Surfing for Substance is a guide for adult literacy and ESOL staff developers, teachers and program administrators who are interested in taking the plunge into the electronic surf, but need some simple, user-friendly pointers. The main goal of Surfing for Substance is to provide staff developers with a range of ideas and methods for introducing literacy teachers to the World Wide Web as an instructional resource. The title highlights one of our objectives - to help teachers learn how to construct meaningful Web-based instructional activities and projects.

Our approach to incorporating the World Wide Web into instruction focuses not on technology, but on educational goals. We view the World Wide Web as an incredibly rich, creative, flexible and democratic resource and tool. It is both a library and publishing house. Using the Web, anyone can be a reader, writer, researcher, publisher and artist - no advanced degrees or agents required.

It is in this spirit that this guide was produced. It is not intended to be a general "how to" manual or a technical guide (although basic information and links to other resources are provided). It is intended to provide some clarity, guidance and maybe even a little inspiration to adult literacy practitioners who are ready to dive in and explore this exciting new medium.

Surfing for Substance was developed by the Literacy Assistance Center through support from NetTech (Northeast Regional Technology in Education Consortium) as part of a year-long technology professional development project. In addition to this guide, the project included a series of instructional technology workshops and an intensive World Wide Web institute. The range of methods and materials that we explored in these professional development activities helped us understand what works and what doesn't work in using the World Wide Web as an instructional resource.

How to Use This Guide

Surfing for Substance is divided into six sections. Section One, Why Use the Internet for Instruction? provides an overview of the different capabilities of the Internet as an instructional tool. An informal assessment of the Internet's strengths and weaknesses in the adult learner classroom is also provided through a look at some actual learner and teacher experiences with online technology - both positive and negative.

Section Two, Laying the Groundwork for Staff Training, covers several critical issues - such as how to motivate staff, how to accommodate different learning styles and how to make the most of limited computer resources - that staff developers and administrators should consider when including the Internet as a component of staff development. Section Three, What Do Teachers Need to Know to Get Started? provides basic information about the Internet and World Wide Web that will help orient practitioners to this new instructional environment. You will learn a little Internet history, important terminology, Web navigation and searching basics, and strategies for using Internet search engines.

Section Four, Selecting and Evaluating Web Sites, provides guidance for practitioners in how to sort through the mass of information and resources now available online and make informed choices about which resources are most effective and appropriate for instructional purposes. Section Five, Designing Web-based Lesson Plans, is the nuts and bolts of this guide. Here you will learn a simple process for developing original Web-based lesson plans, and examine a selection of model lessons developed by participants of the LAC's World Wide Web Institute. This section also covers the important issue of how to evaluate Web site content and design in order to assess their appropriateness for instructional use. In Section Six, Professional Development and the Internet, we identify a range of opportunities for professional development that are available online. These include joining listservs, participating in teacher e-mail groups, taking an online class, joining national and international educational technology organizations and subscribing to professional journals.

Throughout the guide you will find Web sites listed in the margins. These are recommended sites for further exploration of the topics they have been placed next to. This is not to suggest that these are not the only, or even "the best" sites on the topics, however we believe they are excellent starting points for your research.