Catherine Ford

My name is Catherine Ford. I am have a BA in English from McMaster University. I came to the decision that I was meant to be a teacher a bit later in life so I have my Masters of Science in Teaching from Daemen College in Buffalo, I chose this school so that I could work Monday to Friday to pay the rent and attend classes on the weekends. Over the years I have taken several AQ courses including my English Specialist, ESL part one, and Teaching and Learning Through e-Learning.

I currently teach English at an independent high-school in Hamilton, Ontario. I love teaching English and am always excited to find apps, programs or online resources that will help me to get my students excited about reading and to shape them into better writers. I am equally excited about any programs which will help me to grade the never-ending pile of senior level English assignments in a timely manner; I consider the marking to be the only downside to teaching grades 11 and 12 English.

I am taking this course because my school is continually integrating more and more technology into our daily teaching practice and I want to ensure that I am using technology in the most effective way possible for my students. From the apps and programs that I choose to the way in which students engage with one another in an online setting I want to create meaningful learning experiences for my students. I am wary of introducing technology for its own sake. I am also interested in carving out a position for myself in my school as a tech-integration specialist. I seem to do this in an unofficial capacity at the moment and would love to have more time to devote to this endeavour.

On a more personal note, I love camping, canoeing, hiking, horseback riding, writing and reading. I just returned to work in April after my maternity leave with my first child, my daughter- Evangeline. It has been a hard go readjusting to a busy teaching and extra curricular load, while leaving her and my bulldog, Otis, at home with my mom but we are adjusting.I look forward to learning with and getting to know you all.