For the First Time New eBay-like Website Allows Teachers to Buy and Sell Original Course Materials

Technology Helps Teachers Pay Teachers Instead of Publishers

New York, NY - TeachersPayTeachers.com, the first open marketplace for original teacher-created materials, launched this month and is expected to help thousands of teachers buy and sell original curricular resources. According to Paul Edelman, founder of this program and a former New York City public school teacher, "When I was teaching, I felt a great need for better sharing among teachers, not merely in my school but across the country and world. I believe this site will transform the way teachers share - and teachers will have the extra bonus of raising additional cash."

The sharing of ideas and teaching methods is the lifeblood of an evolving educational system, but it is Edelman's contention that most of what's been created by teachers and professors is not shared except with maybe a few local colleagues. "Most teachers don't take the time to post their materials on the web and many hold them close to their vests because they put so much work into them," Edelman says. The solution to this problem was obvious; Edelman developed a monetary incentive to share original course material, a simple idea that became TeachersPayTeachers.com. "In the long run," he says, "with the incentive in place, teachers the world over will finally be able to truly tap into the wealth of teacher-created materials. Everyone will benefit, especially students from the better spread of best practices."