I'm so pleased to be able to write this recommendation for Janet Barnstable. I cannot think of any educator more worthy of this nomination than her.

Janet and I have done a number of online projects together, the most notable of which were our 1998 and 1999 entries in the AT&T Virtual Classroom Contest. Janet's dedication to those projects was amazing. She put forward effort way beyond what most teachers would be prepared to do. She is a lady who is totally committed to the ideas of educating using the Internet. The fact that, working together, we placed third in the 1998 contest and were the overall global winners of the 1999 contest was no coincidence. Prior to me meeting her, Janet was also a member of the second place winning team in 1997. This is a woman who understands the demands and advantages of teaching using the Net.

Even though Janet lives in Chicago and I live in Sydney, we have spent many, many hours chatting online, preparing work for our students, discussing ideas and collaborating. I was also fortunate to get to meet her in person when we went to Hong Kong to collect our prize for Virtual Classroom in 2000. It was during our 6 days together in Hong Kong that I gained a further insight into just what a great teacher she is. We talked about education and how it needs to be moulded and adapted to take advantage of the possibilities of the Internet. I saw just how much care and concern she had for her students, and how much respect they in turn had for her.

I know Janet is involved in many more online learning initiatives, although because we live on opposite sides of the world, there are probably many more I don't hear about. I know she has been extremely active in the promotion of online learning within her district of the Chicago School Board, and has been the webmaster of their site. She has managed to transform the curriculum of Percy Julian Junior High with some forward-thinking and exciting initiatives such as classes specialising in online collaborative projects. She is the owner and moderator of the VClass mailing list, a discussion forum for teachers around the world who use collaborative online learning with their students. I know she has been asked to speak at many educational seminars because of the success and passion she brings to her work with children and the web.

Some of Janet's other projects were an Anti Smoking site which won national acclaim; an ongoing project with students from Ireland, Italy, Holland and Australia; online youth webzines, the list is seemingly endless'. And as I said, these are just the ones I've heard about. The thing with Janet is she always seems to have many projects on the go at one time, and she always seems to give each one of them her 100% effort. I think that's what I find so amazing and inspiring about her.

Some of Janet's other projects were an AntiSmoking site which won national acclaim; an ongoing project with students from Ireland, Italy, Holland and Australia; online youth webzines, the list is seemingly endless'. And as I said, these are just the ones I've heard about. The thing with Janet is she always seems to have many projects on the go at one time, and she always seems to give each one of them her 100% effort. I think that's what I find so amazing and inspiring about her.

I think I have probably learned more about online learning and collaboration from Janet than anyone else I've ever met. In fact I could probably say I've learned more about education generally from Janet than anyone else. She has a knack of inspiring those around her to do great things, and that is probably the biggest compliment I can pay her.

Do I think she deserves this award' You bet!"

"Janet Barnstable exemplifies a person who enjoys her work and is able to share her skills, knowledge and expertise with students and with fellow educators. I am a fellow educator, and am fortunate to have met Janet Barnstable, and to have gotten to know Janet on several different levels, as a colleague, college adult educator, and as a friend.

I have taken several courses taught by Janet that have been offered through our local Department of Education, West 40, and each course has been an exciting, challenging learning experience for me. Janet never fails to amaze me with her vast knowledge of the computer and the software world. She generously and patiently shares her knowledge and expertise with all members of the class. She is able to encourage students, adults and young students, at whatever level the students are at. She is able to offer support at both ends of the learning experience both expert levels, as well as encourage the computer ""newbie."" She encourages the use of technology in order to integrate all aspects of the curriculum. Not only is Janet an outstanding professional role model, but she is also an outstanding educator on a personal level. She makes herself available, even on weekends for support and help, not just as a techie, but as warm, personable friend, and fellow voyager through cyberspace.

One of the personable aspects of Janet's style of teaching is that Janet encourages and seems to arrange the professional technological classroom teaching situation in such a way that her classes encourage collaboration among other teachers. It is through this collaboration that she encourages, that I have personally met many fellow teachers like myself, from other school, districts, and other teaching situations. Janet sets up the classroom in such a way that it is a very collegial experience and supportive atmosphere, so that we all grow professionally, technologically, and personally from networking with other teachers that we meet through Janet's encouragement.

In addition to the coursework that I have taken with Janet, I have attended conventions and conferences and have been able to sit in on sessions and experience Janet's work that she presents at the conferences. I have seen Janet's products, as well as the products her Middle School students produce. It is amazing the level of expertise that she is able to guide and encourage her Middle School students to attain.

