Nominated by Charos Boltaeva
Teacher Junior High School (ages 12-15) at NodiraBegim school
Karshi, Kashkadarya, Uzbekistan

My name is Charos Boltaeva , I am a teacher of English language at school #34 in Karshi, Uzbekistan. I want to nominate my colleague whose name is Natalya Hamidova who is also an English teacher at school #34, Karshi, Uzbekistan. I know Natalya for about 4 years. Natalya has graduated from Qarshi Pedagogical University in faculty of Russian language and literature in 1983 and worked as a Russian language teacher from 1981 till 2002.During the last 6 years Natalya has been learning English. Three year ago she began to work in our school as a teacher of English language and at the present moment Natalya is the most active and advanced teacher in our school. Since she started working at school #34, the school has totally changed. Now the school has computers, Internet connection, students have been exposed to variety international projects. I nominate her and I think she is the best candidate. I think she deserves it. In November 2003 our school won a large entry held by IREX www.irex.org , www.irex.uz and “School Connectivity for Uzbekistan” program www.connect.uz , in result our school got 6 computer and connection to Internet. The “School Connectivity for Uzbekistan” program presents a large amount of online opportunities like: online collaborative projects, international projects, I*EARN projects,etc. Natalya Hamidova was the first teacher who was involved into online activities in our school and made our school very active in online projects. Since our school got Internet connection our teachers had a lot of trainings conducted by the representatives of IREX and I*EARN, the goal of the trainings was to teach teachers to integrate online project and projects based on learning into the classroom. So after taking part in this trainings Natalya began to work with various online projects involving more and more teachers and students into this projects. All information about Natalya on her personal site: http://natalya.freenet.uz Natalya has fulfilled a large amount of I*EARN projects with her students the ones like: 1.Good deeds 2.Pollution: Menace Posed by Mankind 3.The world we live in 4.A day from my life 5.Company against Narcotics 6.History of Native Town – students of our Karshi school has made a website about National traditions and customs of our region and Namangan region (one of the regions in Uzbekistan) in collaboration with Namangan school #58, basing on students research. http://namangan58.connect.uz/uzb/sites/index.htm 7. Also she completed an I*EARN projects called “Side by Side” and “Get to know others” in collaboration with American School – Miami Day School in Florida.The pictures of “Side by Side” project can be viewed at our school web-site: http://karshi34.connect.uz/collaboration6.htm 8. Natalya and her students took part in charitable auction of I*EARN called “Children handicrafts for education”.Students of Natalya has made various handicrafts, than the digital version of the craft was updated on the official I*EARN Center Uzbekistan web-site, where people could buy them for charity.All the crafts of Natalya’s students were sold and the earnings were spent for winter clothes and chancellery of 10 students of our school who are beeing hard up . This way though online auction Natalya has taught her students to be charitable and help people. After all this great results that Natalya has achieved working with the students and teachers of our school Natalya became a coordinator of I*EARN club in our school.By the help of this club Natalya is promoting tolerant relation to the cultures of other nationalities, teaching children to be merciful,kind and helps children to expand their outlook though Internet.And in March,2004 she was nominated as a Teacher of the Month of the I*EARN Center in Uzbekistan. Natalya has organized school online camp for students of our school , providing children with an educational leisure. The I*EARN Spring Environmental camp, held in our Educational Internet Center of our school for a week during spring holidays. During a week 15 students of our school were working on environmental projects including various I*EARN projects like “Beauty of the Beasts”,”The world I live in”, “A day from my life”, etc. Natalya and her students won variety of projects as well as current participant of international contest sponsored by US government "Doors to Diplomacy", check out the link: www.doorstodiplomacy.official.ws The main goal of this project was to show how diplomacy beetween countries influence on solution of global problems.3 students and Natalya Hamidova worked together to complete this Doors to Diplomacy project on February 23, 2004.The web-project is based on information about environmental and healthcare problems of Uzbekistan and how Uzbekistan collaborates with other countries to prevent them.This web site is created like an educational research for pupils, community and people who are interested mainly in Environmental Problems and Healthcare of Uzbekistan and Uzbekistan as a whole. So Natalya’s team became a finalist of the “Doors to Diplomacy” international project in category of Healthcare and Environment.This was one of the main online achievements of Natalya and her students. Though this project all the participants got to know a lot of useful information in many areas of sciences. Also they have learned to communicate with people like ambassadors.They also have learned how to create a web page, and members of Natalya’s team have improved their English language skills. Participating in this project gave Natalya an opportunity to improve her leadership traits by organizing seminars, conferences and attracting community to our activities. Also Natalya is a teacher who uses PBL and internet resources on her lessons.She became a finalist of “School Connectivity for Uzbekistan” program monthly contest called “The Best lesson Plan using Internet resourses”. She became a finalist of this contest four times for elaborating lesson plans using Internet resources for students of 5-8 grade on following themes: “This is my dimple” “My home Uzbekistan”,”Aral Sea”,”National Customs and Traditions of Uzbekistan and USA”. For the summer holidays Natalya and her students decided to make a collaborative project called “Collaboration with USA”. To carry this project out Natalya Hamidova wrote and won a grant for students initiatives presented by IREX.Natalya and 10 students of our school began working on this project, which is directed on making a cultural exchange with american schools though various educational projects.Now our school is collaborating with 11 american schools realizing 8 educational projects. The main goal of these 8 projects is to make a cultural exchange between American and Uzbek student, get to know each other and expand the outlook. Also Natalya became a finalist of the exchange program for teachers,presented by IREX. From October 23 to November 11, 2004, ten teachers from School Connectivity finalist schools including Natalya travelled to the United States to participate in a unique professional development program.Natalya spent one week in a course conducted by program partner i*EARN at Columbia University in New York in which they learned how to integrate interactive online projects into their classes.Then spent one week in a partner school where she witnessed first-hand the methodology used by American teachers in their classrooms. Finally,she came to the IREX office Washington, DC for a four-day seminar reviewing their experience and making plans for her return. In conclusion I want to say that Natalya is the best candidate as she has helped/helping to integrate projects based on Learning and online collaborative projects into educational system of Uzbekistan.

