ABSTRACT
This chapter addresses the application of electronic performance support in mainstream education to enable teachers to conduct research as part of their job. The Electronic Performance Support System (EPSS) presented here assists teachers in research, publishing and sharing knowledge, and collaboration – all three types of EPSS assistance introduced by Barker (Chapter 5 of this volume) as typical of educational settings. One of the Information and Communication Technology (ICT) innovation strategies in Dutch education is the stimulation of action research into the design, use and effects of ICT – carried out by teachers in their own professional context. The implementation of ICT services in education can be considered one of the major drivers of educational reforms. Examples of ICT services include a school’s web site, an intranet, an electronic-learning environment, digital school-boards and computer-assisted instruction. Furthermore, social Web applications are increasingly being introduced into educational settings. Examples of these applications are Hyves, Flickr, YouTube, Twitter, Google Earth, MSN and Trackr. From an educational point of view, there is a quest for ‘proven innovations’, that is, innovations that have been demonstrated to be effective. In this context, action research can play a significant role.
