One aspect of using WordPress I appreciate is that it can feel like the dynamic flow of a great cocktail party – lots of intelligent people in active conversation. And like at a cocktail party, conversation is injured when somebody says something inappropriate or out of sync. This is my way of saying I’m […]
Continue reading Please mind your online manners… Posted in: Announcements
I am very excited to see what this course will bring. Currently I am working on courses 8,9, & 10 of this crazy thing called MET! Some of you might think I am crazy for taking three courses right now…maybe I am. I am actually enjoying an education leave that is allowing me to focus […]
Continue reading Ken in NB Posted in: Week 01: Introductions
Nice meeting you, Ken! Three grad courses in one term is not an easy task, but I wouldn’t say that you’re crazy. Well, maybe a bit. But that’s what we need to make it in this crazy world!
James
Great to meet you Ken. I have found that the MET program has opened doors for me even though I have not completed it yet. Good luck with your course load.
Hi Ken,
It appears there are two of us ‘crazy’ people; I’m taking 3 courses, too!! I have a lighter work load for the upcoming months, so I’m hoping I will survive. The subjects you teach are ones where many technological tools can be incorporated; I look forward to learning from how you have integrate them.
Best of luck with your three courses! Here’s to finally graduating!!
Adriana
Hi Ken,
Good to share another course with you again. I felt like I was crazy for trying to take on 2 courses with work, but maybe 3 courses is a bit crazier. Kudos to you. Looks like this is the homestretch for you!
Jonathan
Nice to meet you again Ken,
I believe that we did ETEC 565 together and I was impressed by your work. I know that if anyone can handle three courses and excel it would be you.
I wish you the best and look forward to working with you.
Patason
dude…looks like you got it good.
My apologies for not writing back to your welcome messages…I have checked back here today but have only just seen the replies at the bottom, I’m not sure why they weren’t visible before. I am glad that I see them now. I was beginning to feel like nobody was reading them. 🙂
Ken
My name is Julie Kotler and I am originally from Montreal, Quebec, but now live in Tel Aviv, Israel. This is my 4th MET course, but I am also taking two others this semester too. In addition to this program, I was recently working part time as an assistant program developer for a center that […]
Continue reading Hi everyone! Posted in: Week 01: Introductions
Hi Julie,
You have an interesting and diverse background. I am also taking three courses right now…Yikes! Best of luck this term.
Ken
Hi Ken,
I am also a little bit nervous about taking three courses at once, but hopefully we will both make it through! Good luck to you too.
Hi everyone. My name is James, and this is my 5/6th course in the MET program. I have a B.A. in Philosophy, a diploma in TESL, and a B.Ed. in Elementary Education at the intermediate level. I have worked with students from K to adults as an EFL instructor for 5 years in Taiwan, and […]
Continue reading Hello from Vancouver! Posted in: Week 01: Introductions
Welcome James,
Your motivation to help students selecting technology is similar to mine. I have wanted to help students and my colleagues with this, which lead to my joining the MET program. Pitching to policy/decision makers is an important skill. Have you taken ETEC 520? I found that to be a helpful course related to decision making. All the best.
Ken
I’m going to take 520 next term. Can’t wait! I’ve watched Dragon’s Den, and seeing people pitch their ideas to the big companies really got me thinking about the skills I need to have in order to navigate through a tech driven economy. Looking forward to learning with you and everyone else in this course!
James
Hi James,
I’m also in EFL and have found it’s not that easy to get fellow colleagues to use technology unless management is onboard; however, sometimes it’s management that is onboard, but teachers aren’t because of the time it implies to learn to use the tool in question. Perhaps creating and OER aimed at getting teachers onboard would be good.
I look forward to sharing our experiences in EFL.
Good luck,
Adriana
I think so too. Since technology is evolving at such a rapid pace, it can be intimidating for teachers to step out of their comfort zones and into the zone of proximal development in terms of technology integration using unfamiliar technology. An OER targeted to help educators and management streamline this process sounds interesting!
James
James! We meet again, after just finishing 530 this summer. I enjoyed, as always, the month long break. I’m looking forward to more of your great insight this semester.
Peggy
Great to see you again, Peggy! Looking forward to the things I’ll be learning from you and everyone else in this course!
Hey, buddy! It’s great to see you again. I was wondering when we would share another class.
Good to see you again too, Ben! I was wondering about that too. I am with Sheza and Rose in 512 this term. Looking forward to the things we’ll be learning together this term!
I found ZDnet report very concise and therefore useful to me. I would recommend it, it gave me opportunity to look things up that I didn’t know about, and explore them on my own (some hyper links are provided).On the contrary, someone looking for a research report that is more in depth might find the […]
Continue reading I found ZDnet report very concise and th… Posted in: Week 02: The Edtech Marketplace
lesson learned: copy and pasting from Word may cause the beginning of the post to look like hell
Hi Mike:
Yes I found that as well but manged to delete the coding before I posted it live. You can go in and edit your post later to delete the excess stuff.
Doug.
