Learning Technologies: Design & Applications

E-portfolio activity #1:

Flight path during ETEC 565A

(500 words – not counting the references)

Chantal Drolet

Introduction

My professional career started as a regional reporter and then as a national correspondent (Radio Canada). Later, the journey intensified with my quest for active learning in education. I now work (at an independent high school for girls) as the digital film communication curriculum leader.  I am also responsible for the accelerated Spanish program.

Basically, in the film program, we make movies: public service announcements, short narratives, music videos, etc.  The language program (English, French & Spanish) offers the option of trips to various countries. For example, a few years ago students went to Ecuador, where they volunteered in a shelter for disadvantaged kids and where they also created a documentary about the program to help them get more funds.

All my courses focus on culture & communication. My research interests could be summarized by saying: Let’s put the “C” back in ICT- as opposed to IT only. “C” is for: communication; creativity; culture and cinema!

Learning Objectives for the ETEC 565 course

Learning Management Systems (LMS).

• I have created some courses on Moodle, but I still need to investigate the various interactive as well as assessment options, available on this platform.

Assessment:

• One of my goals is to investigate the assessment challenges created by computer technology and its connected resources (audio blogs, video streaming, online mediated communication, information retrieval tools such as the Internet, search engines). The intent is to explore procedural frameworks in which assessment devices (including technological tools) correspond to modern educational rationales.

Social software:

• Research on courses delivered on the web demonstrated that the general strength of e-learning education consists in: active student participation; communication between learner and teacher; and an integral respect for diversity. The researchers also found deficiencies that needed to be addressed. Among others: lack of cooperation between learners; need for timely comments; and problems with interface usability were noted (Graham, Cagiltay, Craner, Lim & Duffy, 2000). I would like to investigate the ways in which these deficiencies could be addressed.

Media studies: 

• Children and teenagers are the main target of the powerful mass media and their messages. We act, think, live and dream depending on what others think about us, so we create this imaginary world where we present ourselves as the reflection of a media constructed image (Christensen, 2000). Can we harness the power of social media to provide students with a vehicle for exploring and creating original content?

Multimedia:

• I would like to continue investigating the validity of digital film communication literacy as an alternative form of media literacy well suited to support female youth’s interests in communication and socialization.

Resources:

• It is my hope to use digital film equipment (camera; editing software; music creation software) to produce instructional films;
• “Moodle” to create interactive activities and assessments;
• UBC’s blog to further my expertise in the creation of e-portfolios.
• Audacity to practice oral skills in Spanish courses;
• Wimba: for spontaneous discussions / it is my intention to discover novel applications;
• Storytelling: the ETEC 565 e-portfolio includes an educational story… this seems to be compatible with what I teach. I am eager to continue developing this type of learning strategy.

References

Graham, C., Cagiltay, K., Craner, J., Lim, B. – R. & Duffy, T. M. (2000). Teaching in a web based distance learning environment: an evaluation summary based on four courses. Centre for Research on Learning Technology, Indiana University. Technical report no. 13-00. Retrieved October 21, 2009 from http://crlt.indiana.edu/publications/crlt00-13.pdf

Christensen, L. (2000). Unlearning the Myths that bind us: Critiquing Cartoons and Society. In reading, writing and rising up: Teaching about social justice and the power of the written word (pp. 40-47) A Rethinking Schools Publication.

Sanders, J. (2005). Gender and technology in education: a research Review. Retrieved October 8, 2008 from: http://www.josanders.com/pdf/gendertech0705.pdf