Introducing Bryan Giles

My name is Bryan Giles and I live in Carlsbad with my wife and two sons, ages 5 and 7. I grew up in Falmouth, MA on Cape Cod and went to Falmouth High School. I graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in Economics (with a minor in Political Science) from Bucknell University in Lewisburg, PA in 1992. I plan on entering the CSUSM Middle-Level Certificate credential program in the fall, specializing in Social Studies.

For the last 18 years I have used a PC for personal and business use. My experience with Apple / Mac has been in education, when I used an Apple II many years ago and then a Mac in college. I will be buying a laptop in the next couple of weeks, and I am now leaning towards a Mac. I would appreciate any input / advice about which would be better to use in the CSUSM credential program and then as a teacher. I use my PC and a cell phone on a daily basis. I am currently using Windows XP on my Dell desktop at home, and it is very slow!

The part of the mission statement that I relate to the most is the university's "commitment to student centered education, diversity". One of the tenets of my educational philosophy is giving all of my future students a voice in the educational process. I plan to teach based on student-led discussions and projects and create a learning environment that celebrates diversity.