Friday July 17, 2009

Webucator: Jeff Brown

Written by Leslie Jensen-Inman

I have a hero. His name is Jeff Brown. Jeff, or Mr. Brown, as his students call him, is a web educator at Damascus High School in Damascus, Maryland where he creates opportunities for his students that are so cool that he actually makes me wish I were in high school again. Yes, even with the thought of being ridiculed for being creative, geeky, and super tall; I would do it over again to have the opportunity to have someone like Jeff as a teacher.

“BE CREATIVE! DO NOT simply follow a tutorial.” This statement is at the end of one of Jeff’s assignment sheets. Jeff follows his own advice when creating course content. He is creative. He does not simply follow a tutorial.  One of the most remarkable aspects of Jeff’s course structure is that he incorporates numerous guest speakers who present to and talk with his students. This guest speaker list is extremely impressive. He lined-up at least 14 guest speakers for a single 4-month course. Just thinking about those logistics makes me exhausted. But Jeff doesn’t rest. He continues to create opportunities for his high school students that college students, and let’s face it, web professionals would love to have. Jeff has found meaningful ways to consistently connect industry and education.

Jeff Brown is the kind of teacher that every student, in every school, in every country deserves to have. He does not travel the easy path, blindly following a teaching tutorial. Instead he traverses a more challenging path, a path led by innovation and creativity. He sees education as far more than just book learning and regularly brings the professional world into his classroom and his students into the professional world.

Too often educators, especially teaching K-12, go unrecognized. So to Jeff and other amazing educators, “thank you for helping to shape the next generation of web professionals in such significant and profound ways.”