"The true aim of every one who aspires to be a teacher should be, not to impart his own opinions, but to kindle minds"
~ F. W. Robertson
~ F. W. Robertson
Click Awards and Research and Testimonials
When I entered the classroom in 2001, I considered myself fortunate to be entering the academic environment at a time when education itself was undergoing change and avenues for new and innovative teaching were surfacing. A quote by Soni, “a good teacher is a good student first. By repeating his lessons, he acquires excellence”. I find myself wearing a student hat on many occasions, as I continue on my journey...
2001 - My first experience was through staff induction, which is a requirement for all new lecturers at DUT. I had to complete a teaching portfolio in 2002, as part of the outcomes of the course. I am amazed that some of my early aspirations as a teacher are not significantly different, just over
a decade later. I did not have any formal training in academia and do not hold any qualifications in education…..but I have spent the last 12 years enriching myself on what it means to be an effective teacher (and will continue on this path) . And in the words of Brad Henry, I want to be the kind of teacher that will “inspire hope, ignite the imagination, and instill a love of learning.”
Over the last 12 years, through many readings, I had discovered that the transformation in my teaching and learning is based on many learning theories – constructivism, multimedia learning, ARCS Model of Motivational Design, Experiential learning and Reflective Practice , ADDIE Model and Multiple Intelligences Theory. So although I do not “talk the academic talk”, I strive continuously to “walk the walk”. To do this effectively, one must enrich one’s self with knowledge. So I try to keep myself informed and up to date. I subscribe to various educational organizations and resources - Educause, Merlot, Impala, Next Generation Learning Challenges, Blended Learning Toolkit, The Critical Thinking Community, EdITLib, Thinkfinity, Evolve, Creative Commons (to mention a few). And I have also joined some Wikispaces (at this stage more as a ‘lurker’ than an active participant) - mLearning2010, Dare to be different , Educational Origami.
I have a great interest in evaluating my practice and constantly seeking ways to improve it. I also subscribe to the following podcasts on education - TedTalks, iTunes University, JISC Podcasts, The Journey to Excellence, MIT OpenCourseware. And the resources on Action Research.net provide ample support in this area.
Teaching in the 21st century means that educators have to become technology literate, and I discovered that I have been gifted with this ability. Although I am born a ‘digital immigrant’, I consider myself more a ‘digital native’. I find myself intrigued and driven by how technology can be infused to enhance teaching and learning.
2005 - I enrolled in the Pioneers Course offered through the EdTech unit at CELT. The course objective was to assist academics in developing elearning classrooms. Here was the beginning of my true academic journey.....
2006 - I was awarded, together with 9 other lecturers, a Cosmonaut Award by the EdTech unit. The award funded a six-month secondment to the EdTech unit to further develop online classrooms and push the boundaries of technology enabled teaching and learning. The balance was used to purchase equipment and ancillaries to support the set agenda.
2009 - I dabbled in video making, very immature and experienced. I wanted to see if rich media content could impact teaching and learning in my classrooms. The initial videos, “warts and all” (which sometimes included Champ barking in the background or my kids having a squabble) did have a positive reception. As one student remarked, "it's like taking Mrs Sunder home with me."
This was a rewarding experience for both my students and myself.
2010 - the Ed Tech unit offered a short course on Podcasting. I was excited to explore this, and develop in this new practice. I learned that those videos I had created earlier, were actually called “enhanced” podcasts. My knowledge and skills in podcasting was greatly improved. The most important being, that one should always have a script and that they should not be an hour or more long! I learned that there were important differences between multimedia resources for elearning and mobile learning.
2011 - I enrolled for Pioneers Online again, as a refresher course. Over the years, WebCT became Blackboard, and the interface had changed considerably in 6 years. I wanted to explore the changes and/or improvements.
I also was invited to join a group of online practitioners in Mobiles 2011, with the objective of exploring the affordances of Blackboard Learn 9.1 compared to the existing CE8. I am looking forward to the exciting new features and new interface that will only prove to enhance elearning and integrate mobile learning and many other Web 2.0 applications. Technology enabled teaching and learning will reach new heights in my classrooms.
These interactions and involvement with the Ed Tech unit at DUT has had a significant impact on my growth as an educator. I learned and enhanced many technical skills along the way, but more importantly, I have developed as an academic. It is here that I discovered my gift....an innate gift that came from above. The community of practice that is fostered at EdTech is fantastic and I feel honored to have been part of the team on many occasions. These have been the most rewarding experiences, aside from my success with my students.
You have to be passionate about what you do and how you do it, to walk this journey. Developing your own rich media content requires a lot of your personal time and commitment. I remember giving up almost all of my 5 weeks of vacation during the 2010 World Cup to build the question database in Blackboard. And....many late nights and weekends, developing and editing and tweeking my resources.....But, I seem to have found my "space", I have found myself...my avatar!
Ongoing - I have also attended various LTA seminars and workshops that are offered through the Centre for Excellence in Learning and Teaching (CELT) at DUT, whenever possible.
During my tenure, I also have achieved the following:
Click Awards and Research and Testimonials
When I entered the classroom in 2001, I considered myself fortunate to be entering the academic environment at a time when education itself was undergoing change and avenues for new and innovative teaching were surfacing. A quote by Soni, “a good teacher is a good student first. By repeating his lessons, he acquires excellence”. I find myself wearing a student hat on many occasions, as I continue on my journey...
