Let me introduce myself. I am Mr. Dale. Very formal aren’t I? I teach Special Ed., Science, and Math at Innisfail Junior Senior High School. I am also the Science Team Leader. The most important thing to know about me is that I am a geek, nerd, poindexter,…. or what have you. The second thing to know is that I own that. I have since I first saw Star Trek, Star War, and the Apple II.

Joining the PLP with Chinook’s Edge this year is an effort to catch up with the connected world. I have been living in the woods with only dial up access to the outside world for the past 10 years or so. Recently I upgraded to (rural) high speed access and discovered that I have been missing something! I (a geek’s geek in my own mind) have lost touch with the cyberworld developing right under my nose! I need to catch up!

But, and here is the reflective part, how do we share this world in rural communities and individuals living on acreages so they can also be part of CLCs? How do we address the inequities of access?

On the other hand how do we begin to develop a completely new form of education to take advantage of the new ways of learning that are emerging in the 21st century?

I hope to exlpore these issues and come to some conclusions that I can use to improve my teaching and the learning of my students.