mariefrancehetu
Hello, This has been an overall great learning journey . . . I learned much about learning ventures (fictional and real) and felt there were brilliant ventures out there I would love to add to my technological tool box. The highlight of the course, in my opinion, were the OER’s; I really enjoyed viewing, participating and communicating […]
Continue reading In retrospect Posted in: Uncategorized Thank You & Summary of Week 12 Dear colleagues, thank you all for participating in our OER with such enthusiasm. We initially felt that Week 12, being the last week for everyone to work on assignment # 3, would perhaps mean a little less participation . . . on the contrary – we were pleasantly […]
Continue reading Thank You & Summary of Week 12 Dear … Posted in: Week 12: Masters of Educational Technology Thank You & Summary of Week 12 Dear colleagues, thank you all for participating in our OER with such enthusiasm. We initially felt that Week 12, being the last week for everyone to work on assignment # 3, would perhaps mean a little less participation . . . on the contrary – we were pleasantly […]
Continue reading Thank You & Summary of Week 12 Dear … Posted in: Uncategorized
Thanks Week 12 Team,
The activities you provided encouraged participation. I appreciated the opportunity to reflect on my reasons for choosing the MET program and consider how well it has met my expectations. I appreciate seeing the results of the survey so promptly. You all did a great job not only of preparing for week 12 but also of moderating during the week.
Claire
Hello, My elevator and venture pitches outline a learning venture that offers conversational sessions for ESL and FLS learners. Please keep in mind that although the pitches make it out to be a ‘real’ enterprise, and the idea is more than viable – it is fictional in nature . . . (for the moment!) […]
Continue reading Marie-France Hétu’s Elevator and Venture Pitch Posted in: Venture Forum
Good Day Marie-France,
Thank you for sharing your elevator and venture pitches. You can tell that you have a passion for second language development, education and the workplace environments. Your presentation was clear and well laid out and the “live” video footage of workers in action was great to see! With this type of business venture, one would think the government would be interested candidates, especially to help support individuals who may have the basics of FSL, but still need require assistance to become more confident communicators. Would Converse-A-Long have a database of past conversations or mock conversations that users could download and practice? I may have missed that in your presentation. All in all, bravo!
Thanks for sharing
Jon
Hello Jon,
Thank you for your encouragement on my learning venture pitch. There are many governmental programs within the ministries to help employees become bilingual, particularly if a job requires you to oupdate your language profile. This being said, taking group courses is often not enough to provide adequate second-language practice for students, this is how an enterprise such as Converse-a-long would fill a gap.
Conversations take place between a client and a teacher ‘live’ over Skype or on the phone according to the client’s availability. Conversations would be based on client need, this means simply conversing on specific topics, or practising for an exam.
Cheers!
Marie-France
Bonjour Marie-France.
I’ve tried to view your videos but I always receive the notice saying “sorry there was an error encountered while loading this video”. Do I need to download a special program to help view these? I see that Jon was able to view them so please let me know if there is something I need to do.
Merci,
Donna
Hello Donna,
You should just need to click on the play button to view these videos. Perhaps it has something to do with some type of software you need to play the videos, such as mediaplayer or the like. If so you will just need to download this from the Internet – It is free I believe. Vimeo is just a place where I ‘store’ my videos. Have you tried to view HD videos on your computer before . . . has it worked?
Hope that helps – let me know if it doesn’t.
Marie-France
Hi Marie-France,
I really like the idea of a venture that helps people to find others with whom they can get oral practice in a second language as learning a new language without such conversation is very difficult! I think that the ways in which you explain all of the possible reasons for someone to want such a service is very beneficial for your venture. I was, however, left uncertain about a few things, the first of which was exactly what form this venture takes – is it a website? It seems somewhat like a language tutoring system so I wasn’t entirely sure whether it was a technology based venture, apart from the use of skype. As well, in your elevator pitch you did not explicitly state which languages Converse-a-long currently supports, though I assume it is French from the titles you used! I would be curious to know which languages are the most sought out – would you also offer English oral practice, for example?
