Destinations 7 & 8: Hué (ETEC 530 & ETEC 522)
Moving east from Laos, I came to the city of the bustling city of Huế, Vietnam. Huế is rich in culture and history, and Vietnam has been seeing steady economic growth and construction, as well as entrepreneurship and business growth. Its tourism industry is booming, and its infrastructure and standard of living is seeing improvements in the 21st century.
In the summer of 2016, I had another busy few months taking two courses. The focus of ETEC 530 was constructivism and strategies for e-learning. We delved deeply into philosophies of learning, cognitive theory, and constructivism as it applies to 21st century learning. In ETEC 522, the focus was on ventures in educational technology. I had the opportunity to take on the role of entrepreneur, exploring the exciting future of education in technological realms like virtual reality, game-based learning, and e-textbooks.
In the summer of 2016, I had another busy few months taking two courses. The focus of ETEC 530 was constructivism and strategies for e-learning. We delved deeply into philosophies of learning, cognitive theory, and constructivism as it applies to 21st century learning. In ETEC 522, the focus was on ventures in educational technology. I had the opportunity to take on the role of entrepreneur, exploring the exciting future of education in technological realms like virtual reality, game-based learning, and e-textbooks.
Destination 7: Hué (ETEC 530) - Constructivist Strategies for e-Learning
TOUR HIGHLIGHT: RESEARCH CAFÉ: ENHANCING SCIENCE EDUCATION
This site could be beneficial to teachers of science at all levels, and I have included it here as part of my Graduating portfolio, as I believe there are many activities here that could prove useful to teachers of science - particularly those currently attempting to incorporate the new Skills-based BC Curriculum into their teaching profession.
Click here to access my "Enhancing Science Education" Research Café. |
READING MATERIAL: KEY REFERENCES for RESEARCH CAFÉ
Conner, L.N. Students’ use of evaluative constructivism: Comparative degrees of intentional learning. International Journal of Qualitative Studies in Education, 27(4), 472-489. http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/09518398.2013.771228
Tan-Ni, L., Bronwen, C. & Jones, A. (2010) Senior High School Student Biology Learning in Interactive Teaching. Research in Science Education 40. 267-289. http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s11165-008-9107-8
Wallace, C. S., Tsoi, M. Y., Calkin, J., & Darley, M. (2003). Learning from inquiry-based laboratoires in nonmajor biology: An interpretive study of the relationships among inquiry experience, epistemologies, and conceptual growth. Journal of Research in Science Teaching, 40, 986-1024.
Tan-Ni, L., Bronwen, C. & Jones, A. (2010) Senior High School Student Biology Learning in Interactive Teaching. Research in Science Education 40. 267-289. http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s11165-008-9107-8
Wallace, C. S., Tsoi, M. Y., Calkin, J., & Darley, M. (2003). Learning from inquiry-based laboratoires in nonmajor biology: An interpretive study of the relationships among inquiry experience, epistemologies, and conceptual growth. Journal of Research in Science Teaching, 40, 986-1024.
PAPER TRAIL: CONSTRUCTIVISM & E-LEARNING
We were given two options for this assignment. For Option A, we were asked to: "Prepare a detailed and constructivist lesson for teaching a curriculum topic to students." For Option B, we were asked to: "Prepare a professional development workshop on constructivism or other related course topic." I chose Option A.
My lesson plan is based around a successful lesson I conducted with my Science 8 class on density, and works nicely with the other inquiry project on Water Systems that was built as part of my ETEC 510 course, which can serve as either a starting point, or an extension of some of the same ideas of using inquiry in the science classroom. I continue to use inquiry-based projects and labs in my science classes, and they have become a fundamental aspect of teaching in the 21st century classroom. The knowledge, skills, and practical ideas in this realm have greatly enhanced my teaching, and in some ways represent valuable 'souvenirs' of my overall journey! |
|
READING MATERIAL: KEY REFERENCES for INQUIRY-BASED LABS
Fosnot, C. T. (2013). Constructivism: Theory, perspectives, and practice. *2nd Ed. Teachers College Press. Available from: Teachers College Press and Amazon Kindle.
Matthews, M.R. (2002). Constructivism and science education: A further appraisal. Journal of Science Education and Technology, 11(2), 121-134.
Nola, R. (1997). Constructivism in science and science education: A philosophical critique. Science & Education, 6(1-2), 55-83.
Pritchard, D., Millar, A., and Haddock, A. (2010). The Nature and Value of Knowledge: Three Investigations (Oxford: Oxford University Press).
Sesen, B.A., & Tarhan, L. (2013). Inquiry-based laboratory activities in electrochemistry: High school students’ achievements and attitudes. Research in Science Education, 43(1), 413- 435.
