Hello Everyone,
My name is Ashley and I am originally from Vancouver, but I have been living/working in Bogotá for the last three years. This is my final  final MET course along with 490 and I am sure it will be a great experience to end with! I teach IB English Literature and work as Technology Integration Coach. Next year I hope to build upon my MET learning and will be working full-time as a High School Technology Integrator in Brussels. MET has really helped me find a career path that works well for me.

A few years back I worked at a software development company and while I enjoyed the technological side of things, I missed teaching.  It is great to be able to combine my interest in technology with my love of teaching and curriculum development. Hopefully this course will allow to explore that in a different light!

I am really looking forward to working with you all in this course and sharing our ideas!

Cheers,
Ashley

Actually, I should say “greetings” from USA, as I am currently in New Jersey for the weekend, but I’m from Toronto, and will be heading back to Canada tomorrow! 🙂

My background is in instructional design for corporate training. I’ve designed courses for business skills and compliance training for companies in the financial industry. I’m interested in moving to instructional design for online post-secondary distance learning in my career so I decided to pursue the MET program. This is my second semester in the program. I’m also enrolled in 530.

I’m looking forward to working with you all!

Shadia Yousuf

Hello everyone!

I am Jenny Papadakis, from Ottawa, Canada. I am currently an Occasional Teacher with the Ottawa-Carleton District School Board, and I also work part time as an Instructional Designer for a small instructional design company. I enjoy both roles very much, but my true passion is teaching, and I would love to have a full time teaching position in the next few years (fingers crossed)!

This is my 6th MET course. I am very excited to learn about new and emerging technologies in ed-tech, and also to apply my learning to my role as an instructional designer.

I look forward to learning with everyone this term!

Below I have attached a couple of photos from my recent honeymoon to Vietnam:

Taken in Mui Ne, a fishing village in the south of Vietnam.

Taken during a tour of the market in Hoi An, part of a cooking class.

Hello! My name is Katherine Burden. Originally from Nova Scotia, I have spent the last 7 years in Whistler BC. This past fall, I moved 25 minutes north to Pemberton, where I purchased my first home. I have been teaching for 5 years and I currently teach math and science at Whistler Secondary School. I teach all grades between 8-12. Along with this course, I am currently taking ETEC 530, and these will be my 2nd and 3rd MET courses. I am interested in this course because I worked for a software development company before I became a teacher and I enjoy learning about new technology. One of the appeals of the program and specifically this course, was that I would be exposed to new ideas and resources for technology in schools, which will help both my own professional development, but my students as well. I look forward to working with you all!

Hello All,

My name is Chris Sandor and I am currently a secondary VP in the West Vancouver School district.  I also taught Secondary Social studies for eight years prior to becoming an administrator.  This is my 6^th MET course and I am really excited about this one as the district I work in is very interested in pushing the limits of education with tech.  I also get to see many different new technologies and have been pitched more than a few times by different companies who are looking to get their particular programs in schools so I’m hoping I will get some insights into the business side of educational technology.

I like to ride bikes (both mountain and road) and am very involved with rugby at the school I work at but all of that plays second fiddle to my family which includes four children!

Looking forward to learning.

Chris

Hi Everyone:

My name is Peter, and I’ve been in the MET program for a few years now.  I’m sort of taking my time, and feel that its better to go slowly, than to rush things.  Just like good slow cooked brisket, it always tastes better.  Also, French toast done really slowly tastes much better 🙂  I suppose you now have had a taste of what I like, food.  Yes, I am foodie, a techie, and a linguist.  I love languages and cultures, and want to perhaps pursue a doctorate in the future focusing on some aspect of culture.  It’s interesting, because I am fascinated with technology, and am love apple technology.  But there is a part of me that is very earthy and romantic, and prefer to do things in the old fashioned manner.  I love antiques, old fashioned things, but really merging the new with the old.  That’s what I intend to do, merge the new technology with the old world romance of European languages and civilizations to create a new learning adventure.

