Suffern Middle School in Second Life

Last night, Suffern Middle School teachers presented for the first time on ISTE Island at the Tuesday night speaker series.  Since some of them had actually never used voice before, we decided to meet in the library here at school at 8PM for the 9 o’clock presentation.  (Talk about dedication!!)  Two of our teachers actually presented from home (Julie Bujtas and Michelle McKiernan) and in the library Teresa Ivey, Liza Medina, Diane Whiting were stationed and ready to roll!  Media Specialist, Eleanor Schuster, came just for support!  This is the kind of “beyond the call of duty” that sets these teachers apart from the crowd!

I’ll admit, I had  a bit of trepidation that things would go smoothly (technology and SL being what they are…) but I experienced a slight sense of panic and when I heard Liza say “I just have to get my underwear on”  with her mic open!  Ahh, the perils of dressing one’s avatar!    We all had a good laugh about that one, the ice was broken, nervousness was replaced by giddy excitement and as the presentation began my teachers lit up and shared their experiences eloquently, with professionalism, and with typical humor and candor.

They spoke of the remarkable extent of engagement they’ve observed in their classses, and they warned listeners of some of the pitfalls they anticipated and some they did not.    As my teachers glided over to the podium to present, I realized, on a whole new level, that Ramapo Islands is truly a remarkable phenomena- and that it never would have come into existance without these pioneering educators.  Last night was just another example of their willingness to try new things, to make mistakes, and to share their experiences with the world.  I’ve said it before  and will again… I LOVE MY TEACHERS!