Synthesis ETEC 565
Flight Plan Precis:
According to Bates and Poole (2003), “Decision making about technology is a complex process, requiring consideration of a great number of factors”. I agree. This belief motivated me to strengthen my understanding of educational technology and its integration in the classroom. I wanted to become more proficient with new learning technologies available to enhance program delivery across the curriculum in order to improve student success.
I began ETEC 565 with very little experience or knowledge about learning management systems, multimedia tools, web publishing, digital storytelling and I knew nothing about HTML codes. My goal was to gain experience in all of these areas. My flight plan also included the goal of developing an understanding of theoretical frameworks for evaluating and using technologies to enhance student learning.
Through the readings, discussions/interactions with peers and activities around the SECTIONS framework, I have developed a better understanding of how to evaluate technology in a systematic way. The experience I have gained through the analysis and application of the SECTIONS framework throughout this course will enable me to better evaluate technology in the future to use with students and teachers.
Reflection on e Learning toolkit:
One of the components available to me during this course was the eLearning toolkit. I was able to access the toolkit at any time in order to explore and reflect on the various technologies available. I tend to learn by doing and it facilitated my style of learning. I was able to choose a tool, whether it was social media service such as a wiki or a blog, web publishing or a digital media tool, and use it to better understand how the tool works. Reflecting on the application of the many tools led me to a reflection of how I can apply them to my students. As the course progressed, each one I explored was done through the lens of my students, school and colleagues on staff.
One of my favourite tools was the wiki. I had not had any experience using wikis, however after using it here and in ETEC 510, I think the possibilities for use with students is endless. Initially, I was overwhelmed by the wiki activity but most of this feeling was due to my initial difficulty using the tool. Once I had used a wiki for a while I found that the tool was easy to use and great for collaboration. I am excited to bring this tool back to the teaching staff to explore uses in the classroom.
The Moodle section of the toolkit was most beneficial to me. I had no experience with Learning Management Systems or HTML, so designing a course using a LMS was a daunting prospect. Where to start? The toolkit! Through my initial explorations of Moodle I was able to slowly construct modules to meet the curriculum goals. I think Moodle is the type of tool that the more you use it, experiment and explore its possibilities the more expert you become. If I was given the opportunity to use it again and it suited my objectives I would do so without hesitation.
I spent many hours on rainy, cold Saturday afternoons working through the section on Web design and HTML authoring. The toolkit activity gave me enough information and confidence to begin authoring web pages for my course.
Exploring the weblog section of the toolkit has motivated me to integrate a blog into my classroom this year. I have set up a classroom blog, using Kidblog, which will give my students a private space to interact with peers and engage in discussions on topics related to the grade 3 curriculum.
The accessibility resources in the toolkit reminded me of the importance of considering the needs of my student population as I designed my course. It is important to build in supports that make the tool/course accessible to all students.
Reflection on my overall ETEC565 experience:
Etec 565 is not a required course in the MET program. I chose to enrol because the description caught my interest. I had no idea of the learning experience this course would hold in store for me. Looking back I am very satisfied by how much we were able to accomplish in 13 weeks.
The constructivist approach to this course was a little frustrating at times but in the end resulted in a feeling of accomplishment and personal satisfaction. The interaction with peers that this approach necessitated was rewarding and resulted in collaborative knowledge building. The creation of my e-portfolio was also a useful activity. I now know how to set it up and I plan to share the artifacts with my colleagues. I will continue to use the e-portfolio to capture the artifacts I create in future courses.
My favourite assignment for this course was the Digital story. I enjoyed experimenting with the 50 tools available in the CogDogRoo – Story tools site. As I was exploring I was thinking of curriculum connections and grade levels where these tools would be most appropriate. Creating my own digital story, going through the storyboarding, production, editing and publishing process was a valuable learning experience, one which I will take back to my school with me.
I think one of the most important tools I will take with me from this course is the SECTIONS framework. According to Bates and Poole (2003), “In such a fast changing environment, decision makers need a framework or set of criteria to guide them.” Applying the SECTIONS framework in conjunction with Chickering’s (1987) Seven Principles for Good Practice will give me a good foundation upon which to base educational technology decisions. Having a means to evaluate technology and its integration into the classroom will greatly benefit me as I move forward with the use of technology in my teaching and help others choose technology.
Next Steps:
The school year coming up will be a busy and rewarding one. In addition to my classroom teaching I have taken on a new set of responsibilities in my school, to facilitate the integration of technology in the school with both teachers and students. My administration recognizes the potential impact the use of technology can have on teaching and learning. Therefore seventeen hours of my teaching time per seven day cycle will be devoted to promoting/facilitating the use of technology in primary classrooms to support student learning. The theoretical knowledge gained from ETEC 565 will aid me in this endeavour.
The digital storytelling tools have been book marked in my delicious account to be integrated into my own classroom and shared with staff in the hopes that they also will see the merit in using these technologies to engage students in the learning process.
In addition to my new role I plan on finishing the MET program this year, so I will continue to construct knowledge regarding educational technology and its meaningful integration into the classroom.
New Technology I hope to focus on this coming school year:
• Kidblog
• Wiki
• Digital storytelling tools
• Use of ipads with autistic students
• Use of video as an alternative to traditional methods for students to demonstrate their thinking
The knowledge and experience gained from ETEC 565 has further motivated me to better understand the value of educational technology and its responsible use to enhance student learning.
References:
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.
77-105.
Chickering, A.W. and Gamson, Z.F. (1987). Seven Principles for Good Practice in
undergraduate Education. American Association for Higher Education Bulletin, 39 (7),
p. 3-7. http://www.aahea.org/bulletins/articles/sevenprinciples1987.htm