Doug.
nice…thanks doug
Hi Mike, I agree with that a 1 year prediction window is too small when determining future trends. I think it would take several years for most of his predictions to happen.
Hi Mike,
I too have wondered what approaches could be taken to ameliorate the divide between those who have access and benefit from new technologies and those who cannot. Or better yet, what alternatives can be implemented so as to make those students feel a little less marginalized? What suggestions would you put forward?
Hi Mike,
Thanks for the post; it inspired curiosity and I delved into several web pages to check things out. It turns you are right in taking the information from ZDNet cautiously, but not only because Adam Garry works for Dell, but because of who ZDNet is. It turns out ZDNet is quite a profitable company presently owned by CBS Corporation; they even accept advertising. Knowing this explains why the major predictions this guy makes are promoting tolls owned by major companies: Dell’s platform; Live@Edu (Microsoft); Journ(i)e (Blackboard); not one mention is made of OERs other open sources. When I couple this with the OECD information about how schools are failing to integrate technology and really make a change in education, I wonder if it’s not because we’re working backwards; instead of educators saying this is what I do and so I need this type of tool, we’re allowing companies to create needs that are not there.
Perhaps where his predictions are correct given the statistics provided by the OECD report on ‘Trades Shaping Education 2010’, is the need for personalized learning; however, I’m not sure this necessarily means LMS systems will disappear, rather we will see more open sourced options. The context of differientiated instruction is that of a community of learning, while that of personalized instruction is a solo act, and there’s room for both. His prediction on tablets and etextbooksis also right, but we need to find more ways to exploit this ability to become mobile learners and educators.
Adriana
Mike – I read the article initially with the mindset with a critical eye, as I would for our coursework, however, I found myself quickly relaxing my stance as I shifted my viewpoint to one of a fan of technology. I became less critical and was just enjoying the article as a general consumer. I couldn’t agree with you more on the Dell involvement. I thought it was fishy and I chuckled with the plug for their own product. His mention got me curious about the product, but I wasn’t able to find too much about the platform other than some general information. Do you have experience with it? I’m well aware of the Dell Duo Netbooks.
Adriana — Thanks for doing the extra research. I took it an extra step further to dig into Dawson’s previous predictions and found that while he was involved in ZDNET Education articles, he is just an informed writer, sharing opinions and thoughts. Naturally he’s catering to a wider audience and he does have yearly predictions. What is interesting about ZDNET and many of these firms as you’ve mentioned is that they are all intricately tightly wound together. I’m more hesitant with regards to some people reviewing products now because of this. Often reviewers feel inclined to give positive ratings just so they can continue to receive products. It’d interesting to know if this is a collegial friendship or one that was setup by ZDNET and advertising itself 🙂
I also enjoyed the hyperlinks in this report and the NMC 2012 Horizon report. I think that I would not rely on one of these reports. I would be more likely to check out a few. Having the links would allow me to go from one report to another and gather the information I want without being bogged down with extras.
Today I spoke with a UBC student who had previously taken an online course. This person recommended to me that I respond to other’s posts in both my online classes as often as possible. They recommended even adding small comments such as “great point” because instructors check the actual number of times you respond and […]
Continue reading Participation Posted in: Questions & Answers
Hi Jen:
In my experience with MET courses, quality is valued over quantity. Check out the Rubric provided for Assignment 4 which covers participation to guide you along through the discussions.
Doug.
I would agree with Doug. Say something interesting (or controversial) that generates a lot of responses and further discussion and you will be in good stead. And to be honest, don’t worry too much about your grades. Class averages in every course I have taken save one have been above 80%.
I concur. “Filler” comments may be noted, but only negatively. Please remember that I’ve got to struggle with the volume as well, so any dip in quality is annoying and memorable in the wrong way.
Given the number of tools and plug-ins available in WordPress, we could easily implement a system where everyone could ‘like’ and ‘unlike’ other peoples’ contributions, completely anonymously. This could potentially resolve the ‘filler’ issue, but I’m guessing it would also cause more social unrest and ‘gaming’ behaviours than we’d want. Thoughts?
Thanks for all the responses. David, I am glad to hear that what I heard was just a “rumour” and that this online course (as I hope is the case with other courses in MET) value quality. Doug, I did look at the rubric again this afternoon and it was helpful. I like the part about adding links to our most valuable comments.
I’ve always thoughougly enjoyed my MET discussions. Now in my 9th class I appreciate, as David mentioned in his Online Manners post, posts that:
* add to the conversion; are not just an “I agree!” type of comment (but never say never – there are always exceptions)
* are generally kept brief. I can be bad for long, rambling posts but try very hard to avoid.
* the poster takes time to proof-read before posting – and edits out excess content if possible
* are sometimes slightly off-topic, but produce great discussions in an equally useful – or more so – direction.
I’ll add one more thing. Our simple usenames that head our posts are often cryptic. I often find it nice if we add our real name to each posts, so we can reply to a real name.
