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1 May 2011
May 2011 Membership Roundup
Membership News
Resources for members
The MirandaNet Fellowship continues to attract members who have an interest in using digital technologies wisely and well. Do make use of your membership log in to look at the archives where the useful and interesting debates on mirandalink are stored. Look also at the new resources that members have developed on a range of interesting topics in the MirandaMods (www.mirandanet.ac.uk/mirandamods).
Our best resource are the case studies and articles published by Fellows. Two new publications follow:
New Fellows
We are pleased to announce Fellowships to those who have submitted case studies and articles for MirandaNet publication. Each member who publishes receives a certificate. Our next awards ceremony will be at BETT12 (www.bettshow.com) where we are planning a conference- keep an eye on our newsletters for more news. We hope those who have been awarded Fellowships will be able to give presentations as well as those aspiring towards a Fellowship.
Glenys Hart
Glenys has sent us a case study which covers an international perspective on how digital technolgies are deployed in different countries. Not surprisingly participants were only able to discuss their own regions of their countries, however, Glenys has come up with a fascinating overview of development of ICT in learning through a series of programmes over the space of nearly fifteen years. Starting with the involvement in Web for Schools Project in Belgium in 1996, and Dublin in 1997, leading Teachers International Professional Developments visits to schools Poland in 2002 and ECOTEC visit 2009; Norway in 2003; Hungary (Budapest) in 2006; USA (Connecticut) 2005; China (Bejing) in 2004; Canada (Montreal) 2007. Plus visits to Italian Schools in 2000, 2001 and 2002 and participation an Arion Educational Decision makers project to Spain in 2002 on the theme of ICT in the Curriculum with staff from Belgium, England, Finland, France, Holland, Italy, Norway, Spain, Sweden and Poland. A number of visits have also been made to schools in UAE and Australia. What an amazing range to draw on.
The evidence, of great interest to our international members, is based on professional dialogues with colleagues who indicate that information and Communications Technology ( ICT ) is a rapidly changing subject. Glenys details findings about: ICT professional development; signs of the reengineering of teaching and learning; appropriate resource allocation; and technical support. From her conclusion you can place your country in the continuum of learning she explains.
See ICT - an international perspective
Simon Shaw
Simon has submitted a useful study about Exploiting ICT to improve Parental Engagement which focuses on value driven improvement and efficiency. In summary the paper explains how investment in new technology is expensive and "technology led" change does not always lead to more effective practice. It fact it is often difficult to show measurable gain in performance or a quantifiable return on the investment. However, once key technology enablers are in place - such as sufficient levels of school and home access and familiarity with the internet and devices - then significant benefit and efficiencies can be gained by schools utilising technology to improve educational outcomes. The rapid adoption of ICT to improve communication between parents and schools in England is used as an illustrative example of a "value proposition". The example shows how the availability of technology and a campaign to communicate a set of expectations and educational benefits have led to step changes to both parental engagement and efficiency measures. More needs to be done to research and disseminate the "value drivers" - such as parental engagement - that can lead to better exploitation of technology when "tipping points" in the availability and use of ICT are reached. Clearly communicated expectations and exemplar practice can provide a "nudge" that enables schools to overcome perceived barriers and lead to improved practice, changed behaviours, greater efficiency and ultimately enhanced children's learning.
See Exploiting ICT to improve Parental Engagement
New scholars
As usual we have a wide range of scholars who have applied to join the MirandaNet Fellowship.
The MirandaNet approach to learning
Elaine Dawson engages with the philosophy of MirandaNet members when she says: I am about collaboration and building community. One of the fundamental prerequisites to good quality learning is for students to feel cared for and valued as individuals and as thinkers. When this is achieved we give students the confidence to experiment with new tools and concepts and to learn. ICT gives us the opportunity to make learning exciting and relevant to future generations. Technology removes limitations to creative thinking and provides a format for young learners to excel. ICT has the potential to give me as an educator and a learner the tools to fulfil these goals.
Simon Beard is typical of many of us in the UK who started thinking the MirandaNet way about digital technologies in the 1980s when he started with BBC Micros in the 1980s, remember them?
