1. Week 1& 2
Greetings from snowy Sydney, Nova Scotia. My name is Jade Gilmet-Gillis and I
currently teach grades 7 & 8 French Language Arts (French Immersion) at Whitney
Pier Memorial Junior High in the Cape Breton Victoria Regional School Board. I live
with my husband (Dennis) and our cats in a small apartment in Sydney. I attended
Université Sainte-Anne for my undergrad (French/English/History) and went to
University of Maine at Fort Kent for my teaching degree (secondary/foreign
languages). This is my third course I have taken towards my Diploma in Educational
Technology and I have enjoyed what have done so far. In regards to my computer
expertise I still think it funny (if not amazing) that this is the domain I decided upon
for study -- 10 years ago I was unable to turn a computer on. I am now very
comfortable with technology and love to use it in my teaching and classroom in
general. I am by no means an expert but I have developped my own strategies in
manouvering around and in technology. I suppose if I had to describe myself in a
few words I would say : geek, curious and homebody. My hobbies include board
games with my husband and our friends, RPGs like D&D, going to movies, and
reading. In summer and fall, I love to spend time at our trailer on the Bras D’or,
camp, hike and swim. My priorities are definately my family, followed by my
teaching and then my personal studies ( which back up my second priority). I don’t
really have anything interesting to say about myself—though I was very ill for a
number of years, married 2 years ago and am now hoping to start a family since my
health has improved. As for e-mail I have many but all filter into the same program
so the best is probably jadegillis@nspes.ca or caperjade@gmail.com.
Review your Technology Integration Skills
Already Skilled
1
 Basic Computer
Operation
 Productivity Software
 Instructional Software
 Assistive Technology
 Using the Internet
 Virtual Communication
and Collaboration
 Video Technologies
 Evaluating and
Incorporating New
High Priorities for
Professional
Development2
Low Priorities for
Professional
Development3

2. Technologies
 Managing the
Technology-Enhanced
Classroom
 Assessment
 Professional Development
 Social, Legal and Health
Issues
1. High skill level using an important technology personally and in the
classroom
2. Lower skill level using an important technology, including areas of personal
skill that can be developed into classroom skills
3. Technologies currently not used in your teaching
Your technology integration skills table
Personal
Skill
Classroom
Skill
Importance
Basic Computer Operation
4
4
4
Productivity Software
4
4
4
Instructional Software
N/A
3
4
Assistive Technology
N/A
4
4
Using the Internet
4
4
4
Virtual Communication and Collaboration
4
4
4
Video Technologies
4
4
4
Evaluating and Incorporating New
Technologies
4
4
4
Managing the Technology-Enhanced
Classroom
4
3.75
4
Assessment
N/A
3.33
4
Professional Development
3.33
N/A
3.67
4
4
4
Social, Legal and Health Issues
* Indicates an area of lower personal and/or classroom skill, but a high priority
The medium is not the message:

3. Technology is the delivery system and not the content or lesson.
1. Media does not teach it is the design of the content that determines
whether distance learning is successful.
2. The medium itself does not teach, but the organization and
presentation of content, combined with high levels of interactivity on
the part of the learner and feedback from an authority (instructor,
tutor, or programmed response), are elements of a distance learning
system.
3. Technology and media are not the goal but the means to an end, the
means of dissemination of information and content to individuals in a manner
that is asynchronous and available through the web so as not to be tied to one location
The article “ The Medium is Not the Message “ by Donald P. Ely not only plays on the
phrase coined by Marshall McLuhan, “The Medium is the Message” it opposes it.
McLuhan coined this phrase in 1964 and it speaks of the almost symbiotic
relationship between the medium and the message itself. McLuhan believed that the
medium was possibly more important than the message itself. In an interview,
which took place on 27 June 1977, where McLuhan was interviewed ABC, in Sydney,
Australia in regards to “The Media is the Message”. McLuhan used the telephone as
an example where the medium was more important than the message. McLuhan
states, “it doesn’t matter what you say on the telephone. The telephone as a service
is a huge environment, and that is the medium. The environment effects everybody.
What you say on the telephone effects very few”.(McLuhan, 1977) Is this still the
case? Some would argue against this, in fact, Ely’s title “The Message is Not the
Message” does this emphatically. Ely emphasises that, in regards to distance
education, it is not the media (or technology) that teaches , it is the “design” or the
organization and presentation of content that does that. Technology is the delivery
system , the means of dissemination, not the content itself. In contrast to McLuhan’s
belief that the medium is more important than the message, Ely believes that the
content (message) is more important the medium (technology used to disseminate
information). I would agree with Ely that it is organization and presentation of
content that is important. I also feel that this may be the case in many things as we
have moved from the “electronic” era to our “information era”. In regards to
Distance Education , technology and media are not the goal but the means to and
end, the means of dissemination of information and content to individuals;
individuals that are separated by space and often time. These technologies or
medias are asynchronous and available through the web so as not to be tied to one
location—opening learning up to people who would otherwise be unable to take
part. I believe that this is the future.
Reference

4. ABC Televison, Sydney Australia, June 27, 1977. Retrieved from:
http://youtu.be/ImaH51F4HBw on January 13, 2014.
2. If I were to choose one particular learning theory that best fits direct
instruction I would choose behaviourism. Behaviourists attempt to direct
learners to a desired response through the use of stimuli. Direct instruction
has the teacher choosing the design of the lesson and making all decisions,
keeping students on-task and moving towards a desired response and using
positive reinforcement, prompt feedback and multiple opportunities for
practice (both guided and independent).
3. If I were to choose one particular learning theory that best fits the
constructivist approach I would choose Piaget’s Development Model. Piaget
believed that learners learn through interaction and collaboration, and that
knowledge is constantly constructed and reconstructed by learners through
schemes. Both constructivism and Piaget’s developmental theory are based
on the learner’s discovery and that they should construct their own
knowledge based on what is meaningful for them and their experiences.
4. In my personal teaching experiences I have found that direct instruction
worked when teaching grammatical matters. I teach French as a second
language to individuals with very little knowledge of the language. I often
use direct instruction when teaching grammatical matters such as sentence
structure and verbs. I feel that by having the students drill and practice in
this area allows for a certain amount of automaticity that is needed to use
the language to communicate both in writing and orally.
5. In my personal teaching experiences I have found that the constructivist
style has worked in most areas of my class (other than basic language
foundation). I often use project based learning in the cultural and literal
elements of my class. Once students have a foundation in the language they
use that in groups that allow for practice in communication, in collaborating
in learning while exploring authentic tasks.