Dave Allan

Hi, everyone, I'm Dave Allan known to my fellow mediators as "Distant Dave", that's because I live in Victoria, British Columbia, Canada on the West Coast of North America. I am really enjoying helping to get Grid Club going for all the children in Britain. England has a special place in my heart because its where I was born. I lived in London during World War 11 and sat in shelters, lived under a steel table and collected shrapnel. My mother was a war bride and so we came to Canada after the war.

I live in a place called Cordova Bay on the beach. My wife and I have five children and four grandchildren. We have a beagle dog named Bruiser and two cats, Richard Thomas and Towmander. Towmander has six toes on all his feet

I'm a retired school principal (headmaster to you). I have worked with computers for a very long time and was part of the Apple Global Education Network. I have always believed that computers are wonderful tools for learning and I think its great that young children will be able to enjoy a place like Grid Club.

I have a lifelong fascination with cars and motor racing. When I was younger, I built and raced several different kinds of racing cars. Now, I have a very small collection. Its a 1965 Sunbeam Tiger. Now you understand why one of the clubs I'm looking after is the On The Move Club.

Dave Allan has his own company based in Canada. He is currently working as an Editor and Mediator with Grid Club while supporting Intuitive Media with other aspects of the project. His association with IM really began in 1991 when he was part of an Apple Global Education Conference held at Kings College, Cambridge.

Dave holds Bachelors and Masters degrees and did his doctoral work at the University Of Oregon in the United States. He began teaching at the age of 19 and spent 38 years in public education, most of it as a principal (headmaster).

He was instrumental in the Community School movement in North America and established the James Bay Community School in Victoria in the early 1970s. Later his work with computers in education led to his school being designated as an Apple Centre For Innovation. It then became a member school in the Apple Global Education Network.

Dave is a three time recipient of "The Marshall McLuhan Distinguished Teaching Award". He was named the Outstanding Principal in British Columbia in 1990 and was honoured as an "Apple Global Education Fellow" at Askov Denmark in 1992. He brings a wealth of passion, skill and experience to Grid Club.