The Team
MacICT is run by two full-time staff members and relies on a passionate team of largely casual teachers with a variety of expertise who develop and facilitate Professional Learning Services for schools, teachers and students. The team is flexible, dynamic and collaborative.
Staff
Cathie Howe
Centre Manager
Cathie is a Professional Learning & Leadership Coordinator for the NSW Department of Education and manager of MacICT. As well as developing and delivering Professional Learning, Cathie is the creative and strategic leader of an expanding, collaborative team responsible for the design and quality of MacICT’s services. She oversees all course development and mentors many of the team members to ensure that MacICT continues to provide a consistently high level of service to schools, teachers and students.
Cathie manages, and is involved in the development of MacICT’s case studies and academic research projects. She is passionate about inspiring and empowering teachers to transform their practice by understanding what they have to teach (curriculum), how they are going to teach it (pedagogy), integrating digital tools in creative ways to enable meaningful learning to occur.
During her 20+ years both as a teacher and an executive in Primary Schools, Cathie has been recognised for her innovative practice, digital learning design and leadership.
Lyrian McGregor
Office Manager
Lyrian is a Clerk 1/2 for the NSW Department of Education, providing support to the MacICT Team. She is the first point of call for all inquiries and visitors. She is responsible for bookings, course administration, finance and event management. She assists the team as needed with any course administration, technical assistance, equipment or logistics. Lyrian is also responsible for much of MacICT’s marketing and web presence. On occasion she will assist on case studies and projects as needed to provide solutions for schools’ needs. She has built websites for courses and projects including MacICT’s Online Course Portal.
The Team
John Burfoot
Developer & Facilitator
John is our lead LEGO® robotics facilitator and has worked as part-time school teacher with the Catholic Education Office in Sydney, specialising in science and robotics. He holds a Bachelor of Education (Primary) degree, a Certificate IV in Training & Assessment, and is a qualified electronics technician. John has facilitated hundreds of LEGO® robotics workshops to teachers and students across Sydney, including State, Catholic and Independent schools. He has consulted for LEGO® Australia, Moore Educational Pty Ltd, and the Southern Region CEO, Sydney. John has presented and spoken at numerous educational conferences, including the Association of Independent Schools of NSW, ICT Educators of NSW, St George & Sutherland Community College and the NSW Priority Schools Program’s Equity Conference at Darling Harbour.
Michael Stevenson
Researcher, Developer & Facilitator
Dr Michael Stevenson is a lecturer in the School of Education at Macquarie University. Since commencing his teaching career in 2001, he has taught English, ESL, Music and Technology in secondary schools across northern and western Sydney. In addition to teaching, he worked as Leader of Learning Technologies in the secondary Catholic system Diocese of Parramatta, facilitating the implementation of learning management systems, technology mentoring, 1-1 programs and ICT-curriculum alignment. He has also been chiefly involved in developing and implementing an integrated curriculum program that incorporates Project-Based Learning and cross-curricla team teaching in open plan environments.
In 2013, he joined the School of Education as Convenor of the English Methodologies program, working with preservice teachers in areas that include Secondary English, ICT and pedagogy. As a researcher, Michael has worked on a range of technology-related research projects with Education Services Australia, the Australian Independent Schools Network (AIS) and Department of Education (DoE). His doctoral study explores the role of technology-enabled Personal Learning Networks in teacher professional learning.
Khyiah Angel
Researcher, Developer and Facilitator
Khyiah is both a PhD candidate in the Department of Media and a sessional academic in the School of Education at Macquarie University. As an Educator, Khyiah has 15 years experience across primary and high school settings. She has a Master’s degree in Creative Writing, and another in Gender Studies. Khyiah is also a published author of young adult fiction. Khyiah’s PhD work combines her two life passions: writing and technology, to explore the Phenomenology of Reading in a Multimodal Context.
Kylie Stanley
Facilitator
Kylie began working for MacICT 2013, in a hands-on teaching role running day-long Boot Camps in Robotics. Kylie has a passion for technology and innovation, and enjoys working with students to explore and problem-solve using new and engaging technologies. Kylie holds a Bachelor of Arts (majoring in Education) and a Bachelor of Education (Primary). She is also Early Childhood trained and holds a Diploma in Children’s Services. In addition to MacICT, Kylie has 10 years experience working in areas of curriculum and teaching and learning in the higher education sector.
Neville Fraser
Developer and Facilitator
Runner-up to the 2014 Prime Minister’s Award for Primary Science Teaching, Neville Fraser has over two decades experience using ICT in education, starting with setting up the first regional network of computers in the early 80s. Until his recent retirement Neville hosted a Scienzeum and planetarium at his school. Having been a director of the NSW Computer Education Group, councillor with STANSW and primary rep for ASTA, he brings a wealth of knowledge and experience to blending science teaching with ICT.