So here is a checklist of what I like and what I am about:

Good food – no fast food, no chain food, no garbage snack food

Technology – Apple technology – simple, powerful, effective

Culture/Language – French, Spanish, Italian (yes I speak all fluently), and hail Britannia, we do have an English culture

Music – I love music!

Thanks!

A picture of me a few years old, but really its still me!

Hello All!

My name is Karalea (Kara-lee) Hoyano and I am in my 5th and 6th class in the MET program (I am also taking ETEC 540 this term).  So far I have really enjoyed the program and the challenges it presents.  a new one for me being this platform.  I am a bit overwhelmed navigating through everything here but know as time goes on I will adjust and accustom to this as well.

A little about me…As you can see by the photo I selected, I am a softball pitcher and instructor and LOVE it! I am also a mom to three beautiful boys (aged 8 months and twins who are 3).  I am currently on maternity leave and will return to work as a 50% job share in grade 3.  I am married and have a dog who is a siberian husky/shepherd cross!

I look forward to spending time with everyone this term and learning to navigate and challenge myself through this class!

Have a great long weekend 🙂

Karalea

Hi Everyone,

My name is Shane and I am the technology Learning Leader at the Science Alternative program in the Calgary public board.  I am also teaching grade 8 math and science this year.   This is my 7^th MET course and I am looking forward to how this course seems different than all of the others.

While I grew up on Vancouver Island, we have lived in Calgary for 8 years and have 2 young boys.  While we like Calgary, one day it would be great to move back to the coast.  We enjoy visiting every summer to explore the ocean, sail and build sand castles.

I am excited to be working with everyone and sharing thoughts and ideas around technology innovations.

In the Science School, we attend 2 out trips per month, I have chosen to include a picture of one of our sites.

Shane

Hi Everyone,

I’m Aaron, and I’m currently living and teaching in a small, gritty factory town called Shiyan in the suburbs of Shenzhen, China (across the border from HK).  Although I work at a BC school district, I’ve been stationed here since September teaching grade 5 English/ESL in the bilingual department of an enormous Chinese school of over 6,000 students.  Before this, I taught math, science, art, English, SS and planning at a tiny BC offshore high school in Shanghai for 2 years.

I’m enjoying my time in China, and plan on staying for at least a couple more years.  Cost of living is cheap, and opportunities for travel are plentiful with the many Chinese public holidays in addition to our own.

I’m doing my 5th and 6th MET courses this semester.  I’m very interested in exploring learning technologies from a marketplace/ventures perspective.   Although teaching is my passion, I believe I have an entrepreneurial mind as well, and see many opportunities for ventures in emerging technology, here in china, especially in the area of ELL.

Looking forward to workingwith you all!

Aaron

Hiking China

Hi my fellow 522ians,

My name is Mehdia Lodhi or Ms. L to my students. I teach in an American school of Abu Dhabi. This is my first year teaching in the UAE.  I am from Toronto, ON. This is my 3^rd MET course. I decided to take this MET course so that I can get a better understanding of emerging markets for learning technologies in both public and commercial domains.

On a personal note, 3 men are extremely near and dear to me. My hubby & my 2 awesome boys.

Looking forward to learning together.

View of Dubai skyline from the top of Burj Khalifa & The Grand mosque in Abu Dhabi.One of the most popular tourist destinations in UAE.

Lethbridge, Alberta that is…

I am so excited to be here! This is my third course, although I took my first through AU, and I am thrilled to be trying something new. I was a Jr./Sr. High School science teacher up until the birth of my second son three years ago. When it came time to go back to work, I needed something different and closer to home (I was commuting over an hour each way). I applied for an Instructional Design job at Lethbridge College, got it and have not looked back once. It has been an amazing opportunity to be creative, learn more and be more available to my children. I don’t get summers off anymore, but we manage. I am a single parent now so don’t have a ton of time for leisure, but really enjoy running, skiing and hiking when I do. I also camp quite a bit with my children. Below is a picture of my boys’ first ever ski day this Winter (I am in the green headband, my sister in the purple pom pom).

Hi everyone!

