Jeff Wadman
Social Studies Teacher, Orange Grove Middle School
Tucson, Arizona
Link to Team Portfolio

I work with 7th grade middle school students teaching modern U.S. history (World War II to present). My personal interests include reading, and working with computer. A major specific interest, both personally and professionally, is the study of history.

I find American history of particular interest and have been involved in the collecting of oral histories as both a student and a teacher. As a student, one of my favorite things to do is to bury myself in a library and pore over rare documents looking for information that sheds light on the particular topic of interest. In addition, I have been involved in conducting interviews with individuals who had experienced the Great Depression in Arizona, a study I found extremely interesting.

I also enjoy developing educational materials and have written and developed two separate computer simulations. Both of these computer simulations involve the use of STELLA software; I've used both simulations in my classroom to give my students a more immediate understanding of the subjects we're studying. One of these simulations deals with the economy and the other deals with the dynamics of the Arms Race.


Brian Bindschadler
Gifted Coordinator, Orange Grove Middle School
Tucson, Arizona
Link to Team Portfolio

I work with 6th, 7th, and 8th grade students in a variety of situations and settings. Part of my job involves working with students in a pull-out program where we meet for two periods (1 1/2 hours) each week. The focus of this program is on extending reading and writing skills through a workshop format.

My personal interests include reading, writing, and outdoor activities. One of my goals for next year is to create a web page for my writing students so they can publish pieces electronically and receive feedback from a widespread audience.

My interest in this project is based on my desire to enhance student learning and achievement in the classroom. I enjoy working with teachers as they develop curriculum that is designed to meet the needs of students with varying ability levels and learning styles. This project seems like an ideal opportunity for me to do just that. The writing aspect of our project proposal also appeals to me, as that is an area of particular interest to me.


Carol Kuhl Barry
English/Language Arts Teacher, Muirland Middle School
San Diego, CA
Link to Team Portfolio

Carol Kuhl Barry teaches sixth grade English language arts at Muirlands Middle School in the San Diego Unified School District. Trained as an elementary school teacher, Mrs. Barry has experience in grades one through six and has also served as an elementary library resource teacher. Mrs. Barry is part of an interdisciplinary team which utilizes a variety of primary source materials to teach her students about ancient civilizations. Mrs. Barry's expertise lies in the area of literacy. Her area of expertise is making difficult content accessible to emerging readers through the use of specific reading strategies. Mrs. Barry is a proficient user of technology. She uses computers to compose and draft documents for teaching and other professional endeavors. In the area of humanities, she uses the Internet to support instructional units within the classroom. Her students use Power Point, a slide presentation software, to demonstrate their knowledge within the content area. Mrs. Barry influences education in the area of staff development on both a local and national level. Within the district she has presented at every middle level conferences and recently designed and presented three, one-week workshops centered around improving the reading level of middle level students. Carol is a consultant for the Writing to Learn Project for the Council for Basic Education, based in Washington D.C. Over the past three years she has published two articles in professional journals as well as a chapter in a book. She is involved with the PACE, Performance Assessment Collaborative in Education, project and has attended PACE's institute at Harvard University for the last four years. She is a member of the language arts team of the New Standards project as well as a member of the Instructional Resources Evaluation Panel for the State of California's Curriculum Commission.


Richard del Rio
History Teacher, Muirland Middle School
San Diego, CA
Link to Team Portfolio

Richard del Rio is an eighth grade teacher at Muirlands Middle School in the San Diego Unified School District. Mr. del Rio earned his bachelor of arts degree in history from Boston University and a master of arts degree in history from the University of California at San Diego. Mr. del Rio teaches history as part of an interdisciplinary team which focuses on learning activities designed to stimulate the critical thinking skills of his students through the use of primary source materials. His use of Socratic methods, mock trials, student debates, and historical simulations enhance students' ability to work effectively with seemingly difficult primary sources. Mr. del Rio works in conjunction with his partner, who teaches English, through the use of interrelated materials to create a strong humanities curriculum. Richard is a proficient user of technology for instructional purposes. His students are often called upon to use the Internet both at home and school to research a variety of topics. In addition, he uses slide projectors, VCRs, and laser discs to vary the format of direct instruction. Mr. del Rio's classroom is designed to put students in charge of their learning. Primary source materials take students back in time and prompts them to make determinations of value, relevance, and aesthetics just as historians do. In addition to his classroom successes, Mr. del Rio influences the course of history instruction through both local and national leadership roles. As a California Mentor Teacher, he designs and presents inservice for the district's certificated staff. On a national level, Mr. del Rio presents yearly at the National Council for Social Studies and the National Middle School Association conferences and he recently served as an editor of the National Standards for U.S. History.


Brett Narciso Silva
Teacher, Pleasant Valley High School
Chico, California
Link to Team Portfolio

I first got involved with the Institute last Summer when I was websurfing and ran across American Memory's advertisement. I was involved as a Fellow in the North State History/Social Science Institute at the time, and it emphasized using primary sources to do history. It seemed like a good match for me since I have extensive experience with the Internet due to running the website at my High School. In the Spring of 1997, Peter Milbury asked me if I was interested in applying along with him. I agreed and am honored to have been selected.

