Flight Path
My name is David Berljawsky, I am an educator in the North Vancouver school district. I am currently on sabbatical and moonlighting as a TOC as I work on my Masters of Educational Technology. I have experience teaching LAC as well as Music, French and special behaviour classes. I have also worked in alternative education, which is one of my main educational passions. One of the highlights in the program for me was last semester when I was able research how to create a culturally relevant ICT education program. This leads me to my goals for the program.
One of the main reasons for taking this program is to develop a greater understanding of online education. I am determined to develop a larger understanding of distance education and the utilization of technology education in an alternative system. In regards to this course, I am very interested in the E-Portfolio process and in learning about learning management systems. I believe that this will help me inch closer to my goal of developing an alternative distance education program. I believe that online education constitutes a growing component of modern education. It is the educators duty to make sure that students are properly equipped for the digital age. Of course, history has shown that convincing students that this is the case can be a challenge in itself. “People had to be persuaded that writing improved the old oral methods sufficiently to warrant all the expense and troublesome techniques it involved (Ong, p.95).”
My flight path is to hone these skills throughout the course of the semester. I am uncertain where I will be living next year. I am ideally planning to more to a more rural community in British Columbia or in the North. Distance education is certainly an asset in these communities and I would like to be involved in the development of these programs. I am using this course to learn how to develop and incorporate LMS, assessment and multimedia into a distance education or alternative education program. I believe that modern ICT technology is a tool that can be used to enhance the education that learners receive. Proper implementation of these technologies is essential. Without proper implementation of these tools the students are unlikely to receive an education that allows the students to reach their potential. “Where technology is used and where the teachers are given the right kinds of support and training and the right kind of equipment, then (they) are able to actually implement some of the best theory and practice regarding the teaching of writing (Viadero, p.13).”
I would require the following resources in order to achieve my goals. A education in Moodle and in LMS. I feel that my overall technological education is very strong. However this program (Moodle) still remains a mystery to me. I am aware of its overall potential and would like to be able to harness it for my educational needs.
Viadero, D. (1997b, November 10). A tool for learning. Education Week, 17(11), 12-13, 15, 17-18. Available: http://www.edweek.org/sreports/tc/
Ong, Walter, J. (1982). Orality and Literacy: The Technologizing of the Word. London and New York: Methuen.