Some people say that the green runs are the easiest runs on the mountain, but it's important to remember that all riders need to start somewhere, and this is usually the place. It's generally regarded as safer than most other runs on the mountain because the paths are wider, there are fewer bumps and the decline just isn't as steep. But these runs aren't just for novice riders. Sometimes you're also an experienced rider and you just want to do a leisurely run practice what you're good at. Green runs are for every type of rider!
The following courses were ones that either got me started on my graduate journey, or were some of the courses that I would consider slightly more "leisurely" than a few of the others I took throughout this journey. |
UNB 6109 - Education and Teaching in International Contexts
For my first foray into my master’s degree, I had a wonderful opportunity to take this UNB course as it was offered exclusively to people teaching at international schools in Beijing, where I was working at the time. This course examined the nature of education in a range of international contexts with a particular focus on the intersection of globalization, culture and world views. This course was specifically developed for anyone interested in developing of a global perspective on the education profession. The biggest benefit of this course was being able to do it side by side with many of my colleagues, where we were able to apply the readings to our very own (common) experiences, partake in rich conversations and work together on projects to help us understand the world of international schools a little bit better. Ultimately, I decided to focus my attention elsewhere and applied to the MET program at UBC, where the rest of my 9 courses would eventually be completed. I am happy with the opportunity I had to take my first graduate course in a face-to-face environment. |
ETEC 540 - Text Technologies: The Changing Spaces of Reading and Writing
This was a fun course to take. Through a variety of hands on learning experiences, we had the opportunity to explore how text technologies have modified the processes of reading and writing over time. Throughout this course we ventured back in time to when writing was first invented by creating simulated print presses, and then traveled 50 years into the future looking at all the different ways in which education might possibly change, for teachers and students. This course provided opportunities to investigate some assistive learning technologies that can currently be used help students with a variety off learning needs, and we had interesting readings and discussions which allowed us to examine and ponder some really hot topics such as dark patterns, social profiling (Williams, 2018), and "ubiquitous mass surveillance” (Schneier, 2016). I believe that this course helped me to reach my goals on many levels. |
ETEC 532 - Technology in the Arts and Humanities Classroom This course was one I had been looking forward to taking, and turned out to be very applicable to me in my own classroom. For my creative inquiry project, I collaborated on a plan that allowed us to further examine the idea of credibility and critical thinking in media, focusing on the fact that technology plays a major role in the social identity and has also become a source for seeking news and information for many of our students today. We were challenged to think of the implications media literacy plays on pedagogy and curriculum, and offering suggestion on how to help teachers bring better media literacy into their own classrooms. |