Teaching is an extremely difficult job no matter where one lives, but the role is far more demanding when combined with life in an isolated community where one is sometimes the only teacher in the school. During the 2007 Island Teachers Conference in Belfast, one request came up in conversations over and over: “We just want to talk with each other.”
In the past, there have been few opportunities for island teachers to talk with each other, share resources and ask questions of each other. The conference only happens once every two years.
But this year is different. Island teachers now have the opportunity to continue discussions that started at the conference throughout the entire school year, thanks to an online social networking site. The Island Institute has created a simple Google group specifically for the un-bridged island teachers of Maine who make up the Maine Island Teachers Collaborative.
Island teachers, administrators and school board members received an email invitation to join the group once they have signed up and responded to a verification email.
This online community provides a members-only discussion board where any teacher can post and respond to questions, share a good resource, or ask for advice. Each member of this group can also create a page to share files or information on an upcoming event.
In the few weeks since the site went live, there has been lively discussion on a variety of topics. For example, the Northwest Evaluation Association (NWEA) provided some workshops at the Island Teachers Conference that piqued the interest of many teachers. Individually, most of the island schools could not afford access to these highly beneficial and individualized student assessments. Now that they can ask each other questions and share experiences on the Google group, they are figuring out how they can work together to form a collaborative to share the costs and benefits associated with NWEA.
Resource sharing like this has happened between islands that are relatively close geographically, but now geographic distance is a less of a hurdle. Teachers at Long and Chebeague Island schools are collaborating with teachers at Matinicus and North Haven via online discussions.
Another tool offered by the Google group is its pages feature. This is a way to share information about an upcoming event. For example, Islesboro wanted to get the word out that a number of island students would be performing in the Nutcracker at the Camden Opera House, and asked other islanders to support them by attending. This feature can also be used to highlight upcoming events on-island, share the details and agendas of an inter-island event, or place the spotlight on a different island school each month. Teachers can also post a page containing a unit or lesson that worked particularly well. Any member of the Google group can post comments on each of the pages as well. q
For more information on the Maine Island Teacher Collaborative, or if you are an island educator and would like to join the group, please contact Ruth Kermish-Allen at rallen@islandinstitute.org or 594-9209 x.117.