Wendy Kraglund-Gauthier

Hello all... I've been lurking and reading posts to date. Now on a hot and sunny Friday afternoon before class registration starts, I think I am the only one in the building! Oh well... such is my fate!

Saying that, I am the current (and only) Instructional Designer for STFX University's Contining and Distance Education department. I also serve as the MED and MAdEd graduate student thesis editor. In my "spare time" I am mired in my doctorate (University of South Australia - distance) in which I will be doing participatory action research with current MEd professors as they venture into an online environment to teach at a distance. When there is a rift in the time-space continuum, I do contract work with the Coady International Institute as we design their first distance course for students in India.

Nancy, you asked questions of us to which I have responded below.

a) How do you find out about  PD opportunities?  Mostly through listservs and forums such as this, follow-ups from conference attendance and web links, professional associations.

b) What encourages you to visit online PD websites?  Insatiable desire to learn more and more about everything. I like to be current. Online PD works with my schedule.

c) What are the components of exemplary online professional development sites?  Stable, easily navigatable, current, relevant, free or very inexpensive, reputable and respected facilitators

d) What is missing and needed?   MORE, especially from a Canadian context. SCOPE and CIDER have been great to fill the gaping hole... thanks!

e) What aspects of online PD websites encourage you to return to the PD website and share your contributions?  The ease of sharing, the sense of community, the desire for feedback and critique

I looking forward to the coming days and everyone's posts!

Wendy

Hello all

I too am a reader of posts and a lurker. I am the Instructional Designer for Saint Francis Xavier University's Continuing & Distance Education department in Antigonish, Nova Scotia. I am also a doctoral student, investigating the motivations and expectations of teachers new to the distance/on-line courses in their Master of Education degree.

I look forward to this discussion!

Wendy

Ahhh, the glorious scent of fresh ink and the exciting sound of cracking a new book binding for the first time…

Wendy

Hi Peter

I'd like a copy. My email is wkraglun@stfx.ca

Wendy

Hi Janet

I do agree that the sentimental stuff does have a place in whatever life, but I question its relevance and purpose in the academic, research life. I know I am sounding a wee bit like an academic snob looking down from the ivory tower (that is SO not the case), but I wonder whether it is the overwhelming volume of the "less-than-scholarly" uses of the Web is one reason why I get SO many raised eyebrows when I say I am doing my PhD via distance from a perfectly legitimate university (University of South Australia. Adelaide... plug, plug)...

I just put together a research proposal for a small project, and I had to agree with the "powers that be" about a Web-based survey to a finite group of participants as a legitimate data collection tool... then it was "what do you mean you want to have face-to-face interviews with people via Elluminate???"...

It is issues such as these that make this conversation so important (that, and I am completely biased towards the benefits of technologically-based education and reasearch... my job and my doctoral research!!).

Technology is truly changing the way we learn, discover, collaborate, and live.... ummmmm AMEN...

Wendy