International Teacher and Technology Facilitator
Cris strives to design learning environments that encourage knowledge construction and experimentation. Originally from Toronto, Canada upon graduation she relocated to Hong Kong to teach Grade 8 English at an Ontario curriculum school. She later took on the role of ICT Educational Specialist for the secondary section of the school to facilitate professional development for the effective use of technology. She has recently returned to the classroom to share her love of literature and media production as a Grades 8-10 Language and Literature teacher at an IB Curriculum school in Singapore.
View her professional profile on LinkedIn or connect on Twitter @CrisTurple.
Cris strives to design learning environments that encourage knowledge construction and experimentation. Originally from Toronto, Canada upon graduation she relocated to Hong Kong to teach Grade 8 English at an Ontario curriculum school. She later took on the role of ICT Educational Specialist for the secondary section of the school to facilitate professional development for the effective use of technology. She has recently returned to the classroom to share her love of literature and media production as a Grades 8-10 Language and Literature teacher at an IB Curriculum school in Singapore.
View her professional profile on LinkedIn or connect on Twitter @CrisTurple.
Purpose
This ePortfolio is a reflection of time spent in The University of British Columbia’s Master of Educational Technology program (MET). The international online graduate program engages students in new experiences and create a community of learners across geographical boundaries with a focus on Design & Development, Teaching & Instruction and Planning & Management as it relates to technology. This site is a synthesis of the information, theories and concepts learned throughout the program. The creation of a reflective ePortfolio has the potential to lead to transformative learning in which “new learning has transformed current understandings in reflective processes” (Moon, 2001, p. 6). Not only do I hope to extend my learning of the topics explored in the MET program, I strive to reflect on the effects my coursework has had on my professional practice as both a classroom teacher and technology coach. In addition, I aim to reflect on how effective the MET program has been in fostering the skills and attitudes students should have to be successful in the 21st century.
Audience
Since the purpose of this ePortfolio is linked to my own personal reflection on my learning throughout the MET program, it can be stated that I am the primary audience of this site. However, my ePortfolio may be of interest to other current or prospective students of the MET program who want to learn more about the types of projects one would complete throughout the program or the examples of topics covered across the courses. Furthermore, educators looking for professional ePortfolio examples may want to browse the content of this site. In addition, educators who are looking for a way for students to reflect on their understanding of the ISTE Standards in connection to their schoolwork may find this work useful. While some of my teaching resources are posted throughout the site, educators searching for additional classroom ideas and materials may want to visit my education blog at www.cristurple.blogspot.com.
Organisation
Fourteen artefacts from across nine courses within the MET program are included in this ePortfolio. I have chosen to organise my pages using the International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE) Standards for Students. This framework was launched in June 2016 as a guide for educators to achieve transformative learning with technology. The seven standards consist of: Empowered Learner, Digital Citizen, Knowledge Constructor, Innovative Designer, Computational Thinker, Creative Communicator and Global Collaborator. I feel it is important to embody these characteristics myself to best be able to promote them with my students. I have selected specific artefacts from across my courses that demonstrate the 2016 ISTE Standards for Students and arranged them chronologically under each standard to share my growth as a learner throughout the MET program.
Watch the video below for a more detailed explanation of the organisation of this site:
References
ISTE (2016, June). ISTE Standards for Students. Retrieved from https://www.iste.org/standards/standards/for-students-2016#startstandards.
Moon, J. (2001). PDP working paper 4: reflection in higher education learning, The Higher Education Academy. Retreived from: http://www.heacademy.ac.uk/assets/York/documents/resources/resourcedatabase/id72_Reflection_In_Higher_Education.
Turple, C. [Cris Turple]. (2016, April 25). Cris Turple MET ePortfolio Guided Tour. [Video file]. Retrieved from https://youtu.be/VgFRVr17VDw.
University of British Columbia (2017). MET: International Online Graduate Program. Retrieved from http://met.ubc.ca/.