Tell us about an issue that matters to you and how you became involved.

In 2009, I undertook some professional learning in educational leadership and there was a significant plug for TakingITGlobal by the presenter. Since then, I have been an member of TIG, using its resources to inform my teaching of global issues and promoting active global citizenship in my classroom. The issues that drive me most are rainforest deforestation, extreme poverty, neocolonialism and global education.

What kind of a future do you hope to create through education?

In my classes, I empower my students to understand that they can change their world by providing rigorous class work around humanitarians such as Nancy McGirr (FotoKids) and Tara Winkler (Cambodia Children's Trust) who have made a deliberate and profound impact on extreme poverty in Guatemala and Cambodia respectfully.
I encourage my students to be active global citizens and through carefully researching a global issue on a specific region in the world, my students can make a positive impact on a community far from the world they know.

class="question"How are you taking your classroom global, and what role is technology playing in the process?

Already students are in email contact with various in-country organisations that they intend to support. Skype is a god send with us being able to chat in real time to like minded global citizens, although our time zone does actually make this incredibly difficult.
Ideally I would like my students to be able to collaborate online with other active global citizens and work together to achieve positive future outcomes for the benefit of all involved.

Do you think TIG can help you achieve some of your goals? Have we already? Please tell us how.

TakingITGlobal has provided me with some fantastic contacts in New Zealand and various parts of Africa. Our Global Community Unit in Year 9 is based around the resources that TIG provides in relation to the Millennium Development Goals, which each student's project must work towards achieving. TIG combined with my career in education has transformed what drives me in my life. My only regret is that I hadn't become involved sooner!