A Starting Point for Educators on the Internet

Book Review: Education on the Internet
By Jill H. Ellsworth
Indianapolis: Sams Publishing, 1994, 591 pages
$25.00 US (paperback)
ISBN 0-672-30595-X

To listen to the popular press, you would think the only education little Joanie and Johnny get from the Net is sex education. But the educational resources on it are both vast and numerous, a point that Jill Ellsworth drives home in Education on the Internet. Written for teachers who teach kindergarten through college, the book of lists provides an overview of Gopher, Web, FTP sites, and Listservs that can augment lesson plans at all levels.

In short, Ellsworth addresses everything from bringing the Net into the elementary classroom to teaching computer-mediated communication and distance education. In covering so many issues, she has produced an imposing, 591-page textbook, but keep in mind that this is one book geared to three audiences: Elementary, middle school and high school teachers; college and graduate school teachers; and people who view the Net as a continuing education resource.

Teachers in elementary, middle, and high schools probably have the most to gain from this book since they are most likely to appreciate the breadth of subjects addressed. For starters, teachers are given addresses to sites that have lesson plans such as AskERIC. They can also look for projects and project ideas using a number of the addresses listed.

In addition to finding ways to incorporate the Net into the lesson of the day, teachers can discover programs, such as Kidlink, that facilitate students' participation on the Net. Much of the information in the book is topic specific as it contains a chapter that lists resources according to 12 broad curricular areas, including agriculture, business, computer science, English language arts, fine arts, math, and social studies.

While primary and secondary school teachers will appreciate the book's breadth, college and university professors whose Net experience consists of using email will find the book a good beginning point as well. As with the sections written for elementary and secondary school teachers, information is arranged by academic subject, with the heaviest concentration of resources in the areas of business, law and the sciences. Additional subject areas that are addressed and corresponding sample resources include education, the fine arts, medicine, liberal arts and social sciences, and science and

Amelia DeLoach is a Master's student in Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute's Technical Communication program. She is currently enjoying the summer break.

Copyright © 1995 by Amelia Deloach. All Rights Reserved.