Acting on the understanding that knowledge is not a fixed set of facts or skills, but is uniquely constructed by each learner based on prior knowledge, experiences, and interests, implies that students, not the teacher, will drive the learning process. Students, too, have been socialized with certain expectations about schooling and success. As noted earlier, many students are reluctant to voice opinions that may be considered incorrect. Helping students to become comfortable with new instructional mores and approaches, then, is not always a simple or short-term task. When technology supports the creation of constructivist learning environments, student roles change.
Students often become peer mentors and mentors for their teachers as well.
Some teachers' discomfort with this role shift is certainly communicated to students. As noted in the discussion of the ACOT project earlier in this paper, students also need help in learning how to function in these roles. In addition, managing student behavior takes on additional elements. Issues such as abuse of expensive equipment and access to unacceptable material available on the Internet are real ones for teachers and schools as they change their practices.