Flight path

I am always asked an important question: Why MET and why ETEC 565A? The answer to these two questions can be lengthy but I will be direct and short. My passion as an ESL teacher lies in employing technology in the ESL field. I want to use technology to build a constructive system of learning. Some might argue this is not possible. I completely disagree with such opinions because modern technology affordances are characterized by their ease of use and flexibility. This will definitely boost the theory of learning. I guess that learning a language is hard but with the services technology is offering, students’ task becomes feasible.

Toolkit

When I started our course ETEC 565A and was asked to build some digital files and a platform, I was a bit puzzled at first. I thought that it would really be hard to make such tasks with some knowledge of some computer software.  What helped me overcome these preoccupations is the fact that there are many tools available to users free. The e-learning tools are indispensable for educators and designers alike. The interesting thing about the tools is that they are different. Each one of them has its own affordances and its own applications.  The LMS is different from a blog or a WIKI. What makes these tools usable and useful is that they are designed to serve an educational purpose if used properly. A good and creative educational idea can be implemented easily via any of the educational tools that we have taken in the ETEC 565A.

ETEC565A experience and the next step

This question makes me think about what I have done so far in my journey in the MET program. This is my seventh course. I have three more to go. I remember my first course that I took in MET and try to compare how I felt at that time (less than two years ago) and how I am feeling now  spending my last day in my seventh course ETEC 565A. The difference is tremendous. The long journey that I haven’t finished yet has taught me a lot. Each of the courses that I have taken so far has added to my knowledge of using ET in teaching. ETEC 565A for me is an eye opener. It has paved the way in front of me towards a big world of possibilities. These possibilities didn’t only serve me as a MET student but as a perspective instructor in the online sphere. This leads me to the next step in my life as a teacher and as a person who is interested in designing educational courses. I am hoping to mix my 20-year-ol-ESL experience and the received MET knowledge throughout the whole program in order to create a constructive online platform for my ESL learners.

One of the courses the material of which will be my working source is ETEC 565A. The tools used in this course will be my working tools. My classmates in this course have shared a big number of very useful software that can be used to make the job easy in building a platform. I am really grateful to my teacher, John Egan, and my classmates who were generous in reflecting upon so many important points in the world of e-learning.

Thank you for teaching me.

Thank you for reading my reflection.

Hussain Luaibi
Vancouver August 9, 2013