2001 - My first experience was through staff induction, which is a requirement for all new lecturers at DUT. I had to complete a teaching portfolio in 2002, as part of the outcomes of the course. I am amazed that some of my early aspirations as a teacher are not significantly different, just over
a decade later. I did not have any formal training in academia and do not hold any qualifications in education…..but I have spent the last 12 years enriching myself on what it means to be an effective teacher (and will continue on this path) . And in the words of Brad Henry, I want to be the kind of teacher that will “inspire hope, ignite the imagination, and instill a love of learning.”
Over the last 12 years, through many readings, I had discovered that the transformation in my teaching and learning is based on many learning theories – constructivism, multimedia learning, ARCS Model of Motivational Design, Experiential learning and Reflective Practice , ADDIE Model and Multiple Intelligences Theory. So although I do not “talk the academic talk”, I strive continuously to “walk the walk”. To do this effectively, one must enrich one’s self with knowledge. So I try to keep myself informed and up to date. I subscribe to various educational organizations and resources - Educause, Merlot, Impala, Next Generation Learning Challenges, Blended Learning Toolkit, The Critical Thinking Community, EdITLib, Thinkfinity, Evolve, Creative Commons (to mention a few). And I have also joined some Wikispaces (at this stage more as a ‘lurker’ than an active participant) - mLearning2010, Dare to be different , Educational Origami.
I have a great interest in evaluating my practice and constantly seeking ways to improve it. I also subscribe to the following podcasts on education - TedTalks, iTunes University, JISC Podcasts, The Journey to Excellence, MIT OpenCourseware. And the resources on Action Research.net provide ample support in this area.
Teaching in the 21st century means that educators have to become technology literate, and I discovered that I have been gifted with this ability. Although I am born a ‘digital immigrant’, I consider myself more a ‘digital native’. I find myself intrigued and driven by how technology can be infused to enhance teaching and learning.
2005 - I enrolled in the Pioneers Course offered through the EdTech unit at CELT. The course objective was to assist academics in developing elearning classrooms. Here was the beginning of my true academic journey.....
2006 - I was awarded, together with 9 other lecturers, a Cosmonaut Award by the EdTech unit. The award funded a six-month secondment to the EdTech unit to further develop online classrooms and push the boundaries of technology enabled teaching and learning. The balance was used to purchase equipment and ancillaries to support the set agenda.
2009 - I dabbled in video making, very immature and experienced. I wanted to see if rich media content could impact teaching and learning in my classrooms. The initial videos, “warts and all” (which sometimes included Champ barking in the background or my kids having a squabble) did have a positive reception. As one student remarked, "it's like taking Mrs Sunder home with me."
This was a rewarding experience for both my students and myself.
2010 - the Ed Tech unit offered a short course on Podcasting. I was excited to explore this, and develop in this new practice. I learned that those videos I had created earlier, were actually called “enhanced” podcasts. My knowledge and skills in podcasting was greatly improved. The most important being, that one should always have a script and that they should not be an hour or more long! I learned that there were important differences between multimedia resources for elearning and mobile learning.
2011 - I enrolled for Pioneers Online again, as a refresher course. Over the years, WebCT became Blackboard, and the interface had changed considerably in 6 years. I wanted to explore the changes and/or improvements.
I also was invited to join a group of online practitioners in Mobiles 2011, with the objective of exploring the affordances of Blackboard Learn 9.1 compared to the existing CE8. I am looking forward to the exciting new features and new interface that will only prove to enhance elearning and integrate mobile learning and many other Web 2.0 applications. Technology enabled teaching and learning will reach new heights in my classrooms.
These interactions and involvement with the Ed Tech unit at DUT has had a significant impact on my growth as an educator. I learned and enhanced many technical skills along the way, but more importantly, I have developed as an academic. It is here that I discovered my gift....an innate gift that came from above. The community of practice that is fostered at EdTech is fantastic and I feel honored to have been part of the team on many occasions. These have been the most rewarding experiences, aside from my success with my students.
You have to be passionate about what you do and how you do it, to walk this journey. Developing your own rich media content requires a lot of your personal time and commitment. I remember giving up almost all of my 5 weeks of vacation during the 2010 World Cup to build the question database in Blackboard. And....many late nights and weekends, developing and editing and tweeking my resources.....But, I seem to have found my "space", I have found myself...my avatar!
Ongoing - I have also attended various LTA seminars and workshops that are offered through the Centre for Excellence in Learning and Teaching (CELT) at DUT, whenever possible.
During my tenure, I also have achieved the following:
- Currently serve as department representative for Teaching, Learning, Access and Undergrad Committee (TLAUC) in the Faculty of Health Sciences, DUT.
- Contribute significantly to curriculum development of the program/s in the department.
- Appointed as a reviewer in 2012 by the HEQC for program accreditation for proposed bachelors’ degree programs at other HEIs.
- Developed a teaching program – I was responsible for developing a short course in Mammography, which was offered for the first time in 2008.
- Serve as external examiner for the University of Namibia.
- Currently serve as a Reviewer for South African Radiographer, SORSA Journal
- Communication with other HEIs, especially regarding curriculum.
- Served as Education Rep to the Society of Radiographers of South Africa (SORSA) – 2001 to 2008
- Member of the RED group, which comprises of radiography educators nationally, who collaborate on all issues around radiography education.
Click Awards and Research and Testimonials