About the Author

Photo of DO-IT director Sheryl Burgstahler poses for a photo with female students from the University of Malaysia.

Dr. Sheryl Burgstahler is assistant director of Information Systems, Computing & Communications, at the University of Washington. She has extensive teaching experiences at the pre-college and college levels. She has taught Internet inservice courses for K-12 teachers for many years and teaches a distance learning class via the Internet. Dr. Burgstahler has been involved in projects to help K-12 schools connect to and effectively use the Internet network for curriculum development and classroom instruction. She currently directs project DO-IT (Disabilities, Opportunities, Internetworking, and Technology), which uses computers, adaptive technology and the Internet to help students with disabilities succeed in academic programs and careers. Primarily funded by the National Science Foundation, DO-IT was recognized with the 1995 National Infrastructure Award in Education for creative use of the Internet in delivering instruction and the 1997 Presidential Award for Mentoring. Through DO-IT, Dr. Burgstahler has taught children and youth at summer camps how to use the Internet for communication and information access.

Dr. Burgstahler has published articles and delivered presentations at national and international conferences in the areas of distance learning, electronic communities, computer and network technologies for individuals with disabilities, and use of the Internet to enhance learning. She is the author of the books New Kids on the Net: A Tutorial for Teachers, Parents and Students, New Kids on the Net: A NetWork Sampler, and New Kids on the Net: Internet Activities for Young Learners. She has co-authored three books with content-area specialists - New Kids on the Net: Internet Activities in Secondary Mathematics, New Kids on the Net: Internet Activities in Secondary Science, and New Kids on the Net: Internet Activities in Elementary Language Arts.