My Flight Path – ETEC 565A
This flight path includes an introduction, past experience, and my goals for the course and the MET program in general.
First, I would like to introduce myself. My name is Daniel Charron and I have a background in education. I started out my professional career as a 7th and 8th grade teacher. After one year of being a classroom teacher, I changed my career path when I joined the Canadian Armed Forces. I am a Training Development Officer and have been working for the organization for over 5 years.
My job has a lot of different aspects to it, as I am responsible for many different tasks. My main job is to create curriculum for Army courses. We follow a modified version of the ADDIE model to create our courses. Along with Analyze, Design, Develop, Implement, Evaluate the Army has included Validate. I am currently employed by an organization that conducts validation research studies. I participate in the studies by acting as an educational consultant; I help by providing educational recommendations that will improve the instructional programs.
I have been exposed to a lot of different technology within my career. The technology that is used in the Canadian Armed Forces is very unique and has a specific purpose. Simulation is a major tool that is used throughout the organization. Simulation allows for training to occur without having to go out to the field for training. Money savings is a long term benefit as well. The simulators that I have been exposed to range from: driving simulators, battlefield software, and weapon trainers. The simulation technology is well received by the soldiers as it allows them to practice their skills in a less stressful situation.
Our curriculum boards incorporate a new technology that allows for the curriculum to be created at a distance. Being a nationwide organization, subject matter experts cannot always attend boards and using this technology allows members to contribute to the curriculum without being in the same room.
I am currently using a variety of survey software and tools. I have been exposed to Fluid Survey and SNAP. Also, I am the section manager for Microsoft SharePoint, described as a team collaboration software tool. I create databases, sites, and use the SharePoint survey tool.
Writing my flight path gave me the opportunity to think about goals. I considered both, goals for this course, and goals for the whole MET program. Before applying to the MET program, I had considered what areas of education that I am interested in. The educational technology piece stood out to me because of my fondness for technology and how much technology I use on a daily basis both at work and in my personal life. Peering out into the future, technology is going to play a bigger role with learning than it ever has. I wanted to prepare myself for the current and future educational technology. I want to be able to be knowledgeable in educational technology so I can provide advice to leadership on educational technology.
I have two main goals for ETEC 565A, learning about Learning Management Systems and how to create courses for Learning Management Systems. I have very little exposure when it comes to using Learning Management Systems. My only experience has been as a student using the Learning Management Systems. I would like to be further exposed to the benefits of the different programs. Also, I would like to understand the “ins and outs” of the Learning Management Systems; how to use them as an instructor or course creator.
I want to learn how to actually create a course using a Learning Management System. I have created a lot of curriculum but have not had the opportunity to create a course within a Learning Management System. Hopefully I can accomplish that on this course.
I am excited to see where the journey of ETEC 565A will take me. I am sure it will be a learning experience and enjoyable at the same time.
Thanks,
Daniel