About Mark Morton
I'm the Senior Instructional Developer for New Educational Technologies in the Centre for Teaching Excellence at the University of Waterloo. I help faculty members at my university (and elsewhere) by delivering workshops and developing resources that will enhance their teaching by helping them use learning technologies effectively. I have a PhD in English from the University of Toronto, and taught for twelve years at the University of Winnipeg. I'm the author of four books and numerous other publications, and have written and broadcast numerous radio columns and documentaries for CBC Radio. I'm one of the co-founders of the Winnipeg International Writers Festival, and a past president of the Manitoba Writers' Guild. My wife and I have four children, and in my spare time I study Arabic and take photographs. You can find out more about the activities that I've mentioned in this paragraph in the rest of this ePortfolio. Or, if you prefer, you can listen to me talk about them in this two-minute screencast!
Courses Taught
After receiving my PhD from the University of Toronto in 1992, I taught in the English Department at the University of Winnipeg for twelve years. I taught a wide variety of courses, such as Shakespeare, Modern Drama, Creative Writing, Etymology, and Advanced Research Resources. Descriptions of those courses are available here or via the top menu bar.
My other interests and activities include my family (of course!), learning Arabic, taking photographs, and supporting learning and literature. Details about those interests and activites are available Waterloo Workshops
As Senior Instructional Developer for New Educational Technologies at the University of Waterloo, part of my role is to research emerging technologies, assess their educational potential, and then disseminate my findings by delivering workshops to Waterloo instructors. Descriptions of my workshops are available here or via the top menu bar.
Research
With regard to teaching and learning, my recent research projects encompass topics such as instructional challenges, the use of Twitter in the classroom, and the unique challenges that face international students. Descriptions of those research project are available here or via the top menu bar.
External Presentations
I have given presentations on educational technologies at conferences and universities in Canada, the United States, the Middle East, and Africa. Descriptions of these external presentations are available Broadcasting
From 1998 to 2004, I wrote and broadcast dozens of columns about language for CBC Radio, Canada's national radio and television broadcaster. I also researched, wrote, and broadcast several hour-long radio documentaries. You can listen to those columns and documentaries here or via the top menu bar.
Publications
Comments about Mark
“We needed advice from someone with a creative and innovative mind, and I immediately thought of you.” -- Leanne Romane, UW Librarian.
“This has been wonderful – it’s opened my eyes to some new ways of teaching. I should get you to teach my course!” – Dr. Mary Louise Mcallister, Associate Professor, Department of Environment, UW.
“Thank you so much for all this info – truly. All good advice and things to look into. “ – Dr. Doris Jakobsh, Department of Religious Studies, UW.
“A wonderful presentation. It was honestly one of the best I've ever attended – useful, informative, visually appealing, and fun.” – Janette Barrington, Teaching Consultant, CTLS, Concordia University.
“Looks like Mark was, as usual, ahead of his time.” – Trevor Holmes, Centre for Teaching Excellence, UW
“This is a perfect ‘crack’, Mark. You found a way to express my concern that I just couldn’t seem to get to myself. Thanks for the learning!” – Donna Ellis, Director, Centre for Teaching Excellence, UW