ETEC 565A – FlightPath
This is the brainstorming video for my ETEC565A flightpath….
ETEC 565A – FlightPath – Written Version
As the CEO – Chief Education Officer, of GlobalEd.ca, my job description includes anything from teaching online courses, to creating a business and marketing plan for China, to hiring teachers and creating training programs, to developing an ESL – online program that is “different” from all the others. By working on a new venture, I have gained valuable professional development in leadership, Educational Technology and business that I would never have had teaching in a regular school. However, it is an entrpreneurial experience, and the time committment is high with a low salary. If I was ever to “pick” a job, I couldn’t create a more exciting adventure that I look forward to every day and think about all the time. To have the freedom to do “whatever” you want to meet the needs of your students, but at the same time having the economic responsibility to balance the books is an exceptional way for me to learn what is really “possible” in Educational Technology. My following goals may sound selfish because my goals in ETEC 565A have to reflect my own professional growth first and my company’s second. However, my professional goals are chosen in the attempt to create balance for myself at this moment in time.
As I alluded to in my brainstorming video and in the introduction, working for GlobalEd.ca offers me a plethora of technology challenges. I chose a pig flying as my first brainstorming image, rather than an airplane or a bird flying a specific flight path, because I often feel overwhelmed by the technology choices and I am skeptical of the best approaches. I decided to take ETEC 565A because of the experiential learning component in moodle and web 2.0 tools, but also so I assure myself of the pedagogical (academic) rationale for some of my online teaching choices. My three goals for this semester are to refresh a pychology 11 moodle course, to analyze and find similar research to support my teaching ESL online model and finally to create a multi- curricular online project for all of our high school online learners.
By redesigning a psychology 11 course in moodle 2.0 I will be focusing on learning html, online course design in moodle 2.0 instead of 1.9, creating interactive online activities and leanring how to present content in such a way that it meets the needs of ESL learners, yet encourages the students to learn for themselves. I will be co-teaching this course online to Chinese students in China which means I will also have to be aware of firewalls and web 2.0 tools that do not work everywhere. The “moodle” goal is my technology based goal and I will be focusing on skills and content that I have only experiemented with in the past. Some of the resources I will be using for Moodle offer information about the structure and components of designing a course. I will also use html websites that offer tutoring services to develop my html design skills. Finally, I will work with my co-teacher to create interactive and engaging activites that can be accessed in China.
My second goal has an academic focus. I will aim to analyze the “English as a Second Language (ESL) Technology Assisted Learning (TAL)” program model that we have created . I hope to develop some kind of strategy to “test” the most effective ways of teaching language online. After beginning a pilot study last term, based on the Bates and Poole SECTIONS model, I need to ensure that I am using the most effective online pedagogical tools and teaching strategies to teach a language online. I will study the videoconferencing tools (Elluminate, skype and adobe) as well as discuss the best teaching “format” (large groups, small groups, tutoring). I will research online journals and speak with other people teaching similar models to compare and contrast the pedgogical challenges. Some research could include choosing the correct technology, distance learning examples from an asian country context, cultural awareness in the distance learning classroom and learning a language online.
My final goal is for my own professional development and is purely because I want to develop something “new” and challenge myself. I will be designing a collaborative online project for students of all GlobalEd courses to participate in. Following the standards for online learning set out by Bates and Poole (2003) and NETS, I will start a new project with a collaborative emphasis that uses technology to enrich the online learning environment. For example – Designing a Mars Space Station. I found the Mars idea online, but I am changing it to suit my learners needs. By working in teams from different curriculum perspectives, what kind of online project could be created? (The different curriculum perspectives offered would bemath, physics, calculus, marketing, earth science, biology, psychology) What are the expectations? What web 2.0 tools would I use? Students will start working on this in April/May 2012. So I will be creating the project with other teachers in anticipation of it being included as part of the curriculum. I am very interested in other people’s ideas of possible “group” projects online. I will also search the flat classroom website for ideas.
As one of the key leaders at GlobalEd.ca it is up to me to lead by example. I believe that my three goals for ETEC 565A will offer my company and my staff new resources and different perspectives in online learning. Ultimately, these goals will also support my own professional development and confidence in online learning as well.
References:
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http://blog.helenbarrett.org/2011/12/downloaded-google-sites.html
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McNeely, Ben. Using Technology as a Learning Tool, Not Just the Cool New Thing. EDUCAUSE. Retrieved January 11, 2012 from
http://www.educause.edu/Resources/EducatingtheNetGeneration/UsingTechnologyasaLearningTool/6060
Murugaiah, Puvaneswary and Siew Ming Thang. (2010). Development of an interactive and reflective learning among Malyasian Online Distant Learners: An ESL Instructor’s Experience. The International Review of Research in Open and Distance Learning. Vol 11 (No 3). Retrieved January 11, 2012 from http://www.irrodl.org/index.php/irrodl/article/view/842
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Preskett, Tom. (2011) Choosing Web 2.0 Tools for Teaching and Learning. ETC Journal. Retreived January 11, 2012 from
http://etcjournal.com/2011/12/05/choosing-web-2-0-tools-for-teaching-and-learning/
Shimabukuro, Jim. Japan/Korea and US students: Cultural Differences in Web 2.0 environments. ETC Journal. Retrieved January 11, 2012 from http://etcjournal.com/2011/12/14/japankorea-and-u-s-students-cultural-differences-in-web-2-0-environments/
w3schools.com. Retrieved January 11, 2012 from
http://www.w3schools.com/html/
WikiEducator.org. Retrieved January 11, 2012 from http://wikieducator.org/Moodle/Why_use_Moodle