Let's try a little experiment. Fill in the blank. "Dave's ___________________ ." I venture to guess that virtually (no pun intended) 100% of you answered, "ESL Cafe." Dave's ESL Cafe and its originator, the "one and only Dave Sperling" (as Dave is wont to say), have indeed become household names in the ESL/EFL world. As Dave himself confirmed at TESOL 2000, the ESL Cafe now receives over 6,000,000 hits per month!

It looks like Dave has another hit on his hands with Dave Sperling's Internet Activity Workbook. As the book cover proclaims, "The Internet made easy - with Dave as your guide!" Therein, I think, lies the key to Dave's success, both with his Web site and his books. Dave has the uncanny ability to put students and teachers at ease when using the Internet, and when that happens, there is great potential for teaching and learning.

So, let's get down to specifics. The 143-page Workbook best serves as a supplementary text as it consists of thirty theme-based units, common to many ESL textbooks. Written in simple language, and based on themes of universal interest, the Workbook could be used with either children or adults, at varying levels of English proficiency. Because of its controlled format and clear instructions, this Workbook is appropriate for teachers and students with limited computer and Internet experience. The Companion Web site assists students in completing activities in the Workbook, and its layout and function can be grasped immediately by studying the illustration on page XV in the section "How to Use This Program."

An important feature of the Workbook is the use of student "key pals" (electronic pen pals), who exchange information via Email. Students locate their key pals in Unit One, entitled "First Meeting," and because subsequent units all share a nearly identical format, you'll have a very good sense of the Workbook as a whole by looking at a sample unit.

Unit 10 - Culture

• Activity 1: Key Pal Interchange - What information should I know about your country before I visit it? What special ceremonies are celebrated in your country? Students ask these questions (and two of their own) of their key pals, record the responses, and share the results in a group discussion.
  
  
• Activity 2: Proverb Search - Students search the Web (links are provided at the Companion Web site for all search activities) for proverbs from around the world and record them in their Workbooks. Results are compared in a group discussion.
  
  
• Activity 3: World Folk Tales - Students search the Web, find a folk tale, and summarize it. A group role play of one of the folks tales follows.
  
  
• Activity 4: Gestures - Students search the Web to find gestures used in four designated countries (and two of their choosing). They record each gesture and its meaning in their Workbooks. Results are discussed in groups.
  
  
• Activity 5: Countercultures - Students search the Web for the meaning of American countercultures, such as "Generation X" and "Hippies." They then write about a counterculture in their country.
  
  
• Follow-up: Students write five new words and definitions they have learned, using a dictionary at the Companion Web site. They post their thoughts about culture to an on-line bulletin board. Finally, students search the Web to answer a trivia question and gain a puzzle clue. By collecting each unit's puzzle clue, students gain access to a "secret" Web site upon completion of the Workbook.

Dave Sperling's Internet Activity Workbook has many features to recommend it. Both the text and Companion Web site are well designed, easy to use, and will stimulate meaningful oral and written communication. The themes covered (click on the pull-down menu to see all the chapter themes) are appropriate for a wide range of ESL/EFL students, and the activities are pedagogically sound, integrating the four linguistic skills into every unit. Students and teachers alike will improve their Internet skills by using the text, and the Companion Web site provides a forum for teachers to develop supplementary activities. A few caveats are in order. Those who have used key pal exchanges know that the rewards can be great, but the risks are also high. Inevitably, some key pal relationships will break down, which may interrupt continuity. Fortunately, however, the activities in the Workbook will work, even without a key pal component. One technical point should be mentioned. When clicking on "Activity" buttons in the companion Web site, new browser windows open up, which can be confusing to inexperienced Web surfers. Of course, teachers should work through the Companion Web site with students, especially at the beginning, in order to smooth out any technological "bumps in the road."

Dave Sperling's Internet Activity Workbook is an easy-to-use, effective resource that ESL/EFL students and teachers will find motivating, challenging, and enjoyable. In short, in the words of the inimitable Dave Sperling himself, this resource is "Highly recommended!"