I am a new teacher currently in my second year of teaching. I work in the Surrey School District in British Columbia, Canada as a Learner Support Team (LST) Teacher. I am currently in my 9^th and 10^th MET courses. The reason why I chose this course is because I am interested in the area of business. In fact, before I became a teacher I was in the Financial Management program at BCIT, where I took a variety of business courses. I look forward to working with all of you!

Hello all! I am writing from my couch while my husband makes supper, my one year old destroys a magazine, and my cat crawls on me to get me to stop typing. I am a grade four teacher and I just returned from my maternity leave to find myself covering a grade one position. I am not a grade one teacher at all but they seem to enjoy my silly songs and my guitar playing so we might just survive the next 30 days. I have already learned a lot about how students learn to print and spell! Kudos to you grade one teachers out there, it is incredible that students enter grade one not knowing how to print all the letters and leave grade one writing full sentences, wow!

I am the informal tech coordinator at our school, our actual tech coordinator seems to only troubleshoot hardware issues so I try to support teachers using technology to teach. I am often encouraging teachers to just try something, it doesn’t really matter if it works out but it probably will because enough kids are tech-y enough to make it work. My position seems to have been somewhat usurped while I was on Maternity leave but I’m not minding as I am trying my best to make grade one go well.

This picture is of the regional park near my husband’s home. It isn’t very exciting but it is peaceful and that is what I am looking for now that my life has gotten busy again.

Heather Elder

My name is Nick and I am currently teaching ESL  in Okayama, Japan.  This is my second semester in the MET program.

I am very excited for this unique course because I have spent a lot of time thinking about emerging market trends in the ESL world.  I think that most Educators regard themselves as public servants rather than competitive professionals who have enormous potential in the private sector.  I am glad I had a few opportunities to teach in the private sector and hope to have more.

Near the end of this course, I will be leaving Japan after living here for 2 years.  It has been a fantastic experience but I am ready to go back to Ontario for a little bit before considering another international teaching opportunity.  This course will be a great way for me to focus my energies before moving onto the next step.

I look forward to learning something from everybody.

Hi Everyone,

I’m very glad to make everyone’s acquaintance in this course. It promises to be very interesting and I look forward to working with everyone! This will be my 5th MET course; its been a very stimulating experience so far and I don’t doubt that it will continue

I currently work as Learning Technology Program Manager at St.Michael’s Hospital in Toronto. I’ve been working in eLearning for around 14 years in the health care, automotive, and pharmaceutical sectors. By education and interest I am a historian and filmmaker. I am very excited to get to know and work with everyone in this course as it promises to be a tremendous opportunity to learn from the thoughts and experiences of others.

Best Wishes and Good Luck to Everyone

Maxim

Hello Everyone!

Greetings everyone!

I am relatively new to the MET program as I began last term but currently have a full course load will working full time.  I’ve been a high-school teacher for many years in Science, French, Math, Biology and ESL and I love teaching them all but deem somewhat of a challenge prep wise.  I’m really interested in how ELLs can adapt to learning technologies through second language acquisition.  I’m originally from out East but have lived in various parts of Europe.  I’m excited to be continuing my MET program journey with you all and learning from one another.  WordPress is a new forum for me, seems quite aesthetically pleasing.  The photo I attached is of the tulip festival in Hope.  I absolutely love gardening and anything outdoors, fishing, hiking and kayaking !  I look forward to continuing and learning from you all.  This course is quite different from the one’s I’ve experienced so far, I am excited but also anxious at learning the business aspects of global learning technologies as it is all brand new to me.

Hi Everyone!

My name is Courtney O’Connor and I am taking my 3rd and 4th MET course. After taking two core courses last semester I’m excited to see what the elective courses are like.

I currently teach a variety of English courses (8,10,11), Communications 12 as well as PE at a high school in Surrey, British Columbia. I enjoy having a balance of academic and physical courses in my work day and love incorporating technology into both teaching subjects.

I’m an avid reader and enjoy travelling. After this course is finished I’m off to Spain and Portugal for two weeks before works begins in September.

Looking forward to working with everyone.

