My name is Chris Betcher, and I’m a teacher.

As someone who has been in (and occasionally out of) education for over 20 years, I guess I have a few opinions on how I’d like it to work. And mostly it doesn’t work the way I’d like. I am particularly interested in thinking about how schools need to change to accommodate 21st century learners, how technology can be used to make learning more interesting, relevant, fun and engaging, and how technology should be used to support people, not drive them crazy.

I also have a wide range of interests, based on everything in general and nothing in particular… if it’s funny, interesting, curious or just plain bizarre, I will probably find it of interest. If I was a cat, I’d be dead.

I currently teach at a school in Croydon, Sydney, in Australia. I originally trained as an art teacher, but thanks to an interest in graphics and design I have drifted away from that role and into a variety of technology related areas including the teaching of computing and multimedia, professional development of staff in ICT, network administration and ICT coordination, and even some private consulting in educational ICT.

I have taken part in a number of online initiatives and global collaborative projects, and also spoken at various conferences and workshops around Australia on a wide range of ICT-related topics, including Interactive Whiteboards and Web2.0 technologies. I also produce a regular podcast called The Virtual Staffroom which looks at issues of relevance to teachers working with technology.

Feel free to drop me a comment or say hello…

Chris