Commuting to UBC’s Point Grey campus from Baffin Island might
seem impossible, but thanks to a new on-line Master’s degree
program, that’s just what Patrick McDermott will be doing
when he starts school this week.
McDermott, a high school social studies teacher in Pond Inlet,
is one of more than 50 graduate students worldwide who have
enrolled in the Master’s of Educational Technology (MET) program.
The first of its kind in Canada, the program was developed
by UBC’s Education faculty in partnership with the Mexico’s
leading private university, Tec De Monterrey, in collaboration
with UBC’s Distance Education and Technology, a world leader
in on-line education.
The program’s courses – all offered on-line – teach educators
how to use technology as a teaching tool. Classes explore
ethics, accessibility and diversity issues, and include plenty
of interaction with other students.
McDermott hopes the program will help him to enhance his
abilities and versatility as a teacher, and to use technology
to deal with the special needs that arise in a small school
with a largely Inook student population.
"My biggest teaching challenge is finding effective
ways to reach students from a traditional native culture whose
first language is Inuktitut," McDermott says. "Students
are trying to adapt their traditional skills to Western technological
skills and demands. The Web, computers and multimedia can
help bridge this gap."
He also hopes to foster school policies that will guide his
colleagues in the area, as most do not have a lot of experience
using technology in the classroom.
The online courses mean McDermott’s studies will fit neatly
into his already-busy schedule -not to mention eliminating
that daily 12-hour flight over 3,100 km of icy wilderness.
NB: High-resolution digital photos of Patrick McDermott
are available.
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