Courtney

Attached is a picture from my travels last summer.

Hi, my name is Yuki and I currently live in Chiba, a city next to Tokyo, Japan. I moved back to Japan from Vancouver, where I was living near the UBC campus in 2012. This is my seventh ETEC course. I currently work at the local college as an assistant for the Director at the English Language Institution. We recently started one-on-one iPads programs by students Bring Your Own Technology (BYOT).

Before and between my international moving between US, Japan and Canada, I worked in the television industry as a journalist and a director for over ten years. I am interested in curriculum design for my next career step. Having participated in online courses from non-Western educational background and from different career backgrounds, online global leaning  is of interest to me.

Looking forward to learning with you.

Hi, my name is Anne and this is my second MET course. The first one I took was Research Methodologies, this one looks to be quite different. I am a little nervous about it.

I am currently a middle school classroom teacher in Barrie, Ontario. I have been teaching grades 7 and 8 for twelve years and still love it. I have been increasing the integration of technology of all types into my classroom and am interested in continuing to learn about all the different types of things I can do with my students.

I live in Barrie with my husband, children, mother, dogs and cats. It is quite a full house. I am looking forward to learning a lot of new things and working with all of you.

Hi everyone. I am looking forward to learn something new here. I come form an IT background and I am building my own LMS software www.kalboard360.com

I wish to use all the knowledge I gain in this program to improve the e-learning offering within my software

Hi All,

My name is Yik Wah Penner and i’m a third year teacher at a small independent school in Richmond, B.C. This will be my 2nd MET course, so i’m a bit of a newbie when it comes to all things educational technology. The first course I took this year was the Research Methodologies course, which I found to be quite interesting. That being said, I am also looking forward to all the elective courses we can take and this course in particular interests me.

I don’t know how everyone else feels about the issue, but i’m glad we are using WordPress for this course. I found Blackboard to be rather restrictive and less intuitive, so moving back to formats that i’m more familiar with is a good start.

I look forward to getting to know you all better, and learning along side you this term!

– Yik Wah

Good Morning,

My name is Erin, I am currently completing my 8th and 9th MET courses. I work as a vocational trainer on the North Warning System. In the past, I have worked on curriculum development and program development for child and youth programming, specifically focusing on at-risk and homeless youth. Delving in to the adult learning side of things has been a very interesting experience, quite a bit more challenging then I had initially expected.

I am really excited to see what this semester brings, and look forward to meeting new peers as there seems to be a lot of names I do not recognize!

Hi everyone!  My name is Tiffany Tseng and I am currently teaching high school online courses in a school district here in the Lower Mainland.  I have a math/biology background and have been teaching since 2007.

This is my fifth course in the MET program.  The previous courses that I took all had a focus in teaching and education.  I hope I can take a step back to learn more about the global learning marketplace in this course.

I live in Coquitlam with my husband and our 3-year-old son, Trevor.   I am currently 4 months pregnant (our second baby is due in October), and we are very excited to welcome a new life into our family.

We love to travel, and Japan is one of our favourite places to visit.   Here is a picture of Mount Fuji (taken in 2013 @ Lake Kawaguchi).

I look forward to working with everyone in the next few months! : )

Hi Everyone,

It is nice to see some familiar faces here.  My name is James and this is my 5th course in the MET program.  I currently work in Sparwood BC: a small mining town on the BC/Alberta border.  I teach middle school English and Social Studies and high school Woodwork.

My professional interests are in constructivist learning theory and problem based learning.  A colleague and I worked together to get a grant for a problem based learning project that incorporated Teck Coal.  We used part of the money to buy a class set of tablets and I am looking forward to learning how to use them more effectively.

I love old motorcycles because I get great satisfaction from working through problems and sorting out what is wrong.  Old motorcycles are also interesting to ride.  They have character that modern bikes do not.  You have a closer relationship with the road and your machine when you ride an antique bike.  There is something special about older technology.  I like to think of ed tech in the same light as a motorcycle.  A new machine is smooth sleek and more versatile, but sometimes the same job can be done with an older model.

James.

