Hi everyone. My name is Lori Meville and I have been teaching biology, math, and junior science in the Cariboo-Chilcoltin for the past 23 years. My family and I went to Quebec for a year off in 2018, during which I decided to start the MET program, and I’ve been working one course at a time since returning to BC. I have always embraced technology in my classroom, though before starting MET this was mostly through trial and error and I really had no idea of the possibilities. ETEC 523 is my eighth course and I am interested (but skeptical) of the potential for mobile learning in our large, mostly rural school district, especially through this pandemic. We are teaching in-person classes, but recent Covid-19 outbreaks in our area mean that many students are choosing or are under instructions to stay home and we are now trying to meet their needs while continuing in the classroom. When we attempted to transition to online learning last spring, I had hopes of using the many ideas I’d encountered through MET, but what really resulted was a stressful combination of online something, in-person sometimes, and paper-based for some students, with low engagement by most students. What we quickly found in our district is that while students are very good at using their devices for the things that are important in their own lives, the willingness to embrace new ways to use them in order to learn school subjects wasn’t always a priority and frustration was common. Compound this with a population that does not have adequate access to the internet, and a school district that does not have the hardware to make things happen, and it wasn’t a very successful experiment. That being said, it was the single-most productive professional development experience I have ever had, and the learning for me has been continuous.
When I’m not teaching or learning, I am trying my best to get outside. This winter the goal is to ski as often as possible.
Lori you are signed up for this class. OMG that’s awesome.
We meet again! Aren’t you tired of me yet?
Hi Lori! It’s good to hear your story. I’ve had a similar experience teaching during the pandemic, as my students live on a reserve and the issues they face are much like you are describing. I’m new to the MET program and hoping to discover new ways to meet the needs of my students. Looking forward to working with you!
Hi Wendy. When I read over my post, I realize I sounded pretty pessimistic. Let me just say that there have been some amazing moments with the online teaching, especially with how our staff came together to help each other overcome obstacles. The sharing continues to be one of the best things that’s come out of this. Right now we’re dealing with an outbreak on the Canim reserve nearby, so most of our First Nations students are on lock-down. I’m thankful that we’ve already got the bugs out and can just make things happen for our kids. Not great internet on the reserve, but an absolutely terrific community that pulls together and gets things done. Looking forward to working with you too. I think this is going to be a really interesting course.