| Chapter 1: | Introduction |
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Teacher guidance, Web filters, and Web-based learning platforms—particularly among the religious schools with password access—were employed. “Open surfing” was limited for the most part, but was available under supervised conditions whether in traditional or Tali-enriched Mamlachti, Mamlachti-Dati, or the Chorev School. Teachers’ supervision was carried out with the understanding that the parameters of Internet decision making needed to be narrowed in order to safely guide the students through their value-based development.
Thus, computers and the Internet tested teachers’ abilities to adjust to a new teaching tool, which at times removed them from the center of available information while at the same time allowed them to remain in control of access to that information. Integrating computer and Internet technology into the classroom requires special teachers who are not threatened by the new media or the vast wealth of new resources, and who are able to become computer-oriented and capable of integrating computers and telecommunications into their teaching.
Of particular interest to us in the present study is the extent of young children’s early exposure to computers and the Internet in Israeli school settings. Teachers are entrusted to help develop young children’s value systems, expand their knowledge, and assist them with acquiring socialization skills to interact with classmates and adults. However, there are other places from which values, information, and socialization skills are acquired. Recognizing this, we were interested in understanding what happens at the elementary-school level, in the formative years of development, when the values taught daily intersect and often conflict with popular-culture messages communicated from the Internet.