Erin’s Educational Technology Journey

My name is Erin Gillespie and I have been in the University of British Columbia’s MET program since January, 2008. I selected the MET program because I believe educational technology plays a major role in the life of my students, Prensky’s (2001) digital natives. I am Canadian, but I have spent the last eleven years in Asia.

     At the end of 2008, my husband was transferred from Tokyo to Hong Kong and I was ready! However, I had to leave a full-time grade 1 teaching position for substitute work and full-time METing. I miss my Tokyo school, but I’ve been in some great Hong Kong classrooms this year! I am 15 hours ahead of British Columbia, so I consider myself a time-traveller. My consciousness is sometimes in Canada during a Thursday evening class discussion while my body is in Hong Kong on a Friday morning. Time is relevant!

    I used to teach English as a Foreign Language and now I teach in elementary schools. My academic background is rooted in Ontario, Canada: Bachelor of Arts, Honours from Trent University (psychology and sociology) followed by a Bachelor of Education from the University of Windsor. I have been teaching for over ten years and the majority of my experience has been in lower-elementary grades. Luckily, through substitute teaching, I have gained experience teaching grades 4, 5 and 6, too. I have a full-time teaching position in September at an international school in Hong Kong. It was difficult to find a job in this “economic crisis” because teachers simply don’t want to leave this country!

     I have completed (for other MET’ers) ETEC 500, 510, 511, 512, 520 and 532. I am currently taking ETEC 531 and 565. This blog/e-portfolio is specifically for ETEC 565. I plan on recording my reflections, learning artifacts and outcomes module by module in addition to assigned postings. I am gaining skills in educational technology, but I have so much to learn! This is my first blog and I look forward to sharing my ETEC 565 journey with you.

Erin Gillespie (Ozeki)

P.S.

For those of you wondering, my husband is Japanese. I couldn’t officially change my name because it is quite difficult to do so when you live abroad with a visa in both Japan and Hong Kong under your maiden name. Talk about red tape! J