Project Step II - Technology Selection

In one of my earlier blog posts titled Project step I – Course Selection, I selected a course to implement education technology. I explained the nature of the course and the challenges that particular group of students face due to their work commitments.

‘Wimba’ is the education technology that I have selected to implement in one of my courses this semester. I do not have any previous experience with Wimba.

While choosing a suitable education technology for the course, article ‘Ten Fundamental Reasons’ by John Page proved to be a great guide. Wimba will give them expansion of time and space as it allows them to learn anywhere and anytime. It also gives them the flexibility of individual pacing and sequence. It permits them to break step with the class and go at a pace and order that suits each student better.

Learning Network

Learning and professional development should be an ongoing process. Having access to printed resources like professional and academic journals is always an option. The other option is having a group of professional and academic people who can guide you and inspire you.

I have had an informal learning network which has expanded over the years. This learning network comprises of my university professor from MBA days and class fellows, my boss from my first job as an investment banker and my colleagues, my second boss who was/is the dean of business department and fellow teachers at the university I used to teach at up until 2008. But because life is so busy and we all live so far apart, I feel hesitant to reach out to them now but I am still in contact with them through email and Facebook. My learning network grew organically as over the years my students graduated and became professionals. I am in contact with almost 500+ alumni from the university I taught at through Facebook. At my current place of work, my first Supervisor is very supportive. Again, over the last three years here, some of my students have graduated and I see them and share work place experiences with them. But my contact with them is very limited once they graduate.

I do feel the need for a professional learning network. There are times when I would like to reach out to a colleague or supervisor seeking their professional opinion on an assessment I just drafted or how I handled a discussion in class. But everybody has tons of work and I don’t want to disturb anyone. It feels great when you are able to share with another teacher your teaching experiences and challenges. But such genuine opportunities are rare.

Project Step I - Course Selection

I am a finance teacher and mostly teach courses which are quantitative in nature. This semester I am teaching a course in Engineering department EMGT N417 Basics of Accounting and Finance. It entails a lot of numerical calculations along with conceptual application.


This is a pm section as almost all the students are working and come to college after work. Some of the students are off-shore students which imply they might need to travel frequently or have to be away for on-site duties for two or more weeks in a row. Also, a fairly large proportion of students commute from other emirates to reach in time for the class. Inevitably, there are frequent delays and at times they are too exhausted after a hectic day at work to drive all the way to Dubai for any class.


I strongly feel that these working and off-shore students can immensely benefit from the use of technology in this course which can give them the expansion of time and place.

MODULE II - Experiences with Education Technology

Hi everyone and welcome to Module 2.

Over my last fourteen years of teaching experience, I have seen the use of educational technology take a quantum leap! When I started teaching in 1998, my first education technology was overhead projector with slides which I used instead of the white board; then I moved on to overhead projector hooked to a laptop and more sophisticated power points. Over the years Blogs, YouTube, TED and Black Board Vista have played a major role in my journey as a teacher and educator. I am a very big fan of Black board vista and use it regularly for class lessons, assignments, assessments and other course material.

The benefits of using educational technology cannot be contradicted. Of ‘The Ten Fundamental Reasons’ by John Page, I agree with #6 Going Global; and  #7 Individual Pacing and Sequence the most. Going global because Educational technology transcends the geographical boundaries. Thus, making the learning experience a virtual reality across borders without entailing significant financial cost. Individual pacing and sequence because one of the biggest challenge for a teacher is addressing different learning abilities in a single classroom. This, ideally, would imply catering to all the students’ individual learning needs which with growing class sizes is becoming more and more difficult. Educational technology where the lessons can be recorded, replayed and assignments reviewed unlimited times, create a more conducive and effective learning environment for individual students.

 I have always found the students to be more receptive to technological advancements as long as they perceive it not to increase their work load. The youth of today is much more techno savvy than what we used to be and what we are even now… I am very keen to stay abreast of these technological developments and often share the desire to do so with my kids. They always give me a reassuring pat at the back and explain to me '… mama, you are doing good for someone who was born in the last century' :)