7-years younger…
I’m a Learning Technologist living & working in London.
I’ve been working in education for 20-years as a TEFL teacher, an IT Trainer & a Learning Technologist. Since 2000 I’ve been working in universities in London and I’m currently an E-Learning Manager at City University London.
My TEL experience as a Student
TEL is my bread-and-butter so here I’d like to comment briefly on my experience of TEL as a student. I have taken a number of courses including master’s modules, shorter CPD courses and more recently a MOOC, which have either been wholly online or have used the internet to support face-to-face teaching.
Our #ocTEL course tutors have asked us to consider “what about the technology made the way you absorb, reflect, discuss, act different”. There is one very significant difference for me when studying online in terms of communication & reflection. The remote, ansynchronous nature of the conversations through email, forums, social media & blogs both:
- gives me time to think before speaking
- stops me speaking without thinking (which I’m too often guilty of in face-to-face situations)
I definitely reflect more which I’m sure benefits me & hopefully fellow students too. I also enjoy the freedom & control that a course of this nature gives me. Some examples:
- I started writing this intro post 7-days ago but just logged in to add the last few lines today
- I was at conference on Weds so missed the webinar but can watch the recording when I choose
- On a recent MOOC I watched the pre-recorded lectures at 2x speed
Finally… for the record… the photo of me above is how I’m known on the Internet. That photo is everywhere that I am: on my blogs, Twitter, Flickr, YouTube, Diigo and god knows how many other places. It’s 7-years old. Does that matter? Would it matter if it were 27-years old?
Learning Technologist