Thinking to learn … and learning to think:
The metacognitive path
On this page, thoughts about various facets of my educational beliefs and values are compiled. Please also find some reflections regarding the adventure involved in the process of creating this e-portfolio.
Directly below, brief descriptions of my personal learning theory are provided (with links to full original texts for further reading).
Educational technology: my philosophy
Teaching with technology: a human centered approach
To explain my position regarding the pedagogy involved with educational technologies, it is useful to artificially divide the content delivered by technology and the mechanisms that deliver it.
From a content perspective, I take a humanist stance. The quality of information mediated by educational technology should allow the cultivation of critical and original thought. Teaching with technology should advance the development of knowledge, rooted in the principles of the charter of human rights, and consider economical and political perspectives as well as the environment.
However, when considering the apparatus, my view tends to be more functionalist. Educating with technology should facilitate learning by using efficient methods of production and communication. The instruments and techniques, used to assist subjective content creation, gain effectiveness when they are standardized. It is difficult to contact people from around the world when our technological gears do not connect.
(To see the complete document, please click: edu-philo-cdrolet-etec511-64b / or pdf file: educational philosophy)
To read more about my educational philosophy…
- What is the purpose of education?
Education should produce a targeted behavioural transformation: my students should be able to film and edit digital footage by the end of the course. Additionally, learners should improve their learning capacity: if film students are in the second year of a program, they should be able to handle more difficult projects. Furthermore, students should become autonomous: their improved self-assurance should allow them to celebrate both their successes and their failures.
(To see the complete file, please click on: Drolet PLT final / or pdf file: personal learning theory)
- My personal learning theory
Learning is a process occurring when learners acquire memories and develop behaviors. It is facilitated by active knowledge acquisition, which is the focus of learner-centered instructional design. Learning entails integration of information, reinforced by comprehensive assessment procedures.
Since learning requires the fulfilment of personal skill sets, the teacher’s role is to provide adequate scaffolding. As learning also demands social participation, educators must situate cognition culturally by creating authentic learning experiences within communities of practice. (To see the complete file, please click on: cdrolet-plt-revised / or pfd file: personal learning theory revised)
Thoughts regarding my courses, artifacts and e-portfolio process:
- Compiled here are extensive considerations about the review process as well as the journey toward the completion of this e-portfolio: Final considerations.
- You can also read a transcript of my audio journal here: Audio Journal Transcript / or pdf file: audio-journal-transcript-in-refl.
- For easy access to specific reflections on the artifacts selected for this e-portfolio, please click on the “Artifacts” tab.
- If you should like to read more about my personal quest and my international adventures, please click on the tab called: “More info (about me)”.
For more reflections on my academic quest, please click on these categories:
- Academic Reflections (first category: right side bar)
- By clicking on UBC – ETEC 590 E-portfolio (last category: right side bar) you can read the reflections I collected during this e-portfolio’s review process.
- The categories:
- During my MET experience, I collected my best academic reflections from the courses undertaken. These discussions present what I have learned from various perspectives. They demonstrate that “teaching with technology should advance the development of knowledge, rooted in the principles of the charter of human rights, and consider economical and political perspectives as well as the environment“. They are found in the posts hosted under each course category (see: right side bar).
Multimodal reflections:
- The films embedded in this e-portfolio present a dynamic form of reflection, adequately symbolizing my quest: “Active learning through digital literacy“. They synthesize the knowledge acquired in the MET program and present how I apply theoretical frameworks in my practice.
