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April 1, 1999
Cyberfair
by Cheryl Vitali
Humankind has not woven the web of life. We are but one thread within it. Whatever we do to the web, we do to ourselves. All things are bound together. All things connect.
-Chief Seattle
Mention "Cyberfair" to most people and their first reaction is, "Cyber what?" The name is deceptive, and far too few educators know the real power behind that word. I didn't know it myself.
In 1995, I started the school year with a simple goal. I wanted a Web site for my school, Alta Elementary, but I didn't think schools should have to pay for server space. I approached Al Rogers with this objective and my thoughts, and he e-mailed a note to me suggesting I enter the first Cyberfair. I had 24 hours. I leaped first and looked afterward. Our team had exactly one month until competition. It didn't matter that HyperText Markup Language (HTML) was entirely Greek to me. Even though I had attended every workshop the county had offered that year, most of the instructors didn't know it well either-or, if they did, they presented it to those few teachers who were already in the know.
I work with special education, and tenacity is my greatest strength! I quickly built a team of seven of the most dynamic students I have worked with in more than 20 years of education. I ordered a software program and spent the next month absorbed in the project. I was advising two Odyssey of the Mind teams at the same time, so my classroom was constantly filled with students during recess, lunch, and after school.
The students did an amazing job, and one Saturday late in February, five adults-Dr. Dean Kliewer, Tanya Goosev, James Kellogg, an intern, and me-met at Dr. Kliewer's office to learn how to upload files to a server. Dr. Kliewer had started the first service provider for Reedley, Ms. Goosev was Reedley High School's learning director, and Mr. Kellogg was a parent and technical wizard who did aerial photography and database work. All of us were anxious to master a new skill and assist this historic unveiling of our community showcasing.
So, what was wrong with the pages? They had all worked beautifully on my laptop. All of the images were on the server. Where were the pages? No one had ever mentioned (and I had not remembered) the need to use the .htm or .html file name extensions. I hadn't added one! I think I had done all of the pages in a matter of days because the program arrived only a week or so before the final deadline. Once I figured out the problem and got one page up and working, it was back home to spend the rest of Saturday correcting the errors and fixing every link between pages-and I had made a lot of them! In training others on HTML, I always make sure they'll learn from my experience and won't repeat that mistake.
What has happened since then? Well, what hasn't? That might be the real question. The next year saw a 30% increase in visitors to the community; just how much effect Cyberfair had I don't know, but I get inquiries from around the globe. I have reported many times on the work happening at Alta and presented information at numerous conferences. I get requests for materials, I design and coordinate online projects, I continue to teach full-time, and I help other teachers around the world, many of whom I have never met. Student work from as long ago as 1994 has been featured in a reprint of Educational Technology: Best Practices in America's Schools by William Bozeman. I am trying to find time to complete a book on how to create original anthologies for teachers. The Reedley City Council was discussing Alta's site when I attended a meeting entirely by coincidence; the chamber has since hired a Webmaster for the city and developed its own Web site.
In 1995, I had a simple goal-a Web site for free. It opened all sorts of opportunities for my students and my community that I had not foreseen. It opened the world.
E-mail: Cheryl Vitali
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