UBC IT – Michel as EVA
As UBC IT Services is structured and operate very differently from a business venture I chose to look at the pitch from a budgeting and an internal planning perspective. Given the unique nature of this pitch I also chose to omit the competitive products and exit strategy aspects.
EO Credibility
Ted Dodds definitely has a vision of what university-level IT should be and how it should operate. It is clear that he is confident in his abilities as well as his department and has developed the lines of communication to succeed in meeting UBC technological needs.
Management Team
It is clear that Dodds has a clear vision of how his department should be managed as he describes the community-based strategies he has employed. By assigning an E-learning group to each faculty I think his department is better able to meet the needs of those groups and thus succeed as a team in the long-run.
Business Model
I think that UBC’s IT services are not only a vital part of the University’s ongoing success but the department has expanded its operational model into the commercial realm which can greatly improve the feasibility of the department. From a business model standpoint this serves as strong indicator of success.
Beyond their integral role, giving voice to all the stakeholders involved with IT services including administration, management, business and, most importantly, the students further improves their chances of meeting their needs, an act which should define their success as a department.
Market Readiness
As the interviewer states first off E-Learning is a huge part of modern education and Dodds is clear that E-Learning is a “mainstream” and mature component of business and education. As such, it is clear that Dodds sees his department as an integral piece of UBC.
The fact that UBC has managed to sell aspects of their IT developments, such as WebCT, to commercial companies further proves that not only is the education market ready for these innovations but so are commercial businesses. I think that in many ways his group is already succeeding not only are new services getting to individuals and departments in the university but they have managed to sell off some of their more successful components to bring revenue back to the school.
Technical Innovation
I think Dodd’s community and open-source software strategies are refreshing to hear. Historically development along these lines have been hard to develop and commercialize but by focusing on these methods as a source of innovation, direction and production he could be tapping into the individuals that need and care most about the services his group is developing.
Overall Investment Status
To be honest it would be hard for me to argue against focusing on UBC’s IT branch as an important part of the university’s plan going forward. I am sure Dodds, the interviewer and you, my fellow classmates, respect the increased importance of Internet communication technologies we have observed recently in higher education. I would be hard-pressed to pass on “investing” or rather allocating increased funds to further their services as Dodds has made a strong argument for its importance to both UBC and business.
September 20, 2009 1 Comment
Introducing Bev
HI: Please forgive my lateness. I have just returned from Peru where I was hoping to be able to get more work done. Unfortunately I had many technical difficulties- but now I am home and can dig in. I am currently on leave from my job as a junior/senior high math teach in a small rural school in Southern Alberta in order to take my 5th, 6th and 7th MET courses this term. I have thoroughly enjoyed the journey thus far, and expect it to continue to be an amazing year.
Since graduating from UBC with a B.Ed I have taught English and Science in Nigeria, ESL at Okanagan College, Adult Upgrading at Lethbridge College, established both and adult literacy program and family literacy program in my community, and now have been teaching Math and Language Arts in the public system for 11 years.
I have been married to the same wonderful guy for 31 years ( I was just a baby when I married!) We have three great kids. Our last child has just graduated from high school so now we are officially empty nesters, which is bitter sweet. We love to travel, hike, ski, kayak and camp.
Now that our children are finished school we would like to work overseas. I am hoping that having my MET will give options. I am excited about this course and look forward to what ever comes my way!
September 18, 2009 No Comments
September 16, 2009 1 Comment
Hello from Ammar
Hi Everyone,
My name is Ammar Al-Attiyat, I live and work in Cairo, Egypt (but my home country is Jordan), with ETEC 512 I’m taking my 3rd and 4th courses this semester.
I work for a technology company offering e-Learning products and services to clients from the Higher Education and Corporate markets. I manage a courseware development team (mainly instructional designers, multimedia specialists, content developers …etc). Also part of my job is to carry all Pre-Sales activities and support our sales team in the Middle East region (verrrrrrrrry busy traveling schedule most of the time 🙁 !!
It’s now 21 years since I earned my college degree (BSc, Computer Science), I spent the last 12 years of my career working directly with educational technology products and solutions.
My objective is to complement the practitioner/technologist experience I have with the business/theory behind it, I’ve never practiced teaching or training (though I’ve been coaching my subordinates, good or bad coach that’s another story 🙂 … coming from workplace environment, I have personal interest in Adult and Informal Learning (Web 2.0/eLearning 2.0 related technologies).
I’m father of two boys (11G & 7G) they attend an Off-Shore BC school here in Egypt.
I look forward to interact and learn from all of you.
Cheers,
Ammar
September 12, 2009 No Comments
Hi All
I have completed 4 courses in the MET program and am now taking 3 more. I am finding the journey a steep up hill climb, but extremely rewarding. I am not sure what to expect from this course, but am excited to get into it.
I am currently on leave from my job as a jr-sr high math teacher in a small rural school in Southern Alberta. I have no role as a tech advisor in my school, but am very interested in technology integration in education. Having lived and taught in Africa for several years, I am interested in exploring the possibilities of ed. tech in developing areas.
I am looking forward to working with you all.
September 12, 2009 No Comments
Hi from Brian (aka Robert)
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.
September 11, 2009 No Comments
Hello from Barrie Carter
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
September 11, 2009 No Comments
Greetings from Eveline Yu
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!
September 11, 2009 No Comments
Hello ETEC 522!!!
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!
September 11, 2009 No Comments
Hello everyone – looking forward to our learning ventures
Hello fellow learning venture students and learning facilitators. This is my eighth MET course and the end is in sight but I do not find myself in a hurry to end this experience other then the timeline as I feel this is a lifelong learning development. I continue to be optimistic that I will be able to integrate the experiences I have had in the MET program to meet and motivate the increasingly diverse learning needs of my students. My main challenge continues to be finding time to develop my skills but then again who doesn’t. I live on Vancouver Island in a place called Mill Bay and I teach courses at the secondary school in Duncan. Currently they are Sci and Tech 11, First Nations 12, Planning 10 and remedial math. I look forward to working with you all through this course. Mark Reed
I really had to try and add some text to my post as I was a bit tire last night and was having some trouble trying to understand why the text was not appearing. These technical learning curves seems to be the theme of my MET experience as my pictue moves across the screen and I am not sure what I am typing thank goodness for spell check. Anyway I did not want to portray myself as too much of a minimalist although as our professors have pointed out succinct is great. I added some details to my profile but I am not sure where others would access this. I have enjoyed reading everyone’s introductions and am impressed with the caliber of of the experience members in this learning community have. Well on to next week thanks for your patience.
September 10, 2009 2 Comments