"Willing to be disturbed"…Margaret Wheatley

My path will follow the rocky shore line, explore some nooks and crannies, bravely venture into the surf and come to rest on a white sandy beach.

I have a strong connection to the ocean.  I was born on one coast of Canada (Newfoundland) and now live on the other (Vancouver Island). I always feel at home when I can smell the salty spray. I love my time outdoors, traveling, and with my children and close friends.  My passion for teaching rounds out who I am. A “willingness to be disturbed” describes and guides my life (Wheatley, 2002).  I love a challenge, seek out the unique and rarely feel settled.

I am a secondary social studies teacher in a school of 1100 students of a diverse population. My school is the district school for French Immersion, Francophone students and English speaking students that includes one of BC five highest areas of children living in poverty and some of the wealthy acreages. The two nearby islands also attend my school accessed by ferry. Each of these islands has a distinct community and culture.  In any given classroom there is a range of economic situations and a mix of Aboriginal, East Indian, Asian, International students studying in Canada, along with the “typical” BC student of European descent.

I have three disturbances. If teaching with traditional instructional practices needs to be different in order to utilize the potential of technology then it stands to reason assessment practices must change (Christensen, 2008). I am in a SMART Board dedicated classroom and therefore I want and am somewhat obligated to use this technology. I have immersed myself in assessment for learning practices but have missed the connection or the fit with technology.  I would love a response system and wireless slate boards but the budget is no where close.  Therefore I need low cost tools and ideas for digital age assessment that fit with assessment for learning practices.

I sense lack of understanding of appropriate internet behavior. There is increase student interest and completion of assignments using web 2.0 applications however appropriate citizenship is missing.  Learning outcomes in BC Social Studies include active citizenship therefore knowledge and skill development in digital age citizenship will fall, at least partially, on the Social Studies teacher (Ministry of Education, 2005).  I want to expand my repertoire of applications suited for secondary students, develop digital age best citizenship practices and have “play time” which I believe is a key component to successful technology integration, as teachers need a degree of confidence in the technology they use in the classroom.

Lastly, I would like to understand the best use of a moodle.  In my school district we have seen an explosion of online learning at the high school grades.  My general impression is these course are by in large still pen, paper, textbook based. I wonder about the design features necessary for a moodle to be more than a list of assignments displayed on a computer screen. I have access to a moodle so I would need to understand criteria for educationally sound LMS and view some examples.

References:

Wheatley, M.J. (2002). Turning to One Another . Berkeley, Ca: Group West.

Christensen, C.M. (2008). Disrupting Class. Toronto: McGraw Hill.

Ministry of Education, Province of British Columbia. (2005). Social Studies 11: Integrated Resource Package. British Columbia, CA:  Ministry of Education of British Columbia.

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