Peggy
Running the risk of a slap on the knuckles, “I agree” with Peggy…
This class is my 7th (or 8th, as I’m taking two this semester), and I have found that although I prefer to create a multimedia project or, sometimes, even write a research paper, the bulk of my learning has come through discussion. I am a bit introverted by nature, so putting my own thoughts out there to be “judged” (not in actuality of course, but often in my own head) can be a bit nerve wracking, overwhelming and difficult. However, doing so in such a non-threatening environment that fosters discussion has been overwhelming helpful not only in sharing my thoughts for forming and reforming them as a result of ongoing communication.
That obviously cannot be done through simple “I agree”s.
I also must admit that I enjoy when a thread goes just a little off topic. I have been able to learn about my classmates, which I feel is something that people can easily disregard in the online environment if always solely focusing on the topic at hand. Hearing about how it fits into their teaching or their lives always brings an extra bit of humanity in, and thankfully so!
Jen
Hi Everyone! I’m Eva, from Toronto. I’m working towards my PhD in the ISGP program at UBC and many of my courses are in MET. This will be my second MET course. My research interests are “Developing a Learning Model for Online Film Education.” I am also very interested in using Machinima as a learning […]
Continue reading Hello from Toronto Posted in: Week 01: Introductions
Welcome Eva. You have a very interesting background. Your current work sounds fascinating. I agree with your position that an online film education is something that could be marketed. Teaching Media Studies (having never worked in media) has been very challenging. I look forward to learning from you. I love film and television and had I not chosen education I think I would have loved a career in media. Have a great term.
Ken
Hi Ken,
Thanks for the response and your kind words. I return the comments – your work sounds very interesting too. It’s nice to find people with similar passions in the course. Perhaps we will be able to collaborate on something film/media related in this course. That would be great. Have you ever worked with Machinima? I have not, but would like to try very soon. I’m sure we’ll connect again soon, Eva
That sounds great! I have not heard of Machinima. It sounds very interesting. I will be sure to check it out. 🙂
Hi Eva,
Nice to meet you. Film industry, very interesting! I am sure you are attending the Toronto Film Festival this week-end, any suggestions?
Catherine
Hi Eva,
So nice to see a familiar face! I remember our week long course well. I assume you are back in Toronto. How many courses are required for a Ph.D? I am also taking ETEC 511. Have you taken that one before? I am struggling a bit with all the theory. I find I have to read and re-read the articles to unpack them. Anyway, great to talk to you again, Jen
Nice to hear from you, Jen! ETEC 511 is a tough one, but very rewarding in the end. Keep at it.
Hi Catherine, sorry, I did not get back to you, as I was likely in the midst of taking care of start up at the college where I work also. Are you in Toronto I guess? Did you see any films?
Ken, if you want more info on machinima, please email me and I will give you lots of links. I posted my essay on it on http://www.evaziemsen.com (under UBC etec 511). Check it out if you like.
Hi, my name’s Adriana. I am from Mexico and a recently landed immigrant in Canada; however, I still come and go between both countries due to my job. I have worked in ELT (English Language Teaching) since 1984 in teacher training, coordination posts, materials design, and teaching. I have also co-authored several textbooks for the […]
Continue reading Hi from Mexico City! Posted in: Week 01: Introductions
Hello Adriana – Wow! 3 classes at once will definitely keep you very very busy. But congrats on being on your last leg of your MET journey. I’ll look forward to working with you in 522! Peggy
Hi Peggy. Most of this week was spent sussing out how to use a new LMS ‘Connect’ that we’re using in ETEC 512 :-{ At least it keeps my brain ticking. Have a nice week.
Hi Adriana:
Good luck taking 3 classes! When you are in Canada where do you live?
I can appreciate your final comment about staying up late finishing assignments with your adult kids. I did that for a couple of years with my older son, then he graduated and left the nest.. I miss my “school buddy”.
Doug.
Hi Doug,
When in Canada I live in Vancouver. I love it! It’s a beautiful city, with great outdoor activities, amazing places to go nearby, and the best hockey team 🙂
Adriana
Welcome Adriana. We are in the same crazy boat (3 courses this term). We can try to keep each other sane. Your experience and background sound very interesting. Best of luck this term.
Ken
Hi Ken.. I didn’t get off to a great start, but I hope to organize my time better this week. The first week is always confusing, trying to navigate your way around different course structures, schedules and activities.
Best of luck to you, too.
Adriana
I couldn’t agree more when you said “we learn by trying things out, by making mistakes, and by embracing change.” Looking forward to the learning we’ll be learning together in this course, Adriana!
Thanks James. I must admit it’s often a challenge, but a gratifying one. We appreciate more what we don’t come by easily.
Have a great week!
Hi Adriana,
Nice to meet you here. I love Mexico and their people, I went to Guadalajara quite often and I love it there. I always want to pursue an MA in Applied Linguistics as I love language teaching and learning. Looking forward to getting to know you.
