IN THIS era of ongoing public sector budget cuts in all too many public school systems around the country, educational costs are rising with an increasingly lower school budget.
Teachers are facing severe restrictions on their classroom time and the resources available to their students.
Additionally, teachers are facing tougher job evaluation which may include ratings of student performance. Tremendous pressures confront the teachers, especially in the public school districts across the nation, which is very bad for education and for the economy.
Recently, an extraordinary event in the field of education took place. Internet service is available for educators and teachers and their need for collaboration with other colleagues about classroom strategies and teaching their subject matter. This classroom/teaching resource offers any teacher a chance to find a particular lesson plan or ways to improve their own lesson plans.
This innovative service, found on the Internet, also provides a way of finding resources and support for professional development. Once upon a time, the Guam Federation of Teachers established a "Teacher Center" back in the late 1970s (funded by the U.S. Department of Education). For the few years of its operation, this local public educational resource center was open and used by all teachers on the island.
Today, according to Randi Weingarten, president of the American Federation of Teachers, "A new and unconventional partnership provides teachers in the United States with a new digital platform." Its users can solve a math problem or develop a map-reading lesson. Master teachers have made their lesson plans available. Direct contacts among teachers can be made through the Internet.
A new international website for teacher collaboration on the Internet was established by the American Federation of Teachers and Britain's Times Educational Supplement Connect. The website (www.sharemylesson.com) is where users can upload their best resources, review and rate materials to provide quality control, and download these resources at no cost.
This site is operated by teachers, for teachers, and it will become the largest online community for educators in the United States. Check it out!
Bruce G. Karolle,
Tamuning and Vernon, Conn.
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Letter to the Editor 
The incredible Internet!
The incredible Internet!
The incredible Internet!
- Wednesday, 18 Jul 2012 03:30am
- LETTER TO THE EDITOR
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