Integrating the Internet into the Classroom
Facilitator: Michael Krauss, AES, Lewis & Clark College

Here are photos and comments from a few former course participants.
Click on the small photos to see larger versions.

Summer 2003

Nancy Novak - ESL teacher, Clark College, Vancouver, Washington WOW!! So much to learn, such a short time to learn it in, almost all of it so interesting, & much of it completely new. . . you were a great supporter & encourager to all of us, which I think is the most important thing, along with your quick, specific, & helpful answers to our questions. . . This is one of the best courses I've ever taken, & I've taken a lot of courses! Thank you very much!!

Barry Keywood, EFL teacher, Abu Dhabi Men's College, Abu Dhabi, UAE I have nothing but praise for you and the course. It has been a hugely rewarding experience. I believe this course should be taken by all teachers who are seriously interested in using the Internet to enhance their teaching and their students' learning. I shall not hesitate to recommend it to my colleagues past and present.

Candida Palma - EFL teacher, Centro Cultural Brasil Estado Unidos-Inter Americano, Curitiba, Brazil I learned a great deal of things with you (Michael) and also the other participants and that the workshop was 100% useful and worthy of any effort we eventually had to make during this 3-week period. I am so sorry it's finishing...

Fabiola Bernardo, EFL teacher, IBEU-CE Binational Center, Fortaleza, Ceara, Brazil This course has really made a difference for me! It made me see the internet in a different way - as a learning (and teaching!) tool. The best of all, one that is not so complicated to use. I am aware now of an amazing number of educational resources offered, I know how to make some Web-based activities, I've improved my searching skills and learned useful criteria to evaluate internet content. Besides all this knowledge,I also had contact with an amazing group of people and a great instructor!

Spring 2003

Larry Savage - ESL teacher to adult students studying to be Catholic priests, Diocese of Raleigh, North Carolina I thought the course was excellent--well worth $250! I thought there was a nice mix of readings and hands-on activities. I am most happy that I have already made a few things that I may use in class.

Hani Raydan - High school principal and economics teacher, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates I just want to thank you for this memorable and extremely beneficial experience that has opened doors towards brand new exciting opportunities of teaching and learning I never thought would exist... I will definitely recommend it to teachers around.

Susie Weitzman-Trifman - K-12 teacher/technology coordinator, American International School, Raanana, Israel When looking for courses to take over my sabbatical this one kept shouting at me from my computer, "Take me!" Boy, am I glad I did. . . I will highly recommend this course to the entire staff at my school. . . I must reiterate what everyone else has said about Michael and his dedication. You are amazing! Taking another online class at the moment I can tell you that you are very unique in your quick, personalized, and effective comments all along the way. You have been incredibly supportive and helpful. THANKS A MILLION!

Linda Grant - Author, ESL teacher/trainer, Georgia State University, Atlanta, Georgia The most striking features of the course were the terrific organization and flow, excellent web resources, and a knowledgeable, motivating instructor. You have turned this skeptic into a believer in the potential to create effective, personal learning communities online. You have also managed to deliver a course that appeals to a broad range of teachers, educational settings, and technological expertise yet still addresses individual needs and interests. That is quite a feat. . . Thanks for a challenging, enlightening three weeks. I have already recommended the course to many of my colleagues.

Kat McGrath - Librarian - Abu Dhabi Men's College, Higher Colleges of Technolgy, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. Aside from the practical tools I've been shown through the assignments, the aspect I found most valuable was the constructive and positive online learning experience. The manner in which you have developed and delivered the material gives me fresh confidence in the power and potential of online and distance learning. You are a role model extraordinaire, and I will recommend this course without hesitation.

Louise Louie - ESL teacher, City College of San Francisco, San Francisco, California Well, I did it. . . I have to confess that I was a very tentative and reluctant student. . . I have learned a lot that I can use immediately with my students. As I had said before, my goal for this course was to learn enough about the Web resources so that I can direct my students to them for supplementary information related to the subject at hand. I have more confidence now in doing just that. And, I even created my own website for them to use!. . . I am glad I stuck through with this course, Michael. Thank you for such a great job you did with it!

