Enough reading, I’m taking the plunge. This is my first course in MET, and I’m a little surprised ETEC522 is the first one for me. It should be an invigorating start. I like the online aspect because I’m really into anywhere anytime and lifelong learning, and because I have a long commute.

I’ve been working in multimedia and distance education for the last fifteen years and currently work at UBC in the Faculty of Medicine helping with their distributed program.  My career has taken a circuituous route through teaching in Northern Quebec, overseas, then doing a MA in Applied Linguistics, to developing language labs and software at UBC, to seven years online course design and support at Athabasca University while taking the odd course now and then on the way.

This course looks like it will give me a more current and corporate perspective on educational technology.  I hope to see an overview of emerging technologies beyond what I’ve been able to work with in my current position. It’s also a great opportunity to see what is going on elsewhere. I look forward to working with all of you.

Here are the teams for Modules 4-11.

We looked at the special requests posts/comments in the blog, as well as those that came to the two Davids via email. Everyone who requested a preference got their first choice. The teams are now set.

MODULE TEAMS:

Module 04: Noah Burdett, Tony Di Palma, Barbara Mair, Ed Stuerle, Erik Van Dusen, Cari Wilson (6)

Module 05: Ammar Al-Attiyat, Iris Chan, Amy Frank, Cindy Leach, Leonard Pelletier, Lorne Upton (6)

Module 06: Barry Carter, Byron Kask, Elizabeth Hood, Greg Lewis, Annette Smith, Eveline Yu (6)

Module 07: Kathleen Cavanagh, Cathy Jung, Mervyn LaBrash, Robert Powell, Erica Toombs (5)

Module 08: Ian Doktor, Sean McMinn, Ernest Pao, Jennie Wong (4)

Module 09: Jay Dixon, Sharon Hann, Jeffrey Laird, Omar Ramroop, Adam Rattray (5)

Module 10: Marjorie Del Mundo, Stuart Edgar, Ashley Jones, Beverley Knutson-Shaw (4)

Module 11: Michel Lacoursiere, Dawinder Mann, Mark Reed, James Richardson, Cecilia Tagliapietra (5)

Additional instructions will be coming along shortly via email to connect you with your team members.

You may wish to get acquainted with your topic and team members in the interim before kickoff on October 5.

When your group convenes to achieve its focus and activities for the class, we suggest that you each take on a specific role on the team (whether these roles are exposed to the full class or not) that you can then use as a framework for the self-evaluation that we’re expecting — outlined in the grading rubric and course requirements for Assignment 2.

d.

About Me

My name is Barrie Carter.  I live in Burnaby, British Columbia, Canada.  In 1993, I graduated from the University of Victoria with a B. Ed. (secondary curriculum) in English and drama, and, in 2006, I graduated from UBC with a post-graduate diploma in special education (general studies).  Finally, I enjoy hiking, walking, biking, canoeing, camping, listening to jazz, and lifting weights as well as playing chess, tennis, and badminton.

About My Experiences

I work in New Westminster, B.C.  Currently, I teach English 8, social studies 8, ADCAPP 8, French 8, and computers 6/7 at Queensborough Middle School during the day, and English 11 at New Westminster Secondary in the evenings.

I was a full-time resource teacher at Ecole Glenbrook Middle School in New Westminster for five years. I was responsible for a caseload of approximately 15 students, ranging from mild learning disabilities (MLD) to severe learning disabilities (SLD), from Moderate Behaviour to Intensive Behaviour Intervention (for example, ADD, ADHD, ODD, OCD, FASD, FAE), from Noonan’s Syndrome to Sotos Syndrome to Down’s Syndrome, and from Asperger’s Syndrome to severe Autism. As well, I taught  ADCAPP 6 and computers studies 8 throughout the day and sometimes Communications 11 or 12 in the evenings.

Previously, I worked at the Vancouver Learning Centre as a part-time teacher of alternate education. Here, I taught students who (a) sustained brain injuries caused by car crashes, (b) survived strokes returning to upgrade, (c) dropped out of school, (d) had mild to moderate behavioural issues, (e) experienced school expulsions and substance abuse, (f) lived with chronic health issues like diabetes, and (g) lived with ADD, ADHD, ODD, and OCD.  As well, In Masset (on the Haida Gwai’i/Queen Charlotte Islands, B.C.), I taught at George M. Dawson Secondary as a classroom and resource teacher.  Here, I was 4/7 classroom teacher, teaching CAPP 10, Social Studies 10, Essentials of Math 9, and Essentials of Math 10, and 3/7 resource teacher/case manager, teaching students living with Asperger’s, FAE, and FASD.  Finally, in West Vancouver, B.C., I taught at Ridgeview Elementary.  Here, I was a learning assistance teacher, teaching students who had difficulties learning subject matter and meeting course expectations. Then, I taught at Westcot Elementary, as an acting resource teacher. Here, I worked with students living with spina bifida, autism, chronic health, and behavioural issues.

About ETEC 522

I enrolled in ETEC 522 because I have no idea how to launch a learning technologies venture, let alone what it all means.  However, I am looking forward to the journey even though I know that it will be a steep learning curve for me.  As well, I am looking forward to the collective knowledge and to the tools associated with learning technologies.

I look forward to learning from you.

Cheers,

Barrie

Hello Everyone!

My name is Eveline Yu and I am very excited to be back for another semester of MET.  I must say that this blog format is an exciting change from the Vista platform.  I am also happy to say that this course begins my halfway mark in completing this MET program.

Currently, I am teaching English, Communications, and Social Studies at a BC Offshore School in Beijing, China.  This is my 9th year teaching on and off overseas…and although it has been (and still is) an amazing adventure, I still love to call Vancouver my home!

Finally, I would like to say that it’s great to finally put a face to some of the names I have seen for the past years!  I have enjoyed all my previous MET courses and I look forward to working with you in this one!

My name is Anthony Di Palma and I and this is my first semester of working towards my MET degree.  I am currently on leave from a position with the Halton Catholic District School Board near Toronto.  I have been teaching biology and chemistry at Christ the King Secondary for the past 4 years in Georgetown, Ontario.  I did my undergraduate degree in Biological Sciences from the University of Guelph Ontario and I have my Graduate Diploma of Education from the University of Wollongong in NSW Australia.

I am very excited about collaborating with all of you for the next 3 months.  I find online education to be an exciting and challenging environment to learn in.  Best of luck to us all this semester!