Hello everyone, My name is Craig, nice to meet you all!
I am originally from the Calgary area, and graduated from the University of Lethbridge with a BSc in Neuroscience. I changed careers to IT after graduating and opened my own consulting firm for a few years. Then I decided to move to Japan and teach English for a few years to “relax” and see the world. I live in Yamanashi prefecture (province), which is just outside of Tokyo. I live in the shadow of the always impressive Mt. Fuji. I have been teaching in Japan for about 10 years now. I have also lived in Kyoto in my time here. I met a wonderful lady and we got married and I am still here in Japan.
This is my 3rd semester (5th and 6th courses) of the MET program. I am LOVING being back in school, instead of just teaching it.
I currently teach at an all-girls school about an hour and a half from Tokyo (near Mt. Fuji). Our school is one of the designated “Super Science High Schools” in Japan, which means we get extra funding for a more active science curriculum. I primarily teach the advanced English class in HS and the Science in English class as well. I also teach the JHS students one class a week each.
I am making this post a bit late, and I apologize for that. I just got back from Tokyo, where my grade 11 students took their science experiments to the national symposium of the Japanese Society for Environmental Science. Our students presented their experiments in English and I am thrilled to say that they won 1st and 2nd place (shared) in the open (high school and undergraduate) category. At the end of the month they take their experiments to Germany to present them to a symposium of international students. I am really exhausted from this, but now I am ready to get going! Sorry for my tardiness!
I first became interested in education technology when I was teaching in Kyoto. Our school was in the transition to become an IB school and learning about the IB curriculum and theory of knowledge started me down this road. Soon after that, I took a new job where I was asked to set up the ICT instruction at the school. Along the way I decided it is better to jump in and learn the subject than to dabble at it from the periphery. That led me to MET, and I am now in my 3rd semester.
My educational interests include: ICT in the classroom, constructivist theory (active learning), second language learning and the science of learning. I am interested in examining the emerging uses and applications of Augmented Reality in the classroom. I am HOPING to develop a project for this class using AR.
My hobbies include: hiking, camping and fishing, food and culture, history and politics and gaming.
I look forward to working with you all!