My name is Jenny Wong. I completed my Bachelor of Arts degree at UBC in 2012, while working as an instructional support student at the Learning Centre in the Faculty of Arts. After graduation, I started working full-time at the Learning Centre as an Educational Technologist. I have been providing support to faculty on the use of various technologies and Learning Management Systems for some time now. In 2016, I enrolled in the MET program and here I am in my 8th course! In June of 2017, I took on a secondment position and started working for the Centre of Teaching, Learning and Technology (CTLT) at UBC as the Faculty Implementation Lead for the Learning Technology Ecosystem (LTE) Renewal project. This project is related to the institution’s transition to a new LMS, Canvas, from Connect (Blackboard).
I really look forward to this course because I can see how it relates to the work I do and I believe the knowledge I gain from this course will be applicable to my work place. I have experience using different LMS such as Sakai, WebCT Vista, Connect (Blackboard), BrightSpace (D2L), edX, and Canvas and they are very different in their own ways. One of the things that I’ve learned from the interactions and consultations with faculty is that there is not one system that can do everything and we need to rely on other external learning tools and rely on them in their teaching. The way technology is used and its requirements also vary greatly across disciplines.
Some of the goals I look forward to in this course are:
- How to effectively implement and integrate learning technologies in teaching and learning through learning about the different frameworks and reading on the literature behind these principles. I am very comfortable in learning how to use technologies but I am interested in learning more about the pedagogical pieces of how technology can enhance the student’s learning experience.
- How can we utilize the analytics and data provided from a technology be utilized to inform teaching practices and design of course materials, providing learners with a more personalized learning experience?
- There are limitations to technology which sometimes does not work hand in hand with our pedagogical ideas. What are some best practices on how to address situations like this. Should we modify the design of an assignment to accommodate the technology or vice versa?
- I am interested in exploring different communication and assessment tools that are best suited for face-to-face, blended, or fully online courses. How does the use of these technologies differ in different modes of delivery as well as how to use them effectively?
- We often hear that students are overwhelmed by the different systems that are used across their course in higher education. For example, in a Math course, you are expected to use WebWork but in a Psychology course, you are required to use iPeer. Students have expressed that they want to be able to access everything they need in one place so they don’t have to remember all these different log ins. What considerations should we make as educators when deciding on how many technologies should be used in a course to not overwhelm the students or even teachers?
- As a follow-up to #5, as we use more and more external tools, how do we ensure student data and privacy are protected?
Resources that will help me achieve these goals would probably be real-life examples, the research, theories and frameworks, as well as hearing about the experiences of other peers in this course. For example in Module 1, we were introduced to the SECTION and Seven Principles theoretical frameworks and I found these frameworks a great resource to rely on when thinking about the selection and use of technology.