This team is made up of 5 members who are spread all across the world! We are all at different stages in the Masters of Educational Technologies program at the University of British Columbia and built this curriculum together for our ETEC 510 course.
We communicated and did all our planning and co-creation online using tools like Google chat and docs. It’s been a fantastic journey and shows the you don’t have to be in the same room to work on a project together anymore!
Here is a brief introduction and hello from each of us:
Jamie Ashton
Hello! My name is Jamie, I am 24 years old and grew up in Cape Town, South Africa.
I obtained my undergraduate and honours degrees in Linguistics and Religious Studies at the University of Cape Town. I also minored in philosophy and sociology and have combined and applied these passions into a career in writing, film and media production.
Over the last few years I have been working as an English teacher in Asia and I have recently begun my Masters in Education at the University of British Columbia. I have a great passion for knowledge and learning conversations and am really excited to have had the room to play on this project of curriculum design integrated media and 21st century skills.
I'm so excited to have you here to give our World Adventure a try. May it be a fantastic adventure!
Kate Quinn
Hello! My name is Kate and I grew up in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada. I now live with my husband and child in a small town in Ontario, close to the longest freshwater beach in the world. I studied French, Business and Music at University before learning to teach English as a Second (or Additional) Language. For almost ten years, I've been working with people from many different countries to improve their English skills. I've learned so much about their hometowns, languages and families.
In the summer in Canada, I love being close to the ocean or the lake; in the cold winter, I like to be cozy in front of a fire, reading books and spending time with family and friends.
I hope you enjoy learning English on our ESL World Adventure!
Karen Wang
Hello! My name is Karen, I was born in San Francisco but I grew up in Taiwan.
I studied English Literature for my undergraduate degree and shortly after I graduated from university, I started to work at an international school as a teaching assistant. I have worked with lower elementary children for four years and during this time I have seen education shift towards applying technology into the academic curriculum. That’s why I’ve decided to learn more about it here at UBC!
In the past, I've also worked as a translator. Therefore, working with language is definitely a passion of mine! In my spare time, I like to take dance classes and learn different kinds of dance moves. They come in handy when children are tired and need some energizers!
Neil West
Hello my name is Neil and I am from Calgary, Alberta, Canada. Prior to my studies in the Master of Education Program at the University of British Columbia, I completed Bachelor Degrees in Music and Education. I have also completed Level III Orff Schulwerk Music and Dance Certification during studies at the San Francisco Orff Levels Courses. I currently teach music in the Calgary Catholic School District to students in elementary and junior high school.
I am an avid cycler, swimmer and recently began a focus on weight training and am currently taking tap dancing lessons. I enjoy hiking and camping in the summer and enjoy travelling around the world (and I am excited to be a part of this "World Adventure").
Kathryn Williams
Hello, my name is Kathryn and I grew up in Vernon, British Columbia. During my undergraduate degree, I studied History and Geography before shifting my focus to teaching and completing my BEd in Vancouver at UBC. For the past six years I have lived and taught in Manchester, England. I currently work at an all girls school teaching grade six!
Teaching, study and running (a hobby I truly loath but somehow my husband has convinced me to sign up for another half-marathon this Spring) keep me busy. When I’ve got spare time, however, I enjoy fixing up our old house, trying out new recipes and plotting our eventual return back to BC!
