User:Dougsymington

Doug Symington
Country:	Canada
This user was certified a Wiki Apprentice Level 1 by Nelliemuller .

My Profile

I live on the south end of Vancouver Island on the Coast Salish traditional territories, in Saanichton, BC.

I'm keenly interested in using "free" and "open" web-based tools and resources to include and involve groups and individual disenfranchised and/or marginalized learners.

I strongly believe that everyone can learn, and learning is for life; and the internet has a key role to play in making this happen.

Professional Background

My professional background includes working with "at risk" populations of high-school students as well as social-services and remedial intervention programs based at identifying and addressing lack of workplace readiness skills for adult learners. I continue to volunteer for a number of education, social-services, and sports organizstions and believe in the importance of being a contributing member to one's community, and am particularly interested in the opportunities Wikieducation presents in this regard.

Education

My education includes a Master of Education degree from the Ontario Institute of Education at the University of Toronto. I also have a Bachelor of Arts degree in English from New College at the University of Toronto.

I also attended the Southern Alberta Institute of Technology in Calgary, Alberta where I completed a certificate program in Object-oriented Software Engineering.

My Interests

I'm keenly interested in using "free and open-source software" (FOSS) internet-based tools to empower learners and address social justice issues. Web-based tools provide a platform for heretofore marginalized groups to self-direct and self-advocate for educational, remedial and social represntation across the socio-eco-political spectrum.

Professional

My background includes special education for at-risk youth. This experience continues to prove invaluable in my dealings w/ adult and remedial learners. Most of my classroom work has been in "informal" education (preparatory, remedial, and workplace)settings. The skills I learned for adapting and making curricula relevant to learners, depending on the needs of each individual, is an approach I try to translate to technology. Therein lies the rub....how do I use technology to reach out with technology?

Initial hardware and software connections are just the beginning

Personal

I enjoy all kinds of sports; however, golf and skiing are at the top of the list. More recently I'm doing more bicycling, paddling, and weight-training in support of the other two.

I've been immersed in technology for a decade and 1/2 and have really "pulled back" in the last couple of years. This imposed hiatus has been good for me in that it will (I hope) force a balance into the future as I negotiate, and navigate within, my "virtual" and "real" worlds.

My Projects

Bullet lists

• Item one
  • Item two
    • Item two point one
      • Item two point two

• Item three

Numbered lists

1. One
2. Two
   1. Two point one
   2. Two point two
3. Three

Mixed lists

1. One
2. Two
   • Item two point one
   • Item two point two
3. Three

My Sandbox

My sandbox

BOLD

ITALICS

UNDERLINE

My Reflection

Wiki syntax is one thing, but the navigation within a wiki brings out the cognitive dissonance in me like few other online experiences. I've always maintained that any learner need get beyond their comfort level in order to truly learn--the irony isn't lost on me =;-)

Feedback & Notes from my WikiNeighbours

• Great start, Doug. --Nellie Deutsch 20:44, 25 August 2009 (UTC)

(: Way to go, Doug. You're doing great. Have you thought about what you'd like to add for content to WE? --Nellie Deutsch 03:32, 27 August 2009 (UTC))

Thanks Nellie: not sure exactly what I'd like to add for content. Still working on that and hoping to make it something valuable, but not sure what that might (should) be. Maybe something to do with mobile, but still pondering--thanks for a great course

(: Hi Doug, great work so far. Incorporate tutorials 1-3, bold, italic, some numbering, bullets into our user page. Check the cheatsheet for details on how to do it. It will help you with the certification level. Warm wishes--Patricia 20:44, 28 August 2009 (UTC))

Hello and welcome to eL4C29, a free online Learning4Content wiki skills workshop.

Enjoy the workshop.

You may wish to check the schedule and layout of the workshop and introduce yourself.

1. Click on the link EL4C29.
2. The page that will open is the workshop page with all the links you will be using during the workshop.
3. See your name in the list of participants.
4. Whenever you have time click on each of the boxes.
5. You may even start with Day 1 activities.

Enjoy the workshop.