Nice to hear you liked Guadalajara. I go there often because my parents live there. If ever you’re around this side of the continent, let me know 🙂
I am agreeing with the 2.1 and 2.2 introduction pieces and found them to be very clear. I am also finding the 2.2 Who is the customer? to be very cut throat. I can understand that there can be a massive disconnect between the decision maker and the active user. For example I can see […]
Continue reading Single point of sale Posted in: Week 02: The Edtech Marketplace
Some great musings,
To answer your question about the decision making process with companies….. I had taken a course where we learned about the s.m.a.r.t. rule for analyzing new technologies and their appropriateness (specific/measurable/attainable/realistic/timely) and that’s all well and good. But it brings up the point that you ask – who is actually doing the decision making?
And generally it’s not the frontline workers is it? Or the users? I was asked during the summer to take a survey about using the new connect system for my course and in my head i was thinking, “you’ve already taken the plunge, why ask me now?”
PC
Hello, my name is Scott Tammik. I am a member of the Ontario College of Teachers and presently teaching on contract in the communications technology and visual arts departments at Bayview Secondary School, in Richmond Hill, Ontario, Canada. My education and professional background includes undergraduate degrees in psychology, image arts and education. Prior to teaching, […]
Continue reading Hello from TO Posted in: Week 01: Introductions
Welcome Scott. Like you I am teaching Communication and visual Arts (or Media Studies). I was a member of the OTC briefly…I had to pay to join them so they would send a letter to my current province stating I was a member in good standing. 🙂 I went to Queen’s instead of UNB. You have an advantage in your teaching though as you have the practical knowledge and experience. I am sure I can learn a lot from you. Have a great term.
Ken
Hey Scott, guess we’re doing another course together! Looking forwards to working with you again. Hope you enjoyed your August off.
Lisa
Thanks Lisa, its great to see a familiar name again! August was relaxing, but zipped by a bit too quickly and after being back teaching for only a week, it seems too distant already 😐
Regardless, I’m ready to dive into this course and it seems we will be working together for project 2. See you online soon.
Hi Scott,
You have an interesting background, I will be interested to hear how your previous experiences bring perspective to our course work in ETEC 522
Melissa
Silly question, but here goes… When does Week One end and Week Two begin? Is the end of the week considered Sunday and therefore all assignments for that week due by midnight on each Sunday? I don’t plan to be last minute with my assignments or posts but just want to be clear […]
Continue reading Define a week Posted in: Questions & Answers
Hi Jen:
Based on previous courses, Sunday is the end of the week, however David has the final say and the final hour/minute when things are due!
Doug.
Thanks Doug! Also, I am correct that there are no assigned reading this week? We just have the introduction and poll to do?
Hi Jen, In past courses I have noticed that week 1 is usually introductions. The course usually kicks off in week 2 and you will soon hope it was week 1 again. hehehe
Manny
Thanks for your help on this, guys. Each week formally ends at 12 midnight Sunday (Pacific time zone)…
David
I looked at the New Media Consortium 2012 Horizon Report. Initially I spent some time trying to figure out a bit about the NMC. At times the internet feels a bit like the wild west, and I like to know before I read who is in charge of putting out what I’m reading, as that, […]
Continue reading New Media Consortium 2012 Horizon Report Posted in: Week 02: The Edtech Marketplace
Hi, My name is Suhayl Patel and currently reside in Calgary Alberta. This is my 6th course in the MET program and am looking forward to working and learning through out this term. I have never taken a course that was located on a blog and am interested in this first-time experience. Currently I work […]
Continue reading Hi, My name is Suhayl Patel and currentl… Posted in: General
Welcome Suhayl. Sounds like an interesting position that you have begun. It is nice to know that there are positions out there focusing on Learning and Innovation. I am sure that this course and the other MET courses will help you. Best of luck this term.
Ken
Ahhh, the day is done and the first day of school is over! A hectic and exciting day of Grade 4 is behind me and I now focus my attention on MET. Hi, I’m Kent Jamieson and this is my 3rd course and i’m looking forward to what ‘Ventures’ has to offer. I see some […]
Continue reading Hello from West Van Posted in: Week 01: Introductions
Kent —
Sounds like you have a really interesting role in West Vancouver. I’ve only heard good things about the district with regards to tech when Chris Kennedy moved in. My colleagues tell me of a time when he was in Richmond, but wasn’t able to implement his vision as successfully as he is able to do in your area. You’ll have to keep me a float of all the ideas that are going on with the iPad rollout. I’m doing some testing in my school with it, but it is very limited and in a trial phase.
— Jonathan
Hi Kent, glad to see someone else only on their 3rd course and taking 1 at a time. It will take me longer to finish but it is more manageable. I have a three year old and a 1 year old so they take a lot of my energy as well.
cheers, Colin
Welcome Kent. I am sure that our names will get mixed up often in this course. I am taking three courses right now, but only because I was granted an ed. leave. Otherwise I have been taking two and teaching. Many late nights, especially due to timezones. MET has been great. Have a great term.
Ken
Hi Kent.
You have an interesting role at school. This is something I wouldn’t mind doing and I am sure that you have a lot to share with us .
I look forward to working with you.
