Members of the E-HELP project

Mikael O Karlsson (Sweden: Hvitfeldtska Gymnasiet, Gothenburg):

Anders MacGregor-Thunell (Sweden: Hvitfeldtska Gymnasiet, Gothenburg): My name is Anders MacGregor-Thunell. I’m currently a full-time teacher of History at Hvitfeldtska Gymnasiet, an Upper Secondary School with 1800 students, in the centre of the city of Gothenburg, Sweden. Most of the time I teach IB (International Baccalaureate) History, both Standard and Higher Level, but I also teach History within the ordinary Swedish system. Since 1998 I’ve been the Head of the History Department at Hvitfeldtska Gymnasiet. I started my teaching career in the middle of the 1970’s. Just a few years ago I became a member of the Virtual School. Through VS I participate in the development of international web-pages within different history topics. Recently (2008) I have also become the coordinator of the E-Help project.
http://www.macgregorishistory.com/

Richard Jones-Nerzic (Slovakia: British International School Bratislava): I am Richard Jones-Nerzic, History teacher and Academic Director at the British International School Bratislava. My website is an attempt to document several educational experiments. I am an administrator of this forum and the Student Education Forum I am also a member of the European Virtual School History Department. 

Juan Carlos Ocaña (Spain: IES Parque de Lisboa, Madrid): I am Head of History Department in a Secondary School in Alcorcón, near Madrid. I am mainly interested in history teaching on the internet and I have set up my own web site http://www.historiasiglo20.org/ which is focused on 20th century history. I am a member of Virtual School and I have been collaborating in different European projects (Comenius, Spring Day in Europe).

Dalibor Svoboda (Sweden: Fredrika Bremer Gymnasium, Stockholm): I was born in communist Czechoslovakia 1948. In 1968, after the occupation of my country by Warszawa Pact countries suppressing the “Prague spring” I moved to Sweden. After five years of studies at University of Stockholm and different petty jobs I started to teach at Fredrika Bremergymnasiet, an upper secondary school situated in a suburb of Stockholm in 1980. During the 1990s I worked with information technology and pedagogical issues first at Knowledge and Competence Foundation then at National Agency for Education. Now I’m back at my old school teaching the subjects of History, Civics and International Relations. I have been engaged in activities of Virtual School since its start. I have been Head of History department since 1998.

Terry Hadyn (UK: University of East Anglia): I taught history in an inner-city secondary school in Manchester for about 20 years before moving into history teacher education in the early 1990s. Throughout this period I have been interested in the use of new technology in history teaching and it was the subject of my doctoral thesis, tracing the development of ICT in school history over the past 30 years. The main bit of my current job is training history graduates to be secondary history teachers, but I also undertake research into the use of ICT in history. I was Co-editor (together with Christine Counsell) of History, ICT and Learning (London, RoutledgeFalmer 2003), a collection of chapters from several leading UK practitioners in the field of history and ICT, and have a (modest) website at:
http://www.uea.ac.uk/~m242/

Andy Walker (UK: Dartford Technology College): I am Andy Walker. I am Head of History and E-Learning Coordinator at Dartford Technology College. I have my own website at Education Forum.co.uk which I use to teach History, Sociology and Vocational Health and Social Care. My web site has been online since 1999. I am the joint founder and an administrator of this forum. I also run the International Student Form in partnership with Richard Jones-Nerzic of the International School of Toulouse. I have been involved in web based projects for the Learning Skills Development Agency and Kent County Council, and in writing work for CGP publications

John Simkin (UK: Spartacus Educational): I have been a history teacher since 1977. In 1979 I was a founder member of the Tressell Publishing Cooperative and in 1984 established Spartacus Educational. Since 1997 I have run the Spartacus Educational website. I have also produced electronic and online resources for a wide range of different organisations including the Guardian (Learn), the Daily Telegraph (Electronic Telegraph), British Library, Historical Association and Becta. I was also a founder member of the Association of Teacher Websites and an early member of the European Virtual School.
http://www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/
ttp://www.byteachers.org.uk
http://vs.eun.org/eun.org2/eun/en/index_vs.cfm