David Grover
Developer and Facilitator
David has established a reputation for expertise in interactive digital education. He has been recognised in the award a National Excellence in Teaching Award, a Regional Award for Excellence in Secondary Teaching and in 2012 was awarded a NSW Premier’s research scholarship in New and Emerging Technologies around the globe. He held the position of Head Teacher of Computing at Chatswood High School for ten years, is the author of a number of texts and lead author of the current Pearson text for Information and Software Technology. David is has been a long time workshop presenter for ICTENSW, the professional body for teachers of computing in NSW and has been a senior marker for High School Certificate computing courses.
He has many years experience in the training of pre service teachers of IT/computing in a number of tertiary institutions. His work in multimedia has involved working alongside Adobe as a presenter at their International Conferences. His students’ digital works have been frequently awarded and selected for post HSC exhibition. Many of David’s students have enjoyed successful careers in animation, games design, robotics and other creative digital media fields.
Sarah Boyd
Developer & Facilitator
Dr Sarah Boyd is a LEGO® Robotics facilitator and part-time high school teacher of Computing and Mathematics. She has recently retrained as a teacher having had a long career as a software programmer and Electrical Engineer. She began facilitating at MacICT in 2014 where she combines her engineering and programming background with her love of teaching. She completed her PhD in Computer Science at Macquarie University in 1999.
Evan Bonser
Developer & Facilitator
Evan is one of our game design facilitators and is working as an ICT Integrator in Sydney. He began his university training in robotics before changing to complete a Bachelor of Education (Primary) from the University of Western Sydney. Evan has taught in a variety of educational environments ranging from mainstream settings in both the public and private sectors to Special Needs and Hospital Schools where he taught K-12 across the curriculum. He has found that where ever he teaches he sees the same enthusiasm for learning through making and uses that to inspire his students. He has a passion for developing a ‘growth mindset’ in his students to help them see failure as an integral part of the learning process; and sees it as the beginning of deep personal development that will last a lifetime.
Felicity Castagna
Developer & Facilitator
Dr Felicity Castagna spent several years teaching English, English as a Second Language and Special Needs Education in public and Catholic high schools before leaving to complete a PhD in Australian literature and creative writing practice at the Writing and Society Research Centre, Western Sydney University. Since leaving high school teaching she has taught new media writing, literature and creative writing at WSU and Macquarie University as well as training preservice English teachers to teach creative writing. In addition to this she has spent several years working with various arts organisations, writing centres and schools to research and develop writing programs for young people.
She is a popular public speaker and presenter at festivals and schools and is currently the Department of Education's National Ambassador for Literacy as well as sitting on the Board of Directors for the organisation, WestWords: Western Sydney Literature Project.
Her latest book, The Incredible Here and Now received the Prime Minister's Literature Award for Young Adult writing in 2014 and is Australia's Honour Book for Writing in the international IBBY list. She has written for ABC Radio and television as well as publishing widely in newspapers and magazines and educational journals. She is also the author of the short story collection, Small Indiscretions. She has two books and play forthcoming as well as multiple installation projects.
Peter Dawes
Developer & Facilitator
Peter is a facilitator for Engineering related disciplines. He has 35 years experience as a TAS teacher and Head Teacher and has experienced the evolution of TAS from its traditional vocational roots to its current design centred, technology rich framework. Peter considers design-based, cross-curriculum STEM exposure fundamental to a contemporary education.
An early adopter of Technology in the KLA, Peter has extensive experience in graphics, CAD, and digital technologies such as CNC machining and 3D printing. In addition to having taught a broad range of design-based subjects to year 12 level, he has extensive teaching experience in Engineering Technology and Engineering Studies and has had several of his student placed in the top ten in the state in the Engineering Studies HSC. His classroom experience has been augmented through involvement with HSC examination development and assessment in Engineering Studies, and through advisory and curriculum development work for NSWDET Curriculum Support unit and for ACARA.
Wayne Chaffey
Developer and Facilitator
A science educator for almost four decades, Wayne commenced teaching at James Ruse Agricultural High and retired from Moree Secondary College. He has taught Science in a range of schools and provided professional learning for teachers from K-12, mostly in regional NSW. He recognises the importance of ICT in effectively engaging today’s students and providing them with essential 21st Century skills.
Peter Reeves
Facilitator
Peter Reeves has been teaching games design at Macquarie University for two years using Unity. He has a Bachelor in Information Technology and is currently doing a Masters of Research. He participated in the Global Game Jam 2014 where his team received an award for Technical Excellence. He has a great passion for computer graphics, games and programming.
