I like to keep pretty busy and I have a passion for the outdoors and competition. My educational background began as a French Immersion student here in Nanaimo from K-7 at Pauline Haarer. I then attended St. Michaels University School as a boarder in Victoria, which provided a pretty harsh coming of age and indoctrination into the culture of Rugby. I returned to Nanaimo in 91 and graduated in 1992 from High School at Woodlands Secondary. I spent the next 7 years completing 3 separate degrees from the University of Victoria in Political Science, French and History and finally my Bachelor of Education.
After completing my teacher practicum and T.O.C.ing at Royal Oak Middle School in Saanich, I accepted a full time position as a grade 7 teacher at Chilliwack Middle School. After working for 5 years at C.M.S., I returned to the Island, where I taught French Immersion at Springwood Middle School in Parksville. Following my year in Parksville I worked full time as the Athletic Director at Quamichan Middle School in Duncan, and finally accepted a continuing full time position at Cedar Secondary where I’ve worked as the Language Department Head and History teacher for the past 5 years.
Outside of school I’ve passionately pursued outdoor adventures, having the opportunity to race and ride around the world. In 1996 I earned a professional mountain biking license and have been racing in the pro-ranks ever since, competing in various provincial and national events. At the age of 30 I broadened my sporting horizons and competed in my first Ironman Canada event. In 2007 I raced professionally for Helly Hansen and competed in adventure races and back-country ski events throughout North America. Since then I continue to race mountain bikes, but also enjoy mountaineering, back-country skiing, trail running and Ice Hockey.
In 2008 my son Chase was born, followed a year and a half later by my daughter Peyton. I share my life with my wife Carey who continues to inspire and push me (she finished 30 minutes ahead of me in Ironman Canada last year.) We live here in Nanaimo and ironically she works full time as a P.E. teacher at Learn@Home.
My own experience with distance learning is fairly limited, and perhaps that has provided my motivation for choosing this program. I often feel that with the explosion of knowledge and educational tools facilitated by the internet, that brick and mortar schools are quickly falling behind. As an educational professional I feel strongly that it is our responsibility to stay relevant and up to date or risk becoming antiquated. I believe that the largest area of educational growth is coming from online learning, but I recognize that it is in its infancy and there seems to be as many problems as there are solutions.
In many ways I am still a believer in face to face learning over online learning, and I have always attempted to integrate the latest technology into my programs. The last three years I have piloted a iPod project using 30 iPods for the purpose of promoting language development in grade 8 -12 French classes.
In terms of online learning and it’s effectiveness in grades 8-12, I will remain on the fence, although I was blown away last Saturday with our first online lesson using “Collaborate”. Participating in this environment was amazing and changed my perspective of what online learning is and can be. Despite this, I still hold reservations concerning the ability of an online learning environment to be effective and hold the attention of learners who are not intrinsically motivated. This leads to my question for consideration: Does online learning require a motivated student to be effective?
After completing my teacher practicum and T.O.C.ing at Royal Oak Middle School in Saanich, I accepted a full time position as a grade 7 teacher at Chilliwack Middle School. After working for 5 years at C.M.S., I returned to the Island, where I taught French Immersion at Springwood Middle School in Parksville. Following my year in Parksville I worked full time as the Athletic Director at Quamichan Middle School in Duncan, and finally accepted a continuing full time position at Cedar Secondary where I’ve worked as the Language Department Head and History teacher for the past 5 years.
Outside of school I’ve passionately pursued outdoor adventures, having the opportunity to race and ride around the world. In 1996 I earned a professional mountain biking license and have been racing in the pro-ranks ever since, competing in various provincial and national events. At the age of 30 I broadened my sporting horizons and competed in my first Ironman Canada event. In 2007 I raced professionally for Helly Hansen and competed in adventure races and back-country ski events throughout North America. Since then I continue to race mountain bikes, but also enjoy mountaineering, back-country skiing, trail running and Ice Hockey.
In 2008 my son Chase was born, followed a year and a half later by my daughter Peyton. I share my life with my wife Carey who continues to inspire and push me (she finished 30 minutes ahead of me in Ironman Canada last year.) We live here in Nanaimo and ironically she works full time as a P.E. teacher at Learn@Home.
My own experience with distance learning is fairly limited, and perhaps that has provided my motivation for choosing this program. I often feel that with the explosion of knowledge and educational tools facilitated by the internet, that brick and mortar schools are quickly falling behind. As an educational professional I feel strongly that it is our responsibility to stay relevant and up to date or risk becoming antiquated. I believe that the largest area of educational growth is coming from online learning, but I recognize that it is in its infancy and there seems to be as many problems as there are solutions.
In many ways I am still a believer in face to face learning over online learning, and I have always attempted to integrate the latest technology into my programs. The last three years I have piloted a iPod project using 30 iPods for the purpose of promoting language development in grade 8 -12 French classes.
In terms of online learning and it’s effectiveness in grades 8-12, I will remain on the fence, although I was blown away last Saturday with our first online lesson using “Collaborate”. Participating in this environment was amazing and changed my perspective of what online learning is and can be. Despite this, I still hold reservations concerning the ability of an online learning environment to be effective and hold the attention of learners who are not intrinsically motivated. This leads to my question for consideration: Does online learning require a motivated student to be effective?