ACRL College & Research Libraries News

Association of College & Research Libraries

Internet resources for education

By Bee Gallegos, Charles E. Kratz, and Victoria J. Spain

Interested in issues concerning education? Find them here.

There is a wealth of education information on the Internet and more is added daily.

To minimize the frustration of change and growth and to further systemize the Internet, lists of subject resources have been created. The following list of selected discussion lists and conferences, Usenet groups, electronic jour- nals and newsletters, gopher and World Wide Web sites aims to serve as a beginning resource for students and researchers in education.

General resources

Researchers might want to begin their quest for information in the field of education by perusing library systems at various universities via a gopher system. In addition, the Library of Congress (LC) Information System offers access on LC’s online catalog at LOCIS.LOC.GOV and the LC’s MARVEL System is available at MARVEL.LOC.GOV select “Global Electronic Library,” “Social Sciences,” and then “Education.”

Scholarly discussion lists and electronic conferences

The following discussion lists and conferences represent a select list of those available in the field of education. For a guide to lists relating to all aspects of education by subject: anonymous ftp: NIC.UMASS.EDU and path: “Pub/ Ednet/Educatrs.lst” or gopher: NYSERNET.ORG and select: “Special Collections: Internet Help,” then “Guide to Educational Listservs.”

• AEDNET. Electronic network focusing on adult and continuing education. Includes discussions, information exchanges, job announcements and publications. Access: SPAHN@ ALPHA.ACAST.NOVA.EDU.

• AERA. Several listservs sponsored by the American Educational Research Association. Access: LISTSERV@ASUVM.INRE.ASU.EDU.

• AI-ED. Discusses the application of artificial intelligence to education. Access: AI-ED- REQUEST©.SUN.COM.

• CBEHIGH. An international conference on the use of computers as an educational tool in higher education. Access: LISTSERV@CC1. KULEUVEN.AC.BE.

• EDAD-L. A conference on educational administration. Access: LISTSERV©WVNVM. WVNET.EDU.

• EDINFO-L. Discusses educational information. Access: EDINFO-L@IUBVM.UCS. INDIANA.EDU.

• EDLAW. Legal issues concerning education. Access: LISTSERV@UKCC.UKY.EDU.

• EDPOLYAN. An international conference on educational policy at all levels. Access: LISTSERV@ASUVM.INRE.ASU.EDU.

• EDSTYLE. Provides information on research projects involving the evaluation of learning style procedures and testing instruments. Access: LISTSERV@SJUVM.STJOHNS.EDU.

• EDTECH. Focuses on educational technology. Access: LISTSERV@MSU.EDU.

• EDUC. Offers discussion on educational research. Access: LISTSERV@UQUEBEC.CA.

• ERL-L. Disseminates educational research updates from Washington. Access: LISTSERV® ASUVM.INRE.ASU.EDU.

Bee Gallegos is education librarian at Arizona State University West, e-mail: iadbhg@asuvm.inre.asu.edu; Charles E. Kratz is library director at the University of Scranton, Weinberg Memorial Library, e-mail: kratzcl@lion.uofs.edu; Victoria J. Spain is coordinator of bibliographic instruction at Hofstra University, e-mail: librfvjs@vaxa.hofstra.edu

• EDUCOM-W. Provides a discussion of issues concerning women and information technology in higher education. Access: EDUCOM- W@BITNIC.EDUCOM.EDU.

• ITTE. Provides a conference on information technology and teacher education. Access: LISTSERV@DEAKIN.OZ.AU.

• KIDLIT-L. A discussion on children’s literature. Access: KIDLIT-L@BINGVMB.EDU.

• MEDIA-L. Focuses on media in education. Access: LISTSERV@BINGVMB.CC. BINGHAMTON.EDU.

• MMEDIA-L. Provides a forum for discussion of multimedia in education. Access: LISTSERV@VMTECMEX.BITNET.

• MULTC-ED. Discussion of issues in multicultural education. Access: LISTSERV@ UMDD.UMD.EDU.

• NARST-L. Sponsored by the National Association for Research in Science Teaching, this discussion focuses on teaching science. Access: LISTSERV@UWF.BITNET.

• NATIONAL EDUCATION BULLETIN BOARD SYSTEM. Offers forums on education and colleges. Includes files, news, and discussion. Access: NEBBS.NERSC.GOV login: GUEST.

