Erin’s Educational Technology Journey

It’s our final week in ETEC 565 and I’d like to make a post to the community. I am guilty of being a “blog lurker”, so for all of the lurkers, thanks for visiting my blog! I would also like to thank all of the people who commented on my blog and those who helped me in various forums.

When I enrolled in ETEC 565 I was very scared! I am a tech novice/beginner, and the course seemed daunting.  I contacted David Roy three times with concerns about my abilities prior to enrollment. He assured me that the course was designed for all levels and he was right! I now feel more confident in my technology skills thanks to the supportive ETEC learning community I belong to. I am impressed by my classmates’ blogs and their LMS sites and I’ve learned a great deal by visiting them. So, once more, thank you! It has been an excellent course and I’m glad I shared the experience with all of you. Erin

Please visit my LMS page (https://blogs.ubc.ca/gillespieetec/lms/) to read my final reflection about creating a MOODLE LMS. Erin

Please visit my Digital Story page  to read my reflection on activities related to selecting and implementing digital story tools in a level four international elementary school setting. I used Roxio Photo Show and Tikatok applications.

In module two, I got to know what the term “presentation tools” really refers to!  The module challenged us to explore learning management systems (LMS), DVD authoring, website authoring and to compare and contrast. Not only did I participate in discussions, but I also had the opportunity to try some of the Toolkit activities. I completed the LMS and the DVD authoring activity, then I moved into social networking and blogs as module two turned into module three. The assignments in this module were challenging for me: designing an LMS rubric, selecting my own LMS and preparing an LMS proposal. I have never done any of these before, but I feel confident that I am well prepared to embark on this task if my professional career calls for it. I feel this module did prepare me for the selection of presentation tools, and area that is often blanketed by the notion of “get the latest” or “use the most popular”. A thorough analysis will reveal that the latest or most common tools might not meet learning or teaching needs.

What did I come away with?

First of all, how important it is for an educator to take the time to select appropriate tools to meet student needs. This is really a top priority for me and all of the activities seemed to be reinforcing. We have to make an effort to relate to our students and envison their perspective on learning.

In addition, I also used the frameworks we studied in module one (NETS, SECTIONS. 7 Principles) to explain my rationale. Beyond simply making connections to materials, I realized the importance of a learning community. My ideas in the discussion threads often ended by posing a question to other students. This enabled me to participate in our community of inquiry as I found the problem-based scenarios very challenging.  I learned from the ideas of others and examined issues related to the selection of presentation tools from a variety of angles: teachers, administrators, media designers and graduate students! I appreciate how our course is designed after exploring the frameworks. I can imagine how difficult the selection of appropriate tools (this wiki, for example!) was. 

I feel that I’m “sticking to” my flight path. I have certainly done well in exploring LMS issues in theory and I’m challenged to design my own LMS (Moodle) site in practice.  Now, on to module three!

LMS Reflection: Moodle Splash Page and Object Orientation

Moodle has been a sharp learning curve. I am especially grateful for the online community and the MET community which offers support and tips. I realized through a MET colleague that my Splash page was not exactly a Splash page. I thought a Splash page was a welcome page, having never designed an LMS course before. Although I had great feedback in MET forums considering what it should be, I didn’t imagine it correctly until I saw the Splash page of another MET  member. Thanks Sean!

I quickly learned to edit Topic 0, decide on the main components of my course, upload images, insert a table and create a Splash page that welcomed students. The most difficult part was imagining which aspects of the course should be on the page. I decided to base my objects on my previous MET experience. My experience helped me decide which objects are essential on a Splash page and which are just taking up precious space. It is important to maintain the “less is more” principle with a new course. Too much information and too many links may frustrate and confuse students. I tried to avoid that by creating a “welcome” message, which is listed after the Splash.

It took a great deal of time to consider how the course will be organized and how the objects will be used in the different modules. The mechanics of uploading the images and creating the links was not difficult, and took about one hour. I used images available from the open source site Wikimedia Commons.  I considered my Splash page from the perspective of a student creating a first impression of the course. The SECTIONS model  guided my decisions, and “ease of use” is currently my first priority. As I progress with my LMS, “teaching and learning” will guide my design decisions.

For members of the MET community, my Moodle (work in progress) can be found below. Please provide any feedback on my Splash page and feel free to ask me questions. You must login with your own Moodle account information as my LMS is not set for guest access.

http://moodle.met.ubc.ca/course/category.php?id=5

It is great to finally begin a blog for my Masters of Educational Technology journey! I look forward to charting, mapping and getting lost in this dynamic field. I have some supplies and basic training, but I need more to reach my final destination. Follow me as I pick up tips, training and expertise along the way. Every great journey beings with a single footstep…here we go! E