As a secondary school teacher, I mainly focus in the Arts Department. I have taught in the BC curriculum for the past 4 years teaching English 10-12, Social Studies 10, and Communications 11-12. I have recently taken over the Yearbook Club and the Concert Choir as well.
For the past 2 years, because I have pursued my Masters in Educational Technology, I have taken more interest in supporting my students’ learning through the use of technology.
For my English classes, I have introduced my students to online blogging. This not only allow students to share their ideas with each other, but it also encourages students to develop their ideas further and become more creative in their writing. For example, when students are given a topic about challenges, most of them will begin writing about their studies. However, when students see their peers writing similar stories, they will explore this topic further and challenge themselves to take on a different angle to address this topic. Therefore, the blogs not only allow students to express their own thoughts, but challenge them to explore and developing their writing as well. The motivation for students to write better comes with the knowledge that their stories will be heard by a wider audience than just their teacher.
In my Communications class, I have explored various tools for students to use in creating posters, advertisements (radio, video, etc.), and video presentations. Although students are to follow specific guidelines for assignments, they usually have the freedom to choose how they would like to present. In the classroom, I would use various media to deliver my lessons so students have examples of how certain tools could be used for presentations. The main focus of this course was the ability to communicate effectively in the community through the use of multimedia and the ability to work well in groups. The students usually enjoy working with project based assignments in groups, and they are able to produce amazing work.
My goals in MET are to evaluate and choose tools that can make the students’ learning experience more engaging and more meaningful. I feel that technology should be used to enrich students learning, but not for the sake of learning how to use a certain tool. I am looking for tools that would provide a sense of community for the students, that would allow students to feel safe in sharing their work and providing constructive feedback, and that would engage students in learning. I want to find tools that are cost efficient and accessible. I want to find tools that can develop students’ critical thinking skills. I want to find tools that are easy for teachers to use. And most of all, I want to find tools that are educational and fun for everyone. Through MET, I know I will be able to evaluate many technological tools and I hope to find some valuable ones that I can share with my colleagues in school. I am always interested in seeking new ways to improve my lessons and I look forward to exploring new ideas in the next few weeks.