I was teaching history at a comprehensive school in East Grinstead when I first discovered the internet. This was a time before the arrival of Google (September, 1998), The Guardian (January, 1999), Wikipedia (January, 2001), Facebook (February, 2004) and Twitter (March, 2006). I decided to create a website that would provide my students with local history materials. I also uploaded material that had previously been published in book form by Spartacus Educational.
The website was launched in September 1997, by sending out free Spartacus Educational mouse-mats to all secondary schools in Britain. I was helped in this venture by obtaining sponsorship from a small local internet provider. To encourage other teachers to provide free materials I helped establish the Association of Teacher Websites.
John Simkin (BA, MA, MPhil)