Patason
Gartner Identifies the Top 10 Strategic Technologies of 2012 In this press release, Gartner Inc. identified the top 10 strategic technologies of 2012. I found it helpful that they included their definition of strategic technologies in the opening paragraphs because it helped put into focus the target audience for these technologies. To me, the projections […]
Continue reading Opportunity Horizon – Gartner: 2012 Top 10 Technologies Posted in: Week 02: The Edtech Marketplace
Upon skimming through this report, I agree with you analysis Lisa.
In addition to the Cloud and App Store areas you focused on, I also see potential in the area of Contextual and Social User Experiences. I can envision the growth of mobile apps which leverage the camera and GPS location features in devices, to provide services and information to students when they arrive at school/campus and as they move through the campus. As an example, such technology is already being tried for identifying when students arrive at school, simplifying attendance tracking procedures. Privacy concerns are undoubtedly a concern in this example, but the concept is intriguing I think. I can envision augmented reality apps which could assist students (those able bodied and otherwise) in navigating the school/campus, finding resources, or in the case of a high-tech media lab such as I teach in, for providing real time tutorials and support for the various pieces of equipment in the lab.
Hi Scott, I found your comment about identifying students and simplifying attendance tracking quite interesting. Privacy issues would be one area of concern, but I also think that there is an assumption being made that every student has a cell phone or mobile device. This may not always be the case. As well, what grades were these attendance tracking procedures taking place on? Are kindergartners expected to have these devices on them?
I can also see the potential of apps in the classroom. Now to only find the funding to provide the devices to students…
Hi Lisa,
There are many online schools that are already making good use of cloud. For example, here in the Okanagan there is the youlearn.ca online school that has managed to mesh it’s moodle into google drive in a really amazing way. I don’t know how they have done it but it’s an incredible means of tracking students and having access to shared documents/portfolios/etc.
And BYOD is a huge reality too – simply because of the financials. Districts don’t have a means of keeping up with the technological changes due to financial restrictions. I’m chuckling as I say this because I have heard it so many times when I’m wheeling the laptop cart from 2002 into my classroom and kids are begging to be allowed to use their phones to carry out research.
Torture with out of date technology – there’s a first.
PC
Hi PC,
I have heard about youlearn.ca, but don’t have any experience with it. Post secondary institutes probably make use of cloud way more than is seen at the secondary and middle school levels.
Our district is looking at BYOD, but probably not for another 2-3 years; on one side, it would be good since signing out laptop carts is becoming harder and harder since more people are using them for projects, but on the other hand, will every student be expected to buy a device to use at school? Our school (and district) won’t be putting in anymore money for laptop carts.
Lisa
I
Hi Lisa,
As far as I can see no cutting edge technology in IT today was designed from the ground up for education. The PC, mobile computing, social networking and cloud computing are just a few that comes to mind. Furthermore as established in this course education is not the easiest market to break into. So it is not surprising that this report is not aimed at educators. Historically education is ‘added’ after the technology is established and its capacity for exploitation by educators is determined. In this report the Internet of Things (IoT) can be a vital tool for gathering data for research and context-aware computing be used to enhance the learning experience.
In the light of the position I have presented I am not convinced that despite the technology available today the current generation tablet PCs are not designed with student and teachers in mind but do not worry I will design one.
Patason
Hey Patason,
Let me know when you have finished creating your “tablet” for educational purposes. I do agree, the current generation of tablets has some capabilities to use in classrooms, but they could be much, much better.
Hi Lisa,
Just in case you missed it my tablet can be found in the venture forum @ https://blogs.ubc.ca/etec522sept12/2012/11/26/my-pitches-and-reflection/
Cheers
Patason
I reviewed Ambient Insight’s 2012 Learning Technology Research Taxonomy: Research Methodology, Product Definitions, and Licensing Model. First impression was of a typical marketing pitched document of this company’s services. There is that – many superlatives that describe its uniqueness or why one should purchase their service. However, this 50 page document also presents a research […]
Continue reading Ambient Insight – Global Learning Technology Market Taxonomy Posted in: Week 02: The Edtech Marketplace
I would agree with you that the report presents a taxonomy that could be used to examine or develop a business care for learning technology products and services. I am very unfamiliar with developing businesses cases for products so this report will be useful for our upcoming assignments. Thanks for passing on the Porter Five Forces Model as well.
Hello Everyone! A little bit about me- I am currently a high school teacher in Calgary, AB and this is my fourth MET course. I am currently in my second year of teaching and I am loving my job! I love to run in the summer and practice hot yoga and snowboard in the winter. […]
Continue reading Hello from Calgary! Posted in: Week 01: Introductions
Welcome jhodi (I didn’t see your name in the post). 🙂 I agree that this course will provide some interesting background on what makes an idea “successful”. There are lots of great ideas, but not all of them make it big in the markets. Have a great term.
Ken
Hi again Jhodi,
I share yours and Ken’s sentiment that this will be an interesting course and I look forward to working with you.
Patason
Welcome fellow Calgarian. What courses do you teach? Is it for the public system?
