ETEC 510: Design of Technology Supported Learning Environments enabled me to see how the integration of technology into the curriculum can benefit student learning. I realized that the effectiveness of a tech-supported curriculum is mostly dependent on how learning activities relate to the learners’ lives in addition to making use of different pedagogical approaches to suit the needs of various learners. In connection to the tree metaphor, this understanding establishes itself as another vital element of my learning in the MET program – that the value of a technology integrated curriculum does not lie in its design, but rather in how its learning activities help students make use of the affordances offered by technology to identify and overcome the challenges in their learning as well as their day to day problems. This is evident in connection to my artifacts for ETEC 511 and ETEC 531.
Artifact: ETEC 510 Design Wiki project: Cyberethics
The artifact I have chosen to illustrate my learning in this course is the Design Wiki project. I chose the topic “Cyberethics” because I believe that the proliferation of the Internet has created a gap in the understanding of users regarding moral and ethical conduct online. I saw a need for users to realize that the laws that exist in the physical world should also be adhered to in virtuality. One of my main concerns was the fact that there were still so many people downloading content from the Internet through illegal means without realizing that this act is the same as stealing a CD, game, or book from a physical store. Anonymity does not entail irresponsibility, and like the wiki assignment I designed for my ETEC 500 research proposal, educators need to consider how students can be more responsible with their actions when designing lessons integrated with technology.
On a related note regarding wikis in general, one issue I realized from working through the assignment is the capability of wikis for anyone to edit. This makes it possible for a person with ill-intentions to alter valid factual information into something that suits the modifier’s agendas without notice due to the limited manpower of administrators on such sites to sufficiently monitor changes made in existing articles at any given time. Even though the contents on wikis can be reverted back to previous states, users should still question the validity of the information they receive from wiki-based sites and the Internet in general. Assignments such as the Design Wiki can help students gain an understanding on how information online is created and edited and enable them to critically assess the content they view online.
My only critique for this assignment is on its collaborative aspect. If the instructor opened up the Talk page of the entries created by learners in the same section of the course, the experience could have been more immersive by providing students with the affordances for collaboration offered by the wiki platform.
This project enabled me to see the need for educators to help students gain basic editing skills before assigning assignments mediated by technology. Not all students who are digital natives have the skills to create digital content. These students may learn how to use digital devices more easily, but assumptions about their technical skills should not be made without prior assessment.
The particular set of skills I learned from this assignment includes:
- Designing constructivist learning environments that make use of the affordances offered by wiki-based platforms from a user’s perspective
- Editing content using HyperText Markup Language
Reference
Chen, J. (2012). Cyberethics (Web document). University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada. Retrieved from http://etec.ctlt.ubc.ca/510wiki/Cyberethics