Janet is not one to sit back comfortably, and let technology happen. She keeps up on the current developments in computer hardware and software, and is able to communicate to her students, in her classes about the successes, developments and glitches that occur in the computer world. I feel that Janet is always on the ""cutting"" edge of technology.

Janet's influences go far beyond the classroom. She makes a positive impact on all who she comes in contact with. She is an inspiration to students at all educational levels. It is with the greatest of pleasure that I write this brief testimony."

"It is my privilege for recommend Janet Barnstable for this award. Janet and I first worked together seven years ago on the development of District 97 web site (http://www.op97.k12.il.us). Janet has always been an educational technology pioneer and the Oak Park Elementary School web site was one of the foremost school websites. With her leadership and creativity, the web site has gone on to win several awards.

Janet and I also taught several Intermediate Service Center West 40 courses: Connecting to the Internet and Enternet, being two of the most popular. Teachers were able to rethink their crafting of the teaching/learning environment using technology. Three teachers who participated went on to present what they had learned at state conferences and won awards for their innovative efforts. Janet brought a high level of technical expertise to this teachers, enabling them to learn to use the powerful tools of the Internet faster and more efficiently.

We have also been active in providing other professional development opportunities for teachers in the school district, such as ""Graphics for Teachers,"" ""Teacher Web Workshops,"" and Instructional Technology Institute Days in 1999 and 2000.

Janet has also been a leader and a teacher for the Young Technologists Conference held every year for the last five years. She shows younger students how to create tech products in an hour. Tessalations has been her most popular offering.

Tech Expo! is the school district's showcase of instructional technology projects that Janet has led for the past eleven years. Each year teachers and their students demonstrate their technology skills for teachers and for parents and the community. Janet has organized all the logistics for this huge event.

The Instructional Technology Development Committee of the school district initiated several telecollaborative projects for the district such as ""Voting, "" and ""The Heat is On,"" which directly tied to the curriculum. Janet provided the innovative ideas and leadership to make these projects possible.

As a member of the Instructional Technology Development Committee and the Tech Users Committee of District 97, Janet has brought her vision and leadership to the entire district community. She is a major contributor of ""Tech Tips,"" which are quick reference guides to teacher who need just a few, easy steps to working a digital camera or taking a screen shot. Also an active participant in the local Intermediate Service Center's West 40 Technology Coordinators' meetings, Janet is held in high regard among her fellow educators from the surrounding school districts.

Janet has been a featured presenter at the national conference of the National School Board Association conference, the Illinois Computing Educators Conference and the Role of Tech Conference in Illinois. Her presentations are always well received and she is solicited to do inservice for other schools.

Matthew Kuntz
Gifted Education Specialist/Teacher

"It is a pleasure to write this letter of recommendation for Janet Barnstable. I have learned more about the implementation of technology from Janet than from anyone else in my 16 years of teaching. I have known Janet professionally for more than ten years. I first met Janet at a statewide technology conference that focused on the integration of technology in the classroom. A colleague of mine suggested that I attend one of Janet's sessions- in her words she said, 'Janet is awesome, you will come away with some great ideas.' Janet did just that and more! She gave me many practical ideas that I could use the next day in my classroom. After that, Janet became someone that I would contact constantly for guidance and expertise in the area of technology.

Janet has strongly encouraged me (and thus my class) to get involved in many on-line activities. In 1997, she encouraged me to get involved in the ENTERNET 97 project- a state funded project to get teachers to create on-line learning opportunities for their students. Janet taught me how to create web pages and structure an on-line learning experience. With Janet's guidance I created The H.O.W.L. Project- a project where my students surveyed others from around the world on their thoughts and perceptions of wolves. Janet was there to guide both my students and I every step of the way. It was a great learning experience for all involved and it would not have been possible without Janet. This continued in 1998-99 when Janet encouraged my students and I to get involved in the AT&T Virtual Classroom Contest. I attended a session at the annual statewide technology conference in which Janet explained the many benefits of this contest. Through her guidance we survived our first year and created an award-winning web page with students from Australia and Russia. Janet was of the most assistance with the setting up of teleconferencing between the three counties- using the CU-See Me software. I can honestly say that I would not have taken the risk of getting my students involved and my students would not have reaped the benefits of this project without Janet's guidance and expertise.

I have had the opportunity to see Janet in action- teaching students at District 97's annual Young Technologist Conference. Janet has the knack for getting students excited about technology- through her lessons on tessellations and creating animated GIFs, students have learned the endless possibilities of creating a unique design or animation you can call your very own.