• NEWEDU-L. Provides a discussion for exploring new paradigms in education. Access: LISTSERV@VM.USC.EDU.

• QUALRSED. Focuses on qualitative research in education. Access: LISTSERV@ UNMVMA.UNM.EDU.

• TEACHEFT. Offers a discussion on teaching effectiveness. Access: LISTSERV@WCUPA. EDU.

• TESL-L. Offers a forum for teachers of English as a second language or foreign language. Access: LISTSERV@CUNYVM.CUNY. EDU.

Usenet groups

Usenet is a bulletin board structure of a variety of discussion categories known as newsgroups. To access these groups, contact your campus computer center or systems staff. For a guide to education-related Usenet groups by subject: Anonymous ftp: NIC.UMASS.EDU and path: Pub/EdNet/EdUsenet.Gde or gopher: NYSERNET.ORG and select: “Special Collections: Internet Help,” then “Guide To Educational Newsgroups.” The following groups represent a select list of the newsgroups available in the field of education and can all be accessed under Usenet Newsgroups.

• ALT.EDUCATION.RESEARCH. A discussion of educational research.

• CLARI.NEWS.EDUCATION. A commercial source which reports on primary and secondary education news events.

• K12. A collection of more than 20 special-interest conferences focused on discussions of interest to K–12 teachers and students. Access: K12. ED .ART; K12.ED.SPECIAL; K12.LANG. FRANCAIS; K12.CHAT.ELEMENTARY, etc.

• MISC.EDUCATION. Discusses educational research, policy, and practice.

• SCI.EDU. Focuses on the science of education.

Electronic journals and newsletters

The number and variety of electronic journals and newsletters available via the Internet is increasing rapidly. Generally, subscription requests can be sent to a listserv or the individual responsible for its distribution by sending the following message: SUBSCRIBE JOURNAL TITLE YOURFIRSTNAME YOURLASTNAME; however, a growing number of these are retrievable through ftp or are becoming accessible through gopher. Titles discussed previously by Rob Morrison and Jill H. Ellsworth “Internet resources for distance education” in C&RL News (May 1994) have not been duplicated in this listing.

• Catalyst is an electronic version of a refereed journal for community college educators published quarterly by the National Council on Community Service and Continuing Education. Access: LISTSERV@VTVML.BITNET or LISTSERV@VTVM1.CC.VT.EDU or access via anonymous ftp: BORG@LIB.VT.EDU.

• EDUITNEWS. Educational Uses of Information Technology. EDUCOM’s newsletter encompasses distance learning, self-paced instruction, computer-aided instruction, video, and other information technologies related to teaching and learning. Access: LISTSERV@BITNIC. EDUCOM.EDU.

• EDPOLYAR. Educational Policy Analysis Archives is an electronic, peer-reviewed scholarly journal devoted to the analysis of education policy at all levels and throughout the world. Access: LISTSERV@ASU.EDU or gopher: INFO.ASU.EDU or URL: http://info.asu.edu/asu- cwis/epaa.

• HORIZONS. New Horizons in Education. This refereed journal, published two to three times a year and transmitted electronically through the Adult Education Network (AEDNET), provides access to current thinking and research within adult education and related fields. Access: LISTSERV@ALPHA.ACAST.NOVA. EDU.

• InfoBits is a monthly newsletter published electronically by the Institute for Academic Technology’s Information Resources Group. It provides brief notes on information technology and instruction technology sources of interest to educators. Access: LISTSERV@ UNC.EDU or gopher: IKE.ENGR.WASHINGTON. EDU.

• JHE .Journal of Higher Education is an electronic version of the print journal published six times a year by Ohio State University dealing with major issues of concern in higher education. Access: gopher: ACS. OHIO-STATE.EDU.

• JSE. Journal of Statistics Education is a refereed electronic journal of postsecondary statistics education supported by the Department of Statistics at North Carolina State University. Access: LISTSERV@JSE.STAT.NCSU.EDU.

• LEARNING. A semiannual newsletter first published in fall 1993 by the National Research Center for Student Learning at the University of Pittsburgh. Access: LEARNING@ VMS.CIS.PITT.EDU.

• TESLEJ. The Teaching of English as a Second or Foreign Language: An Electronic Journal.Debuting in April 1994, this international, refereed journal focuses on teaching foreign languages, English as a second language, and applied linguistics in K–12 through postsecondary settings. Access: LISTSERV©CMSA. BERKELEY.EDU or via anonymous ftp: ARCHIVE.UMICH.EDU or gopher: ARCHIVE. MERIT.EDU.