Matthews, M.R. (2002). Constructivism and science education: A further appraisal. Journal of Science Education and Technology, 11(2), 121-134.
Nola, R. (1997). Constructivism in science and science education: A philosophical critique. Science & Education, 6(1-2), 55-83.
Pritchard, D., Millar, A., and Haddock, A. (2010). The Nature and Value of Knowledge: Three Investigations (Oxford: Oxford University Press).
Sesen, B.A., & Tarhan, L. (2013). Inquiry-based laboratory activities in electrochemistry: High school students’ achievements and attitudes. Research in Science Education, 43(1), 413- 435.
Destination 8: Hué (ETEC 522) - Ventures in Learning Technology
This part of my journey gave me the opportunity to look ahead to ventures in e-Learning. As a class, we examined some of the possible future technologies that may be employed in educational technology, and had the opportunity to take on the role of Venture Capitalists, to propose future possible ventures in educational technology. While this was by far my least favourite course in the MET program, and I can't recommend this course to any prospective students barring those who have a keen predilection for masochism, I have included two artifacts that may be of particular interest to educators and venture capitalists below.
TOUR HIGHLIGHT: VENTURE ANALYST REPORT - KAHOOT!
|
I built this Prezi for an assignment in which we were tasked with examining a technological venture. I chose to examine Kahoot!, an online polling website that I use frequently in my classes.
I have included a link to this artifact here mainly because I'd like to 'spread the word' about Kahoot! to other teachers; my students love it so much they actually request it for formative assessment! Word has spread about Kahoot! in my school, and nearly every class uses it regularly as a way of 'gamifying' the classroom, and creating real interaction between learners, devices, and learning. This 'report' is mainly concerned with how Kahoot! is being used as a business model, but I'm hoping that exposure will help improve the Kahoot! interface and make it even more useful and user-friendly to teachers and students alike. |
TOUR HIGHLIGHT: VIRTUAL & AUGMENTED REALITY in EDUCATION
This website will give you a chance to see what future educational applications and possibilities my arise from the use of AR & VR in the classroom, and is based on research findings in these fields that I underwent in a small group. This project was a very frustrating experience for some of our group members, as the poorly managed and designed web interface for the course provided us with multiple instances of
|
I am actually very interested to see that VR and AR seem to be gaining momentum in education; we may see more of these devices in our classrooms in the coming years.
READING MATERIAL: KEY REFERENCES for VIRTUAL & AUGMENTED REALITY
Agarwal, C., & Thakur, N. (2014). The evolution and future scope of augmented reality. International Journal of Computer Science Issues, 11(6), 59-66.
Antonioli, M., Blake, C., & Sparks, K. (Fall 2014). Augmented reality applications in education. The Journal of Technology Studies, 40(20), 96-107.
Bengfort, J. (2015, May 12). Virtual Reality Facilitates Higher Ed Research and Teaches High-Risk Skills. Retrieved from http://www.edtechmagazine.com/higher/article/2016/05/virtual-reality-facilitates-higher-ed-research-and-teaches-high-risk-skills?utm_source=feedburner
How will virtual reality change our lives? (2016, May 18). Retrieved from http://www.bbc.com/news/technology-36279855
Lau, K. W., & Lee, P. Y. (2015). The Use of Virtual Reality for Creating Unusual Environmental Stimulation to Motivate Students to Explore Creative Ideas. Interactive Learning Environments, 23(1), 3-18.
Reede, E., & Bailiff, L. (2016, January 23). When Virtual Reality Meets Education. Retrieved from https://techcrunch.com/2016/01/23/when-virtual-reality-meets-education/
TedxTalks. Reimagining education | Michael Bodekaer | TEDxCERN [Video file]. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IYpovgka-9Q
Antonioli, M., Blake, C., & Sparks, K. (Fall 2014). Augmented reality applications in education. The Journal of Technology Studies, 40(20), 96-107.
Bengfort, J. (2015, May 12). Virtual Reality Facilitates Higher Ed Research and Teaches High-Risk Skills. Retrieved from http://www.edtechmagazine.com/higher/article/2016/05/virtual-reality-facilitates-higher-ed-research-and-teaches-high-risk-skills?utm_source=feedburner
How will virtual reality change our lives? (2016, May 18). Retrieved from http://www.bbc.com/news/technology-36279855
Lau, K. W., & Lee, P. Y. (2015). The Use of Virtual Reality for Creating Unusual Environmental Stimulation to Motivate Students to Explore Creative Ideas. Interactive Learning Environments, 23(1), 3-18.
Reede, E., & Bailiff, L. (2016, January 23). When Virtual Reality Meets Education. Retrieved from https://techcrunch.com/2016/01/23/when-virtual-reality-meets-education/
TedxTalks. Reimagining education | Michael Bodekaer | TEDxCERN [Video file]. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IYpovgka-9Q