BuddyPress.org

Since i’m ten years old, i have been a nerd, a geek, a wizz, a hacker. I’ve been helping people find elegant solutions to complex problems using their computers, tech gear, Web, and in doing so, have developped patience and a very natural way to “dumb things down” with humor and metaphors.
As a teen, i ran my own business of conselling, helping and teaching all sorts of customers in the matter of computers, software and tech. I was very successful and provided excellent customer support.
That brought me to IBM and CGI as computer support technician whre I eventually taught my collegues about proper customer service etiquette. That, and a degree in teaching, brought me to teaching computer support to future technicians in a professionnal school.

During these 9 years as a teacher, i realised that creating a learning and teaching community was essential: i installed a web server, a forum site, produces video tutorials and eventually, Moodle. Than I discovered the Graal in 2002: WordPress.
And I realized that WordPress was easy and powerful enough for everyone to create web sites and maintain learning communities. That changed my life and the life of my collegues.
Since then, i have devoted my time at mastering WordPress: the loop, plugins, themes, localisation, etc.

WordPress allowed me to create photography websites, video tutorials platform, e-commerce websites, communities platform with Buddypress, Event registration platfoem with EventEspresso. And that was just on my spare time.
I, 2008 I have been recruited by the Commission scolaire de Montreal, the biggest schoolboard I know: more than 110 000 students, more than 200 schools as an academic advisor to help create a platform that would allow the 8000 teachers to learn how to integrate technology in their practice, how to create dynamic learning environments exploiting the potential of computers and the Web 2.0 tools.
I spearheaded a project to create a social learning and teaching community built on top of a self-hosted WordPress. We used WordPress to distribute e-learning, to promote an open and connected classroom and today, more than 1200 teachers participate in administering some 330 class blogs serving multiple purposes.
Some are teacher reflecting on their pratice, some are classroom news sites, other are school podcasts. With 1.8 million clicks a year, this site http://cybersavoir.csdm.qc.ca is a great success.