ABOUT SEEDEBATE

The Organization

The SEEdebate.org Website

Why Use SEEdebate?

The People

• Staff
• Board
• Advisers

The Organization

SEE (Student Educational Exchange Inc)is a non-profit organization providing online learning tools for educators and students.
SEE was founded in 2006 and, as of September 2007, is now officially a public charity with 501c3 status.

The SEEdebate.org Website

SEEdebate.org is the Flagship Website at SEE.

• SEEdebate is an online current events discussion site where students meet up with their peers from around the country to discuss global news.
• We provide a safe, educational environment.
• Educators can eliminate tedious preparation work and students are exposed to a broad range of topics and opinions about events which are impossible to find in a textbook.
• As SEEdebate grows to incorporate learners from all over the world, it will increasingly provide opportunities for collaboration between classes in different countries.
• SEEdebate can be incorporated into any curriculum.

Why Use SEEdebate?

The combination of education and the internet opens vast learning possibilities for students. However, the task for educators attempting to access this media can be daunting.
SEEdebate provides:

• Essential Technological tools and support so that educators can bring the world into their classroom
• An easy way for teachers to simultaneously incorporate technology, current global events, and 21st century skills into their curriculum
• A collection of current and archived news articles from all over the world - each with a unique set of discussion questions and relevant links to help the students understand and discuss topics in the article
• Categories to organize the articles by subject matter (i.e US History, Economics, Science, etc.)
• Teacher tools such as rubrics and assignment suggestions

The People

Staff

Ann Thomas- Executive Director and co-founder of Student Educational Exchange Inc.

Ann earned a BA from Macalester College in St. Paul, MN in Anthropology and Economics. She then worked as the Treasurer and Product Manager at Judd Paper Company in Holyoke, MA for ten years, where she gained valuable experience running a small business. Ann was responsible for human resources research, policy development and implementation, personnel management, inventory control, financial reporting and some product marketing.

Ann is committed to finding ways to engage youth in lively and timely educational learning environments. She believes that these environments in their online form provide opportunity for students to be exposed to a global variety of viewpoints, and that this exposure translates into increased tolerance.

contact Ann:

Meghan Veiga Connelly Curriculum Director and co-founder of Student Educational Exchange Inc.

Meghan has bachelor’s degrees in Anthropology, Sociology and History from the University of Connecticut. In 1998, she earned her certification in secondary social studies and her Master of Arts in curriculum and instruction. She has consistently maintained a high level of achievement and leadership through ongoing, district-wide curriculum development and innovation in the field of online learning.

Meghan has had teaching experience in several settings: suburban middle school, rural middle school, urban high school, rural high school, GED preparation and online instruction.

Meghan’s experience with online learning as well as her commitment to fostering citizenship skills and interest in current events drives her to look for innovative ways to incorporate current events into the classroom. Her goal is to use students’ natural interest in online social communities (such as “Myspace” and “Facebook”) to help them realize their potential to become informed citizens.

Board of Directors
Eleanor Townsley
Bill Meyer
Donna Harty-Grimaldi and Richard Grimaldi

Advisers
Tim Weinland
Jack Veiga
William Jolicoeur
Laurie Geronimo

Volunteers and Interns
Mo Veiga
Katharine Walmsley