e-Coaching and The Pedagog Blog

Once I returned from Japan, where my wife and another friend started blogging and showing me the ropes, I began my Bachelor of Education at UBC.  Not only did each teacher candidate have to figure out WordPress for our e-portfolio by the end of the program, but I was hired by the Teacher Education Office as an e-Coach, helping both students and faculty with technological issues, such as figuring out what an e-portfolio is (some are still a bit hazy on the project, even after publishing it).  This position was a great opportunity to learn about on-line resources, and in my first term had a crash course in Ning, set up by one of the instructors, and soon found it to be a useful forum for classroom discussion.

Banner for my e-portfolio

Banner for my e-portfolio

During the one-year program, we were introduced to wikis, wordles and all sorts of sites that could be brought into the classroom for student projects.  During my practicum, I attempted to get the whole class working on a Canadian explorers wiki for social studies, only to discover that the spirit of wiki was indeed strong, but the classroom wifi was weak.  Finally, for my final term, an instructor hired me as an e-Coach to help him design the Pedagog Blog, a discussion forum for his class with over 270 students registered.  It was a big project, especially as invitations to join the Ning site I created had to be sent out individually, and it was surprising how many classmates, this late in the game, still did not know how to use the class site.  I didn’t mind helping out as best as I could (I was a student in the same class, but hired to help as many as I could – thanks for billable hours, TEO!), and the experience taught me that once you figure out a on-line resource doesn’t mean that everyone who signs in has the same level of knowledge, or even interest, with the resource.  Certainly gave me confidence I need to stand in front of a classroom and make it seem like I know what’s happening on the Internet.

Detail from the Pedagog Blog banner

Detail from the Pedagog Blog banner

Posted in: Week 07: Blogs