OERNZ/training/OERNZ4/Introductions

Wayne Mackintosh
I had the privilege of starting the WikiEducator project in February 2006 from a small desktop server based at the University of Auckland, New Zealand. Today WikiEducator is one of the world's fastest growing and most productive wikis in the formal education sector. It's great to see teachers around the world collaborating and sharing knowledge in this way. I have to say that WikiEducator has been the most rewarding project of my working life as a teacher. If you want to find out a little more about my work in WikiEducator, feel free to visit my userpage. Otago Daily Times has published a short summary of WikiEducator. It's humbling to know that this global initiative is head quartered out of little Dunedin, New Zealand. I'll CU in the wiki. --Wayne Mackintosh 00:53, 5 May 2010 (UTC)

Steph Campbell
I am a teacher in Lower Hutt, Wellington. I have been passionate about using technology to enhance teaching and learning and I guess very addicted to it really. I also have to admit that my knowledge of wikis is minimal. I tried to remedy my lack of knoweledge by registering my school for a wikitaster session that happened last week. I am curious how this can help me and my kids and am keen to explore it to its full capacity. BUT time every day is tough with a busy job and 2 young children so I will endeavour to do my best. Visit our class blog if you get a moment. see: savvy7



Tanya Greig
Kia Ora I am Deputy Principal of Irongate School in Flaxmere, Hastings. The DP position is a new one for me as this is my first position out of the classroom full time. I am passionate about integrating ICT into Education and have previously been an Interactive Whiteboard Mentor for four Primary Schools in our area. I have run wikis in my own classroom but am looking for a way to get others to integrate them into their own. This is to good an opportunity to miss!



Tanya Thorogood
Kia ora tatou. Another Tanya in the group! I am a classroom teacher of English and Head of Literacy at Rutherford College in Te Atatu, Auckland, with a specific interest in gifted students with dyslexia. I believe in ICT with a passion, as it is the interface to the developing world we all live and learn in. However to date, my experience has been limited to adding hyperlinks in departmental schemes and creating virtual classrooms in Nicenet, Bebo and Facebook (yes Facebook!) I see wikis as a valuable tool for students and staff alike. There is so much information available that can be enabled and accessed through this process. I am particularly keen to see how it may be used by staff in professional development topics. My DP is incredibly supportive of me doing this course...I can feel a school-wide approach coming on...maybe even a cluster:)



Keith Rickard
Hi all. I am Assistant Principal at Tawa Intermediate School in Wellington. One of my responsibilities at school is to work as part of an ICT lead team. My area of responsibility focuses on the use of Google Apps and Web2.0 tools within the school. Specifically, looking at how blogging can be used to provide authentic audiences for student work, using Web2.0 tools as a way of students creating tutorials to share their learning, and exploring how Google Docs can be used as a collaborative tool within the classroom. I can see the possibilities of working in wikieducator as a collaborative tool and am looking forward to finding out more.



Brad Williamson
Hi everyone. I am ICT Lead Teacher at Aotea College. I have always had an interest in teaching and learning and student centred learning. After being offered the job as ICT Lead Teacher this year I have had lots of PD and intense learning about the new tools in education. I have not used much beyond wikis in wetpaint before now. We will implement Moodle at Aotea this year or next. I am now trying to fit it in with the other tools available. I have started using Myportfolio for recording and reflecting on my professional learning and teaching practice. I am collaborating with colleagues on Google docs and using a moodle sandpit for a group of teachers I am working with. I am registering in courses such as this one and attempting to make a plan on how to tie this all together into a package that works for our college. At the same time I am trying to work out how prepare the staff so they are ready to utilise a range of new tools effectively. I am to become familiar with ICTs so that I can see how they can help with learning in our classes. Daunting and exciting.



Lisa Cuttriss
I am a primary school teacher in Auckland. I have two young children, and am currently on maternity leave, but aim to be back in the classroom next term. I am interested in learning more about wikis, how they work, how they can be used within a classroom and within the wider community. I can definitely see the potential, and look forward to exploring more possibilities for sharing and learning.



Conor Bolton
Hi, I am the ePrincipal of the Volcanics eLearning Community. I completely support the idea of open educational resources and am here wanting to find out more about Wikieducator. I am based at Tauhara College in Taupo, but work with 9 other schools in our learning community, one of which includes Ruapehu College. I teach L3 and L2 Economics through video conferencing and therefore my students are dotted all around the country. I have also taken on a group of Gifted and Talented students this year, meeting with them once a week through VC. As part of my role involves ICT PD and collaboration, it is important that I have some PD on Wikieducator so that I am in a position to share with my colleagues and also keep myself up with developments in education



Gerard Keightley
I am a teacher of mathematics at Albany Senior High School on Auckland's North Shore. I love the idea of shared resources and have a few very keen participants at my school! I teach level 1 and 2 mathematics with an interest in statistics rather than calculus. I am interested in finding out more about the use of wikieducator in mathematics and how we can make maths more fun for students - especially disaffected Year 11s. I used to be a teacher, then a lawyer and am now a teacher again. Sorry for the late start but I have been frantically busy at school. I am now on a catch up mission!