Task: “It is difficult to get where you want to go if you don’t plan your route… though side trips and tangents can often be some of the richest parts of the journey! Tell us a bit about yourself, your experience, and your goals for this course (or, perhaps, the MET). Explain what you want to learn about Learning Management Systems (LMS), assessment, social software, and multimedia. Give your best estimate what resources you would need to master these technologies as a novice professional.”
Official ETEC565A Flight Plan:
Prior to Departure:
To craft a path for the future requires us to first look back and understand where we came from. My journey began with aspirations of becoming a veterinarian. I completed a B.Sc. in Animal Biology at the University of Guelph before realizing that I was not well suited for that particular destination. After a few years of “refueling” and soul searching, I set out on a new path which led me to a B.Ed. in Elementary Education from UBC. Still carrying a strong passion for math and science, I set out into the teaching profession with a goal of bringing curriculum to life and engaging students in their learning. Six years later I have gained valuable classroom experience, developed into a technology frontrunner within my school, become a wife and a mother and begun a Masters in Educational Technology.
Route Information:
While I endeavour to integrate technology into my daily teaching and am considered skilled in relation to others at my specific school, my expertise and technological toolkit is still limited. My skillset is limited to the following: maintaining a classroom website, communicating electronically with parents, utilizing Smart Technology (Smart Board and Document camera), utilizing Apple technology for digital book readers, dictation programs and interactive math games, and introducing concepts to students using multimedia tools (YouTube, online simulation labs etc.). As a result, when I began the MET program in September 2012, I sought to increase my breadth of knowledge in regards to available Educational Technologies as well as develop a more sound understanding of how to utilize technology effectively to support instruction. As I have progressed through the program, I have deepened my theoretical understandings and done extensive personal reflection on how I wish to move forward with technology use in the classroom. As a result, I have narrowed my focus to the following three goals for ETEC565A.
Learning Environment:
As I move forward in my career, I am looking to ensure my technology integration is not haphazard, but instead purposeful and meaningful. All too often, I have observed (and admittedly been guilty of) technology being used simply as a novelty piece, or a reward for good behaviour. As Chickering and Ehrmann (1996) state, “learning is not a spectator sport,” “good learning, like good work, is collaborative and social,” and “working with others often increases involvement in learning.” Accordingly, I wish to solidify my understanding of how to purposefully select technologies that will serve to aid in the creation of a classroom learning environment that is active, engaging, innovative and collaborative. As the SECTIONS framework (Bates and Poole, 2003) suggests, “it is impossible for any single teacher to stay abreast of new developments in technology” and thus my goal is to develop a set of general criterion that I can then use to assess new technologies in order to decipher their efficacy.
Toolkit Expansion:
What appealed to me about this course was the description of “hands-on experience using a range of learning technologies and platforms: web-publication, course management systems, communication tools, community and collaboration tools, multimedia and social software tools” (MET course catalogue description). I am looking to gain more experience with available technologies so I have a more comprehensive digital toolkit prior to graduation from the MET program. Specifically, I am looking forward to my first experience with designing a course shell using Learning Management Systems (LMS). As this is something I have heard a lot about, specifically the Moodle platform, I am intrigued to see if this is something that can be adapted for use at the elementary school level.
Innovative Assessment:
After evaluating my abilities alongside the National Education Technology Standards for Teachers competencies list (NETS, 2008) I have recognized a need to focus on the development of “technology-enriched environments that enable students to set their own goals, manage their own learning, and assessing their own progress.” I am hoping that throughout this course, I am able to experiment with the design of a variety of formative and summative assessment tools to address this.
Destination Specifics:
In order for me to meet the above goals I have set for myself over the course of the next thirteen weeks, I will need to commit myself to the journey ahead. I will need to afford myself adequate time to discover new technological tools, explore their interface and become familiar with their functions. I will need to commit to going beyond the minimal expectations of the course in order to delve deeper into the content matter. Additionally, I will need to make use of the collaborative opportunities afforded to me throughout the course as the opportunity to constructively build knowledge with my colleagues will be a great asset. I am looking forward to the ETEC565A “take off,” the learning that is ahead and my final descent towards graduation.
Reference Information:
Bates, A.W. & Poole, G. (2003). Chapter 4: a Framework for Selecting and Using Technology. In Effective Teaching with Technology in Higher Education: Foundations for Success. (pp. 77-105). San Francisco: Jossey Bass Publishers.
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
National Educational Technology Standards for Teachers.
http://www.iste.org/Content/NavigationMenu/NETS/ForTeachers/2008Standards/NETS_for_Teachers_2008.htm