Overall, a very interesting plan!
Thanks,
-Meggan
Hello Meggan,
Converse-A-Long is a service that is offered to clients who wish to practice their second-language with professional teachers either through Skype or phone or in person. It is a learning venture that uses technology, both for advertising and for the actual ‘conversing’. In the Elevator pitch I mention ESL and FLS, this means English Second-language and Français langue seconde. In the Venture pitch I do mention that contrary to our rival we offer our service in both official languages. So yes we do offer English oral practice.
Please keep in mind of course that this business if fictional – all the characters in the venture pitch are playing along if you would. It is easier to discuss the venture as if it were real however.
Thank you so much for your feedback, I will look at yours this evening.
Marie-France
Bonjour Marie-France,
At last I was able to view your 2 videos, Well done. It’s amazing but your Venture Pitch is very similar to mine. If you have a chance to listen to my idea, let me know what you think.
Your Converse-a-long Elevator pitch was visually appealing and you covered many important points, especially the importance of being bilingual in order to be competitive in the job market.
The idea of “tailored conversational sessions” is catchy and your choice of communicating through Skype shows that you are looking at inexpensive solutions for students and adults who are wanting oral practice for the second language that they are learning.
You mention “oral pocket books”. These are obviously handheld devices and you have chosen a good choice of words to visually describe your product.
I would have like to have seen more numbers and target goals so that I, as a possible investor, could have a better idea of what profits there are to be made in your company. A more detailed future plan of your next few years might offer more information on where you would like to go with Converse-a-long.
A very, well presented Venture Pitch.
Donna
Hi Marie-France,
Wonderful presentation. I enjoyed your elevator and venture pitches. I especially found your promotion of the Converse-a-Long team to be very effective. I found that by emphasizing the team early on, it highlights the expertise and knowledge of the product. Very good thinking!
I found that the fact that Converse-a-long is conducted mainly via Skype to offer lower overhead costs. It’s excellent you brought that into the discussion. It’s also effective that you point out that Converse-a-long does not offer direct competition with ESL institutions.
However, I thought that your pitches could’ve been stronger had there been some financial analyses. As an investor, I am somewhat wary about investing my money without some breakdown of how I could benefit in the upcoming years.
Otherwise, this is a very strong presentation. Congratulations!
Allan
Hello Allan,
Thanks for you feedback! You are right, my presentation would have been stronger had I provided more of a financial analysis, something I found difficult to do seeing converse-a-long is merely a figment of my imagination. Finance is also not my strong point and I’m afraid it shows.
Thanks for your honest opinion of my presentation.
Marie-France
Hi Marie France,
Your venture addresses a common challenge of pairing native speakers with French language learners to facilitate practice conversing. You did a thorough job of describing Converse-A-Long. Nice touch to include photos of the team; including spoken introductions would make this section even stronger. Offering the flexibility of conversing online, by phone, or in person is likely to attract a wide range of users. It’s not clear whether you provide anytime, anywhere service for face-to-face sessions outside the Ottawa area. With your plan to expand into Spanish language options it would be helpful to include information about who will offer expertise in that area. Overall a well thought out venture. Well done.
Claire
Hi Claire,
Thank you for your feedback! I agree that a short video presentation from the teachers would have been great, but my daughters and husband were not willing to go that far in playing along. I mention Converse-A-Long is based and offers services in the National Capital area, which includes Ottawa and Gatineau and that I wish to expand to Toronto by 2016 – but perhaps that is not clear enough in the presentation.
Thanks for your encouragement!
Marie-France
Great job Marie France, your background as a french teacher brings credibility to your venture and you did a great ob describing how the venture would work. I like that you are planning to expand into Spanish as it shows investors that there is upside to this venture.
Greg
Hello Greg,
Thanks for your encouragement! In hindsight, reflecting on my colleagues’ comments and after viewing many other venture pitches I realize I should have further expanded on my expertise, and that of the fellow teachers, to really bring more credibility to the project.