Johannes Ahrenfelt (UK: (UK: Historical Association): I am working as a history teacher and International Coordinator at Neatherd High School, a 11-18 comprehensive in a small town in the heart of Norfolk.
I have been involved in various ICT workshops with history PGCE students at the University of East Anglia, focusing on making PowerPoint more engaging for students. I am hopefully leading two more workshops next academic year including one on using Macromedia Flash 8 and Captivate.
Flash is a tremendous tool for creating interactive activities something which I have been doing since 2002. Some of my earlier activities can be found at my first website:
http://www.ahrenfelt.co.uk/html/teachers.html
I am currently developing an interactive website for our Jack the Ripper coursework. This is an attempt to use Flash to make primary source material more inspiring for pupils. Flash and Captivate are two programs I feel have been excellent in engaging pupils and moving them forward.
I am currently leading an Enterprise project where I trained pupils from Year 8-11 using Flash to create activities for KS2. Many teachers have showed an interest in being trained using Flash since the start of the project and this is something which I plan to do during the next academic year.
Neal Watkin and I have just finished writing a book on essential teaching skills for Continuum Publishing where we have devoted a chapter to innovative use of ICT in teaching. We have just launched a new website InnovativeICT.net which accompanies our book Innovate with ICT which came out a few months ago. Both resources focus on how we can develop students skills and learning by using ICT well. We hope people find the site an interesting addition to an already popular subject.

Rosario Requejo Villasevil (Spain: IES Marqués de Suances, Madrid): Rosario was Advisor in the Sociolinguistic Department at the Teacher's Resource Centre in Alcorcón, Madrid from September 2005 to June 2008. At present, she works as Head of the English department at a Secondary School in Madrid, IES Marqués de Suances.

Associate members of the E-HELP project

Caterina Gasparini (Italy): My name's Caterina Gasparini and I am not a History teacher. I'm a teacher of English in an Upper Secondary School in Italy: it is an Industrial Technical Institute which, by the way, decided many years ago that English should be the only foreign language to be taught (no more than one can be taught by the Italian Curriculum, anyway!). I teach ESP (English for Special Purposes), that is English for Aeronautics, Electrotechnics, etc. in a highly “technical-technological” environment, from every point of view. I have been an ENIS (European Network of Innovative Schools) project coordinator for a few years and I have been on the editorial staff of the new Italian ENIS web site, which was launched last May.
I started working with computers about twenty years ago: it was just some Basic at the beginning, but I soon went on searching the Web for educational material. I came across some very good sites and materials and then I got involved in the rush of ICT for education. I’m interested in how ICT and the Web can be best used to improve our teaching. I think the tools we have at disposal are powerful but we only use a small amount of their potential, maybe because we don’t always know how to exploit them adequately. I have tried different e-Learning platforms or environments, experiencing their strengths and weaknesses. I don’t think distant teaching will ever replace traditional teaching but all our students are using a blended approach to information which has already forced most teachers to change their methodology.
At present I am working with my students on producing educational resources on the topics they are studying: it cannot be considered educational material because many aspects are still missing but we hope to improve it in the future.
http://www.malignani.ud.it/WebEnis/aeronautica.htm
http://www.malignani.ud.it/WebEnis/enis.htm

János Blasszauer (Hungary): My name is Janos Blasszauer, I am currently the head of English department at Batthyany Lajos Academic Grammar School. I am also a pedagogical advisor for the Zala County Pedagogical Institute and the Hungarian pedagogical advisor on the international advisory board of two European Schoolnet projects. One is the Myeurope project and the other one is the Spring Day in Europe 2005 project.
I am a certified teacher trainer who can run accredited courses for teachers on the modern matura exam. I have been an active member of British Council ELT in-service teacher training project.
I have run several trainings here in Hungary and abroad as well and have given several presentations on ICT-related issues at various conferences.
During the last couple of years I have learned many skills while I have been heavily involved in many international projects.
I hope these skills will help me to become a useful member of E-help project.
I constantly take part in online professional development trainings and am member of several educational communities like Tappedin, Learning Times etc. I have written several articles on ICT issues. I have recently launched at the IATEFL-H conference the ICT SIG with some of my colleagues.
I firmly believe that my ICT expertise can be exploited in the E-help project.
Let me just cite an example showing that I am up-to-date with new developments not only in the field of ELT and ICT but history teaching as well.
I know for instance that these days the The Teaching History with Technology Newsletter made its way online at:
http://thwt.org/newsletter.htm
Well, that's all for the time being.
Later I may specify in detail how I concretely envision my contribution to this great project.
I am looking forward to working with you.
http://www.geocities.com/bjohnnyus/

