My Etec 565a Portfolio

E-portfolio activity #1:  Flight Path

Introduction

My name is Marc Aubanel and I am new to education. For the last two years I have been an instructor and academic director for two game programs at The Art Institute of Vancouver.  Previously,  I spent my professional career working in digital media arts having run and edited multiple television shows and having produced over 50 video games.

Not only have I run large teams and dealt with complex systems, I have experience building websites, maintaining servers, scripting, using a variety of media arts software, designing interactive experiences and solving problems through technology.

This is my very first post graduate and MET class.  My goals for this course are first to get up to speed and learn what is expected from me as a student of post graduate studies.  Secondly, I need an introduction to the digital tools that are used in education.  I am interested in seeing whether the challenges and outcomes of technology in education match those of working with them professionally in a studio setting.  I want to discover how technology has affected both teaching and learning for undergraduate students.  Through exploration, I will become more familiar with current academic findings and research in this area.

What do I want to learn about LMS?

I have no previous experience with learning management systems.  I have used content management systems for both web and games.

In the classroom, I am currently a luddite.  I am limited to using Excel, a bare bones wiki, and Keynote for my classes.   I rely on lectures and my professional experience and have not had time to post more electronic resources for my students.

I need to design a class that is made for the “digital-age learning experiences and assessments’ (International Society for Technology in Education, 2008). I want to author and develop tools that will better allow students to apply the material through collaborative student centric learning, using digital media to enhance their experience.

I intend to learn enough to update my course and experiment using a learning management system in the classroom.  I am especially interested in how students and instructors interact differently in a blended classroom setting.  Will this blending encourage more group participation outside of the classroom?  Will this blending be a better learning environment for students that are passionate about games – and are a part of the digital culture?

I have humble expectations of what can be learned in such a short amount of time.  Moodle, seems to serve a variety of functions; from administrative, to classroom, to social networking.

What do I want to learn about assessment?

I am particularly interested in assessment regarding online testing and learning. Chickering and Gamson’s (1987) fourth good practice in undergraduate education is to give prompt feedback.  Currently I am assessing work by hand using predetermined rubrics for grading the work.  No matter how well I plan it, due to the subjective nature of the work, I find accurate and meaningful assessment very challenging.  Due to the number of students, prompt feedback is nearly impossible.  I would like to learn different ways to give more meaningful and immediate feedback to students.

What do I want to learn about social software?

I have quite a bit of non classroom experience with media and social software.  I have worked on many collaborative projects online, with language, time zone and cultural barriers amongst team members.  I have used tools such as e-mail, instant messaging, wikis, online collaboration software, content management systems, and Skype to communicate.

Joining the Art Institute two years ago, I assumed that the students would be masters of social media and I would learn from them.  I was surprised to find out how little a 19 year old has changed since my generation and how their use of social software is not applied towards professional and educational development.

Bates & Pooles (2003) state that “An educational program or indeed any Web site should be well structured, intuitive for the user to use, and easy to navigate”.  With the rapid improvement in web scripting tools, website design, interface improvements such as touch screens, the barriers of entry for students is no longer a technological one.  It is now a social barrier of how to collaborate electronically.

I am looking for ways to learn how to encourage my students to embrace social media in a positive way.  They are not using the tools I use, are spoiled by face to face communication in the classroom, and are averse to using technology to work collaboratively online.  This is not dealt with in my curriculum and will need to be addressed.  This class will help me identify where and when social media can be best applied.

What do I want to learn in multimedia?

I want to update my skills in CSS3 and HTML5 as well as become more proficient in Action Script 3 in Flash.  In order to encourage active learning on a computer (Chickering and Gamson’s 3rd principle, 1987) using multimedia to deliver more engaging experiences, I need to start combining my background in games development into my course curriculum by designing richer, more engaging assignments, tests, quizzes, and learning materials.

Conclusion

The resources I will be using are my computer, the classroom, Moodle, flash and other software as it becomes relevant.  I would like to use the class I am teaching as a laboratory to experiment with an LMS in a classroom setting.  Chickering and Gamson’s (1987) seventh principle of good practice in undergraduate education is “respects diverse talents and ways of learning” (Chickering and Gamson’s, 1987, para. 4).  The way I am teaching the class now is too one dimensional, old fashioned and rigid for a student body that has already embraced technology for their education and career.  Through this class, I hope to evolve.

References

Bates, A.W. & Poole, G. (2003). Chapter 4: a Framework for Selecting and Using Technology. In Effective Teaching with Technology in Higher Education: Foundations for Success. (pp. 77-105). San Francisco: Jossey Bass Publishers.

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. http://www.aahea.org/bulletins/articles/sevenprinciples1987.htm

International Society for Technology in Education.  National Educational Technology Standards for Teachers.  www.iste.org/Content/NavigationMenu/NETS/ForTeachers/2008Standards/NETS_for_Teachers_2008.htm