Filling the Tank
My journey to and through the MET program has been a bit of winding road rather than a straight flight path. Long ago, at least, 15 years ago, I graduated from UBC and started teaching. I liked it, and I still from time to time think what it would be like to still be teaching, but at the time getting a full-time classroom position wasn’t the easiest thing to do. I ended up applying for, and was offered, a position as a Youth and Community Development Specialist with the BC Ministry of Agriculture and Lands. This was my first exposure to developing and delivering education programs outside of the K-12 system. It was a little eye-opening as although I had coached sports developing and delivering educational programs for youth and adults was something new and I was pleasantly surprised at how transferable my skills were outside of a traditional school system.
Then I found myself moving to Ottawa, to be with my now wife. I briefly considered trying to get back into the classroom, but was informed that getting a full time teaching job here could mean years on a supply teacher list. I ended up getting a job with the Canadian Tourism Human Resource Council (Now tourism HR Canada). I ended up taking over a program called the Canadian Academy of Travel & Tourism, a secondary school program aimed at promoting careers in tourism and hospitality. Eventually, my role at the council ended up morphing into an instructional design and consultancy role for tourism businesses across Canada and even some international pieces. This role really let me expand my skill set around competency-based training for the workplace and certification development. This is also where I was first able to explore how learning technologies can have an impact on workplace training, and my first experience with a Learning Management System (LMS). For the past year and a half, I have been the Education Manager at the Canadian Produce Marketing Association (CPMA).
As the Education Manager at CPMA I am responsible for developing and maintaining the industry facing elements that we develop. This role is a mix between developing online industry training materials and continuing to offer in-person programs at our annual Convention & Trade Show. The online materials are relatively new for the association and that had brought with it some challenges in both gaining an acceptable level of member engagement with the learning materials and with managing expectations around the development process. I’m responsible for running several programs, building our LMS, developing online training, producing podcasts, webinars, and whatever else seems to come along. I have some support from others in the organization, but I am technically the only member of the Education Department.
The Roadmap
My UBC MET journey has also been a bit of a winding road as well. I’m taking the long road around, one course at a time with a couple of breaks in between. Before I started the program, I wasn’t married, I had no children, and my girlfriend was halfway through her Master of Public Administration. My wife finished a long time ago and we just finished my daughter’s first birthday party. This is my eighth course, and I can’t count the number of skills that I have learned along the way.
Planning the Route
Learning Management Systems (LMS)
Although, I’ve been working with an LMS for a while there always seem to be new developments that I want to explore. In ETEC 522, I had a chance to explore the lite LMS phenomenon that seems to becoming a more popular solution for many companies. At CPMA, I am currently working with Moodle, but it has very much been a learn as I go process. I’m hoping that the chance to work with Moodle as part of ETEC 565A will provide me with the opportunity to solidify some of what I already know, and some of the tricks that I don’t have yet. In addition, I’d like to explore how or if an LMS, like Moodle, can interact with WordPress or other online environment for displaying content. Is this an example of the xAPI, or is it through some other method. I’d like to know the advantages and disadvantages for learners of offering content outside of an LMS.
Assessment
I am of two minds on assessment. From one perspective I want to explore expanding the assessment options that I currently use within the Moodle Platform. I think this can be realized through the ETEC 565A course material. The second, which may be fully outside of the course work, is to adapt the SECTIONS model proposed by Bates to develop a system of evaluating perspective education technologies for my professional life (2014). By using this model to assess and present education technologies to senior staff and volunteer committee members, I can clearly illustrate benefits and challenges for learners, association member, and the organization itself.
Social Software
The emphasis that this course has placed on twitter interactions has allowed me to finally focus on developing a personal twitter strategy. Currently, that strategy is limited to just using twitter more as an information source, and learning how to use it to communicate.
Multimedia
Multimedia is another topic that I have a few difference perspectives that I want to explore. First, I’m always interested in learning about new ways to present information and evaluating them against my current methods. Perhaps this is another adaptation of the SECTIONS method where I could change the emphasis to be on certain parts of the model (Bates, 2014). The second is that I want to see if there is a chance to evaluate and compare hardware in addition to software. How do hardware choices influence the impact on the final multimedia project?
In the end, I do know that “technology is not a panacea that suddenly transforms all learning” (Nel, Dreyer, and Carsten, 2010, p. 253).” It is as much the journey, choices, and experience that builds the learning experience.
References:
Bates, T. (2014). Teaching in digital age, Chapter 8. Retrieved from http://opentextbc.ca/teachinginadigitalage/
Nel, C., Dreyer, C., & Carstens, W. A. M. (2010). Educational technologies: A classification and evaluation. Tydskrif vir letterkunde, 35(4), 238-258. Retrieved from