I find myself overwhelmed with how vast the world of online learning really is. When completing the course readings, there were at least 6 definitions that were new to me and a few where I recognized that I have been using the incorrect terminology. 

Different modalities are in fact not as synonymous as they seem!  

Technology Integration: Secondary & Undergraduate

In my experiences and exposure to the digital age through the education industry, I would say that it was limited as a secondary school learner, and became more prevalent through my undergraduate years. I remember taking ECMP355 (at the time this was a face-to-face ed-tech course) and in other Education courses, various educational technologies were scattered throughout the various assessments such as blogging, online engagement through discussion forums, fieldwork, and e-collaboration for group projects and presentations.

Technology Integration: Graduate Studies

In my graduate studies, I have been afforded the opportunity to take most of my courses online which has been a wonderful to balance my personal life with academic demands. With living ~70km from the University, online courses have allowed me to engage meaningfully with the content and my class colleagues from home (and not have to travel for a face-to-face class during these treacherous winters we can have). My online graduate courses often consist of: pre-assigned readings to prep in advance of class, a small lecture and review of materials, move into breakout rooms in Zoom for small group discussion, and then engage as a large group in discussion at the end of the class. I find that this reflects a traditional face-to-face class structure, but adapted for a synchronous learning environment. As a learner, that model works for me and while some might say it’s not necessarily engaging, I would beg to differ. The conversations, especially within a graduate-level course, can be rich and insightful. Engaging with other professionals over shared content and experience is rewarding.
However as a teacher, I find that I try to stray away from this structure to create  engaging experiences for my students (hopefully they see it that way??) that involve a multitude of teaching practices, strategies, and the intentional inclusion of EdTech. 

Technology Integration: Personal Practice

The integration of technology became more prevalent in my teaching after the Covid-19 Pandemic. I think that this is likely due to having some time to experiment and a drive to ensure that within the limits of accessibility, students were being sent meaningful work to keep them a part of the learning processes while most of what was ‘normal’ existed out of joint. When I began teaching 10 years ago, I was hired by a division that provides 1:1 technology to each student by providing them with a Chromebook when they enter high school. While this device has its flaws and limitations, it is a gateway to more EdTech opportunities in the classroom. This device was a life-saver for the most part during the pandemic and is one that I know was unique to our division. At this time, Google Classroom was our LMS and was used by most teachers due to its ease of use and accessibility; prior to the pandemic, our division had pitched Moodle as the new LMS and many educators moved to this platform. We are now working within Edsby as our new LMS.

Technology Integration: Reflections on Course Readings 

In reflecting on my Covid-19 teaching years, I appreciate how Ervine makes the distinction that remote teaching differs within the context of the Covid-19 pandemic due to being an emergent response to abrupt societal change and expectation of schools and learning. Ervine (2020) states that it’s important to know the difference between remote teaching and emergency remote teaching “so that criticisms of emergency remote teaching practices–especially from educators who have low digital literacy levels–are not generalized as online learning as a whole”.
Most educators I know found it difficult to pivot to online teaching/learning in the rush to find a solution–who didn’t? The learning environment changed, the expectations were in continuous shift, and supports were in a constant strain. What what happening with emergency remote online teaching didn’t do this modality, and its potential as a tool, justice. This was well understood by myself and my colleagues. This is where I saw Bates’ propositions that if the classroom didn’t evolve to fit the digital learners, then that classroom was essentially the same–just now available online. This concept then also does not fit the definitions provided by both Ervine and Bates in terms of the definitive differences of the various online modalities and the pedagogies required for their success when implemented. 

Technology Integration: Are there limits?

I find there are limitations for me in exploring the modalities of online teaching and my pedagogy in this area while teaching in a typical brick-and-mortar classroom. However, I know that while these limitations are present, what I have learned this week is that blended learning does not necessarily mean that the learning consists in an obvious and equal divide of “in-person” and “online” teaching and learning experiences. I wanted to use the readings from this week to reflect on the ways in which I try to incorporate Educational Technologies in the classroom as a means of seeing where I am at within the concept of incorporating blended learning. With this being my first post, I hope that this list is only the beginning of the ways in which I can further grow and understand online learning environments and the opportunities that exist within them. 

When reading the assigned materials for this week, I recognize that I am behind in the ‘EdTech’ world (re: understanding modalities and their various pedagogies) and have some catching up to do–this class is the start of that process.