There are those exceptional educators who standout from the moment you first interact with them – virtually or in person. As a MidLink Magazine Editor since the fall of 2002, Karen Kleigman has contributed significantly to the online community and especially to this magazine for K-12 students and teachers. Her online educational projects truly speak for themselves and her commitment to enhancing education and integrating technology into the curriculum.

Karen is the voice for elementary schools and Media Specialists on MidLink. Her expertise and leadership are invaluable. She redesigned the Cybrary and added numerous quality links to sites around the world to assist K-12 teachers and students. As always, Karen volunteered to take this on with energy and enthusiasm!

Childbridge for Children's Rights is an excellent example of her creativity and community efforts to teach students at Searingtown School about children's rights and child labor. The learning modules she has developed and shared online are available for other educators to freely use. Fifth grade students who participated in this project compiled their poetry and art into a print publication with proceeds going to assist children around the world - an interesting addition to this Internet project.

Walls that Talk provided students at Searingtown School an opportunity to research and explore the different cultures in their school and with partners from Bulgaria and Italy. Excellent student activities and resources are available for teachers as well as samples of student poetry and digital self-portraits.

Karen's numerous projects demonstrate her ability to involve other teachers and collaborate with educators in her community and beyond. She clearly understands the educational needs of elementary students and is extremely successful in encouraging them to thoughtfully research significant issues and express themselves through creative modes.

Karen not only dreams big, but also encourages students and educators around the world to join her excellent projects. Her favorite quote by Blanc Bowman is truly a statement of her educational philosophy: “It's not about who gets there first, but making sure that everybody does.”

It is an honor to highly recommend Karen Kleigman as a Top Online Educator. She certainly deserves this recognition for her outstanding online projects and contributions to MidLink Magazine and K-12 education.

Beckey Reed
North Carolina State University