Net makes 'snail mail' connection

Computer Life column for 5/10/97 by
Richard Gordon

I visit my son's school, Richey Elementary in Newport, once or twice a month, just helping out. The kids love it when a grown-up visitor eats lunch with them. "Put your head on the table, Mr. Gordon! It's quiet time!"

Before my April visit, I thought about how many second graders, including my son, need to polish their small motor skills before they move on to third grade.

After talking with Ms. Stanley, my son's teacher, I decided to try a fun writing exercise. I'd have the kids write a couple of letters.

When I was a kid, I remember writing the tourism office of different states, getting back all sorts of information about places that seemed so far away. But Ms. Stanley and I decided that the kids would probably prefer to write to real people.

So I searched the Usenet bulletin board system-Internet discussion groups about everything under the sun-looking for discussion groups used by primary grade teachers of language arts. I sent out a call for pen-pals to several of these discussion groups that seemed promising.

In a few days, I had notes from eight or nine teachers and parents.

Several of my contacts didn't understand at first that I was looking for old-fashioned pen-pals, not "key-pals" for an e-mail exchange. As soon as he learned that, one teacher told me that his school could not participate. Even if we had the kids write to each other care of their respective schools, his school would not allow such a project.

Others asked why I was setting up a "snail mail" exchange when here I was on the Net. Richey Elementary does have a few computers hooked to the Net, but just a few, in the library. And, as I wrote one teacher in New Zealand, "Part of the lesson is to get the kids to practice their handwriting."

The most promising response was from a high school teacher in Idaho, whose daughter is a second grader. We exchanged a couple of e-mail notes, and then, all of a sudden, it was 48 hours before I was scheduled to visit my son's school. No final confirmation.

I had my contact's name, state, and e-mail address. I needed to find her phone number to confirm the details in time for my visit. I thought I'd try an online search.

Using Netscape, I went to c|net's collection of programs to help you find just about anything on the Net (search.com). I selected their menu of "People" searches.

From that list of search tools, I selected the American Directory Assistance web site (www.lookupusa.com), supplied my contact's name and state, and found two possible phone numbers.

Next, some old-fashioned bookwork: Using an atlas and a variety of computer maps, I selected the phone number that seemed most probable. I called, and was pleased that I had guessed right!

My contact and I sorted things out, and the pen-pal process is under way. In fact, as you read this column, the replies are on their way back to us from Idaho.

None of this is a fancy use of technology. No new inventions. However, it is further evidence of two things.

First, the Internet is a tremendous teaching resource. It's not just that the students can benefit from supervised, hands-on research. It's a great resource for teachers as they plan their lessons.

Second, one of the Internet's main benefit is as a communications medium. I'm not referring to the directory search-I probably could have found my contact's phone number by dialing directory assistance. It's the possibility for relatively inexpensive communication with people across the planet that makes the Internet so exciting for me.

And exciting for these kids. In fact, three of the students were so enthusiastic about writing letters that we had them collaborate on another letter: to an Internet child in Dubai, United Arab Emirates.

When we were done, I let the kids talk me into sampling the cafeteria's cuisine. And, yes, I put my head down at quiet time.

Copyright © 1997, The News Journal Company

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