I have been an instructor since I graduated from the University of Victoria in 2005 with a Bachelor’s of Education degree in Physical Education and Science. Because of my fluency in French, and the high need for French Immersion (F.I.) teachers in Victoria, I often found myself in contracts in which I was a generalist F.I. teacher for middle school students. Although I fancied myself as a high school science and P.E. teacher during my time at university, I quickly found myself enjoying the role of a generalist, as it fit well within my philosophy on life. For me, life, like knowledge, has many different components, all of which interact and influence one another. As a generalist teacher, I found that I could take a more holistic approach to learning and intertwine subjects together; something that is not as common in high school because each course/subject is taught by a different instructor. So with a little luck, I had found my niche in education, as a French Immersion Grade 6 teacher, and I have been enjoying my work tremendously.

Being part of a F.I. program on the west coast of Canada has its challenges. For one, we are far removed from being immersed directly in French culture. A student cannot simply talk to anyone in French, and many of the signs, media, and advertisements they read while interacting with their community is in English. Even French resources at school, such as computer programs, textbooks, and library books can be sparse. This lack in French culture can test students, as many students who are not fully immersed within a natural environment can find it difficult to acquire the nuances and subtleties of a second language to become truly fluent (Marsh, 2000). This is why for F.I. teachers in B.C., it is extremely important to try and create an environment as natural as possible, where students can interact, socialize, play, research, and create things in French.

One thing that has helped us overcome this cultural divide is technology. Many modern technological tools and new ways of thinking about how people learn have helped my French Immersion classroom become more rooted in French culture. Internet resources, synchronous and asynchronous messaging, digital and audio communication, translating software, word processing software, video, and language learning software are all tools that I have used in my classrooms to help my students build their French knowledge. My students have really taken to these technologies, and I have noticed that throughout my career more of my students are coming to expect using it when in my classroom. An article from the Journal that I recently read has confirmed my assumptions by outlining some interesting results from a 2013 survey on education and technology. The survey, which had tens of thousands of students, parents, and teachers as respondents, showed that more than 80 per cent of high school students and more that 50 per cent of students from Grade 3 to 5 have access to mobile devices that can connect to the internet. It also revealed that a large majority of students are using their digital devices to do anytime research, homework, play educational games, and collaborate with their peers (Riedel, 2014). These trends spoke loudly to me as an educator. I have seen that students, like teachers, have been inspired by technology, and are using it in new ways to extend their learning.

Although I was not completely ignorant with technological systems, I knew my experience in the field was limited. I knew that in order to give my students more opportunities and skills, I needed to learn more about educational technology, and hence, why I signed up for UBC’s MET program. My main goal was to build upon my knowledge of educational technology and the necessary theoretical frameworks, so that they could be used effectively, to help me be able to create more authentic French learning environments. This course, ETEC565A, I thought would be especially helpful with helping me achieve this goal, as many of its projects and assignments will provide me with hands-on experience using certain technological tools that will benefit a French language classroom, such as communication tools, community and collaboration tools, and social software tools. Even experience with course management systems could be useful, as it will allow me to organize online course materials, assessments, grading, and student and parent communication.

My first priority in this course will be familiarizing myself with learning management systems, since I have very limited experience working with them. This will be important, as many of the assignments in the course will rely on my ability to use this tool effectively. Other technologies that I would like to become more competent in using, such as communication tools, community and collaboration tools, and social software tools, I will be able to experiment with when creating certain learning activities once I have managed to set up a fully functional LMS. Many of these tools will fit into assignments that will be covered in my Intro Module, which will be due in mid October. To achieve my goals, I will need various resources. I will need the help of my peers so that we can learn from one another and share ideas about the new knowledge and skills we will be encountering. I will also need a professor who will guide me and assist me when I have difficulties with some of the content or procedures. With these resources, I am confident I will achieve my goal in becoming a teacher who has the ability to successfully use technology in such a way that it will support and motivate my French Immersion students.

References:

Marsh D. (2000). Using languages to learn and learning to use languages. Finland: University of Jyväskylä. Retrieved from http://archive.ecml.at/mtp2/clilmatrix/pdf/1uk.pdf

Riedel, C. (2014). 10 major technology trends in education. The Journal. Retrieved from http://thejournal.com/articles/2014/02/03/10-major-technology-trends-in-education.aspx