"Visiting
your class made me realize that this goal, this dream, this change in
philosophy can actually happen. You sharing your experience, knowledge,
ideas, etc. has given me the inspiration to be a better teacher
and love my job more than I could have imagined."
Jessica Brogley, Seymour High School, Seymour, WI
Student exemplars
-
I
started a "hall of fame" of sorts by recognizing the best work for major
assignments. Seeing publicly what peers can do makes statements such as
"this is too hard" or "we can't do an assignment like this" invalid.
-
It
is also good to have exemplars on the web to see how others approached
an idea or got started. Models are available all the time, not just when
a teacher pulls them out of a file cabinet.
Pass on the Knowledge
-
In
2003, I presented a session on CyberEnglish at the Governor's technology
conference in Madison, WI. As a result of that presentation, two new
CyberEnglish classes emerged in Wisconsin.
-
As
I first learned from Ted Nellen, others learn from me. Several teachers
have visited my classroom. Their interest and desire to do what I do
spurred them on. There are at least four additional CyberEnglish
teachers in Wisconsin now.
-
NCTE-Talk and the English Journal have been excellent forums for Ted,
Nancy, Pat and me. In fact, NCTE-Talk was how I first became aware of
CyberEnglish through Ted's posts.
-
I
get email all the time from other teachers who are interested in what I
do. Sometimes they just want to use a lesson or an idea. Other times,
they have questions about how it works and what they would need to do to
start CyberEnglish in their school.
Sharing the Wealth
Advocating Teacher Web Sites
-
I
continue to encourage my colleagues to create web pages that they can
use as a hub of instruction for their students. My new CyberEnglish
teaching partner caught on quickly, but others come to the realization
more slowly, that a web page can be a powerful tool for them as
teachers.
Writing to Learn
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