About

Hi, I'm John. I'm a Research Fellow and cybersecurity professional who is working to improve how we teach children in Ireland about technology and online safety. I believe we should equip young people with a strong understanding of the fundamentals of modern technology before they receive an internet enabled device of their own. To achieve this goal, I am developing a curriculum and offering classes to guide students through the process of building their own smartphone. This will help them understand their devices, apps and data in order to make informed decisions about their actions in the digital world. Along the way, I am also publishing articles on topics of interest for parents. The motivation for creating Digital Knights stems from a desire to best prepare my own kids for their digital futures, and also to help other parents who would like to give their children a similar head start.

My own career has spanned the fields of both education and technology. From helping small groups of primary school ESL students in South Korea learn the basics of grammar to lecturing hundreds of third-level students in Trinity College Dublin on language technologies, I have two decades experience in curriculum development and delivery. The past 10 years has been spent in third level, including roles as a Teaching Assistant in Computer Science at UCD and Assistant Professor of Speech and Language Technologies at TCD. On the technical side, I hold a PhD in Computer Science and ISC2's CISSP cybersecurity certification. I currently work as a Research Fellow at TCD, where I am in charge of infrastructure and cybersecurity for the Irish language AI project ABAIR.

Through the years, I am lucky to have had the opportunity to experiment with a variety of teaching methods, some more successful than others. I have become a strong proponent of hands-on, practical, task-based learning in small groups. This is the context in which I have seen the greatest impact in my own students, and is also backed up by a lot of research in the area. A structured curriculum is necessary to provide a clear path towards achievable goals. The guidance of an expert is required to lead students along this path, while also encouraging creativity and independent thinking of their own. In putting together the Digital Knights curriculum, I have used all the skills and experience gained over the past 20 years to create, what I hope, is an effective means to equip young people with the skills and awareness they will need for their digital futures.

Outside of work, I am a husband, father of two, a keen runner and an even keener golfer. When not working or spending time with family, I can usually be found on the track at Dundrum South Dublin Athletics Club, or on the course at Stackstown Golf Club.

Please feel free to get in touch at the email address above if you have any questions.