Aprilla Suak hopes that by joining MirandaNet she will learn a lot, broaden her knowledge and get more experiences that can be shared with others here.
Dean Sheetz also understands the MirandaNet approach when he says: "MirandaNet seems to be much more oriented toward helping individuals with achieving their teaching/learning goals than other professional organizations in which I have held memberships in the past. I am looking forward to taking an active role here". We hope you will be publishing your first Fellowship study soon, Dean. Do ask for help if you need it.
Supporting members doing post graduate studies
Like many of our members, Dave Emsley, is doing a Masters and is looking to the Fellowship for inspiration. We try to cater for these members who are interested in theory as well as practice. Many of our Fellowship case studies reflect these interests. Ivan Kuzio is completing the MA in ICT in Education. His main thesis is educational management, developing staff and leadership and e-learning. Mark Latus is also about to being a Masters in Educational Research. John Rack, an expert in Dyslexia, has enjoyed a research career that has included 3 years working on a behaviour-genetic study of learning difficulties as well as research on reading development and on educational applications of ICT. Srdjan Vlaskalic, a PG Cert student of ICT at Brunel University is looking for research findings in the area of the accessibility of Educational Websites in the UK.
As MirandaNet members, those who are doing such studies in ICT can apply to Christina Preston for summaries and drafts of relevant papers as well as putting out requests on MirandaLink.
A space for scientists
We have quite a lot of teachers with a science background in our membership now. Ton Koenraad, for example, worked as a teacher educator and ICT-E consultant at Hogeschool Utrecht University of Applied Sciences. Albert Mutidzawanda is also a Physics teacher. David Obst is very interested in different experiences and opinions how to make an effective teacher training and the use of interactive whiteboards in physics (or science in general). He ahs already looked at our interactive whiteboard archive that is kept up to date by John Cuthell (url). Raghavendran Kalpathi, whose passion is Physics, is typical of many new scholars who find the Fellowship by accident. He says he is "thrilled to discover this fellowship and really want to be part of the same". We hope to hear your views on mirandalink, Raghavendran! Maybe you can even start a debate about the use of digital technologies in Physics teaching.
Wide interests underpinned by ICT
John Hobson has had a varied teaching career in which he became dubious about top-down solutions to learning but is now pleased by "the emergence of Personal Learning Environments, Infomatics and Web 2.0 that have reinvigorated the subject, the teachers and most importantly, the kids! The best is still to come". Nick Speller who was a Primary school teacher for eight years is currently a Primary ICT Learning Consultant for Oxfordshire County Council, mainly working with schools on the roll-out of a county-wide learning platform. Daniel Lynds is interested in inclusion, un-schooling, mobile and disruptive learning.
Varied career backgrounds
New scholars have varied roles in ICT: Lesley Holl manages a Learning Resources Centre at a Maths and Computing Specialist School: Nick Jeans is a Consultant in Learning Technology, with a particular interest in Inclusion - engaging people who can't or won't access mainstream education; Ralitsa Tareva is a UK qualified primary teacher interested in continuing and developing her career in the education system as an ICT specialist teacher.
Stephen Carrick-Davies is the well-known ex-CEO of ChildNet international. His attitude to e-safety was sensible without being hysterical and has had much impact on our professional approach to this subject.
Our intake reflects the value of people who have come into teaching after time spent in other walks of life: Andrew Coulson is a newly qualified teacher after a career in electronics engineering: Drew Crow was a research scientist; Mark Curcher used to be in the finance industry. Mark is a executive committee member and founder of the Global Learn international conference and a founder of eduvator.net. He is interested in ideas for collaborative projects with likeminded and enthusiastic colleagues from around the world.
Our Zimbabwean Chapter
We are also pleased to welcome more Zimbabweans who are setting up their own MirandaNet chapter to share their professional knowledge within Zimbabwe online: Gladson Chikwa; Gladys Mugabe; Charles Mugano: Albert Mutidzawanda: Tellie Tapera Sithole and Noble Musavengana Sithole As Gladys says they are keen "to join this fellowship to be able to interact with people who share a similar vision regarding the use of ICT in teaching and learning".