The section below lists the testimonials that have been reviewed and approved by the candidate.

1. Testimonial from Dilorom Shukurova (255)
Parent at housewife
Uzbekistan

My name is Dilorom Shukurova, mother of Shohida Shukurova who is the student of the 7th grade in the school # 34,Karshi, Uzbekistan. I would like to nominate Natalya Hamidova for the GSN award that is offered.

Natalya Hamidova has been a class monitor teacher in my daughter's class for two years where she not only taught classes, but also closely monitored overall performance, behavior as well extracurricular activitities participation of the class. In that period of time Natalya Hamidova has made a great lifetime difference in my daughter's life as well as in the lives of the students in the class she closely monitored and guided. Her methods of teaching English are very motivating, enriched with many various activities and guided with the purpose that differ from conventional style of teaching in the schools of Uzbekistan. Thanks to Natalya, my daughter's interest in learning English language has tremendously risen. Moreover, the enthusiasm has immensely grown towards various activities and projects that Natalya coordinates at the school.

Currently, she is corresponding with students from USA, exchanging various ideas and info for the class projects as well as for personal knowledge, and takes an active part in projects of IEARN" - International Educational and Resource Net. My daughter takes pride in participating in IEARN projects such as

Good Deeds",

"Side by Side" check it out at Karshi school #34 web-site : http://karshi34.connect.uz/collaboration6eng.htm ,

"Get to know others" http://karshi34.connect.uz/collaboration1eng.html ,

at the art project A Global Day of Peace" http://karshi34.connect.uz/collaboration3eng.html ,

at the internetional project "International E-mail Exchange" http://karshi34.connect.uz/collaboration2eng.html ,

and many other projects.

All these projects that has been coordinated by Natalya Hamidova made difference in my daughters life. Natalya is very supportive and arduous person, who captures student's attention by involving them in various projects. I would call Natalya as a mother of involvement in online collaboration and education in our little city of Karshi.

I personally encourage my daughter's involvement and Natalya's work, such as recent one that is called International E-mail Exchange project". The project was concentrated on student's accumulation and research of 25 facts about the republic of Uzbekistan, while learning 25 facts of other participation countries, thus exchanging cultural, geographical and linguistic knowledge. My daughter's active participation as well as tremendous interest in international online projects had broadened her prospective on worldview, improved her language skills, and helped her to get acquainted with students from all over the world. Only a year ago, my daughter has only seen computer in the books and had no idea of Internet and other online opportunities and resources.

Here she is now fluent in English and full of interests, enthusiasm and aspirations. Therefore, contribution of Natalya Hamidova is enormous. She has initiated and expanded technology in the classrooms of the school involving many students in various international projects, contests, and activities, while winning them with the students. Her motivation and reward system is perfect.