Hi everyone!

My name is Riea and I’m a westcoast transplant living in Halifax.  We moved here four years ago and enjoying the relaxed pace of life.  Including this course, I have four more to complete so I’m at the home stretch now.

I find that I’m typically unique in the program because I’m not a teacher and work for the government.  I am the provincial training manager for the Electronic Medical Records (EMR) program and develop the curriculum and assess learners.  There is a huge appetite to bring physicians to a level of competency using the EMR that they are optimizing the application to make patient population decisions.  It’s quite an exiting time in the world of digital health.

I recognize some of the names here and as always, looking forward to learning from everyone.

Hi everyone,

My name is Danielle and I am a public school teacher living in Vancouver.  This is my first time using WordPress or blogging so I am very excited that I finally figured out how to use it!  I can see that many others before me figured it out as well, so I knew it was possible.  This is my second class in the MET program (but I am taking a few this semester).  I have a friend who is in the program and had taken this class before me.  He told me a little bit about the class and it sounds really interesting.  I am hoping that I will learn of all new sorts of technology ventures I had no idea existed.

I enjoy almost any outdoor activity which is why I moved to Vancouver about 3 years ago from Ontario (although I like Ontario too!).  I am currently not working in a classroom so I can’t wait until I can get back in and use some of the knowledge I am acquiring in this program.  I am working at the school board office but anticipate returning to the classroom in the fall.  I had done some TTOC work for about a year and a half before moving into my current role.

I am really looking forward to getting to know everyone in this class, I hope we can all make it through these sunny months together.

I thought I would upload this wonderful photo of Cheakamus Lake near Whistler because it is one of the first places I went when I lived in Whistler many summers ago.  It is places like this that made me move to BC!

Thanks for reading,

Danielle

Hi Everyone,

My name is Kendra Grant. This is my 5th course in the MET program. I live in Mississauga with my husband and two sons (one of which is in Teachers Collage!)  I was a teacher for 23 years in a variety of positions with a focus on SPED, AT and IT. About 10 years ago I started working in the EdTech sector (as well as continuing to teach part-time). I was able to combine my interest in teacher professional learning and the creation of digital resources at was just the beginning of blended learning and cloud-based computing.  About 5 years ago I co-founded a professional learning company out of Portland, Oregon. We created “just-in-time” instructional videos focused on the pedagogical (rather than how-to) aspects of technology integration. We created our own portal (a mistake in hindsight) and used a SaaS model for sales. I sold the company about a year ago to a company in New Jersey. I am still their chief education officer but I am also working on other projects including an online app and an interactive parent course (using Articulate Storyline). I am also fortunate to be an EdTech advisor at MaRS (www.marsdd.com). Over the past month I’ve met with and advised a few startups. Some are only service companies trying to create IP which makes for interesting discussions especially when they don’t have an educator on their team. It is also interesting to note how many entrepreneurs are looking to circumvent schools and teachers and market directly to parents. They see it as an easier (more profitable) sell.  In addition, as an advisor I also get to see pitches from some of the more promising Canadian startups – this is always fun! (see below).

I look forward to learning with everyone this term.

Kendra

SingSpiel – I want to learn how to play!

Vanhawks Valour – a connected bike

Bubl – insane 360 camera

My name is Bobbi, I’m from Vancouver BC, and this is my seventh MET course. I’m a bit of an oddball here as a design geek rather than a teacher. I find everyone’s different teaching backgrounds and experiences endlessly fascinating and am looking forward to getting to know everyone. I am interested in blending design practice with education as it seems to offer unorthodox, fun, and exciting new ways to learn.  I’ve heard that this is a great course, and am looking forward to exploring and learning. I find open/public classes and spaces particularly interesting (although this made me uncomfortable at first) but perhaps it will rekindle my love of blogging? I hope so! I’ve never been a great writer, but there’s just something enchanting about the online space. I’m scheduled to take my last course in the MET in September of this year.