Cheers!
Marie-France
Hi Marie-France,
I really enjoyed learning about your venture! I’m treating it as a real one because it seems extremely realistic and viable, coming from someone who has taught ESL and FLS. Please don’t feel like you have to answer all my questions, though.
Teaching a second language face-to-face allows for a much richer learning experience than training over the phone. For example, in F2F sessions, the confidence level is much easier to assess and allows you to use tools like flash cards, recording devices, visual aids, supporting reading and writing materials and much more. How do you compensate for the difference in service quality? Different price ranges, perhaps? How do you assess whether phone training is good enough to meet a student’s needs? What with the huge financial value of contracts, and having a federal employee’s career on the line, are you prepared to guarantee excellent results with the over-the-phone and sometimes-glitchy Skype services?
If you offer anytime, anywhere services, I understand the need to increase your staff. Many 2nd language schools have a reputation for treating their teacher-employees poorly, giving them inconsistent schedules. How can you prove that this is not the case in your venture, with anytime, anywhere scheduling? I know that’s not directly related to your venture, but it would certainly have an impact on it if turnover were high, and the quality of your services would suffer. The service you offer of meeting people face-to-face may be a challenge too, especially with the NCR being sometimes difficult to travel through. How can you minimize the cost of travel if you have students located anywhere from Gatineau to Kanata?
Your competition is potentially high, what with the NCR being populated with loads of bilingual people able to offer a similar service over Skype. Are you aware that Skype offers programs that make it easy for clients and teachers to connect and that it facilitates payment methods?
How is it that you are not in competition with companies that offer courses based on progressive lesson plans?
I think both of your videos are very well constructed, with great use of audio/visual content and music that doesn’t over-power your voice.
I agree with you that knowing more than one language has a very positive impact on individuals’ lives and on society! If you do go forward with this venture, I wish you a lot of luck!
Cheers,
Dan
Hello Dan,
Thank your for your feedback and questions. I have answered them as if my venture were real.
I absolutely agree that f-2-f or blended environments are best for learning languages, that is why Converse-A-Long does not compete with language schools or programs that offer these types of courses. Rather we offer complimentary conversational practices, because in my experience as a FLS teacher students in group classes don’t get enough oral practice.
Converse-A-Long does not offer support with reading or writing skills, all we offer based on our expertise and student need is conversational sessions.
Not even the most professional schools (the military one I work for included) can guarantee a student will pass an exam, so Converse-A-Long would not be able to offer that guarantee. However, because of our expertise in preparing students for the exam, we could certainly offer simulations of the exam to better prepare students.
Because Skype is not always reliable, we could certainly offer to phone a client (our cost if any is incurred) if the conversation through Skype does not work, and we are already part of the special Skype plan for businesses and clients. It would be more expensive for us to come to an individual’s workplace if a client wants that type of service, but some clients might choose that option, especially if practising for an oral government test.
Strangely enough there is no other company offering this type of targeted conversational service in the Ottawa\Gatineau area. We believe interested candidates will take advantage of the anywhere\anytime service offered, which means that most of them are looking for convenience and want to converse from home or work using the easiest method possible – probably Skype or phone. For those who want in person service, it costs more, so there would be a tendency to have less clients willing to pay the price.
I have travelled a great deal across Ottawa and Gatineau and apart from peak hours, travel time is quite reasonable from one end of the city to the other – unless it is rush hour, and likely we would not make appointments during that time if possible. The increase in demand means we need to grow, which means we have had to refuse or postpone some sessions until we increase our staff. This is why we need the funding to help us handle the hiring and training period of more staff and then time to expand our venture.
Thanks for your honest feedback and asking all these questions, it really sounds as if you were a real investor.
Marie-France
Hi Marie-France,
I’m glad that you say you’re not able to guarantee results. Some schools are over-optimistic with the claims that they make.
