Teacher-Created Materials

Our application is a little different than a typical web 2.0 tool, but is very much informed by the 2.0 movement. It's a website that allows to teachers to buy and sell original teaching materials, content and curricula such as lesson plans, unit plans, projects, PopwerPoint presentations and exams. It's like an eBay for teachers and teacher-created materials.

It's called http://www.TeachersPayTeachers.com

Yes, the spirit of 2.0 is about open source and free sharing but it's also about grassroots empowerment. Bloggers now compete with news organizations. Digital cameras make moviemakers out of anybody. Likewise with TpT, teachers can now compete with the big educational publishers. This phenomenon is part of the essence of what we mean when we say Web 2.0.

Teachers work hard and deserve better compensation. We say, share freely with your local colleagues but bundle some of your stuff and post it on TpT for sale to the rest of the country for reasonable prices. It's working for many on our site who have sold thousands in 'teaching products'. That means there are many teachers out there who are happy to trade a buck or two for great materials they can't find otherwise and don't have time to create. Lots of free downloads are made available, too, and the community manages quality, not us, through a ratings and comments system.

TpT simply provides that extra incentive to make your materials even better AND available to the world.

If anyone has any questions about the service, send me a message through Classroom 2.0 or email me at info@teacherspayteachers.com.

Best,

Paul Edelman
Former 7th Grade Literacy Teacher, NYC Public Schools
Founder, http://www.TeachersPayTeachers.com