My Great Adventure
My name is Dillon Young, and If I was to be honest, I would never have predicted that I would have ever pursued a Masters in Education. As a student, I am really very much what I would consider a "late bloomer" that pursued higher levels of education in my mid 30's. I guess life seemed to always get in the way....marriage, children, work, sports and music, all leaving very little time for other methods of self-improvement.
I have always valued education, as it empowers people to face their challenges and self-doubt, about learning new things. The wonders of learning were never so clear to me until I started to work within the field of social services. It is while working with developmentally disabled individuals that I was given the opportunity to enrich the lives of others, while,working in both group homes and pre-vocational day programs. It was in this environment that I had the opportunity to see the power of learning; I am so greatful for such an enriching experience.
Life takes some really interesting turns, which was truly the case for me. I decided to make some additional career changes along the way. I worked as a Learning Management System (LMS) administrator, where I learned a great deal about e-learning and the associated technologies and course design. However, once again my curiosity lead me to another profession, working as a Business Analyst, which I am presently doing and have been for over 8 years. Interestingly, the M.Ed. program has been a great addition and compliment to all of my professions. Although this has been a long journey, it has been well worth the ride!
Just on a more casual note, I am very passionate about sports, with hockey and snowboarding being two of my great loves., I am also a drummer in a rock band, which is fitting for a guy who marches to the beat of his own drum.
Selected Artifacts
So many artifacts, how does one choose? After much thought, I decided to select artifacts from courses that I would find somewhat intimidating and outside of my comfort zone. What I did realize is that selecting courses, that I have very little prior knowledge about, afforded me the opportunity to seek and meet new and interesting challenges. Of course as you all know, most of the M.Ed. courses are both challenging and rewarding, but I wanted to explore new avenues,methods, and even at times, cultures.
Artifacts:
MDDE 651 - Gender Issues in Distance Education Assignment #2 - Collaborative Case Study
MDDE 602 - Research Methods in Distance Education
MDDE 601 - Introduction to Distance Education and Training
MDDE 603 - Foundations of Instructional Design
MDDE 605 - Planning & Management in Distance Education
Learning Goals
- To critically evaluate distance education theory and pedagogy
- To seek ways to apply distance education knowledge and design within my occupation
- To seek ways to deliver distance education content in a "non-isolating" way
- To learn about the future potential of distance education as a viable alternative to the "traditional classroom"
Courses Completed
MDDE 601 - Introduction to Distance Education/Training 11/01/2010: The first step in my journey that provided the basic foundation and concepts of distance education and e-learning.
MDDE 603 - Foundations of Instructional Design 26/04/2010: This course focussed on the role of learning theory and the impact that it has on instructional design methods.
MDDE 605 - Planning & Management in Distance Education 13/09/2010: A great introduction and overview to the business of distance learning. It was in this course that provided rich exploration of opportunities to grow and expand distance education practices.
MDDE 617 - Program Evaluation in Distance Education 10/01/201: A very challenging course for me, as the focus was on research and evaluation, utilizing both qualitative of quantitative measurements.
MDDE 613 - Adult Education & Life Long Learning 12/09/2011: A course that most MDDE students will benefit from greatly. A wonderful exploration of the origins of adult learning, and the important aspects of self-directed and social learning.
MDDE 620 - Advanced Technology for Distance Education 30/04/2012: This is where the real fun begins! This course offered insight and examination of a variety of technologies and the impacts on the learner. The implementation and utilization of technology must always focus on enhancing and facilitating the learning needs.
MDDE 602 - Research Methods in Distance Education 14/01/2013: My first though was...oh no...more math! Actually I was pleasantly surprised, as this course extended well beyond mathematics, with a focus on research and becoming a critical thinker.
MDDE 651 - Gender Issues in Distance Education 13/01/2014: One of my favorite courses, with the exploration of feminist theory and its impact on learning theory.
MDDE 621 - On-Line Teaching in Distance Education 08/09/2014: A focus on the practical application of technology to facilitate distance learning.
MDDE 623 - Introduction-Mobile Learning 27/04/2015: A very interesting course that examined the usage of mobile learning technologies, including appropriateness, as well as the need for mobile responsive learning content.
MDDE694 - Capstone ePortfolio Project (In Progress): I am finally here!
