Asalamallaykum from the United Arab Emirates.

1. ME- the introduction part

My name is Diana Wilkes and I was born and raised in Thunder Bay, Ontario.  I am married to a Kiwi, we met in South Korea, got married in Thailand and have moved from New Zealand to the Middle East.  We love to travel and Scuba Dive.  I often think he should be the one enrolled in MET since he seems to ‘get ET’ so much more easily than me!

Diana is…

• a SCUBA diver, an avid reader, a world traveller- USA, Mexico, NZ, Australia, UAE, Qatar, Oman, Brunei, Borneo, Korea, Japan, Thailand, Malaysia, UK, France, Spain, Portugal, Italy/Siciliy, Greece, Tunisia, Malta, Belize, Honduras, Cayman Islands, Maldives, Sri Lanka, Kenya, Philippines, Turkey and the Saudi Arabian border (lol)- how lucky am I??
• a wife , a younger sister, an auntie, an in-law, a daughter, an animal lover, a friend, a colleague, a Canadian, woman- hear me roar!
• a native English speaker, a Scientist, a 21st century learner, a student of UBCs MET course, an Educational Consultant, a teacher, an avid user of IT, an ESL instructor, a professional
• addicted to Diet Coke, a terrible cook, a lover of spicy food (though my guts are not),
• and like all of you- very very busy!

I have a background in Science (EET Diploma from Confederation College, BSc from RRU), Teaching (BEd from LU) and more recently Advising teachers in the Gulf Region as part of their ongoing Educational Reform.  I have worked in an e-class, run PD on ICT programs/software for groups of teachers and have become generally proficient with the use of ET.  I seem to have become a polymath in terms of what I teach and advise (ESOL, ICT, Science, English, PE and Social Studies, even Spanish?!).  I guess this is the nature of our globalized, connected world and individual experiences.

2. Describe how you have used educational technologies and pedagogic strategies, self-directed learning, critical inquiry, or intercultural communication specifically within the context of your area of employment.

As a teacher: IWB as part of a task board system, Mathletics as part of Maths program, webquests, pb wiki, use of prezis, weebly website, xtranormal, slideshow, PPT, MS Office programs, online games, email –>Constructivist approach with element of Connectivism

As an Educational Advisor:  Moodle course, Blogs, Wikis, Eluminate. Webpage creation and design, Social Software and Web 2.0 applications, Synchronous and asynchronous communication tools, Social Network tools –>Constructivist approach with elements of Behaviouralism

3. Identify three (3) possible future goals for using technology in the arts and humanities classroom

• 1) Facilitate and Inspire Student Learning and Creativity

• encourage blended learning where possible

• promote the integration of arts/humanities with ICT in local UAE schools

• 2) Design and Develop Digital-Age Learning Experiences and Assessments

• create a Wiki for local teachers to use for sharing resources and ideas

• help teachers generate personalized learning activities

• collaborative online learning experiences for local UAE students

• 3) Model Digital-Age Work and Learning

• Help teachers to inform parents about the benefits of ICT integration and cybersafety

• encourage participation in local ICT and Arts challenges/competitions

• promote the safe use of Web 2.0 applications and social media

4. Speculate on how this course might help you reach your goal.

Like many others, I am in this class by default (cancellation of 533) but am certain to gain a variety of new insights and skills from my interactions with the course materials and all of you amazing and talented people!

Cheers,

Di