I was born in Nanaimo, but lived the first ten years of my life on Queen Charlotte Islands (known now as Haida Gwaii), in the village of Port Clements. As a child I recall a life of exploring the diverse beaches and trails and honing a keen ability to beachcomb—looking for glass balls washed in from Japanese fishing boats, and searching for agates on the rocky shores of Agate Beach. A good number of my childhood memories are from this time and play a key part of who I am today. When I was ten my family moved to Duncan, BC. Moving to the “big city” of Duncan was an exciting adventure, but this feeling gradually wore off, and by the time I graduated from Cowichan Secondary School, I couldn’t wait to leave. My desire to live close to the ocean is what brought me to Nanaimo. I feel fortunate being able to afford to live in a city where the beaches and parks are a short distance away.
After completing my BEd and working as a TOC for a year in Nanaimo, I managed to get a contract at Woodlands Secondary. Since that time I’ve had a variety of temporary contracts. I’ve taught at John Barsby Secondary, Ladysmith Intermediate, Learn@Home, and Cedar Secondary. A continuing contract eventually materialized, and for the past three years I’ve been working at John Barsby Secondary (again), teaching English, Social Studies and Psychology.
I consider student engagement to be one of the most crucial components to learning, so as I see it, technology can enhance learning experiences for students. The reality is, most students are savvy and fluent with technology and in my practice I’ve attempted to take advantage of their aptitude and interest. While a few of my students cringe at the idea creating their own blog, using a discussion board, or creating a digital photo story, they often change their tune when they see the final product. I’ve witnessed a change in their confidence with technology and pride in what they’ve created. Often, they are pleased to find out that people around the world read their blogs—that others have an interest in what they have to say. Technology provides a voice to students, which makes it a truly empowering tool.
There is a focus on the growing use of technology in our district, which I believe to be positive, but I worry we are heading toward a future with less importance on classroom instruction as a vehicle for learning, to more of an online teaching platform. I question whether technology should be used as the primary instrument in the education process, or whether it should be utilized as an augmentation to classroom teaching.
After completing my BEd and working as a TOC for a year in Nanaimo, I managed to get a contract at Woodlands Secondary. Since that time I’ve had a variety of temporary contracts. I’ve taught at John Barsby Secondary, Ladysmith Intermediate, Learn@Home, and Cedar Secondary. A continuing contract eventually materialized, and for the past three years I’ve been working at John Barsby Secondary (again), teaching English, Social Studies and Psychology.
I consider student engagement to be one of the most crucial components to learning, so as I see it, technology can enhance learning experiences for students. The reality is, most students are savvy and fluent with technology and in my practice I’ve attempted to take advantage of their aptitude and interest. While a few of my students cringe at the idea creating their own blog, using a discussion board, or creating a digital photo story, they often change their tune when they see the final product. I’ve witnessed a change in their confidence with technology and pride in what they’ve created. Often, they are pleased to find out that people around the world read their blogs—that others have an interest in what they have to say. Technology provides a voice to students, which makes it a truly empowering tool.
There is a focus on the growing use of technology in our district, which I believe to be positive, but I worry we are heading toward a future with less importance on classroom instruction as a vehicle for learning, to more of an online teaching platform. I question whether technology should be used as the primary instrument in the education process, or whether it should be utilized as an augmentation to classroom teaching.