My flight path didn’t quite go as planned. Life happens outside of cyberspace, and some things took a backseat. Do I regret taking time off from some of the discussions or some of the workshops? No. Family is my first priority. I did state I was captain of my ship. There are times when a mission has to be cut short, or when a captain has to allow his crew to rest.
Having said that I am glad I re-took this course. It has challenged me to think more clearly about selecting technology. I had an idea there was more to it than merely going with the latest and the greatest and hoping for a silver-bullet from previous ETEC classes, but this course really dug deeper into the reasons why a school shouldn’t blindly purchase the latest and the greatest. The most important readings, to my way of thinking, are the 7 Principles and SECTIONS.
At first I was against the 7 Principles (having been raised on a diet of Canadian schooling I found the idea of paying for full access to the Principles appalling). However, I have come to realize that is an entirely different issue altogether. The concepts and approaches in the 7 Principles are actually very doable without having to pay for them–though I do think it would be difficult to implement in a school that’s already using another program such as TRIBES. Why do I compare the two? Because both programs are more behavioural in nature–they seek to attain certain outcomes from students and faculty through the changing of behaviour (more access to teachers, fast turn-around with feedback etc). It almost seems cookie-cutter-like at times with its emphasis on “Good Pratice”, but they are principles, and are more akin to guidelines than rules set in stone, which makes them flexible for schools who may already have other things in place.
Furthermore, after careful reading I found some places where the 7 Principles and SECTIONS (which I love) intersect. Bates and Poole state “Part of a University education is to understand and possibly challenge predominant modes of thinking in a subject area. Although we believe in learner-centered teaching, students still need to understand the inherent logic, standards, and values of a subject. They also need to be challenged and encouraged to think outside the box” (85). That’s the crux–the matrix–where SECTIONS and the 7 Principles work with each other. The values of a given subject as well as its standards and its logic are things from which students cannot run. It is good for them. In many ways it reminds me of the old philosophers who believed that the soul should conform to reality and that education and self-discipline are a part of that process. The 7 Principles, to my mind, is mainly about heading towards a higher standard and keeping it there (this also includes technology)–SECTIONS is about selecting technology in a logical way, but also making sure it is not the end-all, be-all, or the raison d’etre for a given course. The two can and should work hand-in-hand.
Of all the reasons given for how to select technology by Bates & Poole I believe money is the most important one. Having taught in both the public and private realms money is always at the forefront, regardless of what affordances a technology brings. If the money isn’t sufficient, then the “next best thing” mentality begins to take over. However, given that mentality, schools can still be wise in selecting from a variety of options ranging from lower cost software/hardware, to open source/freeware options. Just because something is free, doesn’t mean it’s terrible. Our Moodle activity has shown that much. Besides, freeware can be held up to high standards, and often delivers!
In terms of this course I can see why John kept challenging us to further our thinking, and dig deeper into the reasons and justifications for selecting technology (he’s definitely following the 7 Principles). In light of this I enjoyed using the eLearning Toolkit. It certainly explained many concepts and clarified others, though it would’ve been nice to have seen some of those technologies in action (i.e. video tutorials–we received some, but not many). One thing I do regret not doing is playing around with Vista. It’s an LMS that I’m not overly familiar with on the teaching side of things, and it’s one that UBC will continue to use into the future, specially the MET program. While there are things I dislike (namely finding older posts, not seeing your own posting in light of replies, and no way to quickly have an avatar) it is a program, like it or not, that is here to stay. I have a feeling I probably won’t come across it outside the MET, mainly because most schools won’t be able to afford it, but who knows.
In terms of my future practice this course has challenged me to make sure that my goal of creating a Photography curriculum for high school students meets certain standards, not just within the curriculum itself, but also in how it is approached, applied, and used in a classroom in light of technology (e.g. examplars, toolkits). I got my feet wet with this Moodle project, and it’s opened my eyes to how much work is involved in creating a curriculum. Having said that I wish I had had more time so that I could’ve come up with my own videos and used more of my own images to describe concepts and techniques. One thing I have to decide is how will these videos be distributed–DVD’s, Youtube, Vimeo, private website access are just some options! The best way to learn photography is to actually be outside with one’s instructor so that one can see the techniques at play, and try them out, and get instant feedback (digital cameras now allow for that). Do I make the videos available to teachers only, or should students also have access? I hope that if I do end up using technology within my curriculum (besides cameras and photoshop) that I am mindful of SECTIONS and The 7 Principles because not all schools will share the same standards or have the same budgets or share the same values. That will mean making sure to point out alternatives schools can use if they cannot afford the latest and the greatest, but also detailing the affordances of said alternatives in light of SECTIONS. There is much to think about and consider!
Thanks for teaching this course, John. It’s been the most challenging ETEC course to date.