Faber’s Future Flight
The MET program has opened and continues to many doors in terms of effective efficient usage and understanding of technology in learning situations. After a number of years in the MET program I am excited to complete the Masters credit requirements this coming summer. While taking the courses I have lived in three different countries around the world, full appreciating both the ability to access quality education in a distance learning situation and learning which takes place in the very environment I am learning about.
I was curious about technology prior to the onset of the courses, but the MET program has provided three fundamental resources; confidence, hands-on experience, and guidance/support in the learning/exploration process. As I work towards the goals outlined below, it is these resources that will continue to provide the base for achieving goal attainment.
The MET program has always provided a fourth resource that has proved invaluable: people. Creating contacts, learning about others experiences, and increasing personal awareness of possibilities through group collaboration are integral to both current and future capability fostering in the program.
My goals within the program fall very much inline with the learning outcomes for the course. While purely by chance it is near the end of my time in the MET program that I am taking this course, I realize that my experience in previous courses has provided me with a base of knowledge required for ETEC 565. My goal in enrolling in the program has been consistent: developing and increasing confidence in my technological abilities. The MET program presented a challenge to increase personal learning in an area I was interested in but lacked confidence. In enrolling I knew this was not an easy way out to a Masters degree, but a useful learning journey that would challenge my abilities and knowledge, pushing my personal comfort limits and skills in terms of technology at every turn.
My MET journey has led to the ETEC 565 course which will provide hands-on direct experience with Learning Technology Systems, and allow for analysis of benefits, utility, and applicability. This course provides the opportunity to network with others who have direct experience with the various LTSs, learn base knowledge about the systems, and more importantly, learn about the LTS systems beyond the periphery so as to promote new learning about new LTS possibilities to occur.
My overall goals in terms of specific learning with LTSs is multifold, including exploring:
- utilization which will promote learning, engagement, and quality efficient student-teacher and teacher-teacher interactions,
- incorporating social technology into the classroom in meaningful ways which do not infringe upon professional boundaries such as student-teacher relationships or enable abuse of technology usage such as Facebook networking during valuable learning time,
- learning about the available features of various LTSs and how to effectively apply them in a face2face, mixed mode, or distance setting,
- how to apply LTSs in a way which is efficient in terms of time utilization and management,
- and utilize multimedia in a way which favours 3-D (interactive) over 2-D (flat one-way instructional) approaches.