Discovering MSN communities: World Teachers

Back in 1999, I was translating texts about a virtual learning platform that was being constructed for vocational schools in Ticino (CH). Screenshots of its present form - it didn't change much since - in Project Virtual Learning Platform.

I was warily beginning to accept that the online world was not just the lot of waffle it seemed from listening to enthusing catechists, but could actually be used to do things. I was also teaching at a few middle schools. So I wanted a learning platform too, but middle school teachers were not allowed to use that one.

Then one day, I noticed there was a "Chat and People" link in my hotmail account. I knew kids were indulging in this strange thing called "chat" but had never done it. So I clicked. The chat didn't work from the school computer I was using, but from there I got to the MSN communities (now groups). The top one in the Education category was World Teachers, so I joined that.

I was bowled over: it was a learning platform with everything I wanted: you could store files and pics, there were message boards, a calendar, links lists and other lists. Wow. Back then, I thought the World Teacher manager, Cemal Ardil, had built the whole thing from scratch wit 0s and 1s. It took me quite a while to understand that there were kind of lego blocks you could put together to make such a community.