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“I was amazed at how quickly EditMe set this up for me and taught me how to do it. Immediately, I could create new private pages, whenever I needed to do so. - Mark Barnes |
EditMe Inspires Teacher to Launch Book and Seminars on Creating Virtual Classrooms
Veteran teacher Mark Barnes came up with an entirely new way to engage his students—their way. Recognizing that most students spend a substantial amount of time on computers, Barnes hoped to connect with them on their level by moving his classroom online and into the 21st century.
Specifically, Barnes wanted to move away from traditional paper-based activities to a virtual world that excites students to learn about language arts in the same way they learn about the latest gossip on their friend’s Facebook page.
Outstanding Customer Service and Unique Features
When Barnes set out to find a home for his online classroom (barnesclass.com), it didn’t take him long to figure out what wouldn’t work—particularly web blogs, which he found offered limited features. His research convinced him that he needed a robust content management solution that was flexible, user-friendly and well organized. “The most important factor for me was finding a company that allows me to create private, secure pages that can’t be edited,” Barnes said. “Generally all wiki systems allow members to edit pages, so EditMe was the obvious choice.”
With the helpful guidance of EditMe’s staff, Barnes created a classroom site where his students could interact and complete assignments in a private space that only they could see. The system would also give parents access to the online classroom, allowing them to keep track of their children’s progress and activities. “To secure my students’ sites, I needed special attention from EditMe’s support staff; they remained in constant contact with me throughout the process,” he said. “I’m amazed at how easy it is to use.”
Not only does EditMe allow Barnes to choose which pages are public or private, but it also gives him the ability to attach documents and links to outside applications, such as Word and PowerPoint and other websites. EditMe is the complete, powerful solution Barnes was looking for.
The Birth of The Paperless Classroom™
After building his classroom website and watching it evolve into a remarkable resource for students, parents and teachers, Barnes created The Paperless Classroom (thepaperlessclassroom.com), an Internet-based education system that has won praise nationwide. He has written a book on the subject and teaches comprehensive workshops that help teachers create their own virtual classroom online with EditMe, including how to build individual, secure student websites, common classroom pages and ancillary instruction sites.