Gopher sites

The simplicity of accessing information through gopher has been a contributing factor to the increasing number of sites now available for educational information. Due largely to recent federal legislation, state departments of education are fast becoming part of this growing network. Many gopher sites have been suggested throughout this list; however, a selected list of some of the most useful gopher sites are identified below.

• American Educational Research Association. This includes information about the association, its many divisions and publications, and provides links to other resources for educational researchers. Access: gopher: INFO.

ASU.EDU or via URL: http://www.asu.edu/aff/ aera/home.html.

• AskERIC Virtual Library. An information site providing resources for education and a question-answering service for educators in K–12. Included are lesson plans, ERIC digests, infoguides, publications and clearinghouses, Internet guides, archives of education-related listservs, remote access to government information, library catalogs, and other gopher sites. Access: gopher: ERICIR.SYR.EDU or via anonymous ftp: ERICIR.SYR.EDU.

• Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development (ASCD). A new gopher offering relevant and current resources of interest to educators, specifically those concerned with K–12 education. Intended as a means for the exchange of ideas, this gopher also provides links to many other education gophers and resources. Access: gopher: ASCD.ORG.

• CICNet K–12. Includes descriptions of resources written by and for teachers and provides links to select Internet resources. Access: GOPHER.CIC.NET and select the “classroom activities & projects.”

• ETS Test Collection. Tests and research instruments from ETS’ testing programs as well as other major U.S. test publishers are available on the gopher of the ERIC Clearinghouse on Assessment and Evaluation located at Catholic University of America. Access: GOPHER.CUA. EDU.

• National School Network Testbed. This is a valuable research and development resource for schools, school districts, and community organizations. Includes a database of lesson plans and links to other WWW resources for K-12. Access: gopher: COPERNICUS.BBN.COM.

• U.S. Department of Education/OERI. Provides information on all kinds of educational resources including federal legislation, funding opportunities, statistical data from the National Center for Education Statistics, and pointers to other Internet resources including regional laboratories and ERIC Clearinghouses. Access: GOPHER.ED.GOV or via anonymous ftp: FTP.ED.GOV.

World Wide Web (WWW)

The web, which offers graphics and text as well as audio and video, is a recent addition to the list of Internet tools available.

• The WWW Virtual Library. A distributed subject catalog of information including many resources for educators. From the subject list select “education.” Within this “library” you can locate the Education Virtual Library which provides a multitude of resources including lectures and tutorials, books, software, journals; specialized fields; clearinghouses; regional authorities; and institutions/programs. Access: URL: http://www.csu.edu.au/education/ library.html.

• EdWeb. A new interactive online K–12 resource guide sponsored by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting. In addition to providing gateways to other information servers and discussion groups, EdWeb makes available lesson plans, chat forums for kids, and has two valuable bibliographies: privately maintained gophers and web sites and govemmental/state- based gophers. Access: URL: http://edweb. cnidr.org.

• Kids Web: A World Wide Web Digital Library for Schoolkids. Primarily a subject arrangement targeting information that is useful and interesting to K–12 school children. Access: URL: http://www.npac.syr.edu/textbook/ kidsweb.

Other resources

Lists or bibliographies of Internet resources are now almost as prolific as the number of Internet sites. Several of these are listed below along with other miscellaneous resources that may be helpful.

• Clearinghouse for Subject-Oriented Internet Resource Guides. This useful resource provides practical information on accessing the Internet along with subject guides to listservs, usenet newsgroups, ftp, and telnet sites. Access: URL: http://http2.sils.umich.edu/~lou/ chhome.html. The path is social sciences/education.

• “Mining the Internet,” authored by Judi Harris, is a featured column in the Computing Teacher. Recent columns have focused on using Mosaic, gopher, and ftp.

• Taylor, Dave. “The Best of Education Resources.” Internet World 6 (January 1, 1995): 40–41. Lists the top 15 education-related resources based upon a survey sent to LM-NET and EDTECH subscribers.

• Dyrli, Odvard Egil. “Riding the Internet Schoolbus: Places to Visit and Things to Do.” Technology & Learning 15 (October 1994): 32–40. Provides a sampling of educational resources on the Internet of particular interest to K–12 educators.