A lot of my daughter's classmates as well as my daughter spend many hours in the school's computer lab, where they work on various projects. All of the students in the class have thirst for knowledge" and excellence, which stimulates and forces other classes into participation, while promoting the superior educational atmosphere.

I am grateful to Natalya Hamidova for all the things she has done in changing my daughter's life and making difference in the whole class, school and community. Thus, I strongly recommend and urge you that Natalya Hamidova is the best candidate for GSN 2005 Award.

2. Testimonial from Kamila Turabaeva (255)
Teacher Junior High School (ages 12-15) at Nodirabegim school #34
Uzbekistan

My name is Turabaeva Kamila. Natalya and I work at the same school. I am also a teacher of English language. Natalya is my mentor and I would like to nominate her for GSN Award –2005. I have been always surprised with Natalya’s endless energy and her diligence. First, when I came to school and began to give lessons I used to feel uncertainty and dissatisfaction with how I held the lesson; I could not attract student’s attention and make them to concentrate on a certain topic. Not long ago I visited one of the training programs that Natalya held in our school. The training was about “How to use IT in teaching foreign languages”. At the training I introduced with many web-sites which contained a large amount of useful tips on how to conduct lessons effectively, how to integrate online collaborative projects into the classroom. I also learned how to create lesson plans using Internet resources and a lot more, that helped me to improve my teaching skills . Nowadays, I use Internet resources at my lessons a lot, my lessons are saturated with various handouts, crosswords, puzzles and games. My lessons became very interactive and students became more advanced. I am glad to see now that my students are active at the lessons and they are interested in learning English. Since I am visiting consultations, training programs and open to audience lessons of Natlya Hamidova, I can elaborate lesson plans by myself. I have already elaborated several lesson plans using Internet Resources and sent them to a teachers monthly contest called “The best lesson plan using Internet Resources”, this contest is presented by School Connectivity for Uzbekistan program. Natalya was a winner of this contest for four times and her lesson plans are the most popular at online library of “School Connectivity for Uzbekistan” program web-site. Now I can’t imagine teaching without Internet, I am very grateful to Natalya that she has shared her experience of teaching with me . Natalya uses Internet at her lessons for about two year, at this short period of time she achieved stunning results with her students. Among all English teachers of our region only Natalya’s application passed and she became a finalist of teacher exchange program “US Exchange” presented by US State Department. In October,2004 Natalya visited USA where she has been exchanging experience with American teachers and completed IEARN Uzbekistan School Connectivity Master Teacher Training Workshop. More information at : http://www.connect.uz/exchange.php Natalya is conducting training programs, workshops , consultations and open to audience lessons about how to integrate Internet into the classroom since she came back from USA. As an example I liked the last open to audience lesson that Natalya has conducted. The lesson was about nature disasters and recent Asian tsunami. Students learned new words and definitions related to disasters, geography and countries that suffered from tsunami. Student got to know how to behave in spontaneous situations, completed an online research and made a brainstorming on how people and countries can help each other in such situations. I state that she deserves the GSN Award, because Natalya is the best sample of a modern teacher who uses the newest information technologies at the lessons.

3. Testimonial from Abdumalik Chorshanbiev (255)
Student at Karshi Nodirabegim school #34
Uzbekistan

I am Chorshanbiev Abdumalik, a student of Natalya Hamildova . I would like to present her as the best candidate for the GSN Award –2005, she really deserves it. 18 month ago I didn’t even know what computer is, not even talking about Internet. Last year I took part in an International Educational And Resource Net project called “One day from my life”, my teacher Natalya Hamidova coordinated this project, and we had to write an essay about the most memorable day in our life. I wrote that the most memorable day in my life was a day, when my teacher Natalya Hamidova brought me into the Internet Learning Center of our school and introduced with the computer, it was the first time I saw computer in real. Now it seems like it happened a long time ago. Under the guidance of Natalya Hamidova I took part and participating in many international projects. At the present moment I have a lot of foreign friends all over the world, I have improved my English, learned a lot of facts about national cultures, geography, history and present of many countries. My world outlook has widely expanded. I am grateful to my teacher’s tolerance and help, because she taught me to write letters, write replies to the letters of my e-pals and use online dictionaries. Besides coordinating our extracurriculum activies Natalya Hamidova works in our classroom as a teacher of English language. Her lessons are always very interesting and easy understandable. During her lessons my classmates and I learn how to express our thoughts in English. Her lessons are always extraordinary and they totally differ from the lessons of other teachers. Because at the lessons we play various English language games, we work in groups and we fulfill online projects at the lessons as well. At the present moment in spite of my age (I am 13) I am a volunteer of Internet Learning Center in our school. I conduct trainings and lessons about computer science to those students who want to learn to use computer and Internet. In September, 18,2004 we (Natalya Hamidova and her students including me) held an Internet Festival in our school. At this festival we were demonstrating the results that we achieved in a year. I made a presentation about our IEARN club for the parents of students of our school. My parents were at the presentation too. I could read from their faces that they are very happy and proud of me. This day was also one of the most memorable days of my life. Everything I achieved and learned this year is by the help of my fabulous teacher Natalya Hamidova.