Warm regards to you all.
Dr Christina Preston
Chair MirandaNet Fellowship
www.mirandanet.ac.uk/fellowship/founder.htm
Recent scholars list in detail
Remember to keep your profile updated. We have been called the Face Book of the international ICT community and your profile is probably the first item about you comes up on Google. Try it! Google yourself!
Do get in touch with these new scholars if you have something in common with them...It is always good to welcome new members.
Simon Beard
I have been interested in technology enhanced learning for a very long time, originally participating in the nurse education CAL project, using BBC micros, in the mid 1980's. When nurse education moved into higher education, I was able to expand my interests, training staff and students to use technology in libraries, and online learning, being part of a team working on an original BL e-Lib project (eOn). Since then I have worked in FE and adult education colleges introducing educational technology to those parts where it had previously not reached. In recent times, whilst working for the City Lit, I have represented adult education on various BECTA projects, including the e-maturity framework, harnessing technology, technology exemplar network. I have worked on a NLN project, Molenet, Transformation fund, and various LSIS funded technology projects.
Stephen Carrick-Davies
For the last 13 years I have been working in the field of E-safety, first at Childnet international, (where I was CEO) and most recently as an independent consultant and freelance trainer. Over this time I have developed award-winning education resources and teaching tools to support teachers, parents and learners understand the online risks and responsibilities, including Cyberbullying and anti-social networking. I have also considerable experience of working with companies and Governments to review e-policies and practices, and have travelled extensively to work with and support a very wide range of international ICT education and safeguarding initiatives.
Currently I am undertaking research for the UK Government's Training and Development Agency into what support teachers who work with excluded children need when it comes to understanding and managing online risks. See further details at www.carrick-davies.com.
Gladson Chikwa
I am a qualified secondary school science/biology teacher who taught in Zimbabwean high schools for 8 years before becoming a University Lecturer. I have a lot of interest in promoting effective teaching and learning which is based on the needs of the learner as an individual, that is, the use of learner centred approaches. Right now I am a third year PhD student at the University of Sheffield and my research interests are in ICT. My research project is focussed on the use of new technologies in the teaching and learning of science at secondary school level.In particular, I am looking at the use of Virtual Learning Environments (VLEs) and Electronic Voting Systems (EVS) and the study is being conducted in UK schools. My study is based on some psychological aspects of learning that are not dominated by cultural considerations and it is against this background that I think I will be able to use the findings of the study beyond the UK boarders.In particular, the experience I am gaining here will be of great value when I return to my country as I intend to continue working as an educator/policy maker.
I am interested to join this fellowship to be able to interact with people who share a similar vision regarding the use of ICT in teaching and learning. I intend to use this platform to share my own experiences and also to learn from others about the developments that are taking place in this field.I also want to take advantage of the possibility to publish my research findings with a view to interact more widely with other researchers and experts in the field of ICT and its utility in education.
Andrew Coulson
I'm a recently qualified teacher, having moved over from electronic engineering. I have a keen interest in all things open source. My broad interests in ICT are around seeking genuine value for money and finding appropriate tools for teaching younger children. I am a fairly serious photographer and am particularly interested in digital imaging.
Drew Crow
I am a teacher advisor who works with primary and secondary schools to integrate the effective use of technology into their curriculum and use technology in innovative ways to engage their learners and enable them to learn better. My background is as a Physics teacher and before that a Research Scientist.
Mark Curcher
I have been working in education for more than twenty years, having previously worked in the finance industry. On completion of a BEd I worked in further education in Saltash in Cornwall teaching business courses before moving on to Newham Sixth Form College in the early 1990's. After a brief spell in a City Technology College I moved to Dubai in 1995 to work in the business faculty of Dubai Men's College (DMC) teaching finance and economics.
