In a five-year study of the State of Hawaii Annual Marine Science Student Symposium, Buczinski (1998) found that student project bibliographies containing Web citations have increased by 36% from 1994-1998 with an expected increase of 25% in the next five years. This trend may be attributed to several factors such as the increase of Internet availability in schools and at home. In 1997, 65% of schools in Hawaii had access to the Internet (State of Hawaii Department of Education [HIDOE], 1997). Solmon (1998) found that of 21 states in the United States, an average of 51.6% were connected via a local area network and 17.9% were connected via a direct telephone line.

It is not enough, however, to be connected to the Internet. Teachers need to know how to incorporate the new technology into their curriculum and students need to know how to use it effectively to enhance learning. In two specific studies by Topp (1996) and Gallo and Horton (1994), it was found that 20% of teachers surveyed viewed the Web as having the most potential in educational situations. How likely the Web will impact students and teachers in schools was also found to be directly correlated to the amount of time and training and technical support that is offered (Roblyer, 1997).