Gopher it!: Internet Resource Guide for K-12 Educators

Most educators know that the Internet puts the knowledge and resources of the world at their fingertips. This text seeks to make their jobs easier. Designed to help educators find practical resources for the library and the classroom, this directory helps users locate lesson plans, teaching materials, the latest educational research, conference information, details on grants and other funding opportunities. The book focuses on Gopher sites administered by educational institutions, foundations and government agencies. Because the sponsors are established organizations and institutions, Gopher sites tend to be more professional and less commercial than other Internet sites. Their formats are usually textual so that retrieval time is shorter and material can be downloaded and used as is without the reformatting and reconfiguration that Web sites often entail. To access Gopher sites, users do not need sophisticated computer equipment and software, an ultrafast modem or multimedia capabilities. All this makes Gopher sites ideal resources for schools. Arranged alphabetically, the more than 250 subject area listings in this text are of particular interest to educators.
They contain descriptions of the resources on the sites and they are extensively cross-referenced. Appendixes include Internet addresses of state departments of education, especially useful sites (eg. ERIC, KIDLINK), and additional Internet resources for lesson plans. This directory should appeal to busy educators who want to access the variety of resources available on the Internet but have limited time and computer capabilities. It can also be used to supplement Elizabeth Miller's "Internet Resource Directory for K-12 Educators", which focuses on Web sites.