Course Description:
This course will examine the
emerging impact of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) on current
teaching and learning practices and the curriculum implementation process. The course is intended to combine both a theoretical
examination of educational technology and a practical, hands-on exploration of
web-based software applications in teaching and learning. A critical approach to analyzing ICT applications
will be adopted in order to explore its impact and possibilities.
Instructor: Dr. Mike Nantais
Reflection:
Okay, I am going to be honest. I did not really “want or plan” to take this course. I am not very adept at technology, but it was the best (only?) online option for a spring course and I really wanted to take one. But, wow, am I ever thankful that I did take it! Mike was such a knowledgeable and flexible professor, it would have been impossible to not like the course.
The first assignment for this course required me to work with a partner on an assignment. I had not previously worked virtually with a partner, so that was a bit of a learning piece on top of the content. Luckily, I found a similar-minded partner (keen and type A) and we were one of the first groups to present.
The articles were thought provoking and ensured lots of dialogue among students during our breakout sessions. As I had never been very "techie", I hadn't given thought to many of the issues around technology. Learning about the equity and sustainability of resources, the potential for harm and misuse, and how technology has changed our culture really made me reflect deeply. There was much more to understand about technological change than I had ever imagined, as was well-explained in the article by Neil Postman Five Things We Need to Know About Technological Change This course gave me the opportunity to reflect on my teaching and leadership practices as well as exploring my own identity as it relates to technology. Throughout this course, in addition to some of the pedagogical theory, I learned so many new things that excited me: new apps (Padlet, Twiddla, Flipgrid), the meaning of two acronyms: (CAPTCHA and MOOC), how to create a blog and how to generate a meme!
Another highlight of this course was the practical nature of the learning that I could use and apply in my school building. I became aware that my lack of fluency in "digital literacy" was affecting how I lead my staff. I needed to model the way for the teachers. This meant working with them so they could understand the role that technology can play in the classroom and the lives of our students. I did not realize the importance of modeling the way for EVERYTHING that I wanted/expected teachers to do. It is a huge undertaking, but also an important one.
I have included a link to my first blog as my chosen assignment because it was a steep learning curve on how to create one. I was very pleased with the results and as weeks went on I became more comfortable posting to it. (It was this learning that lead me to using Blogger for this final assignment.) I know that it is important to keep practising my technology learnings or I will quickly forget the skills that I have learned.
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