Mike Tribe (Spain): I've been a teacher at the American School of Madrid for the past 25 years and before that taught for 5 years in Tehran. I have taught in technical college, comprehensive school, elementary school, middle school, and currently teach high school history.
1. I've been teaching for 35 years. I know that's true of lots of other teachers and that mere length of service is evidence of nothing other than stamina, but I do think it serves for something:
(i) I've learned quite a lot about kids and about teachers during that time, simply by meeting so many of them!
(ii) I've seen lots of "educational initiatives" come and go. My observations lead me to believe that, in general, that's what happens to them: they come, and a few years later, they've gone... I taught for many years in primary school, where this was particularly prevalent. I've been around long enough to have seen the rise and demise of the Initial Teaching Alphabet, the Phonics Revolution, the Real Language Movement, the New Maths, etc, etc.. This doesn't mean I'm any more proficient than anyone else in distinguishing between the truly useful innovations from the passing fads, but perhaps a healthy sceptism might be useful...
(iii) I've been around since the beginning of the "IT Revolution"; I remember buying one of those little Sinclair ZX toys and laboriously programming it Basic so that my students could learn arithmetic facts by driving little buses across the screen; I remember the day the school took delivery of its first Apple II computers and we started teaching the primary school classes how to program in Basic; I remember paying out of my own pocket for the school's first internet connection -- and having to persuade a very sceptical headmaster to provide a telephone connection to my classroom so that we could use it; I remember our first attempts to write IT curriculum aims -- and still blush at how incompetently we did it... Perhaps this may provide some sort of historical context to current practice...
2. Despite all of the above, I'm still technologically challenged! Not to the degree of some of my colleagues -- I don't need help switching on the computer or accessing my email like my HoD, for example -- but I constantly have the feeling that I'm running to just stay in the same place. I put all my lessons on to PowerPoint slides, burn them on to overheads and the following year, the school buys projectors; I finally work out how to connect everything so I can use the projector and they buy an interactive whiteboard; I have the kids develop their own PowerPoint presentations, and then I check out Richard's website and see the videos his students have produced... I know this might sound like a dis[U]qualification from useful participation, but I would[U] bring to the project the perspective of the teacher with a genuine interest in introducing information technology, but with very limited skills in the area. And I really think teachers in this category might be a majority, especially in my age group.
3. I'm fortunate in that my school is rare among international schools and makes very generous provision for in-service professional development. This means I've been able to develop a fairly wide circle of "email acquaintances" with an interest in this area. For example, I've attended the JOSTI technology workshop organized by the US State Dept. Office of Overseas Schools, a Summer Seminar organized by the Gilder-Lehrman Institute from New York, a couple of IB teachers' workshops and several technology workshops by people from Fairfax County School District offered by the Mediterranean Association of International Schools. Perhaps some of these contacts may be useful.
4. My teaching experience in history is, to say the least, varied. I've taught CSE and GCE O and A Level Social and Economic History, OND Economic History, A Level European History, IB 20th Century, European, and American History, as well as lower level history classes from Yr 6-Yr 13... I also have some experience in courses preparing students for the Spanish Selectividad university entrance exam in contemporary world history, although I can't really say even after 5 years trying that I understand exactly what the examiners are looking for!
I wouldn't say I was an "expert" in any particular area. I haven't done any post-graduate courses in history -- never had the time or the money! -- and my MA is in q completely unrelated area (Counseling and Guidance). However, I do know quite a bit about (in order of competence)
(i) the Cold War
(ii) Mussolini and Fascist Italy
(iii) the French Revolution
(iv) Nazi Germany
(v) China since 1945
(vi) Soviet Russia
and can "defend myself" as we say in Spain, in most other areas of 19th and 20th Century European history...
http://www.amerschmad.org/
https://asmoodle.asmadrid.org/moodle/login/index.php

Sheelagh Tribe (Spain): has been teaching at Runnymede College in Madrid for the past 29 years. Until 1995, she was head of the history department. Before that, she taught in England , Germany and Tehran . She currently teaches history (Yr 7-A Level) and geography (Yr 7-8). She has also taught English (ESL & IB).

David Keys (Slovakia): Teacher of History and English

Andy Pheby (Slovakia): Teacher of EAL and TOK