Now I understand why you say you are not in direct competition with second language schools; your services are compliemnetary to theirs. Still, while these schools offer training in writing, comprehension and conversation, nothing stops them from offering their own conversation-based training. Individual students will request these services and pay out of pocket if they have to because their career is on the line. I’ve seen schools offer this service and wouldn’t underestimate its value as competition to you.
As for travelling through the city, sure it’s quick enough in a car, but a company like yours, that is situated in a city is likely to hire a significant amount people who travel by bus. A lot of 2nd language teachers I know rely on public transportation. For them to travel from one client to another takes a lot of time, wears on the body and is often a reason to quit for a more stable work environment.
Overall, I still think your venture is strong and has a lot of potential in the real world. Whether or not you go forward with this project, I wish you the best!
Dan
Marie-France, as a current visitor to your area of the country, can I take a short course with your product? Is there accommodation made for the many visitors who come to the Ottawa/Gatineau region and stay for up to 2 weeks? Being immersed in the language of the area would certainly add value to my trip as I could holiday and learn.
I’m not sure I fully understand who the clients are for your venture as you described it. Who is actually handing you money for this service? Are there corporate or individual clients, or both? Is the market in Ottawa ready for skype conversations, particularly with privacy issues (not knowing who else may be in the room at the other end!)?
You mentioned that Toronto may be the next move for your venture. Are you prepared for a very different learning culture in the Big Smoke? What marketing strategy will you use to gain client base in a tough second language market? Just a few questions before I consider investing.
Helen
Hello Helen,
What excellent questions!
First a few precisions:
– We offer our second-language conversational sessions to anyone in the NCR who wishes to practice their second language.
– Our clientele mainly comes from students already taking second-language courses or following language programs, since we are a complimentary service that fills in the need for extra conversational practices.
– We would not be able to provide clients coming in from out of town with accomodation, but certainly our web site could have links to things to do in the Ottawa region, perhaps even paid advertising to help us cover the cost of our web site.
– Skype is already used extensively in the Ottawa region, and at our end, Converse-A-Long staff can guarantee privacy, at their end it is the responsibility of the client. Since our conversations are based on practising the language, there is nothing really ‘private’ in the conversations to the point where we need ultra secure lines.
– Prior to expanding to the Toronto area, our company would do a thorough market analysis to see how it could establish its roots. We would investigate possible challenges and differences in marketing strategies, as well as what languages, beyond French and English, Converse-A-Long could expand upon. Targeting a ‘niche’ market in Toronto would be essential, and would likely take time.
Thanks for asking me to elaborate further on my project, it makes the ‘creating a venture’ exercise even more realistic.
Marie-France
Hi Marie-france,
I found both pitches well presented and engaging. The elevator pitch definitely made me want to learn more and move on to the venture pitch. While the music in both pitches was lovely I think it detracted from listening soley to you as CEO (and was what Clark and Mayer (2005) woudl call extraneous sounds.)
I thought you outlined the pain point and solution and how you differentiate from other ventures – to the point when it is actually unique. It was great to meet the team, but as you commented earlier offering more background on their skills would have strengthened the pitch.
The $300,000 grossed figure didn’t give me an indication of loss/profit in the last year. I saw it as less risky to be investing in a venture that was already established, but wasn’t clear what was involved in the expansion of the company. More teachers means more clients but also more wages and taxes – so will increasing staff and business give a logarithmic rise in profits, only a relative rise or no rise at all? Dis it self limiting? Explaining how you have expanded your business to date and been clearer about the low overheads may have helped put my mind at rest about return.
i did wonder if there was a way to tap into the language schools to which you value add rather than compete, and have them market Converse-a-long?
Having focused on the finance I was however enticed by the social implications of this venture. too.
I liked the idea – simple and effective – but I wasn’t completely convinced to invest because I wasn’t sure about the return on investment going forward.
denise
Hello Denise,
Thank you for your excellent feedback on both my pitches. In my self-evaluation I did notice the same strengths and weaknesses you mention.
