Flight Path

Erica’s Flight Path:

Might be more easily viewed at:
Flight Path

My experience so far

I have been a Science teacher in North Vancouver since 1995. I began my teaching career in Math, Foods, Sewing and “ESL Science” in the earlier years of my teaching career before being fortunate enough to focus on Chemistry 11 and 12 (Chemistry being my undergrad degree), as well as Junior Sciences.
Before obtaining my PDP from SFU, I worked in an Environmental Assay lab for several years in East Vancouver. In this setting I was analyzing polluted soil and water samples to determine their potential harm to people exposed to these sites. I also took part in the teams that developed the methodologies for performing these environmental assays. It was in this Analytical Chemist role that I realized my penchant for delivering clear instructions and teaching, with an apprenticeship and role modeling perspective (Pratt, 2002).

My goals for this course and for MET

I am currently enrolled in my 6th and 7th MET courses. All the courses I have completed have taught me so many things – about online tools, about offline tools, about teaching and learning. The collaborative spirit in this MET program has renewed my enthusiasm to infuse my own classrooms with the Communities of Practice philosophy (Lave & Wenger, 1991) that I believe to be so beneficial for students’ life long learning.
This program is allowing me to more effectively participate in learning communities that explore creative applications of technology to improve student learning (NETS, 2008). The MET program has also encouraged me to evaluate and reflect on current research and professional practice in the use of emerging digital tools and resources in support of improving the effectiveness of student learning.
This course particularly, will allow me to explore, in more depth, the use of a Learning Management System (LMS) to enrich my classroom activities. My goals for this objective are described in my Flight Path, which follows.

What is my flight path? What do I hope to learn here?

LMS
Exploring a Learning Management System such as Moodle.
I have been exposed briefly to Moodle in previous courses. I am looking forward to learning the intricacies of Moodle set-up. Specific goals for me include learning how to incorporate a variety of multimedia aspects in Moodle and explore the use of quizzes, forums, surveys and wikis. I hope to learn how to create a Moodle course shell that offers more than just a site that provides my downloadable notes in document format, but rather an interactive experience where students can revisit topics relevant to their learning and provide interesting insights during their learning journey.
Anderson (2008) states that teachers can develop skills to respond to student and curriculum needs by “developing a repertoire of online learning activities that are adaptable” to the diverse needs of the learners (p. 66). I aspire to do this with a more experienced use of the Moodle platform, by the end of this course.

Assessment
I have had no experience using any assessment techniques on the Moodle platform. This will be a goal for me in this course as well, in order to learn and employ the functions available for learning assessment, such as an assignment drop box and an eportfolio dropbox for my students. I would also like to incorporate more fully into my classroom an opportunity for continued self-assessment. For effective learning, students “must talk about what they are learning, write about it, relate it to past experiences and apply it to their daily lives” (Chickering & Gamson, 1987).

Social Software
I would like to incorporate a higher degree of online communication and collaborative tools in my everyday classroom. “Frequent student-faculty contact in and out of classes is the most important factor in student motivation and involvement.” (Chickering & Gamson, 1987).
As I perused the reading list for this course, I see authors that have come across my desktop from previous courses. This reading list focuses my wishlist for learning for this course. For instance, I am interested in using Course Management Systems in the Science Classroom (Perkins & Pfaffman, 2006) to increase the collaboration, online communication, and interactivity of the courses that I teach. According to Perkins and Pfaffman, Moodle allows K–12 teachers to create web sites that let students, parents, and other teachers know what is going on in their classes.
I am also interested in Integrating Digital Learning Objects in the Science Classroom (Janson & Janson, 2009), particularly in Chemistry 11 and 12. “DLOs challenge students to question, investigate, analyze, synthesize, problem solve, make decisions, and reflect on their learning” (Janson & Janson, 2009, para 4).

Multimedia
I have a lofty goal of demonstrating an increased fluency in technology systems (NETS, 2008). I am interested in increasing my proficiency in Web publication. As much as I can follow the guidelines on a WordPress site, for example, and create “my own” webspace, I feel that I know little about Web publication to use it effectively in my educational practice. An example of a specific goal is to learn how to employ RSS feeds, and their value as a website application. As I stated earlier, rather than creating a site where my notes are stored or where I can list homework assignments, as I currently do, I would like to develop a multimedia enriched site that allows for two-way communication and opens the doors for exploration beyond assigned homework questions and test preparation.

Necessary Resources
I would require access to a desktop computer, which I have at home and at work. A laptop is a wishlist item, but not a necessity (and something, alas, that I do not currently possess). In order to host a LMS, my school board would have to be able to support such an online system. Currently, my school board is taking strides to increase their support of such systems.

References

Anderson, T. (2008). Towards a Theory of Online Learning. In: T. Anderson & F. Elloumi (Eds.), Theory and Practice of Online Learning. Edmonton AB: Athabasca University. Accessed online 3 March 2009 http://www.aupress.ca/books/120146/ebook/02_Anderson_2008_Anderson-Online_Learning.pdf


Chickering, A.W. & Gamson, Z.F. (1987). Seven Principles for Good Practice in Undergraduate Education. American Association for Higher Education Bulletin, 39 (7), 3-7. Accessed online 11 Mar 2009 
http://www.aahea.org/bulletins/articles/sevenprinciples1987.htm


Chickering, A.W. & Ehrmann, S.C. (1996). Implementing the Seven Principles: Technology as Lever. American Association for Higher Education Bulletin, 49(2), 3-6. Accessed online 11 Mar 2009
http://www.aahea.org/bulletins/articles/sevenprinciples.htm 


Janson, A. & Janson, R. (2009). Integrating Digital Learning Objects in the Classroom: A Need for Educational Leadership. Innovate, 5(3). Accessed online 15 February 2009 http://innovateonline.info/index.php?view=article&id=581&action=article.

Lave, J. & Wenger, E. (1991). Situated Learning: Legitimate Peripheral Participation. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. ISBN 0521423740.

National Educational Technology Standards for Teachers http://www.iste.org/Content/NavigationMenu/NETS/ForTeachers/2008Standards/NETS_for_Teachers_2008.htm

Perkins, M. & Pfaffman, J. (2006). Using a Course Management System to Improve Classroom Communication. Science Teacher, 73(7), 33-37.

Pratt, D.D. (2002). Good teaching: One size fits all? In Jovita Gordon (Ed.), An Update on Teaching Theory. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass. http://www.teachingperspectives.com/PDF/goodteaching.pdf