FAMILY: First
and foremost, I am a "humanist" valuing life. It goes
without saying that I respect and appreciate the many gifts
in my life. I feel very fortunate
to be blessed with my
family --- my spouse (&personal trainer) Karen is the 'hardest working elementary school educator'
in the world!!; she is an Elementary School Principal (classroom experience galore ---12 years
Primary, 7 years Junior, 2 years Intermediate);
she should be considered a saint for having put up with my "roller
coaster" life
over the past 23 years. Karen
& I are blessed to have the most beautiful daughter a family
could ever ask for; Maddy-T is entering Grade 9;
she is a budding artist, an aspiring scientist, a fun-loving
sportsperson (volleyball, soccer, fishing, swimming, etc.)... she misses her friend Sheena (we all do)...
the Miracle Dog!
TEACHING:
It is both an honour and a privilege to be a member of the
Schulich School of Education at Nipissing University; My current work with Dr. Sharon Rich (Dean of Education) and the iTeach Team (CIO - Bob Keech, Assistant Professor Rob Graham, ComSci Educator Leslie Vanderburg, iTeach/CFL Staff - Mylae Costello & Joanne Kmiec et al.) plus my past work with both Dr. Ron Common (former Dean of Education, now President of Sault College), Dr. Ron Wideman and Dr. Ron Weeks, the founding "Fathers" of the laptop initiative, have affirmed that Nipissing's program is The BEST teacher education program in the nation.
My main teaching duties are anchored in the field of educational technology guiding new teacher candidates from the Junior, Intermediate and Senior Divisions (Grades 4 to 12) through a series of learning activities intended to provide "constructivist" experiences allowing each participant opportunities to "test drive" technology as a classroom resource to support teaching, learning and student success.
Other courses that I have developed and taught include:
Classroom Management; Information Management (Business Technology); Computer Science
Arrived at Nipissing in August 2000 as a part-time sessional instructor - teaching
Computer Science electives
Entering my 11th year as an employee with Nipissing University
ADMINISTRATION: As the iTeach
Laptop Learning Program Coordinator, I work
directly with a wonderful "inner core" team
of colleagues (Dr. Sharon Rich, CIO Bob Keech, UTS personnel and a cluster of keen faculty members of the School of Education) to plan and deliver the best Educational Technology Laptop
Learning / Pre-Service
Teacher
Education
Program
in Canada. I am always seeking input from the current K-12 field because I'm committed to the reality that our pre-service education program must be closely connect to today's ever changing classroom.
Conducting
Pre-service
Teacher Assessments in various elementary and secondary schools in
the Upper Canada DSB, CDSB of Eastern Ontario, Limestone
DSB and the Algonquin & Lakeshore CDSB, Near North DSB, Nipissing-Parry Sound CDSB, Waterloo Region DSB and the Waterloo Catholic DSB. Truly, I
feel that it's very important that I
maintain a close relationship with today's classrooms in order
to appreciate "what's going on in the REAL WORLD of Education."
RESEARCH
2010-2011
co-researcher with Dr. R.Wideman, Dr. G.Laronde, Dr. D.Booth, Dr. S.Rich, Dr. C.Shields in a project investigating the transition experience that took place within the School of Education as the iTeach Program moved from a PC platform to a Mac OSX platform
co-researcher with Dr. D.Brackreed, Dr. Julie Corkett & Dr. Mumbi Kariuki in a project investigating the assistive technology applications in the K-8 environment
co-researcher with Assistant Professor Robert Graham on a project investigating the pre-service teacher's practicum experience in the area of educational technology integration
a) Fall Practicum Educational Technology Inventory
b) Teaching with Technology Experience Profile
2009-2010
co-researcher with Dr. D.Brackreed, Dr. Julie Corkett & Dr. Mumbi Kariuki in a project investigating the assistive technology applications in the K-8 environment
co-researcher with Assistant Professor Robert Graham on a project investigating the pre-service teacher's practicum experience in the area of educational technology integration
a) Fall Practicum Educational Technology Inventory
b) ISTE NETS Report Card
c) Teaching with Technology Experience Profile
2008-2009
co-researcher with Professors Gerald Laronde and Katarin MacLeod delving into a project investigating the wii-mote whiteboard technology use during practice teaching experiences
SCHOLARSHIP: I'm
a doctoral candidate completing dissertation work at the University
of Calgary pursuing
an Ed.D. in Educational Leadership;
My thesis focus centers around a mixed method investigation of "Professional Learning Practices" of alumni from the iTeach Laptop Program
Educational Technology (ET) Professional Learning Practices (PLP): Profiling the PLP Pursuits of Alumni Educators from an Ontario Faculty of Education Mobile Computing Program
It's
a honour to be a doctoral student at this "World Class"
University; my cup
runneth over as
my supervisor/advisor is Dr. D. Michele
Jacobsen -- she is an accomplished academic, an extraordinary researcher/publisher and is the current editor-in-chief
for the Canadian Journal of Learning & Technology. I also have the privilege of receiving guidance from two distinguished U of C academic researchers on my supervisory committee - Dr. Sharon Friesen (co-founder of The Galileo Educational Network) and Dr. Jennifer Lock (former Gallagher-Galileo Doctoral Fellowship recipient)
I
am a former high school teacher (taught for 13 years with the Near North District
School Board); nine years with the Nipissing Alternative School creating
and delivering "non-traditional" programs for youth
enrolled in grades 10, 11 and 12; several years of experience
teaching in summer
"residential programs" (e.g., Eco Camp, Outdoor & Adventure
Leadership) at the Canadian Ecology Centre; also taught at FJ
McElligott
and
Chippewa Secondary Schools.
Prior
to entering the field of education, I was an Exercise Physiologist
at the University
of Ottawa Heart Institute ; coordinator of the
Nepean Cardiac Exercise Program;
- completed advanced
certification
via the American
College of
Sports Medicine in the area of Cardiac Rehabilitation and
Exercise Physiology (e.g., ACSM
Exercise Specialist);
- taught for
McGill University in
Northwestern Quebec (Science for Native Educators)
.
I
find inspiration in poetry;"Desiderata" by
Max Ehrmann (1920) is my grounding device because it reminds
me that, with all things considered, this really is a beautiful
world.
I'll
read
it whenever
I begin to waver in my daily life in the areas of optimism and
opportunity. When I need a recharge and a reminder about my responsibilities
to my soul in terms of contributing
to my destiny, I reflect
on the poem "Invictus" by
William Ernest Henley (1849)... "I
am the master of my fate, I am the captain of my soul."
Often, I reflect on the writing and words from Dr. Randy Pausch (author of The Last Lecture); his verve for living life head on with a positive attitude inspires me daily. His passing away in 2008 (age 47) was surreal & reminds me that Everyday is a GIFT...
Not a single day goes by that I do not reflect on my "grassroots" upbringing in Southwestern Ontario --- growing up in the small town of Palmerston (pop. 2000), I attended Norwell District Secondary School; my father (George - Teacher/Educator/School Principal 34 years) and mother (Dorothy - Nurse -although officially retired after 30+ years is still in action!) - my brothers (Peter & Thom) and sister (Kathy)...they survived my antics and shared (& still share) many special times together...I am blessed to have them as my family! They are real links to my roots and small town upbringing...they keep me grounded.
Check out this retro photo from my "biking & fishing" days in my youth --- can you pick out which one is me? When I showed this photo to my daughter, she exclaimed "Dad...I can't believe you wore those pants...what were you thinking?"
