EDUCATION: Circle High School, Towanda, Kansas, 1971. B.S., Asbury College, 1976; M.S., Indiana University, 1982.

PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCES AND AWARDS: Began teaching in 1977 at Crothersville Elementary School; has taught 13 years at Loogootee West. Winner of the Random Bright Site Award, Digby Award, Learning in Motion Top 10 Selection, Education Oasis Award, and Microsoft Encarta Lesson Collection Award for Internet and World Wide Web achievements. Fellow with the Franklin Institute Science Museum of Philadelphia for 1998 and 1999. Conducted workshops for the Indiana Department of Education and other school districts on integrating technology with the classroom curriculum and web site development.

PERSONAL: Husband, Dennis, is pastor of the Loogootee United Methodist Church where she sings in the choir and teaches Sunday School and Vacation Bible School. Two sons, Andy and Dan. Hobbies include horseback riding, computers, reading, and travel.

EXCERPTS from comments by colleagues: Tammy Payton "dangles the carrot high" in setting expectations for her students. They create a weekly newsletter to parents to communicate their pride in what is happening in their classroom. She brought the world to her classroom doorstep with innovative programs on the Internet. She is the author of the award-winning Loogootee Home Pages on the World Wide Web, and is known for putting the community on "the educational cyber-map" as well as for merging technology with hands-on learning all day in her classroom. The school web site has received two dozen awards for excellence, and she has been honored for her creative lessons. She created a lesson plan for the Internet around "The 100th Day of School," collaborating with other Loogootee West teachers. It is used widely and results in frequent electronic mail from around the world, all documented by her students on a map outside the classroom door. Several visits to Loogootee are recorded by foreign travelers as a result of the school web site contact. Her work inspires other teachers, and her focus on best practices and firsthand experience makes her a credible source for teachers to try ideas that are new. Requests come from professors and other teachers to use her materials in technology courses. She is called "a wonderful ambassador who loves to share and talk with parents and teachers."