I had coffee last week at the Goodbye Blue Monday with Jeff Holte, a former Northfielder and a colleague who I worked closely with back in the 80s.
In the summer of 1986, Jeff and I were hired by an education division of McGraw-Hill (based in Eden Prairie) to help launch MIX, the McGraw-Hill Information Exchange, an online network for K-12 teachers and schools. We were among the pioneers using online networks not only to connect teachers but to offer classroom projects that connected students with other students around the world.
Left: a 1986 photo of then Minnesota Governor Rudy Perpich with two students and our MIX team. That’s Jeff in his trademark suspenders behind the Governor. We’d organized an online Q&A between Perpich and middle school students around the state.
Right: Jeff was one of 5 teachers nationwide named as Christa McAuliffe Educators in 1988, an award for his innovative use of technology in the classroom. He helped establish the Christa McAuliffe Technology Conference which still meets annually.
Jeff’s currently the principal of The Learning Center in Qatar.
I wonder if there would be any interest and if Jeff would do a talk in town on his experience in Qatar?