A Virtual Learning Environment for the French Physics Teachers

This paper presents a study about the new roles that some French physics teachers develop in class when they use ICT. The presence of ICT in class practice seems to affect both the role of the teachers and how they teach. The content analysis of exchanged e-mails in two mailing lists and semi-structured interviews gives a glimpse on the way teachers are considering that their role in class is changing. New models of teaching seem to be constructed by teachers who feel more active and more dynamic when using ICT to teach physics. Thanks to the introduction of the ICT they have become mediators for their students. Scientific knowledge is no longer on the teacher's side but it is now shared between different sources. They present also the use of ICT as a form of life long learning. Furthermore, the teachers consider that the mailing lists facilitate the communication and contribute to the progress of educational practices.