My interest in technology enhanced learning started at around this time as I became involved in teaching basic courses in computing and computer applications. DMC is just one campus of the Higher Colleges of Technology, the federal government's higher education provision for its local population. As campuses became wireless and we adopted a mandatory requirement for students to have laptops, so we moved to a blended learning model. Early adopters used Moodle as their LMS before the college system invested in Web CT and then Blackboard Vista and made these the mandatory CMS for the system. During this period I completed the Open University MA in Online and Distance Education (MA ODE) and also Certified Membership of the Association of Learning Technologists (CMALT). I am currently registered on the Lancaster University PhD in E-Research and Technology Enhanced Learning. I am also a member of US based Association for the Advancement of Computers in Education (AACE) and presented papers at E-Learn 2008 in Las Vegas, E- Learn 2009 in Vancouver, Global Learn 2010 in Penang and I am due to present at Global Learn 2011 in Melbourne in March. I have also presented papers in local and regional conferences such as E-Learning Excellence Middle East in Dubai in March 2010.
I am particularly interested in the opportunities for social and collaborative learning that are afforded by the use of educational technology and the use of social bookmarking to enhance student learning. In 2007 I moved from the Business Faculty to the Department of Learning Innovation where I have college wide responsibility for staff and faculty professional development and support new initiatives in the implementation of new technologies. I am currently the chair of a committee examining the feasibility of the introduction of a BEd in Educational Technology from September 2011. I am a executive committee member and founder of the Global Learn international conference and a founder of eduvator.net. I am always very happy to look at ideas for collaborative projects with likeminded and enthusiastic colleagues from around the world.
Elaine Dawson
I entered the world of education at 4 years old and have not left since. It is perhaps the only profession in the world that is never, ever dull. I have been a team member and leader at my current school since January 2006 where I discovered Sacred Heart Education and all it has to offer its members as learners and community members.
I have over twelve years professional experience and in that time I have been fortunate to teach in the UK, North Carolina USA and now in New South Wales Australia.
I am passionate about finding innovative ways to stimulate students and inspire their interest in learning. I want education to be exciting, supportive and challenging. Our students have to have the ability to compete in their adult professional lives and to contribute to global society. I am interested in the challenge of leadership and making tomorrow's leaders, something which has to begin with giving students the opportunity to be leaders in their school career.
I am about collaboration and building community. One of the fundamental prerequisites to good quality learning is for students to feel cared for and valued as individuals and as thinkers. When this is achieved we give students the confidence to experiment with new tools and concepts and to learn. ICT gives us the opportunity to make learning exciting and relevant to future generations. Technology removes limitations to creative thinking and provides a format for young learners to excel. ICT has the potential to give me as an educator and a learner the tools to fulfil these goals.
Dave Emsley
I'm ICT Coordination in a large Secondary School in North of England. Currently researching for my Masters in eLearning via SHU.
John Hobson
I've worked in computers and communications since 1978. In the first part of my carer I worked for Cable & Wireless, BT and GE and I was involved in may projects such as the first email service in the UK, the LINK banking service and even constructing subs for cable repairs. I found I was more interested in using this knowledge in help the next generation and switched to education and deliberately worked in difficult and challenging Schools. I was running a School intranet in 1995, installed the largest non US thin client system at the time in 1998 and had wireless linked secondary and primary School in 1999. I've subsequently worked the in first Academy project in Bexley, an experience that has left me very dubious of top down solutions. Currently as Assistant Headteacher in Croydon I've found the emergence of Personal Learning Environments, Infomatics and web 2.0 has reinvigorated the subject, the teachers and most importantly, the kids! The best is still to come.
Lesley Hol
I manage the Learning Resources Centre at a Maths and Computing Specialist School and have been involved in the development of our ICT specialism.
Stuart Ilsley
Retired Primary school Headteacher, ex, London Borough of Tower Hamlets. Part-time Associate/Link Tutor, University of Cumbria, East London. Currently interested in the mismatch between how useful ICT is to Teachers/Educators, and how useful it is to students/children/learners, both locally and globally. I build computers from other people's cast-offs. I collect and promote modern Thai painting.
