About the team

I am a Grade 1/2 teacher with the Richmond School District, where I have worked for the past six years. Prior to this, I taught with the North Vancouver School District and internationally in Fiji and New Zealand, always in primary school settings.

Literacy education is a particular passion of mine, especially finding ways to make learning meaningful, engaging, and accessible for young learners. I am particularly interested in the potential of gamification to increase student motivation, participation, and engagement, and I enjoy exploring how educational technologies can create positive and interactive learning experiences in primary classrooms.

Outside of teaching, I love travelling and exploring new places and cultures. My experiences teaching and travelling abroad have shaped my perspective as an educator and reinforced the importance of creating engaging and inclusive learning opportunities for all students.

Jake "Dee-Poe", as referred to by his students and colleagues at work, is a science and leadership educator in British Columbia, Canada, and a graduate student in UBC's Master of Educational Technology (MET) program. 

Jake's foray into the world of technology began at a young age, with a penchant for video games and computers. More recently, the rise of distanced learning brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic, and the emersion of generative AI technologies in early 2022 forced him to reckon with the breakneck pace of technology and how it has impacted his career. Jake's goal is to take what he learns from his studies at UBC to make AI and educational technology more accessible, fruitful, and safe for his colleagues and students. He also ambitiously hopes that increased technoligical and social literacy will help steer us to a more equitable and liveable future. 

While he views early AI development as reckless and profit-driven, he is cautiously optimistic about the future of its development and the work people are doing to understand it. His perspective of AI could be described as exploratory, recreational, academic, pragmatic and grounded in social and cultural concern.

It is wonderful to meet you all! 

I am a middle school humanities-trained educator who is shifting careers to a design and innovation focus. Currently, I teach a grade 7/8/9 sheltered social studies class for EAL students along with core Robotics, Graphic Design, Digital Media, Game Lab, and Architecture and 3D modeling.

I work at the K-12 Canadian International School of Phnom Penh in Cambodia, where EAL students make up a significant share of the student population (+80%). In combination with English and a plethora of native languages, all students take an additional language such as Chinese, Khmer, or French. As a private school, there is a focus on specific initiatives such as the sheltered EAL program. Offering two graduation pathways, the Alberta diploma and IB, it is paramount that students become acclimated to foundational English academic language. 

Before I became an educator, I was a professional video gamer. This allows me to leverage gamification and game-based learning as an apparatus in my pedagogical toolbox.

I am an educator with over 20 years of experience in public education, including time as a middle school teacher, elementary classroom teacher, and most recently as a vice principal. Throughout my career, I have been passionate about building meaningful connections with students, creating positive school cultures, and supporting staff as they implement new ideas and initiatives. I believe that strong relationships are the foundation of successful learning environments and effective educational leadership.

I am deeply interested in educational innovation and continuous learning. Technology has always been a personal and professional interest of mine, and I enjoy exploring emerging tools and trends that have the potential to enhance teaching, learning, and school operations. My curiosity about educational technology continues to drive my professional growth as I seek opportunities to better understand how innovation can improve student engagement and support educators.

Outside of my formal roles, I enjoy collaborating with colleagues, exploring new ideas, and learning about developments in education, leadership, and technology. Whether working directly with students or supporting teachers, I am energized by opportunities to learn, grow, and contribute to positive change within schools.