A reader picks roadmaps for the information superhighway

By Barrett Mosbacker

Almost every batch of mail brings advertisements urging me to buy books, videos, or software aimed at helping students get on the Internet. Part of me resents the deluge and wants to tell the advertisers that our school has been zooming along the information superhighway for several years now, thank you very much. But another part of me--the same part of me that's tempted to test-drive a BMW when my old Honda is running just fine--wants to read the books, watch the videos, and try out the new software. I justify my curiosity by telling myself that an educator's mind must always be open.

So with an open mind, I recently succumbed to curiosity and tried out several dozen products aimed at helping students and teachers use the Internet. Much of what I tried was awful--too simplistic, too confusing, or just plain irrelevant. But some of the stuff was great. Here are my favorites, with caveats:

Classroom Connect Yearbook. Lancaster, Pa.: Wentworth Worldwide Media Inc. About 180 pp. $39.95; includes CD-ROM. To order, call (800) 638-1639. As the name implies, the Yearbook is a collection of the past year's issues of Classroom Connect, a monthly newsletter that provides a wealth of information on how to use the Internet in the classroom. (Sample articles in the current yearbook: "How Schools Use Commercial On-Line Service Providers To Get Connected to the Internet," "How To Make a Web Page for Your School," and "Do's and Don'ts of Internet Training.")

Classroom Connect Yearbook, also available on a well-designed CD-ROM, is a valuable source of information. Every school now online should have a least one copy of the yearbook in the computer lab or library. And any school contemplating going online will find this an invaluable source of practical information.

Connection On-line: A Telecommunications Simulation. Cincinnati: International Thomson Publishing Inc. $17.25 (subject to change). To order, call (800) 354-9706. This self-paced interactive computer tutorial is a great resource, covering everything students and teachers need to know about telecommunications: getting online; using electronic mail; accessing forums; uploading and downloading files; locating online research resources; writing online; and using telecommunications resources in math, science, global issues, and social studies.

The Info-Bridge 2.0 software offers several distinctive features: online tutorials; America Online, CompuServe, and Internet simulations. A feature called SOS--or Simulated On-line Service--allows students to sample forums, send e-mail, and perform online research and other tasks. Also included is a management component that teachers can use to add students to the SOS software, set passwords, send e-mail messages to all students on the system, and make changes to the forums available on the software. These off-line services allow students and teachers to practice using the Internet without incurring service or phone charges.

Educator's Internet Companion. Lancaster, Pa.: Wentworth Worldwide Media Inc. 321 pp. $39.95; includes video and CD-ROM. To order, call (800) 638-1639. This illustrated and comprehensive guide to educational resources on the Internet is a must for teachers who want to take full advantage of the Internet in their classrooms. Among the Companion's features: 30 lesson plans on subjects ranging from American history to life in space to writing; a guided "tour"of eight Internet sites for educators; an extensive list of Gopher, Telnet, and anonymous File Transfer Protocol (FTP) sites; a collection of mailing lists and news groups of interest to educators; and illustrated snapshots of the "50 Best Educational World Wide Web Sites." This last section--which provides a quick reference guide that even beginners can use immediately--will save both teachers and students hours of wasted time.

Educator's World Wide Web TourGuide with CD. Lancaster, Pa.: Wentworth Worldwide Media Inc. 224 pp. $39.95; includes CD-ROM. To order, call (800) 638-1639. Here's another excellent resource for understanding and exploring the World Wide Web. Separate chapters explore the web's offerings in art, business, English and literature, foreign language, geography, health and physical education, history, mathematics, science, social sciences and humanities, and vocational education. Each chapter points you to at least one general resource site on the web that serves as an index or database for further searches. For each site, the book includes a page showing a screen capture of the home page or a typical page from the site, a paragraph describing the value of the site for both educators and kids, one or two ideas for educators using this site with students, and a list of other Internet sites that cover similar subject matter.

The book includes 16 pages of glossy, full-color photos showing computer screens of 48 web sites--so folks without access to the web will have a better idea of what they're missing. But let's hope they have access to a CD-ROM because the best part of this book is the free CD-ROM TourGuide (readable by Macintosh and Windows operating systems), which allows users to sample the full color of dozens of web sites without going "live" on the Internet. Those who have Internet access can click on live links that take them directly to web sites. This CD-ROM--packed with education Web sites and other helpful information--is one reason I highly recommend this resource for teachers, administrators, school board members, and anyone else who wants to see firsthand the value of the Internet for education.

Get Ready, Get Set, Go On-Line. Princeton, N.J.: Films for the Humanities and Sciences. $129 for one video; $225 for both. To order, call (800) 257-5126. These two videos emphasize what can be done on-line and show how the Internet will revolutionize the ways we teach and the ways students learn. Watching this video will whet folks' appetite for the possibilities of the Internet because it shows students and teachers how to use the net to share information, to collaborate, to engage in interactive learning, and to gain access to a vast store of up-to-date information.

But, alas, this is not a good training video. Its breezy explanations of e-mail, the World Wide Web, Gopher, FTP, news groups and other text-based Internet offerings are too brief and confusing to anyone not already familiar with the web. Another problem: The producers evidently couldn't decide on a target audience, so there's a somewhat confusing mix of information that's appropriate for administrators, technology coordinators, and teachers. By trying to be all things to all people, this video ends up being of little value--at least for training purposes--for anyone.

The Internet Show: Driver's Education for the Information Superhighway. PBS. $14.98 to $39.95. To order, call (800) 344-3337. "Show" is the key word for this entertaining video, which is obviously aimed at absolute beginners. Originally aired on many PBS stations, it covers the basics of hardware, involving networks and modems, and shows people how to perform Internet searches and how to use e-mail, news groups, and listservs. If you have people who have no idea what netiquette, Gopher, Veronica, Archie, FTP, and Telnet mean, this might be just the thing to bring them up to speed. The video includes a brief discussion on how to get your school connected to the Internet.

But again, I found the discussion of both the World Wide Web and the educational uses of the Internet disappointing. The web is the easiest and most popular method for exploring the Internet, and it needs further explanation than this video provides. If you want to take full advantage of the Internet and need help training teachers, look for another resource.

Parents' Guide to the Information Superhighway. Santa Monica, Calif.: Children's Partnership. 28 pp. To order, send $8 per copy to Children's Partnership, 1460 Fourth St., Santa Monica, CA 90401. Or you can see the guide for free on the Children's Partnership web site. Even though this particular guide is aimed at parents, I highly recommend it for educators--especially those who are worried (or know parents who are worried) about kids traveling safely on the Information Highway. Produced in conjunction with the National PTA and the National Urban League, the book is filled with real-life examples that help lay out the legal and ethical rules of the road. It clearly explains how to limit kids' access to what they can see and hear online.

The Teacher's Complete and Easy Guide to the Internet by Ann Heide and Linda Stilborne. Toronto, Ont.: Trifolium Books Inc. 336 pp. $24.95. To order, call (800) 805-1083. Here's another great resource for teachers. It covers the basics well--it has a particularly helpful section on sending e-mail--then goes on to provide an excellent overview of more complex operations like the World Wide Web, Gopher, and FTP. Teachers will appreciate the wealth of lesson ideas and resource references; the book suggests many web sites and listservs by subject area.

This list is by no means exhaustive. New Internet products seem to come out almost hourly, and I'm still tempted to try every single one that's aimed at educators. In fact, I think I'll go check the mail right now--it's cheaper than a BMW.

-- Barrett Mosbacker is headmaster of Covenant Day School in Matthews, N.C.