Assignment 1- Individual Reflection

Working on this LMS rubric assignment provided an opportunity to engage with a practical challenge of selecting a learning management system for a secondary school setting. At first, our group needed time to clarify the assignment requirements as we found it difficult to decode at first. We then discussed and compared our real life individual teaching scenarios, and collectively decided on our scenario for Sunnyside Secondary in BC.  Angela and I collaborated on writing the scenario, ensuring it reflected the realities of the current public school landscape in BC.

We then discussed the areas we thought were most important to an LMS and selected our rubric categories. My main contribution was the “usability” section of the rubric. I drew on the framework provided by Issa and Isaias (2015), who argue that usability within Human-Computer Interaction (HCI) encompasses more than functionality, it includes how easily a system can be learned, navigated, and personalized, and whether the system is memorable and enjoyable to use. This guided how I broke down the useability criteria in the rubric. 

Looking at our two LMS systems we began assessing them each using our rubric. While Brightspace (D2L) offers more advanced features, our recommendation to begin with Google Classroom reflects our current technological readiness and need for accessibility. As Alharbi and Drew (2014) highlight, successful LMS adoption relies on usability for both educators and students. Since many teachers already use Google Workspace, Classroom’s integration would be an easy transition.

Despite lacking in-depth peer collaboration tools, Google Classroom supports communication and resource sharing, aligning with Vygotsky’s (1978) social learning theory. However, its limited data tracking and lack of analytics tools are significant drawbacks. Bates and Sangrà (2011) emphasize the importance of learning data for instructional planning, a strength of D2L. Similarly, Alturki and Aldraiweesh (2012) argue that visibility into student activity supports engagement, something Google Classroom lacks. Data privacy is another concern. Google stores data on U.S. servers, raising issues under BC’s FOIPPA laws (BC OIPC, 2021), whereas D2L complies with Canadian data regulations.

Still, we decided that Google Classroom is a practical starting point. Its simplicity allows educators to explore digital teaching with minimal risk. Ultimately we suggested a  two-year pilot of Google Classroom to support teacher growth while allowing time to assess the need for a more robust LMS like D2L.

References

Alharbi, S., & Drew, S. (2014). Using the technology acceptance model in understanding academics’ behavioural intention to use learning management systems. International Journal of Advanced Computer Science and Applications, 5(1), 143–155. https://doi.org/10.14569/IJACSA.2014.050120

Alturki, U., & Aldraiweesh, A. (2021). Application of Learning Management System (LMS) during the COVID-19 Pandemic: A sustainable acceptance model of the expansion technology approach by Educational Technology Department, College of Education, King Saud University, Riyadh. Sustainability, 13(19),  https://doi.org/10.3390/su131910991.

British Columbia Office of the Information & Privacy Commissioner. (2021). Cloud computing guidelines for public bodies. https://www.oipc.bc.ca/guidance-documents/2325

D2L Corporation. (2025, April 17). Your complete K-12 learning platform. D2L. https://www.d2l.com/solutions/k-12/

Google for Education. (2023). Google Classroom: Tools for every classroom. https://edu.google.com/products/classroom/

Issa, T., & Isaias, P. (2015) Usability and human computer interaction (HCI). In Sustainable Design (pp. 19-35). Springer. 

Vygotsky, L. S. (1978). Mind in society: The development of higher psychological processes. Harvard University Press.

My name is Kristjana Young and I am from North Vancouver, British Columbia. I am currently teaching in Port Moody and teach a variety of courses including Foods, Physical and Health Education, Student Services, and Athletic Training. I have a long history in sport and devoted a huge amount of my life to basketball. I played for UBC and overseas in Germany as well. In my down time I love to spend time with friends, cooking, and hiking with my dog. My goal and what led me to complete the MET program was to continue learning in an area I felt was only increasing in relevance and importance in education, but an area I felt I had insufficient knowledge in. The ISTE (International Society for Technology in Education [ISTE], 2017)  standards encourage continuous growth (learner), collaboration (collaborator), and high expectations for students (leader). I think this is super important as both an educator and student in this program and it aligns with my reasoning behind pursuing my Masters Degree. I have goals to improve my knowledge around digital tools and to learn how to implement them in an effective way for all students. This is because my view of teaching and learning in the 21st century includes collaboration, flexibility, and utilizing technology. 

I think ETEC 524 will provide both the theoretical background and practical experience I need to develop into a digital-age teaching professional. It offers opportunities to use and evaluate tools through the lens of active learning, collaboration, and equity which are noted in the ISTE (2017) standards and the Seven Principles (Chickering & Ehrmann, 1996). By designing my own unit of learning, I can directly apply what I learn and hopefully use it within my practice. I think there are a lot of digital skills I will need that I do not currently have. I hope learning these will allow me to navigate and select tools more efficiently and effectively. Currently I feel I spend more time learning the tool than really utilizing it in my teaching.

After looking at the course schedule and the range of topics we’ll be exploring, I think the areas most important to my own goals in becoming a digital-age teaching professional are multimodalities, social media, and assessment. I want to learn how to design engaging learning experiences that support learning differentiation. I also know that social media is so prevalent that learning how to use it responsibly and creatively in education is essential. This aligns with ISTE (2017) Standards 3 (Citizen) and 6 (Facilitator) as it involves helping students to engage thoughtfully as a digital citizen and facilitating collaboration and creativity in students. Finally, assessment is an area that can be enhanced with technology however I want to ensure I learn effective ways to implement it so assessment is meaningful. This connects to ISTE Standard 7: Analyst, and I hope to use Week 6’s content to better design assessments that inform instruction and support actionable feedback. The resources I might need to master these technologies as a novice professional might include readings for theoretical background and research along with tutorials so I can navigate new tools and help me take less time to learn how to use them. I will also need real life examples that make the learning applicable to my teaching context.  

In conclusion,  I am excited to begin ETEC 524 as I believe it will better equip me with the skills and knowledge needed to teach in the digital age. By focusing on multimodalities, social media, and assessment, along with the other areas of course learning, I hope to create engaging and inclusive learning experiences.

References

Chickering, A. W., & Ehrmann, S., C. (1996). Implementing the seven principles: Technology as lever. American Association for Higher Education Bulletin, 49(2), 3-6. Retrieved from http://www.aahea.org/articles/sevenprinciples.htm

International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE). (2017). Standards for teachers. Retrieved from https://www.iste.org/standards/for-educators