Nick Jeans
I am a Consultant in Learning Technology, with a particular interest in Inclusion - engaging people who can't or won't access mainstream education. I am currently working on an EU-funded digital inclusion project called 'Making IT Personal' (www.makingitpersonal.org.uk) and 'VISCED' (http://visced.referata.com/wiki/Main_Page) a worldwide study of e-learning in schools and colleges. I have 22 years' teaching experience, mostly in Adult Basic Skills. I piloted LearnDirect Skills for Life courses at the Sheffield College and was an e-learning mentor within the college, providing advice on how IT can be used to enhance learning. I also worked with BECTA, visiting colleges to show how IT can help in Skills for Life courses and managed Content Development for the South Yorkshire E-Learning Programme, working with teachers to produce and use e-learning resources in schools, colleges and businesses. I do not, however, take the evangelical line that IT is the answer to everything: e-maturity is sometimes knowing when it's appropriate to turn off the computer.
I am Lead Assessor of the CMALT scheme (an award that recognises effective use of Learning Technology), an accredited trainer for JISC Techdis (promoting the use of IT for Inclusion) and a member of JISC's Learning and Teaching Practice Experts Group.
Raghavendran Kalpathi
I am Raghavendran. I have been teaching physics to Grade 12 and undergraduate students for the past two and half decades.Teaching has always been my first love and Physics my passion. I love to communicate the excitement of physics to my students. I have realised over the years that lectures supplemented by demonstrations, discussions , problem solving ,brain storming session etc greatly enhance the learning experience of the student.Over the years I have witnessed a lot of changes in the way most subjects in general and Physics in particular is taught.The advent of computers of course placed a very power tool in the hands of a teacher . I stared to slowly integrate the computer into my teaching methodology( using Ppt, learning simple programming etc). Of course in a country like India this was difficult initially due to a variety of reasons. but I persevered.My interest in ICT really started when I started giving a course on Astrophysics to B.Sc Students. I realised that in a topic like Astrophysics the use of ICT, particularly the web resources available can greatly enhance the learning experience of the student. I also realised that the explosion of information on the net can be hindrance to a student . So the idea of creating a website where I could place all the relevant material for the course occurred to me. The site could have lecture notes, Assignments, Links to other sites, online test, Simulations, Virtual labs... the list is end less. So I stared working on the site a a year ago and have stared using it my class. The initial success has been very encouraging. I want to go on improving the same and make it a very good resource for learning. I learnt about MirandaNet when I was browsing for information to present a paper on Web resources and Teaching. . I am thrilled to discover this fellowship and really want to be part of the same.
Ton Koenraad
Ton Koenraad worked as a teacher educator and ICT-E consultant at Hogeschool Utrecht University of Applied Sciences. He is a registered expert for the European Commission's Lifelong Learning programme and contributes to e-learning Europa. He actively participates in various networks, SIGs and CoPs.
His activities involve the acquisition, coordination and evaluation of national and EU-projects in the fields of modern languages, teacher education and e-learning.
Specific current interests are: Computer and Mobile Assisted Language Learning (CALL & MALL) related software development and task design, telecollaboration, Interactive Whiteboard research, e-tools for Content Integrated Language Learning (CLIL) and 3D Virtual Worlds for language learning.
Ivan Kuzio
I have a background in business and combined with an MBA, hold qualifications in ICT from the University of Cambridge, the ECDL and Adobe.
I have taught ICT for over ten years and recently introduced "e-learning" and "enrichment" into my current school. I developed an E-Safety Policy for this school, which has been used as a template for other schools and most recently, the school was considered for an award for Outstanding ICT Learning Initiative of the Year 2010.
I have been asked to present my ideas on "Games and Learning in ICT" and "Successful teaching in ICT" to a number of international conferences on ICT and Education.
I am currently at University completing the MA in ICT in Education. My main thesis on the MA is educational management, developing staff and leadership and e-learning.
I have also been approached to write an essential guide to e-learning and teaching ICT by a well-known education publisher and have submitted my first draft. I already have had some articles published in IT Educational journals.
http://www.elearning-africa.com/programme/profiles/profile_kuzio_ivan.htm
Mark Latus
I will soon complete my PGCE in Lifelong Learning and intend to begin an MA in Educational Research in 2011. My experience of using ILT/ ICT in teaching includes creating and using class blogs and a virtual classroom. I am currently researching the impact of Web 2.0 on learners and learning.
