Fall 2011

EDUCATION IN FOCUS

Messages from our students’ associationsConceptualizing educational technologyStudents create flash mob as metaphor for teachingSharing our message with QR codesEducation draws top international counselling studentEducation students in the media Student resourcesKudosEvents calendar

In this edition:

Focus On...Students

On behalf of the Education Students’ Association, I would like to welcome you to the Faculty of Education! For those who are returning, welcome back, I hope you had a relaxing and enjoyable summer. My name is Melissa Green and I am the President of the Education Students’ Association (ESA). The ESA is a student-run organization which is geared towards serving the needs of Education students. Any student pursuing a degree leading towards a certification in teaching is eli-gible for ESA membership. When you become a member of the ESA, you also become a student member of the Alberta Teachers’ Association (ATA). This will be especially important in second year, as you need this membership to attend the Calgary Teachers’ Convention. Membership is also important in first year as it allows you to take advantage of the benefits of the ATA (for more details, check out the ESA website: www.ucalgary.ca/esa).

The ESA offers a number of Professional Development seminars throughout the year, which are free to ESA members and look great on a resume! In addition, we work in close collaboration with other student-run associations that assist in your development as an aspiring teacher. These include the Association for the Supervision of Curriculum Development (ASCD) and the Early Childhood Educa-tion Council (ECEC), both of which also host useful professional development seminars (more resume builders!). The ESA will also be putting on a number of student events during the year (exciting fundraisers, a holiday party, an immer-sion week event, a grad banquet, and possibly more).

The ESA is your link to the Faculty of Education; we represent the needs of all Education undergraduate students. Our office is al-ways open to your questions, comments and concerns, and it can be a great place to relax, sit on some reasonably comfy couches and socialize with other education students.

From the rest of the ESA executive (Mike, Rob, Amanda, Lacey, Anna, Tony, Natalie, Nora) and myself, best of luck in your practi-cum, and have a wonderful year!

On behalf of the Graduate Programs in Education Students’ Association (GPESA), it is my pleasure to welcome those who are entering their programs for the first time and welcome back those that are continuing their studies. This upcoming academic year is bound to be interesting and exciting for all those involved with the Faculty of Education, and as your official student representation, the GPESA intends to contribute to the enrichment of your student experience at the U of C.

There is a new dynamic within the association this year that has both Ap-plied Psychology and the Graduate Division of Educational Research sub-sumed under the umbrella of Graduate Programs in Education. Therefore, we now have important and significant representation from both divisions. Although this adds to the complexity of our representation, such diversity is an opportunity to gain deeper understanding of our related fields, includ-ing each other’s research methods and professional practices. We hope to build an active, integrated association that gives fair representation to all stakeholders.

Whether it be concerns related to your particular program, opportunities to showcase your knowledge and talent, networking or simply social occasions to meet students and faculty, the GPESA is committed to facilitating a variety of concerns and events. If student involvement is of interest, we welcome any who wish to participate in the association with the possibility of taking on an official role yourself next year. Our goal is to create a strong, official student body that will serve as a legacy for the years to come. Therefore, participation from students active within the faculty is crucial to creating a strong and sustainable association that will aid in improving and maintain-ing the excellent quality of education provided by the GPE and the Faculty of Education.

Good luck with the upcoming year and we hope to see you soon!

A message from the GPESA President

A message from the ESA President

Melissa Green President

Education Students’ AssociationFaculty of Education

Paul-Christophe (Paulo) SchaferPresident Graduate Programs in Education Students’ AssociationFaculty of Education

Students In The News...

After viewing the demonstration put on by the students in EDER 671, the Faculty of Education has decided to be the first on the campus of the University of Cal-gary to jump into the area of augmented reality. We’ve decided to experiment with Quick Response Codes, otherwise known as QR Codes, to introduce students, fac-ulty, staff and visitors to the Faculty of Education. All that is needed to read these codes is a computer, iPhone, iPad, or other handheld device outfitted with a camera, access to an on-line network (such as AirUC), and some free software downloaded to read the QR codes. This fall, there will be clearly marked QR codes posted throughout the building; use your portable device to download the codes and the links to various highlights of the Faculty of Education:

• On the second floor breezeway be-tween the Education buildings and the Professional Faculties Build-ing, you’ll find “A Brief History of the Faculty of Education” as told in QR codes—stop and take a look at where we’ve been and where we’re going.

• Look for posted messages from key leaders within the Faculty, including Dean Dennis Sumara, the Vice Dean and Associate Deans, faculty mem-bers, and student leaders. Also look for codes describing some of the great facilities within the Faculty of Education.

• Visit the website for the Faculty of Education using the code at the top of this page!

Patti Dyjur’s grad students got a lesson in new technologies as they presented their ideas as part of their in-class as-signments for Conceptualizing Edu-cational Technology (EDER 671), one course which is part of the Faculty of Education’s Master of Education in Ed-ucational Technology for Schools.

This is the first course these students take towards their MEd degree, and while most of their work is done from a distance, the students come together on campus for two weeks each sum-mer to explore how to facilitate and en-hance learning, and methods to bridge educational theory and practical appli-cations.

