Education is my mission. Technology is my medium. People are the point.
In 2004, I began my journey into the world of educational technology. While working as a Learning Technologist in England, I gained invaluable experience in this rapidly changing and dazzlingly dynamic industry. Five years later, I’m more passionate than ever about exploring the complex relationships between education and technology.
This blog is a collection of my observations of how educational technology is impacting us as a global learning community. It’s also a documentation of my evolution since my journey began. I’ll share with you discoveries of Mind Amplifying Tools that I find interesting and relevant to my work. I’ll provide feedback on how technologies add value (or not!) from a personal perspective as well as from a professional standpoint. I’ll also include the occasional story meant to ease the hearts of those in similar shoes (you’re not the only one advocating change!). Perhaps I’ll also inject an anecdote or two to encourage you to step out of your comfort zone (even if for just a minute), and…of course, to inspire myself through the art of reflection.
That’s a little about this blog. Now…a little about me…
I’m what Gilly Salmon (2002) calls the ‘Nomadict e-Moderator’:
“E-moderators are as mobile as their students. Many are portfolio e-moderators, working for several educational institutions and providers, all over the world, at any one time. They work for institutions that provide them with the best support for their mobile working lives. They have not only a highly developed awareness of the ways in which traditions of learning and expectations vary in different cultures but also the ability to work across discipline and levels of education…They can relate well to students without needing to meet with them. They focus on promoting the concepts of ownership of the learning process, active learning, independence…self-motivation and a level of autonomy.”
I’m a teacher. I’m also a student. I’ve come to realize that the only way to be a teacher of any value is to continually nourish the student within, to observe the world, to watch others’ journeys and to vicariously learn through them, to digest and process information, turn it into knowledge and eventually, to impart wisdom.
Enjoy the journey, and remember to keep smiling!
Katherine Pisana (a.k.a Virtually Scholastic)
