Welcome to Canadian Mashup!

Welcome to the Candian Mashup group. Introduce yourself here. You can also leave a question about something you'd like to know more about or get help with ... someone in the community will jump in and give you a hand.

My name is Darren Kuropatwa. I teach senior mathematics in Winnipeg, Canada although I'm really a transplanted Montrealer. ;-)

My professional blog is called A Difference.

Cheers from The Great White North!

Tags: Introductions, Welcome

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Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Chris Larsh on January 4, 2010 at 6:35pm

Hello!!!

I left the temperate climes of Southwest Ontario 20 years ago to teach in the great Northwest. I am currently teaching grade 7 in Sioux Lookout, so winter is knocking my doors in as well!!

I had the pleasure of hearing Will Richardson speak at the AT4ALL conference in the GTA this past August, and have since been a little more than curious about how to integrate more technologies, make better use of the technologies already present, and most importantly, make the walls a little thinner. Considering my relative isolation, this can be a little tough. At least our school network is solid!

I have set up a staff private wiki, which has been met with a somewhat wintery response. I also manage a class wiki, which, at this point, we are using to post small assignments and content area review summaries. If nothing else, we are saving a lot of paper.

I also have my kids using ePals monitored email. I email them their computer assignments and webquests, and they email me their results. Again, if nothing else, we're saving trees.

Hopefully, I can pick up a few treats and even contribute here and there. At the very least, I can be nosey!

Thanks, Sue, for the invite.

Keep smilin'!

Permalink Reply by suehellman on January 7, 2010 at 5:36pm

Hi Chris and welcome to the Mashup -- when I lived in Winnipeg as a kid we went to my grandparents' place in Thunder Bay at least twice a year and I remember the name "Sioux Lookout". It's not far from Dryden as I recall. I like your comment about thinner walls -- I've been saying that I want to make ours more permeable. -Sue

Permalink Reply by suehellman on January 7, 2010 at 5:40pm

Welcome, Sara -- I love the journey map on your website. I wonder what the next stop may be. -Sue

Permalink Reply by Study Palette on January 14, 2010 at 2:13pm

Hi,

Thanks for the invite to the Canadian Mashup and for starting this group. My name is Jack Massalski and I teach ESL in Kamloops, BC. I am also working on a project which would allow independent instructors from any field to host online courses.

Cheers,
Jack

Permalink Reply by suehellman on January 14, 2010 at 4:51pm

HI Jack and welcome to the Mashup. You might want to also take a look at CEET (http://elgg.openschool.bc.ca/) which is the BC homegrown educators' network. -Sue in rainy Surrey, BC

Permalink Reply by suehellman on January 24, 2010 at 12:19pm

If you're new to the community, please sign in here so we can get to know you. Sometimes this discussion gets buried and new members don't see it. Welcome if I missed you.

Permalink Reply by Mary Astorino on February 24, 2010 at 9:09am

Hi Sue
Thanks for the invitation to join the Canadian Mashup. Great way to connect with other educators. I am an Educational Technology Consultant working at the University of New Brunswick in Saint John, NB. I am learning as much as I possibly can about Web 2.0 technology and am finding Nings to be so versatile and useful. I have just started my own Ning for the upcoming Canadian Network for Innovation in Education (CNIE) conference that is being held here in Saint John this May. If you would like to, you can check it out at
http://cnie2010.ning.com.

Cheers - Mary

Permalink Reply by Nicole Painchaud on April 5, 2010 at 9:10pm

Hi Darren:

Would love to join your group if I may. One of your other colleagues suggested it. I'm originally from Winnipeg myself. Moved to BC 17 years ago when there was still snow on the ground in May, both my husband and I said, that's it, we're moving. Been happy ever since.

I currently work at Sullivan Heights Secondary in Surrey, British Columbia. I have been teacher for more then 25 years in total, some in elementary schools, but mostly with the secondary schools. Most of my career I have been a computer facilitator at the schools. My position not only includes teaching as many students as I can to use and enjoy technology but also try to teach other teachers how to use technology as well. I enjoy this task immensely.

My present school has 4 labs of computers (two macs labs and two PC labs), 3 COWs (computers on wheels) and each classroom has a computer in the classroom as well. The use of technology in some form is high in our school as well as our district. Wireless networking has been set up in the high schools, and students are now able to add the personal computers to the network (as a limited guest). So you can imagine our network and the repairs, maintenance and training for all this technology is quite a full load. That's my position.

As a teacher I have a Bachelor's Degree in Business Education, an undergraduate degree in implementing technology in education, and a Masters degree in Arts in Distance Learning. I teach Grade 8 - 12 students Information Technology and teach the students straight Web 2.0 tools for usage by students in their other classrooms. Students get rewarded for teaching other students or their other teachers these new tools. Teachers are willing to use the tools with projects in classroom with my help and the help of students that know the programs. The Grade 12 students create web sites for other teachers when learning web site designing. All together, a lot of technology and programs are used in our school. Between that and organizing all the blogs, websites, wikies, etc together, I'm hoping to give easy access to people in my district most of the material I've made, and share what I've learnt.

Hope to hear more from you and share some of your ideas and fellow canadians in this group. Take care all.

Nicole Painchaud
Surrey, BC

Permalink Reply by Leigh Whitford on May 24, 2010 at 3:09pm

Hello,

Leigh Whitford, here. I teach a Grade 6 French Immersion class in Edmonton, Alberta.

Permalink Reply by Dorothy Taker on May 25, 2010 at 5:44am

Hi! My name is Dorothy Taker and I am a split gr. 3 & 4 teacher on the Magdalen Islands (Quebec). I am very interested in communicating with other teachers from across Canada and around the world.

Permalink Reply by Janet Bell on September 5, 2010 at 8:49pm

Thanks to Sue for the invitation - I am currently working with colleagues in Edmonton's newest high school, Lillian Osborne - would love to connect re: projects...especially interested in connecting with anyone with IB World Literature expertise.
Janet Bell in Edmonton

Permalink Reply by Jane Henderson on September 7, 2010 at 5:07am

Thanks! My name is Jane Henderson. I am the Elementary Educational Technology coordinator for the Near North DSB. I live in Parry Sound, ON. My blog is called Cool Scoolz - I write about interesting and innovative teachers/projects in our board.