In their presentation on augmented re-ality, one student team led their class on a scavenger hunt on the third floor

of the Education Classroom Block. The class employed free apps downloaded from iTunes onto mobile devices.

“Using the app, you select a location to insert a picture, video or animation from your personal collection or the app’s preloaded material,” explains Lee Brentnell, one of the students on the team presenting the technology. “A preview is dis-played, and once you accept or approve that preview, the augmented reality is created. GPS coordinates are attached, and they allow your augmented reality to be located by anyone with the app.”

Earlier this year, when Mathew John Chyzyk’s class received an assignment to present or create a visual metaphor for teaching, and to break down that metaphor for what it says about know-ing and learning, he and the other stu-dents in EDU 507 began to think about what that actually meant.

What they came up with has become an internet sensation. Since it was posted last spring, the class project, which features about 30 first year education students forming a flash mob at the U of C’s Mac Hall, has received more than 9500 views.

Mathew and his classmates performed a choreographed routine to the tune “I Can Teach You a Thing or Two” as crowds of students, staff, and faculty stopped to watch and cheer.

Says Mathew, “As student teachers, we showed the videos to our students, and once we did that, it just went viral. They posted it on Facebook and Tweeted it, and the next morning when I went to school, the students greeted me with their own rendition of the dance in the main entrance of the school.”

He concludes, “We did what we set out to do and captured it perfectly with one camera. Everyone in the collective agreed that this was the most fun that they had in awhile.”

To view the video, go to www.youtube.com/watch?v=x73RiT6y5Mg

To read more about these stories and the Faculty of Education, visit: www.educ.ucalgary.ca

I can teach you a thing or two…

Welcome to the world of augmented reality

We’ve augmented our reality!

Kudos to

Faculty of EducationOffice of Media & Communications

Betty Rice: bwrice@ucalgary.ca; 403.220.2619

Clayton MacGillivray: clmacgil@ucalgary.ca; 403.220.7310

Contact usFaculty of EducationUniversity of Calgary

2500 University Drive, NWCalgary, Alberta T2N 1N4

403.220.5627www.educ.ucalgary.ca

SSHRC recipients: Caroline Buzanko, Meghan Fior, Jared French, Ashleigh Yule, Angela Bard-ick, Sarah Mastoras, Roxanne Dowd, Samantha Lowden, Marnie Rogers, Matthew Hiebert, Vladi-mir Pavlov;SSHRC and Killam Doctoral funding recipient: Greg Lowan;Canadian Psychological Association best thesis award recipient: Chantelle Quesnelle;Open Scholarship Competition doctoral scholar-ship recipient: Lara Schultz;Michel Laferrière Research Award recipient: Kari Grain;And to all students who celebrated convocation on June 9: Congratulations and best wishes!

Education Students in the MediaMathew John Chyzyk, BEd student, organized a student flash mob for class project, on Academ-ica Top Ten

Hillary Sharpe, PhD candidate on animals help-ing eating disordered, in the Calgary Herald Global TV, Canada.com

Kristine Schmaltz, recent graduate, on job prospects for future teachers, in the Lethbridge Herald

Mike Mahoney, BEd student, on job prospects for teachers in the face of budget cuts, on CTV

As an Associate Professor of Psychology at Universidad Adolfo Ibáñez, in Santiago, Chile, Joaquin Gaete Silva fo-cused his doctoral research on counselling education, and specifically, on counsel-ling supervision. He wants to know whether examining actual supervision conversa-tions provides an opportunity to learn how counsellors acquire and use their knowledge in practice.

Coming to the University Calgary from Chile is not an inexpensive endeav-our, but Joaquin was chosen to receive a prestigious scholarship from the Chilean government, allowing him to make the journey for his doctoral studies.

“In my research, I take counselling as a situated activity which demands flexibility for practitioners to deal with unexpected, unique circumstances,” explains Joaquin. “I plan to go back home and share my learning experi-ences with my colleagues and students. My hope is to share my experi-ence of my doctoral practicum at the Calgary Family Therapy Centre, one of the world’s leading sites in family therapy.”

Although Joaquin plans to return to Chile, he says the University of Calgary will always be an important part of his life. “I’m happy about my experi-ence at U of C, particularly for the human quality of people. For me, com-ing to pursue graduate studies in a different language has been great as learning experience, but also difficult. Fortunately, I’ve felt very welcomed and supported both by students and faculty.”

Prestigious scholarship allows internationalEducation grad student to pursue expertise

Events Calendar

Concurrent BEd Student

Fall Convocation

Calgary City Teachers’ Convention

Engaging New Ideas in Education

September 8

November 10

September 8

featuring Jim BrandonOctober 26

February 16-17

February 22-24

WestCAST 2012 at U of C

Orientation

Student ResourcesCounselling Centre .......................403.210.9355

University Health Services ............403.210.9355

Multi-Faith Chaplains’ Centre ........403.220.5451

Students’ Union .............................403.220.6551

Faculty of Education Office of Administration ................................................403.220.5627

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Graduate Student Orientation