District Technology Coaches can be released from their classrooms to support your understanding around how technology can be used for learning. 

Read the bio's below to learn about each coaches' area of expertise. 

I am a biology and environmental science teacher at Chilliwack Secondary, and I also developed and teach our CSS Equestrian Program. I became interested in paperless Flipclass and Mastery Learning pedagogy several years ago, which lead me down the ed tech path of using Moodle extensively in my classroom (blended learning model), along with OneNote and host of other software and apps. I also have over a decade of experience working summers at FVDES (distance learning school) which exposed me to an even wider variety of ed tech options and how they might be best used for learning. Now I am able to run both synchronous and asynchronous learning opportunities for my students, both in-class and remotely, which provides the flexibility needed in this day and age. I will also add that I have a specialty in ecological education, and am always seeking more ways to incorporate ed tech into the outdoor/applied learning scenarios I provide to students in my classes. I hope to be able to help you find new ways to use ed tech in your teaching practice, whether your students are in your classroom, or are learning remotely for a time.

Email: avril_broekhuizen@sd33.bc.ca

My name is Clayton Willms and I teach our provincial curriculum by integrating arts & technology at F.G. Leary Fine Arts Elementary. I love to integrate coding, ADST, Minecraft, and film with core academic subjects. I have taught basic coding using Scratch programming for over 10 years and find it one of the most versatile tools for students to both learn the problem solving cycle and show their learning in almost any subject. I have also used Minecraft to teach and demonstrate subject material for over a decade. It is one of the best tech resources we have in the district and every child has a license through Microsoft 365. Please don't hesitate to send me an email or a chat request over Teams. I have many accessible activity and project ideas for you to explore with your class and would love to share.

Email: clayton_willms@sd33.bc.ca

Project-based learning via the use of technology is one of my passions. Have you ever wanted your students to go on a mission to Mars that will link elements of science, health, and literacy? Minecraft Education Edition could be the tool for you. Do you want to develop a stock market to link financial literacy to a group science or ADST project? We can create and graph it with Microsoft Excel. Whether it's a giant, year-long video game design project where students create their own art, coding, voice acting and advertising; a mini unit creating animated GIFs to explore symbolism; or just finding meaningful math apps to support lessons, I'd be happy to help you get started. And if you want to explore new ways to document and share learning with families via FreshGrade I can help with that, too.

Email: matt_slykhuis@sd33.bc.ca

I'm very interested in helping teachers develop projects that use technology to address learning outcomes in various subjects at their grade level. I would also like to provide ideas and suggestions for apps you can use for math, reading, writing, science, social studies and more. My school uses Apple products exclusively, so I have a lot of experience with Mac computers, iPads and Apple TV. I enjoy developing projects that address learning outcomes across multiple subject areas in the grade 4 and 5 curriculum. Since a technology project can demand a significant time commitment, I found it important to have the projects that provide assessment in more than one subject area. I have an interest in projects that incorporate the following technology:

  • PowerPoint presentations
  • Comic Life projects
  • iMovie (creating movies)
  • Brochures/Flyers Podcasts (radio plays)
  • Blogs Photo/Video Editing
  • Story Writing by Story Boarding

Students really love using technology and I find it's a great way to cover some of those harder to get learning outcomes (in particular, social studies, career, health). Students also develop some great prerequisite technology skills that will be useful to them in middle and high school. I would really like to help other teachers plan and implement projects that make use of their technology and address the curriculum.

Email: scott_gregory@sd33.bc.ca