Daniel Lynds
Interested in inclusion, un-schooling, mobile and disruptive learning.
Gladys Mugabe
I am the head of St Cyprian's Primary School in Marondera, Zimbabwe. I would like to introduce computers in my school so that the whole school will be computer alert and be part of the global village.
Charles Mugano
I am an Education Officer employed by the Ministry of Education in its Planning Division and am stationed in Manicaland one of the ten educational provinces in the country. My work involves ensuring that as many schools in my province as possible introduce computers in their curriculum. Such efforts ate supported through sourcing computers through government funding or through identification of donors. Identified schools are encouraged to ensure as many pupils are literate. Schools are encouraged to be on the internet and to ensure pupils have access to the facility. Periodic visits to schools are made in order to ensure effective teaching of the subject. Updated data on schools doing computers is kept.I therefore have an insatiable desire to improve my own ICT skills and an even greater one to ensure tomorrows generation in my country are at par and can compete favourably with piers the world over.
Albert Mutidzawanda
I am a Physics lecturer at Mutare Teachers' College. I am the HOD for the recently introduced B Sc degree programme. The degree is offered on-line and is heavily dependent on ICT usage for both students and lecturers.
David Obst
My name is David Obst and I work at the department of physics education at the Technische Universität Dresden (Saxony, Germany). My research project is about the use of interactive whiteboards in physics.
The number of interactive whiteboards is growing very fast in Germany, but there is a big lack of adequate teacher training. Different studies from the UK have shown that teacher training is a very important point for a good use and better acceptance. The aim is to develop and evaluate a teacher training to use the interactive whiteboards in physics. This training, which is taken place on two days each eight hours, will include not only "technical use" but also really subject-specific content.
Especially I'd like to see if it is possible with this teacher training not only to motivate the teachers and open their minds for new ideas but to really change their way of teaching in an observable way. To see if this is possible, I'd like to use a Pre-Post research design including surveys for teacher and people and observing lessons.
I am very interested in different experiences and opinions how to make an effective teacher training and the use of interactive whiteboards in physics (or science in general).
Edward Misava Ombajo
Am a teacher/lecturer in ICT and would like to share about your site with my students as we address ICT use in teaching.
John Rack
I work part time for Dyslexia Action as Head of Research and Professional Development. In this new post I am responsible for the evaluation and professional development of Dyslexia Action's national teaching, assessment and training services. I am also responsible for the Education Committee consisting of external advisors with the task of ensuring that practice within the organisation reflects the most up-to-date research evidence.
I am also Co-Director of the Dyslexia-SplD Trust, responsible for the delivery of a government-funded programme of work that is delivered by the Trust staff and partner organisations. This work centres on advice in the development of standards in assessment, teaching and training and the promotion of evidence-based educational practice. As the Trust serves as Government's link organisation with the voluntary sector, the Director's role requires extensive participation in meetings and networking events and contributions to briefing papers, articles and other publications.
The work for the Dyslexia-Specific Learning Difficulties Trust developed from the publication of Sir Jim Rose's independent report to Government 'Identifying and Supporting pupils with dyslexia and literacy difficulties'. I had served on the on the Expert Advisory Group to Sir Jim Rose's review and contributed significantly to the review process and the final report. I was also member of the Government Working Party which produced guidance in 2005 on assessment standards for Specific Learning Difficulties in Higher Education and I continue to serve on SASC- the National body charged with maintaining standards in assessment of Specific Learning Difficulties.
My research career has included 3 years working on a behaviour-genetic study of learning difficulties as well as research on reading development and on educational applications of ICT. I was the UK partner of a EU-funded research project on developing software to promote inclusive literacy teaching AGENT-DYSL.
Simon Shaw
Simon Shaw gained his Fellowship soon after joining (see above).
As a pupil Simon Shaw was an original "micro-kid" in the early 80's, using a BBC compute to write educational software for use in school. His interest in developing applications and systems that enhance learning, teaching and management has stayed with him throughout his career. His experience within education includes being teaching Physics, Chemistry, Science, Technology, ICT, Mathematics, Music and Outdoor Activities as well as being ICT coordinator at a specialist language college and developing a whole school pupil tracking and reporting system.