I teach US history and IB European History with 11th and 12th grades. I created a webpage for the IB class which is used by students around the world. Its URL is: http://www.pvhs.chico.k12.ca.us/~bsilva/ib/ibpage.html. On that site, I publish some of my students' top work. Next year I will teach a class on the creation and maintenance of our website.

I also coach the varsity boys' soccer team as well as the Academic Decathlon team at my high school. In ten years of coaching, my soccer teams have won their league six times. The Academic Decathlon teams have advanced to the State Finals in all five years I have coached.

Currently, I am a social science grade level teacher-leader (11th) for our school district. I also will return as a Fellow at the North State History/Social Science Institute this Summer at CSU, Chico.

My hobbies are fishing, webpage creation, landscaping and camping.


Peter Milbury
Librarian, Chico High School
Chico, California
Link to Team Portfolio

My early awareness with "things historical" was accentuated when I majored in English Literature; the lives and works of the great writers and poets I deepened my sense of of the humanities in general. I especially enjoy planning and working with Social Science teachers and their their classes.

I have participated in four different Summer Seminars for Teachers, all dealing with history, culture and humanities. In the summer of 1991, I studied Mozart (as an NEH-CBE Independent Studies in the Humanities Fellow), reading biographies, critical analyses, attending operas, symphonies and concerts, and listening to almost all of his recorded works. In 1993 I studied Japanese history and culture the NEH Summer Seminar at Sacramento State University, Four Texts and Japanese Culture. In 1994 and 1995 I was a Fellow of the North Sate History-Social Science Project Summer Seminar at Chico State University (one on Nationalism, the other on Biographies as teaching aids,).

I also developed a background in the use of the Internet as an integral part of my teaching and library services program. (I am an officially designated district technology mentor teacher and a California TeleMentor.) In 1992, along with Dr. Michael Eisenberg of Syracuse University (ERIC-IR and AskERIC Director) I co-founded LM_NET, the online discussion group for school library media specialists, now with 7,000+ worldwide, the primary discussion group for the school library profession. I am online an average of several hours each day at a minimum. Most of my work makes use of the Internet. I create Web pages for my school and professional responsibilities and involvements, from both school and home.

I have been a planner-designer-teacher in three innovative, humanities projects. 1) Project Icarus, a Problem Based Learning (PBL) experiment funded by the California Department of Education (1992-94), an interdisciplinary Science-Humanities curriculum which integrated the use of e-mail and Internet resources with print and audiovisual materials; 2) Schools of California Online Resources In Education History-Social Science Project (SCORE H-SSP), a Web site that links Internet resources to the California History-Social Science Framework, including a set of Internet based curriculum units developed by each team member; 3) Co-Director of the California History Social Science Technology Academy, which builds on the SCORE H-SSP model, and will train 26 additional teachers in the use of the Internet, adding 26 additional curriculum units to the SCORE Web site.


Kathleen Ferenz
Teacher, Ben Franklin Middle School/San Francisco State University
San Fransisco, California
Link to Team Portfolio

American history and technology, a match made in heaven! I've taught 8th grade American history for about 10 years with a love of 18th century and the power of technology resources. Armed with original document and relia reproductions, CD-ROM, laser disk, digital still and video cameras, and finally a classroom connection to the Internet, I've attempted to inspire the curiosity and desire about American history in my 8th grade students. A simple personal and professional desire has brought several interesting opportunities in the arena of history and technology. I've worked as a consultant for several software developers in educational design. With Illuminations, I worked on the teacher's guide, and image archive design, and video selection of the Civil War (by Ken Burns) Laser Disks for the educational market. Using original writings of Oregon trail pioneering women, I co-authored the written version of the simulation Westward HO!, a series of 40 simulated travel and fate situations that involve students in the perils and adventures of pioneering on the American frontier. This curriculum is a collaborative telecommunications project that is also run by my team partner, Leni Donlan. In addition to teaching middle school, I am an instructor in the Department of Instructional Technology at San Francisco State University. I teach two courses in the Masters program which feature Internet applications as they relate to classroom curriculum. I am looking forward to joining and working with the American Memory Fellows Program as we pioneer new ways of teaching with the Internet.


Leni Donlan
Director of Technology, Town School
San Francisco, CA
Link to Team Portfolio

A special interest in the humanities and a talent for helping students make connections between historical events their cultural milieu are a hallmark of my teaching focus. Currently, as "Director of Technology Development and Integration" at Town School in San Francisco, I am responsible for providing a reason, context, capability and willingness for the nearly 75 faculty members in our school to integrate all technologies (especially network resources) in their curriculum. I continue to teach (Desktop Publishing, Special Projects on the Internet, teaching K-8 new applications for/with their teachers) and to work closely with students as a project coach (ThinkQuest, CyberFair) and as the moderator of Tech Cubs (2-3 grade), Software Evaluators (4th grade) and Technology Team (7th and 8th grades). Of necessity, I have become a building "expert", constantly striving to learn about new developments in technolgies and to expand my personal capabilities in using new technolgies. Our school uses network resources for Research, Collaborations (local and global) and Publishing. Scanners, digital photography, video cameras, videoconferencing, IRC communications, e-mail, web development, use of sophisticated applications are all a part of the technological life of our faculty and students. I have been key in creating and implementing this atmosphere.

