Participation in Government: Teacher

John Elfrank-Dana has been a social studies teacher for more than ten years. He presently teaches social studies and manages the school web site at Murry Bergtraum High School . He is also an Adjunct Professor at Fordham University Graduate School where he teaches a graduate seminar for pre and in-service teachers in new media integration in instruction. Elfrank has also worked in education and technology as director at Teachers Network Organization, as scholar at the Carnegie Academy for the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning , and in his own consulting company.		Elfrank's curriculum vitae
"I am political. I am actually an activist myself..."		Elfrank presents himself as an activist and considers that being an activist defines the way and what he teaches: “I don't know if I have my own personal political agenda that I pursue but I feel passionate about democracy and freedom. Those are things that everybody supposedly supports. When I take these issues seriously, when I think about what these students need to participate as citizens, I come up with a somewhat different agenda from what the state curriculum has. I feel the need for things that are missing from the curriculum I feel compelled to present materials on the way I feel is best for the students regardless of what the state curriculum has to say.” [there is another quote about how his activism makes him different from other teachers]
Elfrank uses technology in his teaching to engage students in research and accessing and participating in the outside world. “The interactive power of the Internet has not only shaped the delivery of content but also enabled my classroom practice to better reflect my values as an educator. I thought that if I could connect my students to the outside world and offer them more sources of information, it would enhance their motivation for learning and for being involved in life around them. More specifically, I thought that using the Internet would be a powerful tool for instilling the values of inquiry, critical thinking, and action.” <from his article Teacher Vision in the New Media Classroom : http://www.elfrank.net/articles/iste/iste1.pdf >		"So when I say I am biased I guess I really want to advocate for those values..."
	"I think it is because he teaches college students so he treats us as college students..."	"He wants us to vote correctly... opening our eyes to how democracy isn't as transparent as it should be..."	"The way he speaks... he is laid back..."
	"I think his type of teaching made me a different student..."	"I guess it was fun and comfortable. I guess sometimes when you are more comfortable you do better in class..."