Simon was Head of Institutional Management at Becta. During his 9 years at Becta his roles included; managing research into Total Cost of Ownership, leading the ICT Test Bed Project, developing the ICT Mark Accreditation scheme and managing the initiative for improving Parental Engagement through Online Reporting. Research has been a key aspect of each of these roles, respectively; managing research directly, disseminating the outcomes of teacher led action research, developing evidence based assessment methodologies and performing secondary analysis of harnessing technology data to demonstrate improved efficiencies through ICT enabled practice.
Simon is currently interested in the contribution that practice based research can make to creating "value propositions" for the use of ICT within education.
Dean Sheetz
I have been an educator for 14 years. For the past 11 years, I have been integrating technology into my classes in various ways at Dubai Men's College. I am a business teacher with an active research interest in visual communication assisted by various technologies (for example, Prezi, Compendium, Screencasting, Dialogue Mapping). In the past I have done research on integrating Blogs and Wikis into content classes for second language students. As all of our students are all learning in a second language, teaching content can be quite a challenge. Technology can help overcome the difficulties in a variety of ways.
I have a BS in Math, an MA in English and a Ph.D. in Organization and Management. I consider myself to be a lifelong learner and I have a wide variety of interests. Unfortunately my available time is limited, which makes capitalizing on my curiosity a constant challenge. My wife and I have a one-year-old boy, and making sure he has as much variety of opportunity as possible for exploring and learning about the world is one of our primary concerns.
MirandaNet seems to be much more oriented toward helping individuals with achieving their teaching/learning goals than other professional organizations in which I have held memberships in the past. I am looking forward to taking an active role here.
Noble Musavengana Sithole
so many children leave school without any knowledge of operating a computer and fall into a world where this knowledge is primary requisite. this is the case with most children who graduate from rural secondary schools. I feel that children should be introduced to computers at preschool . computers have become part of every day life so children should grow with computers the same way they grow with toys. if this happens children will not be bewildered by computer technology at school ;at college or at the work place later on in life. My focus is on Zimbabwe.
Tellie Tapera Sithole
A seasoned and very keen to learn, a creative, hardworking and illustrious man whose keen interest is to inspire and build well modelled scholars, which I have done for the past 39 years.
Nick Speller
Having been a Primary school teacher for eight years I am currently a Primary ICT Learning Consultant for Oxfordshire County Council, mainly working with schools on the roll-out of a county-wide learning platform. I also have a great interest in Handheld and Game-based learning, heading up projects in both aspects of Primary Learning for OCC. I teach e-safety CPD with my colleague Carol Rainbow in Second Life - we currently able to offer this for free. I am a CEOP trained Ambassador.
Aprilla Suak
My name is Aprilla Monika Suak. I am an English teacher in SMA Katolik Aquino Amurang, a senior high school in Amurang, South Minahasa Regency, North Sulawesi, Indonesia. I know MirandaNet from a good friend of mine from Netherlands who came to my school with his team to give science workshop for the teachers. After the workshop, more teachers in my school got more interested in using ICT in teaching and learning process. I have been using ICT for teaching and learning and have found it very useful for everybody involved in improving education. By joining MirandaNet I hope I will learn a lot, broaden my knowledge and get more experiences that can be shared with others here.
Ralitsa Tareva
I am an UK qualified primary teacher interested in continuing and developing my career in the education system as an ICT specialist teacher. I have gained a wealth of experience both in the IT industry as a web & graphic designer and trainer as well as in the education sector, working as both an ICT teacher and school website administrator. It is my belief that through structured links between the curriculum and ICT teaching, students benefit both from a deeper understanding of technology and a better grasp of all the subjects learned in class.
Srdjan Vlaskalic
I am a PG Cert student of ICT at Brunel University. As a part of my certification course I have chosen an assignment with following title: "Accessibility of Educational Websites in the UK - Analysis of the current status and a proposal for a ranking methodology". I am actively searching for the literature or similar research in that area.
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