Well today is the first day of my Ed D (or Doctor of Education program). In some ways it is quite ironic that I am pursuing Educational Technology because I did not send my first e-mail until 1997 when I got back from teaching overseas and had totally missed the rise of the Internet except for articles in the popular press. Actually that first e-mail was quite funny because the IT person who created my account said it was very important to have everything lower case and no punctuation...so I wrote my first e-mail to a friend of mine in all lower case letters with no punctuation. That person quickly pointed out that the IT person meant no caps or punctuation in the e-mail ADDRESS, not in the content of the e-mail! After that somewhat inauspicious introduction to the Internet and online communication, I took a couple of IT strategy courses during the MBA and really enjoyed them.
A couple of years after the MBA I became a manager in the course design and development section of a unit at Memorial University called Distance Education and Learning Technologies. That is when I really became exposed to educational technology on both the instructional design side and the media production side. Since I was doing so much learning anyway I decided to do a second Masters. This one was online and forced me to use many educational technology tools. Really, since I was managing the course development side of the shop I felt I should know what students might be experiencing.
It has been almost 2 years since my last course so it will take some discipline to get back into the student mode. I feel ready to take on this 'terminal degree' as one of my US colleagues calls it. I have always loved learning and I don't think I will feel satisfied with myself until I complete this doctoral program.
Of course at day 1 it is hard to say what the next weeks, months and years will hold but I invite anyone interested to follow me on my journey!
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Thanks for posting these stories about early encounters with technology! I must admit, I had a little giggle thinking about that first email you sent...
ReplyDeleteThanks for making me laugh Gerona. I needed that release as reality is setting in about beginning this "terminal degree"!!
ReplyDeleteI think it is important to remember and acknowledge all the little hiccups we have had with technology along the way because they are inevitable especially as technology seems to be advancing at an ever increasing rate.
I am feeling rather "terminal" at the moment. It has been 7 years for me since finishing my masters and will be looking to you for guidance. We all bring with us the part of "strength" we are all going to need to move through this terminal degree. I look forward to reading your hiccups and will gladly share mine.
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