I wish we could have posted our pitches a couple of weeks ag so that we would have had time to tweak our presentations before submitting them to David.
I really value feedback from my peers, for it is important to know how others view your presentation. It is a hard thing to do to judge how presentations will be perceived on your own. In the real world I would surely have sent my pitch to colleague to get an honest opinion before actually launching it out publicly.
Thank you again for your honest opinion – I appreciate it.
Marie-France
Hi Marie-france,
I agree. It has been good to review people’s pitches. I have learnt a great deal from how you and everyone else approached their pitch, and that was just as important as the direct feedback from everyone. I have loved the innovative ventures everyoen has had!
Sounds like you might consider making your venture a reality – so good luck if you do.
denise
Thank you for sharing your ideas for advancing and improving upon french language skills! I think you have the basis for a potentially profitable venture, however there are a couple of items that should be included within your venture analysis or your pitch. First a foremost, it would be beneficial to include what language Converse-a-Long supports within the opening of your pitch so that viewers are able to identify if it suits their desires for investment. Secondly, I do believe that you could support the business and product using more technology than solely Skype and a website. With audio, video, and mobile technologies advancing and being common tools used within learning, I believe it is pertinent that you implement such within your business to keep current. Without the incorporation of such, I am afraid that many investors might shy away from putting a great deal of money into a venture that could potentially be updated by a more trendy application in the near future. Overall, I appreciate your expertise and time spent on developing a product that obviously meets an educational need. Well done!
Danielle
On behalf of the Week 12 Team, Denise, Lisa, Kim, Regen and myself, I would like to welcome you all to Week 12: Emerging Market Analysis of the MET program Graduate programs in learning technologies are an emerging market, our Week 12 endeavor is a form of meta-analysis as part of ETEC 522. Although there […]
Continue reading Week 12 – Emerging Market Analysis of the MET Program Posted in: Week 12: Masters of Educational Technology
Hi Week 12 team,
Is this the correct link for the article by Sheets, Crawford & Soares?
http://www.americanprogress.org/issues/2012/03/higher_ed_business_models.html
Hello Danielle,
Yes it appears to be the correct link for the article. I clicked it and got the correct article. Is it not working for you?
Marie-France
Hi Marie-France,
If you look at the third link on this page: http://etec522.weebly.com/met-market-success.html you’ll see it is the same as the first link instead of the correct one. (Sorry that the discussion here is about a mistake. I actually really like the OER! It has already influenced a couple of my course choices.)
HI Danielle,
Thanks for picking this up. Glad you are reading the articles!
here is the corrent link and I have updated it on the site
http://www.americanprogress.org/issues/2012/03/higher_ed_business_models.html
Denise
Hello David, I have several questions conerning the formatting for assignment 1: – Are we expected to use APA style? – Is it possible to have some point form (bullets) within the venture analysis? – Also, is it possible to include links directly embedded in the analysis? – Are footnotes acceptable, or are you expecting traditional […]
Continue reading Questions Concerning Assignment 1 Posted in: Questions & Answers
I was also wondering where we submit it. Do we email it to Dave directly or post it in the blog somewhere? Or perhaps that depends on whether it is a paper or a media presentation? Sorry if I missed it in the instructions somewhere.
Janet
Hi Janet,
Yes, the assignments are to be emailed to David.
Hope this helps.
Karon
Thanks, Karon. I thought I had read that somewhere but couldn’t find it. I should have persevered!