4. Testimonial from Maftuna Farmonova (255)
Student at Karshi Nodirabegim school #34
Uzbekistan

My name is Famonova Maftuna. I am a student of 7th grade of Karshi city, Uzbekistan. I want to nominate Mrs. Hamidova for "Award of online shared learning teacher of the year 2005 outside of the USA" Natalya Hamidova has been my class monitor and a teacher of English language since 2002. Her lessons are my favorite, because they are the most interesting and always different. Also I like her lessons because we get an online homework, so in order to do homework we visit Internet Center of our school and search for information. Mrs. Hamidova has taught me how to use Internet to search for online grammar books, grammar exercises, online learning games and many more. Moreover Mrs. Hamidova coaches our out of school online activities, such as collaboration projects, international projects, online contests , etc. In March, 2003 Mrs. Hamidova organized a Spring IEARN camp in our school. 15 most active students got a chance to attend this camp. This camp lasted a week, every day we had many online and offline activities, learned how to use computers and Internet we played a lot of games and just had fun. Beside all fun we had, we introduced with IEARN projects and completed several of them, for instance the ones like “Beauty of the Beasts”, ”One day from my life”, ”Look at the wonderful world you live in”. I liked this camp very much, it was my first time I got acquitted with online projects. Here you can read news about our camp at the official web-site of IEARN in Uzbekistan : http://www.iearn.uz/index.php?start_from=15&archive=&subaction=&id=& (in Russian)

One day I was affected by one IEARN project called “Good deeds”. We dedicated this project to the day of Memory and Respect of Second World War veterans. We found the veterans of Second World War who lives in our town and invited them to visit our school. All our class took part in arranging a concert for veterans. All my classmates were very exited the day, when veterans visited our school and concert after the concert we presented little gifts that we made by ourselves. Unfortunately some veterans could not come because they were not able to move already, all my classmates and I decided to go and see them by themselves and present them our gifts. The veterans were so impressed some of them even cried. On my way back home I felt that something had changed in me, I was very proud of myself that I made a “good deed”, I made somebody happy and showed that we still remember the ones who made a good deed in their life. I also want mention one unforgettable project that Mrs. Hamidova proposed and completed with me and some of my classmates. This project’s name is “Crafts for education”. In June,2004 IEARN Center of Uzbekistan announced about a new project “Crafts for education”, that was directed on organizing an online exhibition/sale of various crafts made by students and spend the money from the sale to help students from poor families afford the education. We all gladly supported this idea, and began to produce stuffed toys and other crafts we were able to do. We took pictures of our crafts and sent them to the online sale, in a week our crafts were sold. We earned 70 dollars. Before the school began we decided to buy stationary and warm clothes for 10 students our school who is being hard up. This online project has given us a chance to help to a student of our school Sardor Nurov , who is an orphan and being in need, at that period he was in hospital with only close person he had – his grandmother, we contacted his grandmother and afforded some medicine expenses. An online project and Mrs. Hamidova’s initiative has helped us to held this auction, to help 11 people to continue education, to do a good thing, and it left a deep impression in my mind. This project helped me to understand how important it is to help people. Please visit an online exhibition of our crafts here: http://iearn.uz/e-exhibition/ For my active participation in projects of “School Connectivity for Uzbekistan” program I was invited to a Summer UNESCO camp –2004. It was the best camp I have ever been to. At UNESCO Camp we had a lot of workshops about human rights, environmental problems and global issues in whole. Read about my activities after I came back to school: http://www.connect.uz/news.php?t=2&PHPSESSID=6ef7a5a81fe506f114aa646098033dc7&newsid=377 I am very grateful to my teacher for teaching me all this things, for supporting me in learning English and for encouraging me to widen my knowledge though IT and Online Collaborative projects, for directing me in a right way , upbringing me and teach to be solidary and helpful to people. I am very proud of her! She deserves to be a winner!!!

