Dear Teachers Network Visitor:

I started the computer lab at my school in 1982, with five Commodore computers, and one egg timer. Today my lab has 15 Apples, 6 Macintosh computers and children in grades K-6 who love to learn.

I've been using telecommunications with my students in grades 4-6 for the last six years. I started out using a local bulletin board, NYCENET (the New York City Educational Network) that was a free service for students and educators in the New York City Public Schools. The bulletin board provided an arena for my students to use e-mail, research on-line encyclopedias, and chat with professionals in various fields. Although the board had many limitations, I was able to create an award-winning project called "The Mayan Temple of Knowledge" on-line. One of my fifth grade classes shared its knowledge of ancient Mayan civilization with sixth grade students in Elyria, Ohio by playing a game on-line. It was a great project!

NYCENET was a stepping stone for me. Today, my students use the Internet to research topics and create web pages for our district's web site.

Last year, my school received a city council grant worth $200,000 for technology. The grant will be used to set up a networked computer lab, create a media center in the library, and install new computers in classrooms.

I conduct staff development workshops to help my colleagues integrate technology into the curriculum. Many "newbies" and experienced teachers are getting hooked on learning with the computer as a tool in the classroom.

The Teachers Network has been a motivating force in my teaching career. I served on The Teachers Network's national board of directors from 1993 to 1996. In September 1996, I was selected to be one of thirty-five MetLife Fellows in the Teachers Network Policy Institute. My policy position paper, Strengthen the Model, Nurture the Profession: Sustaining a Teaching Force of Qualified, Caring, Competent Teachers, was published in Getting Real & Getting Smart.

Since my participation in the Teachers Network Policy Institute, I have been actively working inpolicy groups on a local level. As a member of District 15's Technology Task Force, I am reviewing the professional development needs in technology for the district, assisting in the creation of a district technology plan and critiquing the district's web site.

My latest venture involves working with teachers and administrators from Connecticut, Hawaii, Michigan, North Dakota, California, Tennessee, Maryland, Arkansas, West Virginia, and North Carolina. I am the project leader of the telecommunications project, "Building Communities via TeachNet" which is sponsored by the Milken Family Foundation. Group members are communicating on-line and developing curriculum-based telecommunication units to be featured next school year on TeachNet.

I'm also a section editor of the Teachers Guide to Cyberspace. Feel free to contact me with your questions, comments, or concerns.

Sincerely, Peggy

Raising A.B.C--Kids Get Out the Vote

Technology 101