Janet
HCD Global – The Chinese name, 合得, means ‘winning together’, Description of venture HCD Global is a young company that promotes collaborative, interactive learning and teaching. They offer learning programs and tools that provide students with skills adapted to 21st century technological needs. They have really revolutionized China’s corporate training, for example they were the […]
Continue reading HCD Global – Entrepreneur critique Posted in: Week 04: Entrepreneur Bootcamp
Marie,
It sounds as though the company has been quite successful in the corporate world. Was there much information on the company’s role in formal education (K-12 or tertiary)?
gillian
Future Learning Finland I would not support this venture based on this elevator pitch, although I find the idea of collaborating between countries a worthwhile learning venture. Message The video of the conference is of very poor quality and personally I find that a PowerPoint presentation makes for a boring presentation. I lost interest after […]
Continue reading Future Learning Finland – venture critique Posted in: Week 03: Analyst Bootcamp Learning Unlimited I would support a venture of this nature, but I am not convinced in supporting this specific one based on the elevator pitch. Although I find the idea of a learning venture/collaboration between universities and high schools both important and a good idea to motivate learning, I found the elevator pitch lacked many […]
Continue reading Learning Unlimited I would support a ven… Posted in: Week 03: Analyst Bootcamp Learning Unlimited I would support a venture of this nature, but I am not convinced in supporting this specific one based on the elevator pitch. Although I find the idea of a learning venture/collaboration between universities and high schools both important and a good idea to motivate learning, I found the elevator pitch lacked many […]
Continue reading Learning Unlimited – Venture Pitch Critique Posted in: Uncategorized
I agree with your criticism that this pitch is too self-absorbed, really preaching a movement rather than pitching a venture. Take note – this is a chronic problem for learning technology ventures pitched by educators, who often become so passionate about the learning potential that they don’t even discuss the venture mechanics, thereby losing investor interest. Investors really want to see passion in a pitch, but if that passion is misplaced it can be deadly.
David
Hello David,
This past week has been an interesting one as I embark on designing my own elevator pitch. By learning to be critical of the pitches I viewed I have noted many traps I could easily fall into. For example, there is a fine line between being passionate and self-absorbed. I also find that it appears extremely challenging to cover all the important points and get a clear message across, while remaining passionate.
This was a great exercise to really see what makes or breaks a pitch.
Review of Top ten Tech predictions for 2011 – By Chris Dawson I personally have some difficulty with the idea that education is a marketplace. For many years I believed that classrooms should be commerce-free, but I now realize, particularly since starting this MET program, that the digital learning experience has a price-tag. With all […]
Continue reading Review of Top ten Tech prediction… Posted in: Uncategorized
Hi Marie
I very much agree that “1:1 should be a learning initiative instead of a tech initiative” and when we first started to look at building technology into our learning platform it was the technology driving the decisions and not the pedagogy (this was largely a function of it being the easiest for the IT department). We have remedied the problem and made sure pedagogy is driving the bus, but there will still be difficulties and require, as you noted, concerted effort from the teachers to implement the plan.
I think this was a solid review of the review. Would you seek it out again?
Hi Dave,
At our school we still have to work at building a bridge between the learning and tech initiative. Essentially there is little communication between the IT team, the educators and the folk who hold the purse strings. Thus it makes it hard to have and use technology that fits within the established curriculum. It is up to the teachers to take the time to foster some technology within course delivery – but this is time consuming and many teachers simply abandon the idea, either from the lack of skills or time.
We still have a long way to go to achieve learning initiatives that go hand in hand with tech initiatives . . .
Hi Marie,
Great critique analysis, although the authors stated that the tablets implementation is inexpensive but I must agree with you that it would be expensive and will most likely go over the budget at the end. For example, if the iPad was being used the apps are not for free and there will be additional cost for that. Even for tablets such as andriod based ones have free apps for students to use, we also need to put into consideration that these tablets will need to be refreshed at some point, updating and servicing may be needed hence this would also add an additional cost such as labour fee and etc. The technology itself can be inexpensive but the implementation as a whole can be expensive.
Just my thoughts.
– Karon
Hi Karon,
I agree that implementing a 1:1 teaching\learning philosophy using tablets for example would be quite expensive. However, if technological tools are used fully within the course curriculum, it could also save on purchasing books and other gadgets like calculators and computers, ipods and so on. Tablets can be passed down to other classes as well. I think what’s important is to consult educators on what technological tool could be used and how it would be used before purchasing anything.
