About Me

I currently live in Stonehaven, Scotland with my partner and two young children. We relocated to Aberdeenshire in August 2010 to bring up our children in a more rural environment with more space and fresher air. Having grown up in the North East of Scotland, this is a homecoming for me.

I intend to keep developing my teaching though, having gained my Qualified Teacher Status through the Graduate Teacher Programme in England, I had to retrain to teach in Scotland. I enjoyed my time at Aberdeen University and have found that Scotland has a thriving community of professionals developing new ways to deliver innovative teaching using new technology.

I lived in London from 1999 - 2010  after leaving Aberdeenshire to study at Brunel University. I gained a BA (Hons) English with Film & Television Studies. I also rebuilt and managed the student radio station, B1000, and was heavily involved in the Student Radio Association. I was elected Regional Officer for London during 2001.

Following those university days, I took a post as Lecturer in Radio at Uxbridge College and taught the BTEC National Diploma and Certificate between 2002 and 2004. During this time I gained my Certificate in FE Teaching Stage 1 & 2. I was also involved in the initial development of Hayes FM as a

committee member and the main active link between the college and the project. Since the station was granted an FM license, I co-produced, presented and engineered a dynamic Indie music programme using the offices as a live performance space and showcasing several bands that, as a direct result of the show, were played on BBC Radio 1 and BBC Six Music. The Infernal Racket brand has now evolved into the Idle Fret label due to the commitment of friend Darren Brooker and has been acclaimed by DJs at BBC 6 music and XFM. It's worth checking out.

Upon leaving my post at Uxbridge College I began work with the fledgling Brentford City Learning Centre. This allowed me to develop skills in digital video production and multimedia technology. I developed a number of educational workshops for primary and secondary schools using the Adobe Creative Suite, the Apple iLife suite, Final Cut Express & Pro and many other

education-focused products for animation, sound and image manipulation.

In this role I also provided CPD workshops for teachers within the borough of Hounslow. I trained teachers on the use of SMART and Promethean interactive whiteboards as well as a three-tier development strategy enabling teachers to deliver the Apple-based workshops in their own schools with the loan of Macbooks. I was involved in the planning and delivery of sessions as part of the Centre's RTC (Apple's Regional Training Centre) status.

I left Brentford CLC in the summer of 2008 to undertake the Graduate Teacher Programme at Strand on The Green Junior School in Chiswick, West London. Since that time, I have been teaching as a trainee, and now qualified Primary Teacher.

During time off from teaching and delivering innovative workshops I am a keen cyclist. I am predominantly interested in mountain biking and ride regularly in Surrey. I ride an 'all-mountain' bike which allows me the luxury of riding in the wilderness, riding downhill trails and competing in cross-country competitions. Although I like the thrill of downhill riding and the fitness and stamina of cross-country, I am in my element riding in the

wilderness, far from laptops, wireless and email. In the summer of 2011 I covered over 240miles cycling the Scottish coast to coast, mainly off road, to raise money for UK cancer charities.

With a desire to sometimes just 'be', I also enjoy walking in the Scottish Cairngorms and although I spent my childhood and teenage years in Grampian, as well as being a Scout, I conquered my first Munro in 2009 whilst sleeping under a layer of frost, in a bivvi bag!

I'm interested in the application of new technology to enhance education, cycling of any kind and expeditions in the wilderness. I am available to contact on Facebook, twitter and Linkedin.