MET Graduation
Jul 3rd, 2011 by Michele Brannon-Hamilton
What a wonderful opportunity it was visiting the University of British Columbia in May for graduation! I decided to finish my journey through MET on campus because I wanted to meet the instructors, connect with classmates, and visit the campus. I’m so glad I did!
My husband and I arrived in BC the day before graduation so we would have time to visit Vancouver and find the campus. I was stunned by Vancouver’s beauty, especially the UBC campus. We stayed with a dear grade-school friend of mine who lived minutes from downtown, the ocean and the campus. It was the first trip we’d ever taken without the kids.
Graduation was spectacular. Because I took all my courses online from Ontario, it was a bit unnerving arriving at the ceremony alone. However, within minutes I’d met classmates and was caught up in the excitement. The gracious staff made sure everything went smoothly so we could concentrate on having a great time. I wasn’t surprised since the whole MET experience had been extraordinary.
After the ceremony, the MET professors threw us a graduation party where I met classmates from Canada, India, China, Jamaica and Japan! Putting names to faces was such fun because after 2 years of studying, I felt like I knew my classmates well even if I didn’t know what they all looked like. It was wonderful meeting the professors in person too.
The whole MET experience was life changing. I grew as a person by learning about educational technology and collaborating with professionals all over the world. I would never have guessed that an online education could be so engaging and interactive.
I have also advanced my career as well. I turned my 2nd assignment in ETEC 520, writing a plan to incorporate educational technology into a college, into a new job – eLearning Resource Consultant – at my local college. I’m now researching and designing a virtual learning commons.
If you’re interested in hearing more about my ideas, please connect with me on LinkedIn or follow me on Twitter @MicheleBrannon. I’d also love to hear your ideas. As I learned in MET, we all have so much to learn from each other!