If schools purchase tools that appear less expensive, but are limited in how they can be used, then perhaps they end up being a waste of money in the end. At my school, an Ipod has been bought for each student and teacher. At about 300$ each these tools are hardly ever used . . . However, if Tablets had been bought instead, our FSL classes could have used them as dictionaries, to blog, to read news items and so on – to name but a few uses for both class and homework assignments. So in the end it would be a better long-term investment.
Thanks for sharing your thoughts Karon
Hi Marie-France,
Thanks for the review.
I agree with the statement that “1:1 should be a learning initiative instead of a tech initiative”. I see it having two meanings; student learning and teacher learning. Sometimes, what starts as a tech initiative, becomes a valuable learning experience for the teacher. The increase in confidence and experience can then take the focus off technology and allow the teacher to see the initiative as a learning one. It can be a matter of perspective.
I sometimes begin to use a tool because of its promised technological value and once i see what it can do, my focus changes to the pedagogical.
Bridget
Hi Bridget,
You bring up an important point, I do believe that for many teachers fostering technology within their course curriculum is an adventure . . . it takes time and energy to find just the right tool, app or web site to integrate to your lesson.
I find achieving a learning initiative with technological tools requires research and lots of trials and errors. The most challenging aspect is trying to foster technology within a strict curriculum. Most conventional curriculae leave little room for creativity and are especially focussed on performance and achieving set standards.
Although there are many challenges to surmount, I do feel that it is well worthwhile to explore technological tools and slowly integrate them within course delivery.
Thanks for sharing your thoughts Bridget.
Hi Marie-France,
I like the many ideas you mention in your critique, in particular the Tablet. I have heard of teachers (abroad) that use them in conjunction with Smartboards. Each student is given a tablet and can collaborate as a class on the board. This way the teacher isn’t leading the learning and can walk about the class observing and facilitating students were needed. As a Math/Physics teacher I can think of a myriad of constructivist learning approaches that would marry with this design. This could also work with laptops and Elluminate (online whiteboard software with chat and video)….a more economic approach.
Cheers, Steve
Hello all, I’m pleased to recognize some learning colleagues from previous courses and also glad to make new acquaintances. ETEC 522 is my 6th course and I am excited to embark on this new learning venture! For those of you who don’t know me yet, I live in Gananoque on a horse ranch and […]
Continue reading Hello all, I’m pleased to recogn… Posted in: Uncategorized
Hi Marie-France, it’s nice to ‘see’ you again. I’m also excited (that is, anxiously eager!) about the blog format. It should be very really interesting to learn this way!
May
Hi May,
I hope you had a nice break and I’m glad to see you are as excited as I am with this new form of learning and sharing.
Marie-France
Hi!
Great to see another language teacher on the course! Your job sounds very interesting! Looking forward to hearing more!
Danielle
Hi Marie-France,
I look forward to this opportunity to work with you prior to moving on to ETEC590 and ending the formal portion of my MET journey. This course looks like it will be a great adventure with its different format and content.
Hi Claire,
Nice to be taking this course with you . . . are you also taking ETEC 590 this term? You are so close to the end of the program – it must feel great! What do you plan to do after you finish the program?
Marie-France
Hi Marie France,
In addition to this course I’m taking LLED565, a drama, literacy, and diverse learning summer institute. There’s an online session on June 9 and then one week on campus from July 3-7. In September I’ll start 590. I have mixed feelings about being done as I’ve learned so much and will miss the stimulating, thought provoking discussion and the assignments that have led to me creating valuable resources. At the same time my tech/teaching tool kit is bulging and I’m anxious to have more time to apply what I’ve learned. I’ll be keeping myself busy with managing the community arts centre which opens in September and am also considering marketing the visual arts courses I’ve written. I’m also going to do a bit of f2f teaching both at the arts centre and at my school.
Hi Marie-France
Nice to see you again. I look forward to learning with you this term.
Valerie Wells
Hi Marie-France,
It’s great to work with you again.
