My name is Nathan Bristow, I am a Technology Educator who has been teaching for six years. In that time I worked for three years at the Abbotsford School of Integrated (ASIA) – Sumas Mountain before moving up to the Northwest Territories with my wife (another Technology Educator) to deliver the high school program at Moose Kerr School in Aklavik, NT. Aklavik is a small 500-person hamlet just west of Inuvik above the Arctic Circle. The community is fly-in (or boat-in) only until the ice road freezes. This was an incredible growth experience for us both as we lived and taught in an all-Indigenous community. After two years of teaching in the Northwest Territories, we have returned to Abbotsford where I am once more teaching at ASIA Sumas.
A goal I have for this course is to explore different platforms and modalities of delivering content in an online setting which I find particularly relevant as next school year’s model of delivery is still uncertain. I would consider myself relatively knowledgeable in learning platforms, but I do know there is always more to learn.
In previous courses I have begun to investigate and prototype tools for aiding student self-assessment of BC’s core competencies and would be interested in continuing this exploration. I feel this course may help me find ways to create a more engaging and exciting tool which will help me in my own practices.
A learning goal for myself in this course would be negotiating the delicate business of following the First Peoples Principle of Learning recognizing “that some knowledge is sacred and only shared with permission and/or in certain situations” (FNESC, 2015) while working in a largely public sphere of modern technology. A constant topic of discussion in the Northwest Territories was trying to find ways to record and share stories and legends from elders while trying to maintain the sanctity of the storytelling tradition.
I also hope to grow in my ability to “[u]se technology to create, adapt and personalize learning experiences that foster independent learning and accommodate learner differences and needs.” (ISTE, 2017) I have found this to be a challenging aspect of teaching which has become even more troublesome with COVID protocols in place. I have relied heavily on in-person formative assessment to guide my instruction and have been hindered by having 50% of my instruction now based online.
I am hopeful that our explorations in this course will present me with a wider variety of tools and options to increase the efficacy of my teaching as well as the delivery of my content. A primary source of my teaching innovation stems from inspiration as I encounter new technologies and methodologies that I can reflect upon and attempt to apply to my own practices. I look forward to collaborating with my peers in this instance as well. The unique experiences that each teacher brings is a powerful tool and I have been fortunate to work in a school environment that encourages communication and collaboration. Many of my strongest teaching practices and approaches have stemmed from conversations and examples gained from my colleagues.
Looking ahead to the schedule I am interested to investigate social media as this has had quite the roller-coaster ride in terms of reputation and impact on mental health both for students and teachers. I wonder if the negative aspects of social media could be largely mitigated if we focused on proper education in its use? Are we as educators asleep at the wheel when it comes to these tools and should we let students simply figure it out for themselves?
References
FNESC (2015). The First Peoples principles of learning. Retrieved from https://www2.gov.bc.ca/assets/gov/education/kindergarten-to-grade-12/teach/teaching-tools/aboriginal-education/principles_of_learning.pdf
International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE). (2017). Standards for teachers. Retrieved from https://www.iste.org/standards/for-educators
BC General Aviation Association. (2020). Flight path of Operation Backup Inspiration [Map]. Burnabynow. https://www.burnabynow.com/local-news/35-plane-flyover-to-visit-burnaby-tonight-in-honour-of-downed-snowbird-3122556