Category Archives: 5151 Wk 3

W3 Activity 2 – My Personal Technology Plan

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My motto for teaching/learning online as I go forward is to learn something new everyday. Embracing new technologies takes dedicated time and an attitude that embraces change and improvement.

Technology Objectives

  • Macbook – Use Macbook to complete all EDDL work and assignments by utlizing each of the available tools such as IPhoto, IMovie, Facetalk, Skype, Google+, etc. The impact to learning is that I will be more fluent and adaptable with these tools and a stronger communicator/educator as a result.
  • KOBO E-reader – Use e-reader as a study guide for e-books to become more familiar with pros/cons, availability challenges etc.
  • Personal Learning Environment – Continue to use bookmark sites like Delicious or Diigo, as a new user, I am finding them helpful.
  • Productivity Apps – Learn to integrate various Apps (Cheddar, TagMyDoc, Dropbox) o take and share notes, create to-do lists, store files or organize academic schedules. I will investigate Trickster as it apparently helps you find all of your recently used apps and files. For creating lesson plans I will investigate iBooks Author to help formulate strategies for textbooks and reading assignments. This will all impact learning in a positive manner by increasing effectiveness and efficiency.
  • External Harddrive – As a professional / soon to be educator, I need to upgrade my archiving and security protocols to protecting my work. From this I will time machine my macbook weekly, or daily during high usage times, to a large external hard drive. The jmpact to learning of this is that I will be a more consistent educator with less technical set-backs that could potentially interrupt my coursework.
  • Flip Video Camera – Using a portable video camera to increase my comfort and expertise in filming different shorts. The impact to learning is that it’ll extend my reach to students who rely heavily on seeing and hearing, rather than reading.
  • Prezi – Create more presentations through Prezi to increase competency and clarity of presentations. The impact to my learning and the learning of others is that this tool is great for capturing attention in a way that Powerpoint is lacking. It requires a presenter to really know their topic, structure of presentation etc, in order to create an engaging presentation.

Proposed Learning Activities

My formal learning (courses) will include all of EDDL Courses this year, along with completing the TEFL Certificate which I am 50% complete.

My informal learning will be through various presentation tools like Prezi to help communicate various concepts, iMovie to develop my video creation/editing skills as well as some note-taking tools like Fetchnotes, which let you jot down your thoughts in free-form quickly. I will also be investigating Dunno which can take a note and let a service do the rest of the work for you completely in the background. Once you take the note, you’ll find a series of search results from sources including Bing, Wikipedia and YouTube.

My professional development will go on hold for a couple of years as I am resigning from my job at the end of July to take school full time while working part time to market a restaurant Por Que No and to some degree undetermined at this time, a hotel Costa Paraiso. I will fund my own marketing PD, which will help towards to online education field as this will be the subject I intend to teach online. My skillset will benefit from PD in SEO Optimization, Social Media upgrading as well as in becoming Google Adwords Certified.

Impact/Involvement of Wider Community

I will continue to build my teaching network through each course I take with EDDL courses as these relationships are key to increasing your impact and ongoing education.

Indicators of Evaluation on Plan’s Impact

At the end of my EDDL courses, I will review my level of competency with these tools and whether I need to focus on new tools. I will be evaluating tools on an ongoing basis in my learning over the next year as well.

 

W3 Activity 1 – Tell Us About Your Technology Plan

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Does your institution have a technology plan, and if so, how and where is it accessed?

  • Yes. Emailed out to management only. Developed by IT Director and stored on their Shared Drive.
  • No, it is not shared on the college intranet my.selkirk.ca as you would think.

When was the technology plan last updated?

Each fiscal year it is updated, so in draft in May 2013 most likely. Ideally it would be prepared for 2013/2014 for sign-off by end of April 2013.

How are decisions made around technology funding and purchases?

At Selkirk College we have a Learning Resource Fund, which is to provide funding for projects that align with our strategic directions and specifically enhance the student’s learning experience.

The year-over-year fixed commitments on the fund include computer lab replace and monitoring. One half of the annual fund is utilized for these fixed commitments and the balance is directed to approved projects. Applications for funding are received from April 1 – May 15 of each year and the approval and funding allocation process follows shortly after.

Areas eligible for funding from the Learning Resource Fund will include:

  • Purchase or upgrading of technology equipment;
  • Short term staffing requirements to support initiatives undertaken by the fund (lab monitors, etc.);
  • Acquisition of learning and instructional materials which are deemed to be extraordinary and have not been included in the budget development process;
  • Activities and resources that support the removal of learning barriers.

Is there a plan for professional development related to the pedagogy of using technology?

Not specifically but it is encouraged through all faculty PD to update technology skills. It is also driven through initiatives from our Teaching  & Learning Group.

How often is the impact of technology on learning reviewed?

The priority for funding will be established annually by the Deans and Directors, and included in this would be a review of the impact of last year’s projects and their impact on learning. This information is then provided to the Learning Resource Fee Advisory Committee to guide the approval process.