I have also continued to collaborate and develop/implement online, collaborative projects providing a solid content related classroom experience, enhanced by online interactivity. Of particular note this year are the "Road to the White House II" <<http://town.pvt.k12.ca.us/Collaborations/Election/ election.html> project and Westward HO! <<http://town.pvt.k12.ca.us/ Collaborations/WWHO/wwho.html>. In the approximately six years I have been involved in educational technology, my professional growth has skyrocketed. Locally, and nationally, I continue to seek alliances and projects that allow me to help others learn and grow as I have.


Cynthia Stout
Social Studies Teacher, Summit Ridge Middle School
Littleton, Colorado
Link to Team Portfolio

The outcome of childhood years filled with educational family car trips is my firm belief that often more learning occurs outside the classroom than does within the four walls which define a school. The constraints of public education, time, and logistics often limit me to three or four field trips a year. Technology has the potential to change this situation and I am eagerly preparing for the time when I can use it to permeate my classroom walls and offer my students the opportunity to actively explore the world of history from their school environment. I am currently involved in a Doing History group which is investigating ways to provide resources to students and teachers through the use of various technologies including the internet. I am excited about the many possibilities which exist for students and teachers in this arena.

Currently, I teach eighth graders Colorado History, Westward Movement and 20th Century America on a four person interdisciplinary team. I can remember suffering through dull history classes during my own middle school years and wondering why a subject I found so intriguing had to be presented in such a dreary manner. As a result, my own studies have been broad and varied and included social history, oral history, museum studies, material culture, urban and regional planning and historic preservation. In planning lessons and activities for my students, I try to include aspects from all of these areas of study.


Ray Taylor
Technology Teacher, Summit Ridge Middle School
Littleton, CO
Link to Team Portfolio

As a Technology educator I am particularly interested in advancing the use of technology in the classroom. I have always been very interested in and intrigued with events in American history. I believe in utilizing up-to-date and innovative technologies at every opportunity to help students become involved with, and motivated by, the learning process. By using technology to put the world at their fingertips, I feel that students can become more aware, and realize the importance of, our past history.

While at Ken Caryl Middle School I designed and implemented a modular technology program for seventh and eighth graders. Utilizing the equipment from the school computer lab along with supplies and equipment from various sources, I designed a program that was one of the first of it1s kind in our school district. Students were engaged in modular learning activities involving various kinds of technology such as Electronics, Radio Broadcasting, Robotics, Electronic Publishing and Aerodynamics. My goal was to provide students with a meaningful learning experience that would prepare them for the 21st century. Problem solving, teamwork, and becoming a self directed life long learner were part of this overall objective.

At Summit Ridge Middle School I was able to implement a program called Technology Lab 2000 it has been well received by parents and students. Our technology program was awarded the 3Best Technology Program2 for the state of Colorado, by the International Technology Education Association. That award was received by my associate at the national ITEA convention in Phoenix Arizona in the spring of 1996.

Jeff Wadman Social Studies Teacher Orange Grove Middle School Tucson, Arizona I work with 7th grade middle school students teaching modern U.S. history (World War II to present). My personal interests include reading, and working with computer. A major specific interest, both personally and professionally, is the study of history. I find American history of particular interest and have been involved in the collecting of oral histories as both a student and a teacher. As a student, one of my favorite things to do is to bury myself in a library and pore over rare documents looking for information that sheds light on the particular topic of interest. In addition, I have been involved in conducting interviews with individuals who had experienced the Great Depression in Arizona, a study I found extremely interesting. I also enjoy developing educational materials and have written and developed two separate computer simulations. Both of these computer simulations involve the use of STELLA software; I've used both simulations in my classroom to give my students a more immediate understanding of the subjects we're studying. One of these simulations deals with the economy and the other deals with the dynamics of the Arms Race. Brian Bindschadler Gifted Coordinator Orange Grove Middle School, Tucson, Arizona I work with 6th, 7th, and 8th grade students in a variety of situations and settings. Part of my job involves working with students in a pull-out program where we meet for two periods (1 1/2 hours) each week. The focus of this program is on extending reading and writing skills through a workshop format. My personal interests include reading, writing, and outdoor activities. One of my goals for next year is to create a web page for my writing students so they can publish pieces electronically and receive feedback from a widespread audience. My interest in this project is based on my desire to enhance student learning and achievement in the classroom. I enjoy working with teachers as they develop curriculum that is designed to meet the needs of students with varying ability levels and learning styles. This project seems like an ideal opportunity for me to do just that. The writing aspect of our project proposal also appeals to me, as that is an area of particular interest to me.