Cheers & greetings,

Bobbi : )

Hi everyone,

This is my first course in the MET program and I am excited to get going.  I am a high school teacher in Powell River B.C currently teaching science, however with a background in geography my preferred subject area is social studies.  Outside of regular classes I end up coaching a lot of volleyball and basketball. I also run a digital music club where students use digital media to create original tracks as well as learn how to DJ the school dances.  Both the school district and the local Vancouver Island University campus are turning to education technology to offer a wide range of programs to our rural and isolated students.  I’m hoping to learn more about ventures in learning technologies so I can be informed, critical and involved in my community’s future in education.

Brendan

Hi All,

I am taking my 9th and 10th courses with the MET program. I am a teacher and football coach in the Maple Ridge Pitt Meadows School district and currently I teach French, Spanish, PE, and Planning. I live in Maple Ridge with my wife and son and my favorite thing to do is spend time with them. I have used technology off and on in my classes, and I look forward to the day where I can teach IT and digital media again (my teachables) but for the moment I am glad to be employed. I have really enjoyed all 8 courses I have taken so far and I am really looking forward to learning more about ventures in technology.

Bruno

Greetings everyone!

I already recognize a few familiar faces here, it’s good to see you all again. As for my background, I am currently working as a university instructor in Bangkok, Thailand, and I teach a variety of courses (but mostly communications). Previous to this position, I had worked as an English teacher in South Korea, Brazil, and Japan, and in between jobs, I used to travel pretty extensively.

I have to admit, after two semesters in the MET program, I actually have less of a clue what I would like to do when I am finished than I did when I started; it seems like there are more avenues available to educational technologists than I originally knew about. For this reason, I am interested in this course, as I would like to see what entrepreneurial opportunities exist to people in the field. So far, the concept for this course (as opposed to previous MET courses that I’ve taken) seems interesting, I can’t wait to see how things turn out.

Looking forward to getting this thing started!

Chris

I am Christopher Ward from the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago in the West Indies. I’ve been a Lecturer in Computer Science at the University if the West Indies for the past 17 yrs. I’ve already done four MET courses and hope to become an instructional designer when I finish the MET programme.

My current interest is in the design of curricula (degree programmes as well as individual courses) that allow flexibility for personalized learning. Personalized learning is one of the most valuable benefits afforded by the use of technology in education. It is also an area that I would like to pursue through practice. This will call for a different skill set from my previous field of Computer Science, and I look forward to all that ETEC 522 has to offer in this regard.

This course is very different from any I have experienced before and I hope to learn many new things.

I look forward to working with everyone over the next 13 weeks.

-Chris

My name is Milorad Zivkovic, from Edmonton,  and this is my eight MET course. For more than 10 years, I have been working as an Educational and Information technology support specialist at the NorQuest College in Edmonton. I am responsible for planning, management support,  training, maintenance,  and implementation of all kinds of Ed&IT technologies at the college. I am looking forward to additionally enhance and expand my Ed&IT theoretical and practical knowledge with the newest ventures in the learning technologies field, so I am ready to learn, venture and exchange experiences with all of you. Let the ventures begin!

Hello Everyone!

My name is Colleen and I am taking ETEC 590 concurrently with ETEC 522, my final two MET course. I teach grade 6/7 at a small Catholic Independent school in Prince George, B.C. where I have been for the last 7 years now.  I taught Montessori Early years in both Korea and Turkey before returning to Canada.  I am a newlywed!  I just got married this New Year’s Eve.  I am now a step-mom to two kids, a 13 year old girl and a 10 year old boy.

I had the great opportunity to attend the Google Summit in Edmonton in March and am working with the tech team for my board to improve technology in our schools.  We are looking at the possibilities of using Chrome books in the classrooms. If any of you have any input or experience you could share that would be most appreciated.

I must admit that I am nervous for this Ventures course as I don’t have an idea coming it to it but I am so excited for this last semester and working together.

I have two dogs.  A two year old black Lab named Kyrie and I just (last Friday!) adopted a 10 month old Border Collie named Renny from the SPCA.  I do dog agility in my spare time and am looking forward to getting back to my ballroom dancing club when my MET journey is over.

Me and my hubby