5. Testimonial from Farhod Hamidov (255)
Student at Northern Kentucky University
United States

Farhod Hamidov

Graduate of Cincinnati State/Student at Northern Kentucky University

I would like to nominate Natalya Hamidova for 2005 GSN award. I have been closely monitoring N. Hamidova’s involvement into various international projects and advised on some of the technology and software tools for teaching classes at her school. I also assisted in providing feedback and website structure during the projects.

Look around, all the participants that are participating in the GSN Teachers Award come from developed countries such as Japan, Netherlands, Australia, Estonia and other countries where Internet is readily available and has more accessibility. Natalya Hamidova is from the country of Uzbekistan, where Internet is a scarce resource. In spite of all the troubles, she assisted the school to win the grant for Internet capabilities. Within a few years the school turned out to be #1 and surpassed any elementary schools in the city of Karshi academically. Natalya Hamidova won many prestigious international projects such as GSN and U.S. Government State Department Projects – Doors to Diplomacy (www.doorstodiplomacy.official.ws); she has become a teacher of the month nationally multiple times, she has won various projects with IEARN and other prestigious projects.

Natalya Hamidova has been working hard on integrating IT systems in education and used it as a collaborative tool to teach students English, Geography, Global Awareness, Diplomacy, Environment, and other subjects through information systems. She has also been chosen out of thousand teachers from Uzbekistan to attend a conferences on variety of topics such as involving IT and use of Internet means in education in New York City, NY, Miami, FL and Washington D.C. She has also established many counterparts in U.S.

I believe that if she wins GSN Teachers Award, she will bring a lot of benefit not only to community in Uzbekistan, but also American community and boost awareness of Uzbekistan to American public through websites, online collaborations and partnerships. Therefore, I strongly recommend her for the award and I have no doubt she is the best candidate for the GSN 2005 Teachers Award.

6. Testimonial from Shahnoza Gulomova (255)
Teacher Middle School (ages 11-14) at Nodirabegim school #34
Uzbekistan

Gulomova Shahnoza Teacher of English Language School #34 of Karshi town, Uzbekistan I want to recommend Hamidova Natalya for the GSN Award –2005.I know Natalya very well and I know that she worth this award. I work in pair with her. We divide one class into 2 groups. Natalya likes her profession and students very much I think this is one of the most important traits of a good teacher . Last year she has involved me into IEARN projects since that moment all my life and teaching style has changed. I effectively motivated my student to learn English by using and integrating collaborative online projects into teaching this helped me to make my lessons interesting and enriched with new methods and information. I also took part in many projects that gave me experience and satisfaction with the results of work. I really liked the international project called “International Email Exchange ” that Natalya and her students worked with. The project was a very interesting way to learn about other countries, students all over the world create 25 interesting facts about their country and send it to all participating countries. My students were also helping Natalya’s students to gather the facts about Uzbekistan and translate them into English. Students have completed a lot of educational activities in the process of working with the project, the ones like: searching for information in internet, interactive group work, brainstorming ,and translation from Uzbek into English. Students were so absorbed into the project that they even involved their parents into this project. Students, their parents and Natalya worked all together and in finally they made a fabulous essay about Uzbekistan with 25 facts about Uzbekistan and received facts from 22 countries, like: Uruguay , Croatia, USA, Spain , Cyprus, Poland, Africa , Slovenia, Germany, Iceland, Russia Wales, China, etc. Student have translated all the facts into their native language and made a corner in Internet Learning Center of our school called “Get to know about the country thought 25 facts”, now other students of our school can also learn about other countries. Here is the web-site of the project: http://karshi34.connect.uz/collaboration2eng.html And this is only one of the examples of Natalya’s work. Natalya keeps in touch and collaborates with 12 American schools – this is a big chance for Natalya’s students to improve their English language skills communicating with American native speakers. I am delighted with the ability of Natalya to involve people into activities, projects and education in general. I have always noticed that students work with a will and pleasure when Natalya is supervising them. Natalya is a supervisor of methodological union of English language teachers in our school , she instructs other teachers including me on how to use new ways of teaching. Natalya taught me how to integrate projects into educational system, I learnt to analyze and choose projects in accordance with students abilities. Students get more use from this kind of lessons. Natalya is the person who draws me into the world of IT and directed me in choosing effective ways of teaching. Natalya is the best candidate for GSN Award –2005.

