Her first reinvention of the classroom began several years ago when she traveled to many far-off exotic destinations. Susan would always return with materials used to create integrated learning units. Her classroom became a window into a multicultural world that enriched the lives of students.

Four years ago, Mrs. Silverman embarked on a new topic of exploration, the World Wide Web. From a very modest beginning, a small home page for her second grade students, her involvement in technology and the Internet expanded to the point where she is now a leading authority on online collaboration in the lower primary grades.

She has hosted nine highly successful projects that have won recognition and awards, but more significantly, have expanded the horizons of her classroom beyond its four walls and into the global community.

Mrs. Silverman has presented and will be giving hands-on workshops at many local, state and national technology conferences including NECC, Classroom Connect, NYSC&TE, International Reading Association, Scope, and School Tech Expo. She has written several articles for Technology and Learning Magazine, and wrote the feature article in the September 1998 issue of Classroom Connect Magazine. She is currently the keynote chairperson for the NYSC&TE statewide conference that will be held in Syracuse, New York in November 2000 and a member of several technology education organizations.

Susan became a regional winner of the 1999 Presidential Award for Reading and Technology for her collaborative project, Winter Wonderland. She received a grant award from NYSC&TE for her project Online Autumn. Susan's project Winter Wonderland also won a New York State Model Schools award. She participated in the New York State Academy for Teaching and Learning Statewide Peer Review and became a member of the New York State Academy for Teaching and Learning in June 1999. Her name is in the directory of New York State Model Schools Integration Specialists. In February 1999, Susan was the Hofstra University/News12, Long Island Educator of the Month. The Franklin Institute Science Museum offered her a fellowship in their Wired@School program.

Susan Silverman is currently a second grade and computer resource teacher at the Comsewogue School District in Port Jefferson Station, New York. She maintains a web site for her students and offers staff development courses and creates web sites for teachers in the district. She has a BA and MS in education from Queens College.

Susan's web sites and projects can be seen at:  http://kids-learn.org