Jane Walker Davis - ESL teacher, Tokyo International University America, Salem, Oregon Michael, thank you for your brilliant course. I began it as a very tentative web user and feel I have made great progress. . . I'm so please with my new ability to create web based activities and look forward to sharing them with my colleagues who, I hope, will also take your course some day. Finally, I learned a great deal just from observing you teaching us. Thank you for all the extra time and attention you put into giving us critical feedback and advice.

Rosana and daughter

Rosana Silva Rodrigues - EFL teacher to all ages, Casa Thomas Jefferson (Binational Center), Brasilia, Brazil Honestly, I did not think that an online course could be so rich and effective. I did not have high expectations at all. Now, I feel like I have accomplished many new skills and am very thankful for that. . . My ultimate goal is to be able to pass the knowledge to my colleagues and create a really cool webquest! Thank you Michael!

Paul Monheimer - 7th grade World Studies (Social Studies), Catlin Gabel K-12, Portland, Oregon. Michael, I don't believe in undue apple polishing, but this was a terrific experience. I am in awe that you could work with all 50 of us! Excellent course! I look forward to working with you in the future.

Roberta Wang - ESL teacher, Foothill Community College, Los Altos Hills (near San Francisco), California. Overall, this workshop delivered what I expected and more. I had never taken an online course before, so it was uncharted territory for me. As someone who likes clarity and step-by-step instructions, your syllabus and daily emails met my requirements to a T! . . . Let me add my words of praise and thanks to you, Michael, for a superlative workshop. It was a great investment of time and energy, which I know will pay off well into the future. I would recommend it highly to my colleagues!!

Jennifer Withers - 5th grade teacher, William Walker Elementary School, Beaverton, Oregon. What an amazing experience to be able to develop online activities and look for resources! This is what I have been needing. I am so excited to help my students become more proficient in using the internet next year. . . You were such a wonderful facilitator and guide throughout this experience. I cannot imagine what you could have done better. This course far surpassed my expectations. I have been recommending it to everyone I know.

Spring 2002

Tom, Azade and family in Greece

Tom and Azade Johnson- EFL- Abu Dhabi Men's College and CERT College (respectively), Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates Tom: I have enjoyed doing the course enormously. . . Your course is intensely practical and within the timeframe allotted for it, there is an immense amount of material to assimilate. This is all for the good and the course will remain a wonderful resource long after I have finished it!. . .I value your support for everything you have done and for your continued support after the course has finished. Azade: I have enjoyed this course immensely; it's opened up so many new possibilities for my teaching. . . Your course has given me a new perspective on how I can use computers in the classroom. . . I have already used my Subject Sampler in one of my classes and my students were very impressed!. . . I can't thank you enough, Michael, for your wonderful support. I really feel like I have broken through the 'technology barrier'!

Wolfgang Kahler - EFL - Abu Dhabi Men's College - Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates All in all, I enjoyed this course immensely and the ongoing support you provided was first-rate. . . Besides being an eye opener to the immense resources of the Internet, this course has also provided me with a lots of practical experiences on the computer, notably The Discussion Page, and my first ever 'chat'. . . It's been a real pleasure being your student. I'm quite proud of this, crossing the digital divide at 58!

Fall 2001

Teresa Almeida d'Eca - EFL 5th-9th grade - Escola de Sto. Antonio, Parede, Portugal I've spent some of the most productive three weeks of my life. They've been very insightful, eye-opening and enjoyable. The course has certainly lived up to my expectations and has been extremely relevant in terms of professional and skill development.

Kathy's son and Reilly!

Kathy McMinn - Elementary School Teacher (Music) - Federal Furnace Elementary School, Plymouth, MA This was a very valuable course! It contained a lot of information; I learned a great deal and had fun! The material was presented in a logical manner and was easy to follow. Each activity prepared me for the lessons to come. If I ran into trouble, I knew Michael was always there for support..

Martha Gross - Grade 4/5 - Portland Public Schools, Portland, Oregon Overall I felt this was a wonderful class. Well worth my time and effort. The "tools" I have come away with will be invaluable. . . Thank you Michael for a great class.

