Flight Path #1

I am a teacher educator at one of the oldest teacher training institutions in Jamaica. My primary responsibility is to prepare teachers to teach mathematics at the secondary level. I am fascinated by the use of technology in teaching and learning. Whenever possible I use technology in my classes. Some of the technologies I have used thus far are: Cameras, PowerPoint, Internet, Nicenet and Blogs.

As I progress through this course Learning Technologies Selection: Design and Application, I hope to be able to design and select learning technologies which will meet the needs of the students. The seven principles as outlined by Chickering & Gamson (1987) are fundamental to the integration of technology in the classroom. Particularly, as educators we need to have high expectations of our students and communicate same to them. On the other hand our students should be “trained to have high (but not unrealistic) expectations of themselves.” My other goals for this course are, to become more purposive in the selection of technologies to be used in lessons and to be able to use the technology easily.

Unlike social software, learning management systems are new to me. Prior to UBC my knowledge of learning management system was very limited. I was introduced to Moodle in a workshop which lasted for two hours. Other opportunities to use Moodle never came my way. My immediate interest would be to set up a course on a Learning Management System for my class in September 2009. Though I have use social software for social activities, I have never used it in a classroom setting. Sure I would want to know how to use this software effectively for educational purposes.

Chickering, A.W., & Gamson, Z.F. (1987). Seven principles of good practice in undergraduate education. AAHE Bulletin. Retrieved May 11, 2009, from http://www.aahea.org/bulletins/articles/sevenprinciples1987.htm