Profile
My name is Sean Anderson and I'm based in Tokyo, where I teach English to a fantastic selection of students. I have been here since 2002, and in 2008 decided that I needed to create a web site. This site is my first attempt at creating one from zero and so I have been learning by trial and error. To help me, I used 'Creating web sites: The Missing Manual' By Matthew MacDonald - a great book from the Missing Manuals series.
At first, the website served a few purposes: firstly, it was way for me to develop a skill I didn't possess before, and bring me kicking and screaming into the 21st Century. By developing the site, I have been able to keep in touch with family and friends through the News and Travel sections, and am also a source of information about Tokyo and Japan to visitors from overseas. In addition, because I teach in Tokyo, I needed a way to interact with my students outside of lesson time.
Through talking with students, I realized that many learners enjoy reading stories, but most books are too long and difficult. Of course, it is possible to buy 'readers' which are graded at different levels. However, these are also too long to use in a single lesson. So I decided that as I enjoy creative activities, including art, photography and writing, I would create a Short stories section. This has been successful, and so now Off The Compass is devoted to writing.
I've tried to make navigating the site simple by using bold colours and many links. I hope you find it easy to find your way around and return often to see new content. Of course, feel free to send me comments about anything you see. At the moment, I am rebuilding the site, but I'm updating it as frequently as I can. So, thanks for reading!
Sean 2010