Suhayl
Hello, My name is Nureen. I live in Calgary, Alberta. This is my 10th and final course in the MET program. I am currently working as a special needs teacher in a Paced Learning Program. This is my 6th year working in Special Ed. I tend to use different technological tools to help with individualization of […]
Continue reading Hello from Calgary Posted in: Week 01: Introductions
Hi Nureen – Congrats on starting your last class! It will be an honour to help you finish your journey. I believe we’ve met in an earlier course? I would love to hear of some of the assistive technology tools you’ve found helpful – we are always looking for good first-hand experience with what works, and what doesn’t.
Peggy
Hi Peggy,
I believe you are right we have taken a class together before. I look forward to working with you also and sharing some of our experiences.
Nureen
Nureen/Peggy —
I’ll have to second Peggy’s comments on a lot of this. Finish strong on this last course and congrats! I’m really curious to hear what types of tools you have found to be especially effective (say top 3?). I would say every other year a student on the Autistic spectrum is part of my classroom. While I have found successful strategies it would be great to hear from someone that is working directly with the students everyday.
Jonathan
Hi Jonathan,
In all honesty I find that any tool that is interactive and very visual is fantastic with kids on the spectrum. Anything that will keep them engaged and that will help them to explore and express their ideas. Learning in the age old manner is very daunting for a lot of these kids because they are not able to express themselves that is why visual tools provide them with more avenues to communicate.
I look forward to interacting with you this semester.
Nureen
Couldn’t agree more with your perspective. What’s a favourite right now? Trying to populate the school’s iPad apps with good ones.
Jonathan
Welcome Nureen. My wife is an OT in the elementary schools and she is often advocating for the use of various technologies to help students engage in their learning. I look forward to hearing more from your experience. Congrats on being near the end.
Ken
Thank you Ken. I would love to hear about some of her experiences as well. It is great to exchange such learning experiences.
Thank you so much. I am looking forward to some down time once I am done.
Nureen
Hi,
Congratulations on your last course! How nice it must be to think of all the free time you are about to open up. It is always nice to meet a fellow Calgarian and I look very forward to working with you this term. Your work sounds fascinating and like you have been able to make the most of your technological skills.
Jhodi
Hi Jhodi,
Thank you so much fellow Calgarian. 🙂 I am looking forward to being able to start doing some leisure activities again once I am done.
I look forward to working with you.
Nureen
Hey Nureen,
Sounds like you have some great information on effective technology. The district that I work in is very supportive of new ideas in technology and I would also love to hear what has worked well for you. My class last year had about 6 students with written output difficulties and they are still in our school. Have you tried any good speech to text, or alternative, programs? We’ve found Dragon Naturally Speaking to the be the best for the kids but still have difficulties getting it to be effective.
Glad to have you in the group!
Rebecca
Hi Rebecca,
I have found Audacity to be helpful when working on literacy skills with my students. I have also used tool such as kidspiration, etc, that would allow for them to use other modes of communication rather than written text.
I look forward to working with you this term.
Nureen
Hi Nureen. Welcome to the course. I see that you mentioned that you work with students in the Paced Learning Program, that seems like an interesting experience. I’ve never worked with special needs students and as a result, I know very little about what it must be like.
I also live in Calgary and work for the public board. Do you work for the public system or is it private?
Last class!!! Wow that’s exciting.
Look forward to working with you.
After reading ‘Learning Technology Trends To Watch In 2012’ my first thought was to check to see when this article was written. There is no date listed, but from the comments below the article I would suspect that it was released early this year. If this is the case, I think that the author is […]
Continue reading Learning Technology Trends To Watch In 2012 Posted in: Week 02: The Edtech Marketplace
It was interesting to read about your perspective on this issue. I had not even heard of some of the technologies the author talked about in the article but I am fascinated to know that these technologies are known about and considered in post secondary institutions. That is fantastic. I think this opens the doors for many opportunities.
I too thought the author did a great job of explaining each ideas and the examples were definitely helpful. The author did a good job of conveying ideas in a non technical manner. Hence, this article can be read and understood by anyone who is interested in the progression of current technologies. It is a good resource for sure.
Nureen
Greetings everyone! I always love this 1st week of a new course, meeting everyone for the first, or 2nd or 3rd time. One of the greatest things of MET is getting the chance to work with people from all over the world. I’m Peggy Lawson, and this is my 9th class. Like Doug & others […]
Continue reading Peggy, from Saskatchewan Posted in: General
Hi Peggy:
Welcome aboard. Your name sounds familiar but I can’t recall if we have been in a course before. Maybe a sign we have been in the program long enough!
Doug.
Hi Peggy —
Which part of Saskatchewan are you from? I was born and raised in Saskatoon until I moved out to the West Coast!
Cheers,
Jonathan
Welcome Peggy. Congrats on being near the completion of MET. I also love meeting so many people from around the world. I am always interested to see what technologies are being used and how they are being implemented in other places. It is also striking that the problems I face in NB are often similar to those that others are facing across the Globe. 🙂 Have a great term.
