Set against a backdrop of Cinderella’s Castle, bright sunshine, and swaying palm trees, my experience was magical. In November 2010, I presented at the National Writing Project Annual Meeting at sunny Walt Disney World Resort in Orlando, Florida.
I was a part of the Holocaust Educator’s Network presentation group. I shared methods of integrating both the Holocaust and technology into teaching and curriculum. Along with my HEN fellow Larry Neuberger from Missouri, I discussed the use of blogs, video diaries, GoogleDocs, Prezi presentations, and Glog projects in my Social Justice Literature course. In addition to this, I shared my students’ collaborative work with Missouri students via a blog and ning. We showed how our students read Elie Wiesel’s Night “together” and conversed through technology. All together, four different aspects of the Holocaust Educator’s Network were presented to a packed house. My presentation highlighted the classroom level. The other levels addressed included district, regional development, and writing project outreach.
The Holocaust Educator’s Network also awarded me a $1,000 grant to fund books for my new Social Justice Literature course.
Both the Nebraska Writing Project and the National Writing Project Annual Meeting allow me the networking capabilities I need to be a creative and passionate educator.
Though 2010 was a magical experience, I am already looking forward to Chicago in 2011!