Leonora
Before you publish your posting, please make sure that you select a category (eg. Introductions) as well as assign some meaningful tags (keywords).
Meggan Crawford 8:19 pm on August 3, 2012 Permalink | Log in to Reply
Hi Marie-France,
I like your adjustment of the OERs to get extra time for feedback on the pitches. I definitely agree that this adjustment would be helpful and everyone would still be able to engage with all of the OERs. It also might help to keep people fully engaged with each OER, as it felt as though people were more focused on their pitches than the OERs in the last few weeks.
Good thinking!
-Meggan
mariefrancehetu 12:21 pm on August 4, 2012 Permalink | Log in to Reply
Hello Meggan,
Thanks for responding . . . It is a bit normal to concentrate on the pitches as they require quite a bit of time to create, so it would be nice to have extra time to work on them without feeling the need to cut back on OER participation.
I think the idea of gathering constructive criticism in an open forum at the end of a course is daring and useful. I think all MET courses should do this, there is always room for improvement and to get a learner’s point of view is a great way to improve the learning experience from course to course.
Cheers!
Marie-France
Denise 12:56 am on August 4, 2012 Permalink | Log in to Reply
Hi Marie-france,
i agree about your comments about the community of practice.
I can see some benefit in your suggestion about the OERs and more time for pitches, but I also wonder what the benefit of sprucing up the pitches for final submit would be (apart from better marks?) . I have learnt a lot from people’s comments and seeing other pitches . What I would suggest rather than more time revising the pitches that we submit the pitch reflection after the week of feedback and reflect on what we noticed when we posted, what we learnt from other people’s comments and other pitches and then outline changes we would make.
Cheers
denise
mariefrancehetu 12:28 pm on August 4, 2012 Permalink | Log in to Reply
Hello Denise,
I think that if the peer evaluation is part of the project it would really make it more ‘real’. In real life one would never launch a venture pitch unless it has been seen by an audience willing to give you feedback. Whether you actually get a better mark or not is irrelevant, but the creation process is more complete if you include a peer review that allows you to make changes (or not) to your presentation.
I like your idea of reflecting on what we learnt from peers’ comments, and instead we could say or outline the changes we did make.
Cheers!
Marie-France
Denise 4:11 am on August 5, 2012 Permalink | Log in to Reply
HI Marie-france,
I don’t think we are disagreeing. I absolutely agree – peer evaluaiton has been incredibly important – I am just not sure I would want to redo my pitches (esp as they are hypothetical). The advantage of the reflection after viewing everyone else’s pitch and feedback is that is integrates it all without the need to redo the pitches.
denise
toddpowell 10:51 am on August 4, 2012 Permalink | Log in to Reply
I really appreciated your comments on the communication and postings. I found it difficult if I wanted to be in a “discussion thread” with someone, who had posted a day previous. There were so many posted after, that I know that the individual who I was aiming at wouldn’t be reading mine.
Cheers,
Todd
gillian 10:54 am on August 4, 2012 Permalink | Log in to Reply
Marie-France,
Some very constructive ideas. I think overall an overall message is emerging through yours and others’ suggestions is the missed opportunity to engage more fully in a community of practice.
gillian
mariefrancehetu 12:29 pm on August 4, 2012 Permalink | Log in to Reply
Hello Gillian,
Any suggestions on how to improve or increase opportunities to engage more fully in a community of practice?
Marie-France
gillian 2:18 pm on August 4, 2012 Permalink | Log in to Reply
I have mentioned a few in my own post above yours, but I think the best opportunity is one mentioned by others and that is the opportunity for peer feedback on assignments.
gillian
Dennis Pratt 3:15 pm on August 4, 2012 Permalink | Log in to Reply
Marie-France;
I agree that a category needs to be mandatory as I submitted a post and then realized it was not in the proper category. Once I figured out how to switch it over some of the editing was changed and there was no way to change it back.
Good suggestion!
Dennis