Summary (ETEC 590)

I searched a long time before finding the MET program. My primary focus in my decision to begin another master’s program was to specifically learn the theory and practice of integrating educational technology into my teaching and professional work. I wanted to find ways to engage my students, to give them tools through which to engage them and further develop their critical thinking skills.

The MET program gave me the opportunity to learn about, understand and synthesize educational theory while considering its application within public education, post-secondary classrooms and online course delivery.ETEC 590 is the capstone project for the Masters degree in Educational Technology at UBC. This course provides the opportunity to gather, synthesize and reflect on the total content covered throughout the MET graduate degree program. The purpose of this summary is to provide a complete overview of the process of planning, development and eP completion, as well as over-arching insights into the total experience.

I believe that early pioneers must have spent considerable time reflecting on their journey, what things were like before they started their trek and their hopes for the future. In much the same way I have spent considerable time for the duration of the MET program and especially over the past three months reflecting on the learning process, the theory, the application, the peers that I’ve collaborated with and the new knowledge that I have constructed. The process was grand. The learning was pertinent and far-reaching.

In my application of technology in my practice I still consider myself to be very much an early pioneer. I continue to be thrilled and impressed with the calibre of open source software that readily available and immediately usable upon download. The concept of “an app for everything” is quite a new phenomenon but the application of those apps certainly helps us in our daily work and entertainment.

I chose to use WordPress as the vehicle for my eP as I was most familiar with it from my MET coursework. I thought about building my eP within UBC blogs but decided to purchase my own site, choose a new and wonderful template and create something unique. I soon began to realize the time that is required to develop, redevelop and continue to refine an eP. Perhaps I have faced some perfectionistic tendencies along the way but it was a very enjoyable experience. I worked on it almost daily and sometimes hours passed while I tinkered with the most minor aspect. WordPress does tend to have a “mind of its own” and I often became just as stubborn in my attempt to get the product to look the way I wanted. It became a pastime instead of nagging coursework.

Once the initial draft was created of the framework for the eP I quickly realized that it would become rather large and perhaps overly comprehensive. However, I decided that I could use this to my advantage and I then set forth to create two pioneering trails on which I could take the viewer – The Pioneer Trail (Main Trail) and the Bullet Trail (Shorter and more Direct).

The Pioneer Trail takes the viewer on a journey that more thoroughly explains the metaphor and the various components of the metaphor that create an understanding of my full technology pioneering experience. The Bullet Trail is a shorter version of the journey and stays more closely tied to the MET course work and reflections.

The inquiry process that I utilized for this ePortfolio was created to enable me to understand and demonstrate the connection between the use of educational technology in the classroom and student learning (primary grades 1 – 3 and post-secondary). My goal was to learn the appropriate educational theory and practice regarding the use of educational technology in the primary classroom and the design of online learning management systems (lms) for use in post-secondary education for both blended and online course delivery.

My guiding question focused on how I could utilize educational technology to facilitate student learning that is engaging, that meets their individual learning needs, while providing them with the flexibility to learn at their own rate and in their own way. I feel that I have successfully completed this inquiry through the Primary Project (also known as Success for All) and through the development of three online courses which I successfully developed and taught!

At the onset of this course I created a few sub-questions that focused more specifically on my skills with technology and I am pleased that I can say that I have also brought these sub-goals to fruition. I can proudly state that my personal, professional and academic development can be clearly evidenced throughout my ePortfolio; that my selected artifacts demonstrate my progress; that my “I am a Technology Pioneer” metaphor clearly depicts my life-long learning; and that I have clearly demonstrated my accomplishments while making connections from theory to practice.

I feel that the artifacts that I have selected clearly articulate and reflect my chosen metaphor and by using the metaphor as a guide I was able to demonstrate how I have achieved my objectives and explored my questions.

Over the course of the three years that it has taken me to complete this program I have had many opportunities to apply my learning both in the school district and in the post-secondary setting where I am a sessional instructor.

This ePortfolio references my competencies, values and beliefs, and the artifacts that I have selected demonstrate the many skills that I have learned and developed. As I build this ePortfolio I enjoyed the time I spent reflecting on my learning, in looking back I am very pleased with how I have used my prior knowledge together with course content to construct new knowledge, make new connections and create high quality artifacts.