Mature community - ETEC 590
With each new stage increasing in its biodiversity and complexity, the ecosystem eventually reaches a "Climax Community" in which succession does not go any further. Many ecologists disagree with the term Climax Community as it implies that a final, stable community has been reached, however, in reality changes will continue to occur. As environmental conditions change; as new species are introduced; as trees die and open up space in the canopy, there will continue to be changes within the ecosystem. It is for this reason that I have decided to use the term Mature Community instead of Climax Community.
While this culminating ePortfolio for ETEC 590, my final artifact in the MET journey, signals the end of my degree, my learning and experimentation with educational technology is by no means complete. As new technologies are introduced; as the "education climate" changes; as old technologies become obsolete, the way I approach technology in the classroom will continually adapt and grow along with these changes. The ecosystem of my classroom will continue to evolve with the goal of being best adapted for the needs of my students at that point in time. |
"In some respects, classrooms are like redwood groves and meadows. They are biotic environments filled with the lives of students and teachers...The classroom in other words, is consciously designed as a cultural milieu - populated not by foliage, insects and fungi, but by language, relationships and ideas. These cultural dimensions of the classroom - its curriculum and norms of interaction - are what connect it meaningfully with the world beyond its four walls." (Flinders, 1992)
As I move forward from the MET program, I will approach my classroom aware of how the abiotic (technology) factors that I introduce affect the biotic interactions of that environment. This program has given me the basis on which I will be able to effectively evaluate and base my decisions surrounding educational technology. Already, in the five and a half years since I began this journey, I have experienced the ebb and flow of programs, as new replaces old. When I began this program and likely even this ePortfolio, I believed that the final word that I would come to would be 'Balance'. However, the process of reflection that has occurred through ETEC 590 has brought me instead to the word 'Holistic'.
"Holistic - relating to or concerned with wholes or with complete systems rather than with the analysis of, or dissection into parts"
Miriam-Webster Dictionary
For me, this word has proven to be important on a number of different levels.
As with nature, our educational ecosystems can often change in unpredictable ways. Just when you think that your Mature Community is stable, an event can occur that puts it back into a state of change. As I approached the end of my MET journey I thought I would have a time of relative stability, and yet I now find myself at the doorstep of my next adventure. An adventure in which I will have the opportunity to put these lessons, of interweaving nature and technology, to use. I have been selected as a National Geographic Grosvenor Teacher Fellow for 2014 and am being sent to Antarctica on expedition in December. I am deeply humbled by this incredible honour and am looking forward to using my knowledge gained through the MET program to share my learning with my students and community.
Thank you for taking the time to visit my site and explore my journey through the MET program. I hope that it has been as helpful for you as it was for me in understanding the growth and changes that I experienced. I would love to hear your feedback and have provided a spot to email me below. And of course, be sure to check out the reference link below.
- I need to continue to embrace a holistic approach to teaching/learning. One in which I am aware of the intimate interconnectedness of all that goes in my classroom so that I, along with my students, can make the best decisions for learning.
- I believe that understanding traditional knowledge and the interconnectedness of biotic and abiotic factors in an ecosystem will be key to solving many of our worlds impending environmental crises. Because of this belief, I must design lessons in which students can learn to understand this interconnectedness because they will be the generation charged with finding solutions to environmental problems.
- A large part of that interconnectedness will be in finding ways in which today's technologies can solve tomorrow's problems. Students must be equipped with an understanding of how to use these tools and resources in order to have the best chance at solving those problems.
- I will continue to work towards interweaving my lessons with experiences in the natural world along side the use of digital technologies in order to help foster a deeper understanding and meaningful learning for my students.
As with nature, our educational ecosystems can often change in unpredictable ways. Just when you think that your Mature Community is stable, an event can occur that puts it back into a state of change. As I approached the end of my MET journey I thought I would have a time of relative stability, and yet I now find myself at the doorstep of my next adventure. An adventure in which I will have the opportunity to put these lessons, of interweaving nature and technology, to use. I have been selected as a National Geographic Grosvenor Teacher Fellow for 2014 and am being sent to Antarctica on expedition in December. I am deeply humbled by this incredible honour and am looking forward to using my knowledge gained through the MET program to share my learning with my students and community.
Thank you for taking the time to visit my site and explore my journey through the MET program. I hope that it has been as helpful for you as it was for me in understanding the growth and changes that I experienced. I would love to hear your feedback and have provided a spot to email me below. And of course, be sure to check out the reference link below.
References
Flinders, D. J., (1992) In Search of Ethical Guidance: Constructing a Basis for Dialogue. International Journal of Qualitative Studies in Education. Vol 5, No. 2, pp. 101-115.
© Long, J., (2012). Strangler Fig in the Osa [photograph].
© Long, J., (2014). View from atop of the MCF bridge [photograph].
© Long, J., (2012). Monteverde sunset [photograph].
Holistic. (n.d.). Retrieved April 1, 2014, from http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/holistic
Flinders, D. J., (1992) In Search of Ethical Guidance: Constructing a Basis for Dialogue. International Journal of Qualitative Studies in Education. Vol 5, No. 2, pp. 101-115.
© Long, J., (2012). Strangler Fig in the Osa [photograph].
© Long, J., (2014). View from atop of the MCF bridge [photograph].
© Long, J., (2012). Monteverde sunset [photograph].
Holistic. (n.d.). Retrieved April 1, 2014, from http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/holistic