Ken
Great seeing you again, Peggy! I see that you are taking on more responsibilities at work, but the experience must be very rewarding. Looking forward to learning from the contributions that you and everyone else will be making in this course!
James
Hi Peggy, Great to meet up with you again. You were a wealth of knowledge for many of us in ETEC 565 when we were developing our Moodle Course. Look forward to learning together again.
Catherine
Good evening everyone. My name is Patrick and I live in the Ottawa region. ETEC522 and ETEC565 will be my 7th and 8th courses in a thrilling ride across the MET program. I am a high school information technology teacher and run a specialized focus program where students from the Ottawa region come to our […]
Continue reading Bonjour from Ottawa Posted in: Week 01: Introductions
Welcome to the course. I was in Ottawa a few weeks ago. My wife’s family lives about an hour from there (Westport-a small cottage/farm town). We spend a couple of weeks there each summer. The three points you listed are very important. Good luck this term.
Ken
Hi Patrick,
You are two courses ahead of me in MET. You seem to have your hands full both at school and at home.With your experience I know I can learn an lot from you and I look forward to working with you.
Patason
Hi Patrick,
What beautiful children. 🙂 I bet a few minutes with them makes you forget about all the other work you do. Sounds like you have your hands full with work.
I look forward to working with you this term.
Nureen
Hello all — I’m going to give a good sigh of relief (like Ken). Got the first full day of teaching out of the way, now I can settle down to a little quiet with MET. My name is Jonathan Tang and I’m currently teaching a Grade 2/3 classroom in Richmond, BC. This is my […]
Continue reading Hello from Richmond! Posted in: General
I agree with you Jonathan on how hectic it can be teaching and studying. I too use my class for tech experiments which haven’t always been successful. My latest is creating a virtual world for them to perform tasks in, I will have to see how that one turns out. What were some of your “experiments”?
Wikis have been my greatest experiments to date. The success has varied and I’m currently trying to use it as a language development tool in primary classes. I’ve had some success but I’ll give it another shot this year. I’m also dabbling with Mindcraft. I’ve sen a lot of stuff online and have spoken with quite a few people in MET that have used it, but I’m still wrapping my head around the game. I’m not sure I totally enjoy the game (which is a shame) but I do appreciate the creative aspect of the game.
What about your tech experiments?
Hi Jonathan! I also teach in Richmond. Which school are you at? What other MET classes have you taken? I am breathing sigh of relief knowing that i have a real person I can connect with should I have difficulties in MET. Did you know that the District will begin loaning iPad2’s this year. My school is scheduled to get them next month. I only work on Fridays but am excited to use them with my primary class to document their mathematical understandings.
Jen! A friend in the district? That is great news! I’m over at Whiteside. Yourself?
I’ve taken three to date (500, 511, 512). Let me know if you need course material from those classes (although I believe a lot of the reading material was online). I didn’t know that the district was loaning out iPad 2’s this year, I’ll have to get my school into it. Our school has recently acquired two of the iPads and I’ll be curious to use them with the students. I’ve had one (personal) in my classroom for a few years and have found opportunities to use them.
You’ll have to keep me updated on what you think about it for student use!
Welcome to the course Jonathan. My students have also had to deal with my attempts at using technology to enhance OUR learning (theirs and mine). That was part of the reason why I selected the MET over other Master’s programs. It just seemed to fit my needs. 🙂 Best of luck this term.
Ken
“enhance OUR learning”
Nothing wrong with learning together right? 😉
I chose “Learning Technology Trends to Watch in 2012” because I felt that this article had a lot of information in it that was applicable to the time and place I am teaching and learning in. I think the content in this article was delivered in a clear and concise manner. Emerging technologies and their […]
Continue reading Learning Technology Trends to Watch in 2012 Posted in: Week 02: The Edtech Marketplace
I noticed that you connected their report to the areas identified in the readings. It is important to recognize which areas are going to be more successful with certain technologies. What about regions that are wired in but slow to adopt technology? I think reports like this (and the others listed in the 2A: Opportunity Horizon library) will help those that are asking for support from decision makers.
I have never used Backchannel, it sounds like a great way to extend the learning that takes place in the classroom. This also helps with the idea of a learner becoming a life-long learner. Learning doesn’t stop at 3:30 when the bell rings. For students to participate in these types of learning is a very exiting movement in education.
It’s funny you mention backchannel, as my Grade 4 team just set one up for our faculty meeting this afternoon. We were discussing the potential for this type of tool to be used in the classroom, and at what age the kids should be to start using it. We found ‘TodaysMeet’ to be a clean, easy to use resource for creating a backchannel. I would imagine that a lot of the learning in a class would take place there, as students would a) need to be accountable for their comments, and b) feel they were ‘in it together’ and their own seperate knowledge community. A great tool nonetheless
That is great that you have actually seen one of these emerging technologies in use. Thanks for sharing your experience. I agree there is a lot of potential for learning to take place but with any new learning environment or venue comes underlying factors that need to be taken into consideration. There is always some bad with some good.
