators have not been integrating what they have learned at professional development days with their regular classroom routines. Many teachers claim this is partly due to lack of skill, and partly due to lack of confidence in using the Internet in a classroom filled with computer-literate students. And again, whatever the cause, the end result remains the same: teachers are not using the internet to enhance the learning experiences of their students.
While basically beneficial, our traditional methods of training have not achieved the results necessary to launch our teachers and students well into the information age. Thus, other options have been sought. Variations on the concept of seminars and training methods have been examined, and one model seems to prevail: a model which involves the mentoring of teachers. A model which has been used successfully around the world.
