Nancy Hoffman

Background

 * English teacher at Trinity High School in Western Pennsyvania
 * A former Classrooms for the Future coach who spent two years encouraging teachers to include wikis into their plans for collaboration, sharing, and authentic assessment.
 * Works with Jennifer Sylves, fellow teacher.
 * Presented a workshop to teachers about wikis in the classroom in 2009

Insights

 * Source: http://www.theconsortiumforpubliceducation.org/jtl09wrapup.htm

Bookmarks

 * http://delicious.com/nancy.hoffman
 * Links to wikis: http://delicious.com/nancy.hoffman/wikis
 * Links to cff_wiki: http://delicious.com/nancy.hoffman/cff_wiki
 * Especially likes: http://eduwikius.wikispaces.com/Wikis

Wiki workshops offered at Journey to Learn in 2009. Teachers claim wikis are an invaluable teaching tool.
Jennifer Sylves uses Wikis for class projects because:
 * the web-based collaboration sites of wikis help students with organization
 * wikis create a sense of “individual accountability
 * wikis create a sense of interdependence among the students.

Teaching with wikis can draw together students who might not otherwise interact and help lower-achieving students contribute on an even footing with students who excel, said Jennifer Sylves, an English teacher in western Pennsylvania's Trinity High School. “They (wikis) give everyone a meaningful task, so they (wikis) level the playing field.”

Jennifer Sylves finds wikis an invaluable teaching tool. She and a colleague, Nancy Hoffman, who teaches math and computer science, presented a workshop about Wikis to peers from across the region as part of The Consortium for Public Education’s 2009 Journey to Learn. Journey to Learn is a regional in-service day for teachers to share best practices across district lines.

Contact
Mathematics & Computer Science Teacher, Trinity High School, Washington, PA 724-225-5380 x6260 hoffmann@trinitypride.org

Quotes

 * Many teachers in PA use wikis to engage students and provide authentic assessment for learning.  However, this means that there is LOTS of information to glean.