There were quite a few theoretical frameworks I was considering. At first, I was considering Community of Inquiry (CoI) as it was one that I was familiar/comfortable with but after discussions with Professor Deborah Zornes and my colleague Alisha Hadley, it became clear that the research questions and literature were pointing me in a different direction. I understood that due to the pivot in my research questions/context, Engagement Theory might be a better choice. This two-decade-old concept relates to Education Technology. Greg Kearsley and Ben Schneiderman introduced and developed it in 1999. The main principle of Engagement Theory highlights students being meaningfully engaged in learning action through collaboration with others and meaningful tasks. This framework is for technology-based teaching and learning processes. Kearsley and Schneiderman posited that technology can be used...

For my applied research project, I would like to explore how facilitators and learners create knowledge in digital learning environments and how that is impacted by engagement. Over the course of this pandemic, I have realized that not all facilitators and learners have had successful outcomes regarding their pivot to online and blended learning. Exploring the use of engagement is an area that I am interested in understanding better and more about. Looking at some places that I would be able to disseminate my research are within my organization the Immigrant Services Society of British Columbia (ISSofBC). I would be able to present my work to the two divisions/schools of my organization. There is the Learning Instruction for Newcomers to Canada (LINC). program which focuses on newcomers to Canada which include instructors who teach immigrants and refugees. There is also the Language...

At the beginning of LRNT 528 in my first blog post, I posed a question. That question was, what can I do to better reflect and truly observe my own work without bias and have a better objective view? Is that possible? I now know the answer is yes, but it takes effort, time and risk taking. The facilitation weeks helped me better understand this. Teaching every day and reflecting on it is not always the best way to observe one’s work. Working in a team of co-facilitators as well as participating and observing in other facilitation group’s sessions allowed me to better understand what worked and what did not work as I was in the role of learner. As facilitators it is important to regularly step back into the role of learner now and then.  In my facilitation group we really delved into the pros and cons of using cameras in digital learning environments. I really...

‘Abbott & Cordova, 7 August 1971’ by Stan Douglas. AKA Battle of Maple Tree SquareAssignment 3 has really helped me understand how important prototyping is and that you should not waste a moment as you never know what issues you will encounter as you create your product. As I worked through my assignment 2, I felt I had a clear idea of what I wanted to achieve. As I worked through assignment 3, the further I went, the more I realized that what I was creating had many aspects I had not yet innovated. Little issues popped up that were very time consuming. Prototyping is essential to discover what you do not yet know. In addition, some of my peers who were important sounding boards had already started their thesis path or had already taken an equivalent course for LRNT 527, so they were not present in this course. I was fortunate to have one colleague to give me some critical help....

Creating Community in our Language and Career College https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6-ZUnMQhx2o