7. Testimonial from Mohira Urunova (255)
Principal/Headmaster at Nodirabegim school #34
Uzbekistan

Testimonial of Mohira Urunova. I want to nominate a teacher of our school Natalya Hamidova for the "Award of online shared learning teacher of the year 2005 outside the USA". My name is Mohira Urunova, I am a principal at Karshi school #34 in Uzbekistan. Natalya has been working in our school for 3 years. Her extracurricular activities with students and teachers have totally changed the life and environment in our school. Thanks to her enthusiasm, diligence and leadership traits our school got 6 computers & connection to Internet. By her help our students and teachers got involved into various online projects and contests. Natalya Hamidova is very creative in arranging various educational activities at the lessons. She clearly knows how to use interactive methods and online resources in teaching process. Last year Natalya took part in online monthly contest “The best lesson plan using online resources and interactive methods” presented by “School Connectivity for Uzbekistan program”. Check out the contest: http://connect.uz/project.php?id=22 Natalya participated four times and she became a winner of this contest for four times, so that means she became a winner each time she participated. This fact proves her high level of proficiency in teaching using IT and interactive methods. Check out news about Natalya’s lesson plan: http://www.connect.uz/news.php?t=2&PHPSESSID=0900f695a45dab01d6a12aefafc54e6d&newsid=298 , and here “LESSON PLAN CONTESTS GIVE TEACHERS CHANCE TO SHARE NEW METHODOLOGY” - http://www.irex.org/programs/connectivity/news/2004/0531.asp#4 , http://www.connect.uz/best_month.php?t=7&id=346

Natalya is a leader and she is able to supervise and direct students. In February, 2003 Natalya and I were coaching 3 students from different schools of Karshi while working with a GNS project “Doors to Diplomacy” in the category of Healthcare and Environment. Natalya has supported and coordinated students during all researching process, creating the web-site and helped students in peer reviewing the web-sites of other participants of the project. In result students have created a web-site dedicated to environmental and healthcare problems of Uzbekistan and the role of international relationship in solving this problems and became finalists of “Doors to Diplomacy” project in category of Health care and Environment. Natalya is the finalist of “US Exchange Program “ presented by “School Connectivity for Uzbekistan” program, IREX (International Research and Exchange) and US State Department. From October 23 to November 11, 2004, ten teachers including Natalya went to USA to participate in professional development program. The group, chosen through a multi-stage competition, spent one week in a course conducted by program partner i*EARN at Columbia University in New York in which they learned how to integrate interactive online projects into their classes. They then spent one week in a partner school where they witnessed first-hand the methodology used by American teachers in their classrooms. Finally, they came to the IREX office Washington, DC for a four-day seminar reviewing their experience and making plans for their return. At the present moment Natalya is a supervisor of methodological union of English language teachers at our school. She supervises English lesson plans elaboration at school and presents innovations in teaching methodology of English language. While working with online projects Natalya has expanded the circle of teachers who nowadays uses IT on their lessons by involving them in to online projects. Natalya shares her experience in teaching using IT and online projects based on learning in our school as well as in schools of cities nearby. She conducts training programs, seminars , open lessons and conferences in other cities and schools on how to use internet resources , interactive methods at the lessons on how to integrate online educational projects into educational process. Majority of Natalya’s training participants got involved into collaborative online projects, they actively use IT technologies in the classroom. In March, 2004 Natalya won an IEARN(International Educational and Resources Net) nomination “Teacher of the month” for conducting a great amount of IEARN activities and achieving very good results in conducting and integrating IEARN projects into the classroom: http://www.iearn.uz/teacher.html

As a result of Natalya’s work, teachers and students of our school were involved, conducted and completed a great amount of online shared learning activities that were presented by “School Connectivity for Uzbekistan” program. And in September, 2004 our school became a winner of a nomination “The Best School of Year of “School Connectivity for Uzbekistan” program”. Check out the “Best School of the Year” announcement : http://www.connect.uz/best_year.php?t=8&PHPSESSID=7e0d7ca4b19b2fd0fa1fbb0a28b1c1b4, Nowadays our school is known in Uzbekistan as one of the most active school with a high quality of education and there is no doubt that this is Natalya’s merit . I believe that Natalya is the best candidate for the GSN Award – 2005.