Nureen
I thought this report was well written from an educator/instructional designer’s perspective. When I read through it, I enjoyed how it summarized the main points and provided links to resources specific to the select learning technologies. It is a useful report to get a quick overview of what the trend is in the application of learning technologies, and I would use it in conjunction with other reports such as those by Educause or Ambient Insight to get a fuller picture of a particular learning technology of interest.
James
I agree. The article is written in a manner that provides good content despite it being short. It is definitely a good way to begin to educate oneself on this issue.
Nureen
That is an interesting point about requiring good connectivity to make certain technologies work. If your storage/sharing system is online and requires being connected the majority of the time to allow sharing or access, it certainly would be limited in its value.
I also read the same article and what stood out for me is the gamification of learning. This approach has unbelievable potential and can foster enormous engagement and deepen learning for an individual. I was recently visited by an individual from Australia who teaches in a Catholic school. Their entire school thrives on that principal. They way they facilitate learning is unlike anything i’ve ever had the opportunity to wittness. But the single biggest piece of advice that he gave my team was they idea of the EPIC WIN. It has to happen in order to get someone to move on. If that’s not there, most learners will give up.
I actually did an assignment about gaming in a previous course and I was blown away by all the educational games that are available. I have personally seen how much more engaged my students are when the content that they are expose to is more interactive. The incentive associated with this type of learning is a motivational factor. The concept of losing can actually be beneficial as well because then the child is more driven to try again and to win.
A good summary of educational technologies to keep an eye on. I especially like the Twitter Back channel as it allows me to not only attend a conference ‘virtually’ and also participate in important topics, discussions. Most of the learning these days is happening outside the classroom in an informal way and following twitter feeds from like minded individuals is a great way to keep informed on the latest happenings.
It is so important to stay connected these days. I find that when I am not keeping up with Social media, I fall behind in what is occurring around me. In this fast paced society, things are chaining at such a rapid pace that being connected is crucial. I agree with you in your opinion that leaning is no longer contained to a classroom and it is very important to stay connected digitally because this is a means of learning.
Good evening new friends! I am Jen and live in a lovely, quaint little village called Ladner. It is located 30 minutes outside of Vancouver. My journey to MET is likely much different than many of yours. Last September I began my Masters in Language and Literacy in a Surrey Cohort. I […]
Continue reading Nice to meet you… Posted in: Week 01: Introductions
Welcome Jen,
Thanks for sharing your story. It sounds like you will have a very busy term. Have you taken ETEC 540 (Text Technologies: The Changing Spaces of Reading and Writing)? I am just starting in now. It sounds like you might be interested in the topics covered there. Although I am just beginning I have found it very interesting. Best of luck this term.
Ken
Hi Ken,
No I haven’t taken ETEC 540. Currently I am taking ETEC 511. This week there was a lot of theory and I have been struggling to unpack the articles. I do hope to take 540 as an elective in the spring/summer or the other class that is connected to math and science. I see you are taking three course… brave! Best, Jen
Hi Jen:
I have heard of Ladner, My Wife’s Aunt and Uncle live there. Great story about your transition into MET and quick adoption of technology into your life. Look forward to working with you.
Doug.
HI Jen,
We met briefly at the RQT summer institute. Glad to hear that you’ve made the switch and I look forward to working with you again!
John
Hi John,
Yes, I took the plunge. My stress levels hit the roof on Thursday when I was trying to navigate ETEC 511 on Connect. It is going to be a busy term but am glad I have a few people I can call on for help. Talk soon, Jen
Hi Jen —
Good luck in your new role and good for you for switching to a newly found passion. I’m sure you’ll have a wonderful time as a faculty advisor! Look forward to working with you!
Jonathan
Hi Jen,
I love your story. It seems that you have awaken the ‘techo-geek ‘ in you.
I know it would be fun having you here.
Patason
Hi Jen,
Great story! Thanks for sharing. I look forward to learning with you.
Sophia
Hi Jen,
Nice to see you again. We shared a table in the summer course, if you remember. Great hat! Eva
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teacherben 11:31 pm on September 13, 2012 Permalink | Log in to Reply
Hi David,
Just to be clear, if we ‘discover’ a post outside of the week where it was posted, or we want to carry a discussion on, you would prefer we not bother and instead try to focus on the new topic for the week and let the older stuff rest. Is this right?
Paula Poodwan 2:48 pm on September 14, 2012 Permalink | Log in to Reply
In my humble opinion, I think if we want to continue the discussion in the outside area of the weekly forum, like in the Announcements, Blog Café, General, and Questions & Answers, we should be okay to post and respond at anytime. Just my two cents 🙂
David Vogt 1:16 pm on September 16, 2012 Permalink | Log in to Reply
Thanks for these –
As Paula suggests, the Cafe, Announcements, etc, are places designed for legitimately off-topic conversations. For example, someone sharing some news pertinent to the whole course, or asking a question about an assignment down the line. What I’m looking to curtail are ‘dead letter’ postings covering an activity or conversations from a previous week. With 40 people active in a blog attention is our most precious commodity – we all need to take part in cultivating it wisely.
David