Summer 2001

Cindy Smith - High School Teacher (Math, Health, Science, Computers, Dance) - Faith Christian Academy, Sandpoint, Idaho Great - I never thought I could learn so much in an on-line course. It was just like being in class, yet with much more flexibility. Thank you so much for your time and genuine care for who your students are and what they are learning. I never thought a teacher could do that in a non face-to-face course. You did!

Jennifer Johnson - Computer Science - Waluga Junior High School, Lake Oswego, Oregon This was a rich course and I expect to share a lot of these ideas with my teachers. I will also recommend it! I actually found and developed useful tools!

Pamela Knox - Elementary School Teacher - Department of Defense Dependent Schools, tiny farm town, east of Nuremberg, Germany Michael could be my teacher any time and I'm VERY picky! I always want my money's worth and this time I believe I got more for my money. danke schoen! viel Glueck! auf Wiedersehen!

Jay Lehr - Government and Media Teacher - Gresham High School, Gresham, Oregon Satisfying course. Lots of material, usable across curriculum and study areas. . .Your engagement in the course and attention to our progress made this a very rich experience for me. I was surprised more than once when I sent off an email or posted something to the Discussion page and your response came back almost immediately.

Spring 2001

 

Mary Gillespie - EFL Teacher - Dubai Women's College, Dubai, United Arab Emirates Excellent, well-planned course, with dedicated teaching--There has been more feedback and support than I've had in lots of face-face classes! You are a very generous teacher! Thanks for a wonderful course!

Chris Sullivan - Health and Physical Education Teacher - Dept. of Defense Dependents School System, Yokusaka, Japan What better stamp of approval is there than to recommend Michael and this course to those I know at work. This entire experience has allowed me to feel more in control and be more selective with what I do with technology in the classroom. Domo Origato Krauss San.

 

Abigail Selden - ESL Teacher - Oregon City High School, Oregon City, Oregon I really enjoyed this class, and I think I've got a start on some great tools I will be able to use in my classroom. I liked that we had to actually create products, instead of just "seeing" how it's done. I'd take this class again if I could. Thanks for being patient with me!

John Patron - ESL Teacher - Hillsboro Middle School, Hillsboro, Oregon This was my first online course. I was apprehensive at first. I was concerned that there would not be adequate communication with the instructor. My concerns were inaccurate. . . I appreciated the flexibility and the immediate responses via e-mail and even via telephone. It was nice to be respected and given the freedom to learn at my own pace.

Patti Ochoa - EFL Teacher - Universidad del Valle de Mexico, San Luis Potosi, Mexico I found this course to be very motivating. At times I really thought I wouldn't make it, but your enthusiasm and patience helped me. . . I really found Quia to be very useful for my beginners. And the Treasure Hunts are perfect for my advanced. I had a great time!!! I admire your patience and support. You are a great teacher!

Toni Johnson - 5th grade Teacher - Gervais School District, Gervais, Oregon It appears to me this course is really advertised for ESL/EFL teachers. That my be true, but I think it is a terrific class for any teacher who wants to use the Internet in his or her classroom. Learning to use this wonderful, and sometimes intimidating, machine can only improve how and what you teach.

Tom Swanson - Social Studies Teacher - J.B. Thomas Middle School, Hillsboro, Oregon This is my first online class. I found the content extremely useful. I had little or no knowledge and experience with the content of this class. After three weeks I truly feel like I know how to successfully integrate the Internet into my classroom.

Ramona Toth - Science Teacher - Glencoe High School, Hillsboro, Oregon Thank you. I will continue to visit your page quite often, because I found so many resources, and was able to actually recommend some to my colleagues. I am also going to pass along a recommendation of the course to my department because I found it to be a great learning experience. If your audience is ranging from novice to expert, then everyone found every day something interesting and challenging to do.

Nicholas Graham - EFL Teacher - Hong Kong Education Department, Hong Kong, China I am very impressed with this course; it is thorough, well organized and well-planned. . .going through (being taken through) so much relevant material *all* via the web has been the most useful aspect of this course. . . You are a generous, supportive teacher and have done a fabulous job!

Created by: krauss@lclark.edu
Updated: 8/5/03