ETEC540: Text Technologies

Do my current grade 8 and 9 students know what a typewriter is/was? Have they ever seen one? Will they ever see a working one in their lifetime? Will my future students see this image in real life one day (perhaps on a field trip) and ask me, “Miss Roussel, what’s that?” It is amazing to think that just as I never saw a working LP disc on a turn table played with a needle and through a gramophone speaker, my future students will probably never see the original machine on which the ‘typing keyboard’ started – even though it is what their fingertips spend so much time tapping away on.

My name is Charmaine Roussel. I live in Vancouver, BC and I work at Little Flower Academy. I teach 192 beautiful gr. 8 and 9 girls at an all girls catholic school in Vancouver (near downtown). I am the Teacher of Religious Studies. I love my job. This is my second year at this school. I taught P.E. for two years at another catholic elementary school.

I have just started my graduate degree. This is my FIRST MET course. I am also being very “adventurous” (a.k.a – too smart for my own good) and taking ETEC 540 as well. Even though they are electives, I know both courses will be a lot of work along side regular full-time work. BUT, I’m up for the challenge.

When I am not working I enjoy working out, travelling the world (visited 10 countries this past summer), and spending quality “aqua time” on my family boat.

Looking forward to working with you all! From what I see already, it seems as though we are a lively bunch.

I picked this image because it jumped out at me right away – children are exposed to new media at such a young age. As educators, we need to teach children to use the tools they are exposed to at home in school. When I was entering school my family had an old computer that gathered dust in our kitchen. Now, I depend on my computer everyday and want to weave digital literacy into my classroom.

My name is Alison and I am teaching grade 1/2 in West Vancouver this year. This is my first met course along with ETEC 511. I am both excited and nervous about starting the program. I was drawn to this course as I really want to learn about the fluidity of spaces for reading and writing and how to incorparate them into my classroom. Last year I taught grade 5 and found it easy to incorporate blogs, wikis and discussion boards. I want to learn how to bring technology into the early primary classroom. I look forward to working with you all.

I chose the “Outside of the Box” depiction because it symbolizes, in part,  what education assists me to do -facilitate team outside of the box creative solutions and seeing opportunties, yet we never really leave the box because our institutional systems dictate how far outside of the box we can think.  Although technology has opened and transformed communication practices, such as writing, it also has created boxes, such my  email “Inbox” which threatens to make me a slave to the notion of immediate communication.   

I’m taking my 9th and 10th MET courses this semester. I work for the College of New Caledonia in the North Cariboo – Quesnel, BC.  As an educational administrator the fun lies in seeking creative (Outside of the Box) solutions in challenging times that make a difference to students, staff and the community.

Doug