8. Testimonial from Maftuna Ochilova (255)
Student at Karshi school #34
Uzbekistan

My name is Ochilova Maftuna, I am a student of 7th grade of school #34 in Karshi town , Uzbekistan.By my mind my teacher Natalya Hamidova is the best candidate for GSN Award –2005. My teacher N.Hamidova should be an example for all teachers. Besides teaching us, she always works on self educating. She knows several languages like Uzbek, Russian , German and English , the last one she has been learning by her self. I am very happy that exactly Natalya Hamidova is my teacher. I took part many contests and project that she has been coordinating. To tell the truth I never thought that Internet can contain so much useful materials and am able to present so many possibilities. When Natalya Hamidova announced that our school is going to be connected to Internet soon , I didn’t even imagine that I will find so many online friends from different countries. At the present moment I am a participant of an online contest called “Tech Age Girls”, more information about the contest: http://www.connect.uz/project.php?PHPSESSID=68f0d9d3a9079d412a1a336b5ca9fbdf&id=61 , by the help of this contest I had a possibility to create my personal web-site : http://maftuna.freenet.uz/ . I am really excited and I can’t believe, that I have achieved all this results in 1,5 year. One of the walls of our Educational Internet Center is hung with our Certificates of achievement in various projects, my classmates and I like to take pictures of ourselves beside this wall, because this wall is our pride. For being very active in online projects of International Educational and Resource Net (IEARN) projects I was invited to an IEARN Language Summer Camp held in Bukhara. Taking part in camp activities gave me a chance to improve my knowledge in many spheres, it helped me to become a leader among my classmates and children just the same age as I am. I improved my English language skills, computer skills, many useful facts about Leaning democracy, human and children rights. Nowadays I am an assistant of IEARN club coordinator in our school , the coordinator of IERN club in our school is my teacher Natalya Hamidova. I conduct training about IEARN projects for students of our school. I have already conducted training like “Learning Democracy”, “One day from my life”, “Beauty of the beasts”, “Crafts for education”,”Company against narcomany”, etc. My classmates and I take part in many international projects , the major of them are collaboration projects with American schools. After completing each project we do not stop writing to our partners , but on the contrary we begin to elaborate our own projects. Recently we have completed a very good project called “A Global Day of Peace Art Exchange”, this project had a big impact on my classmates and I. Read more about the project here: . This project gave us a possibility to help to organize an exhibition of children drawings from different countries in Medford, Oregon, USA , this exhibition held in January,2005 it was dedicated to the Global Day of Peace. We drew about 40 drawings about Uzbekistan and sent five best ones by Via mail to Oregon. The drawings from all over the world were gathered and hung at the Children Department of Central library in Medford. The exhibition was organized in order to proclaim peace among all nations though children art and also to arrange a fund rising by selling the drawings during the exhibition in order to help some people who are in need. I am glad that the drawings we drew can bring use to somebody. To say in general all the good results I have achieved and all the skills I recently got is a deserve of my favorite teacher Natalya Hamidova. Now I can’t imagine my life without Internet. I got to know so many things, found so many friends, I feel myself a different person, and my interests have totally changed. And this is a deserve of my English teacher and a class monitor Natalya Hamidova. Our class is the best at our school, and our school was chosen as The Best School of the Year among Uzbekistan 60 schools connected to Internet. I am very proud of my teacher and I like her very much. I want to look like my teacher she is an example for me! I am sure that my teacher is the best candidate for the GSN Award 2005!

9. Testimonial from Alice Key (255)
Teacher at Miami Country Day School
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I met Natayla Hamidova in October of 2004 during a master teacher workshop hosted by the Department of Education, IREX and IEARN. We quickly decided that we would like to collaborate on an international project involving our students. We worked for a week in New York deciding how we would run our "Cultural Exchange" between our students. Following our week in New York, Natalya visited me in Miami where she spent several days touring Miami Country Day School, speaking to students and meeting other teachers involved in global projects. It is now the end of February and we continue to communicate via email and digital pictures to keep our students aware of one anothers culture. Our cultural exchange project has improved my students communication skills, knowledge of other countries, cultures and created a friendship link that they can continue to maintain forever. The use of technology has enabled our classes to communicate openly and in a timely manner. I hope to continue to work with Natalya on international projects in the future.