I’m so excited to start EDCI 336: Technology and Innovation in Education at UVic and to welcome also open learners who wish to wrap around this course. I post a task list each week. Please do come back to the week’s post in case I add anything across the week. Each week’s post is considered dynamic until the week is closed out. If I add anything helpful (including recommendations curated by you), I’ll add it to the bottom of the list with *NEW* next to it.

Tasks for this week for EDCI 336 🙂

  • Complete the Pre-Term Self-Assessment by Tuesday, Sept 9
  • *Read the course outline* found in your email and on Brightspace. I am a very flexible and helpful instructor, so please do not struggle or spend much time on anything in isolation. You can send me a message to push me to a phone call or Zoom meeting and I can help to resolve it with you.
  • Read recommended articles. To learn more about our networked and open course design, please consider reading these two articles. Note: just because our course is open access does not mean you cannot be private. You have full agency over your privacy preferences.
  • Become familiar this course blog
    • Please skip reviewing the posts found under the competency menus given they will be updated as I link to them from my Instructor posts each week. Each week I will link to only the specific posts you will need to review.
  • Review the following course blog posts:
  • Create your blog on the OpenETC
    • Follow the instructions on our blog post, Creating a Blog on the OpenETC. If you need help, you can a) message me if you need help on Mattermost or cell, b) come to our whole class drop-in at the end of next week, or c) sign up for a short Zoom with me using Calendly. Links on the course outline and on the social spaces page of this website.
    • Customize your blog (See WordPress Tutorial)
  • Complete the Learner Pathways Survey by Tuesday, September 9
    • This will provide me with all the information I need to help to support you in this course (e.g., your privacy preferences, to get your blog URL, your Mattermost username, etc.)
  • Join Mattermost
    • Info and links found on BrightSpace, on our course outline, and here on the private Social Spaces page (password for the social spaces page is found on the course outline and on Mattermost in our private channel for our Fall section).
  • Learning Pods
    • Once we have pods formed, I will introduce you to each other via Mattermost direct messaging (DM). You can then figure out a good day/time for the four of you to meet weekly in your own Zoom room. The Sign-Up is posted on Brightspace and in the social spaces menu.
  • Know where to find our Zoom link for live sessions
    • You an easily access our Zoom room in different places: 1) in a pinned post on BrightSpace, 2) on our blog social spaces menu, 3) in the channel header of our private course section channel on Mattermost, and 4) on our course outline. Please *always* log into https://uvic.zoom.us *BEFORE* opening any Zoom link so I do not have to be interrupted to admit you to the room.
  • Know where to find our Calendly links to sign up to meet me
    • This link can be found on our course outline, on the pinned post on BrightSpace, and on our blog’s social spaces page under the “course posts” menu.
  • Review ISTE Standards and the BC Digital Literacy Framework
  • Watch Most Likely to Succeed Film (connect to the UVic VPN to watch from off campus)
  • Review the Guest Session (42 min) with Brian Lamb of TRU and the Open ETC (see bio and his blog). This was recorded for my spring EDCI 136 class, which is a great foundational course for digital literacy that will be offered again this January. We use this same blogging process for all of our EdTech courses (EDCI 136, 335, 336, 337, 338, and 339), so although this template shows 136, this video reviews the same process. You are welcome to explore the resources on the EDCI 136 course as it is open access. I hope this video will be helpful in orienting you to WordPress, which will be a tool we use for you to document your learning. If you already have a blog, please message me about how we can use the same blog for this course by just creating a few categories and new menus.

  • Walkthrough of WordPress