Sheila Donaldson's

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I was born in Calgary, Alberta, Canada after the Second World War. Calgary is a nice place to visit as well as being a nice place to live. Read about the history and some things you can do in Calgary .

Here is me for all to see.

I work at the Southern Alberta Institute of Technology (SAIT) and have done so since 1981. I have a very busy and interesting job supporting curriculum development on a fully mediated course delivery software that allows students to progress through a course of study at their own pace and time.

The original LMS (Learning Management System) was developed in the mid-seventies on the Xerox computer platform and by 1978 had migrated to the Digital VAX.  In the early 1980's the CIS (Curriculum Information System) provided an "expert" interface to assist educators and trainers in developing learning packages based on a sound pedagogical model. These Digital platform products were installed and in use at over two hundred educational and corporate sites worldwide.

In early 1994, design and development of the Windows based TLM (The Learning Manager) software was started. This software is based on the design philosophy of both LMS and CIS but allows for the integration of fully mediated student learning materials.

In my office I have a door on which I display cartoons and sayings that have caught my over the years.  I have collected these over a long period of time and unfortunately no longer know who was the originator of the quote.   The sum of these sayings may help to illustrate who I am.

 Click on the pen and paper to read some of my favorite sayings.

In my other life, I have one husband, named Gerry; two sons, named Norm and Gordon; and a wonder dog, named Kozak.

To find out more about my whole fam damily click on each of their silhouettes.

Other personal interests I have include:

 Travel

  Music

  Books

There are places I remember ....

I have done a bit of travelling in my day.

In 1982, Gerry, Norm and I went to Paris  for a month and Scotland for two weeks. It was my first visit to a country where I didn't know the language (France that is, not Scotland!!).  It was a great relief to me when I found out that pointing and smiling could still get you what you needed!

In 1988, Gerry and I were the chaperones for a group of twelve high school students on a six week tour of Europe. Norm also joined us on what we referred to as our "European Odyssey".  We chartered a converted double-decker bus and travelled 12,000 km through thirteen countries!  Interested in foreign currency exchange rates? Check out this link.

In 1992, Gerry, Norm, Gordon and I travelled as a family in China  for six weeks. We had nothing booked ahead and made our plans as we progressed through the country. We travelled on the "hard seats" as the ordinary Chinese person would do, stayed in Chinese Hotels and ate from the food vendors and stalls on the streets. This method saved us a great deal of money but also provided us with an insight that we simply would not have gotten had we stayed in North American style hotels and restaurants. This was without a doubt one of the most interesting and eye-opening trips I have ever been part of.

In 1993, we went as a family and toured Mexico by bus for five weeks. This too was a very enriching excursion for one and all.

In 1994, I was a keynote speaker at the International CML (Computer Managed Learning) Conference in Melbourne, Australia. Gordon came with me and we extended our exploring for another five weeks in New Zealand. Most of our time was spent in the Abel Tasman area of the South Island.  Without a doubt, New Zealand is the most beautiful and welcoming country I have ever had the pleasure of exploring.  

Check out recent news from downunder.

Click to go back to my list of personal interests.

I've got the music in me ....

I was a bit young for the height of Beatlemania but they certainly caught my attention!  Rock and Roll remains some of my favorite music today. Sitting around and reminiscing about the "swinging sixties" is one of my fav things to do.  

Who could ever forget mini-skirts, bell-bottoms, hip-huggers, high-heeled boots, broad belts, beads, tie-dyed shirts, turtlenecks, ruffled shirts, flower power, love-ins, sit-ins, moptops, hippies, go-go dancers, San Francisco, Woodstock, Hair, The Avengers, Tiny Tim, Carnaby Street, Timothy Leary, Mary Quant, Twiggy, Ed Sullivan and The Beatles,  Ed Sullivan and The Rolling Stones, Ed Sullivan and The Dave Clark Five, Ed Sullivan and just about anybody who was anybody in music way back then!

Click to go back to my list of personal interests.

"Those who don't read have little advantage over those who can't."

Books are another of my preferred things with  John Steinbeck  topping my list of favorite authors.  In 1981 we drove from Calgary to Disneyland via the Oregon Coast and Northern California.  One of the best stops along the way for me was in Salinas, California.  We visited the house where John Steinbeck was born and where he spent his entire childhood.  His descriptions of the Salinas Valley came to life as I stood on the veranda of that old house.

My favorite books by him, in order of preference are listed below.  Each of these books has also been made into a movie (which, of course, I don't think was as good as the book!).  

If you want to check out the reviews and other information about these movies click on their link.

1.  East of Eden
2. Of Mice and Men
3. The Grapes of Wrath

If you want information about a movie of your choice I found a great site with lots of movie news, reviews and trivia.   It seems like any movie you can think of is catalogued at this site.  Old or new, it's yours to "view".  Give it a try now.

Click to go back to my list of personal interests.