Virtual learning commons are one way that we can facilitate student learning by giving them the tools that they need to succeed in their studies. Many of them are set up by teachers for students in their classrooms, but why can’t an institute set one up to help all of its students?

That’s a question that Michele Brannon-Hamilton, a graduate of the Master of Educational Technology program, asked herself as she worked her way through it. Using what she learned in the program, she is now working on developing just such a commons for her college. Michele joins us this week to give some insight into what she’s doing, as well as to give a student’s perspective to life in the MET program. What should you expect going into it? What can you do with it? And just how much time you should plan to spend on your studies. While the deadline for September applications may be almost past, this will be very useful for those of you who are thinking of applying to the program in the future and just not sure what your experience will be like.

In other business, you’ll hear the results of our theme song contest! Which host will have their hopes crushed? And which one will be elated? Listen and find out.

All of this, and Clickers! What are clickers? You’ll have to listen to find that out too. We can’t make it too easy for you, can we?

We’d love your feedback on anything. Email us at podcast.eplt@ubc.ca

Find us on iTunes, (or just search for EPLT or Down the Hall in the podcast section of iTunes)

And we are now on Stitcher and Blackberry Podcasts too! So you can take us with you no matter what phone you have. Just search for EPLT or Down the Hall on your Stitcher or Blackberry Podcast app if you don’t currently have access to the web.

Just a note that the views expressed in the podcast are those of the hosts and guests, and not necessarily the views of either EPLT or the Faculty of Education at UBC.

To access all links mentioned in this episode, please go to our blog page.

Down the Hall - Episode 35 (22:58)

Time Stamps

00:12 | Introduction

06:01 | Interview – a Virtual Learning Commons and the MET program

Interview with Michele Brannon-Hamilton

20:44 | What’s Happening in EPLT?

To access all links mentioned in this episode, please go to our blog page.

Credits

Our theme  music |  ”Digital Stop” by The Sediment Club and “Chased by a Cow” by Heifervescent, both through a Creative Commons license.

Bumper music

Selection 1 | “Crazy Train” by Dickey F

Selection 2 | “Stomping Around the Corner” by Persson

All selections thanks to Creative Commons licensing.

We live in a culture saturated by media and technology. Living in that culture, it becomes imperative to learn to how to critically examine various media and technologies to decide which is proper and useful for each individual. It’s imperative that children learn this skill quickly before they become overrun.

In this week’s episode of Down the Hall, Dave interviews Dr. Stuart Poyntz, Assistant Professor in the School of Communications at Simon Fraser University. Stuart talks about the importance of media literacy in children and how to integrate critical media literacy into their lives at a young age. He also talks about the interaction between youth and technology and what they need to learn in order to be able to discern what’s important for them and what’s not. Stuart will be addressing these subjects in his portion of the Recurring Questions of Technology summer institute being held here at UBC July 9-13.

In addition to Stuart’s interview, we welcome Fiona Czeschel to Down the Hall! Fiona is one of EPLT’s Senior Program Assistants for MED Off-Campus Cohort programs.

The most important thing in the episode, at least as far as the podcast itself goes, is that we’re changing our theme music! We’ve decided that it’s time for a change, and we want to let you help us decide. During the episode, you’ll hear each host’s choice. After you’ve heard them all, we want your vote.

If you need a refresher, you can check out all three on the EPLT blog. After listening, just click on the “Vote Now” link underneath the music and you’ll be taken to our handy voting page.

We’d love your feedback on anything. Email us at podcast.eplt@ubc.ca

Find us on iTunes, (or just search for EPLT or Down the Hall in the podcast section of iTunes)

And we are now on Stitcher and Blackberry Podcasts too! So you can take us with you no matter what phone you have. Just search for EPLT or Down the Hall on your Stitcher or Blackberry Podcast app if you don’t currently have access to the web.

Just a note that the views expressed in the podcast are those of the hosts and guests, and not necessarily the views of either EPLT or the Faculty of Education at UBC.

To access all links mentioned in this episode, please go to our blog page.

Down the Hall - Episode 34 (27:59)

Time Stamps

00:11 | Introduction

04:54 | Interview – Youth, Technology, and Media Literacy

Interview with Dr. Stuart Poyntz

23:52 | What’s Happening in EPLT?

To access all links mentioned in this episode, please go to our blog page.

Credits

Our theme  music | “The Pharaos Theme” by The Pharaos through a Creative Commons license

Theme music ideas

Selection 1 | “Chased by a Cow” by Heifervescent

Selection 2 | “Digital Stop” by The Sediment Club

Selection 3 | “Microinfinity” by Birds of Avalon

E-Learning is more than just online learning at a distance. It can also involve the varied uses of educational technologies to enhance face-to-face courses as well. UBC’s Faculty of Education is making great strides toward enhancing all aspects of e-learning.

In this week’s episode, Jenny talks to Norman Daoust, Director, Academic & Information Technologies here in the Faculty of Education. They discuss the future of e-learning in education at UBC and how the faculty plans to be a leader in that area, both at UBC and across Canada. Norm gives his insights into the importance of producing teachers who are skilled in the uses of technology and how the faculty can meet the technological  needs of all students and professors to create a rich learning environment. They also discuss the faculty’s strategic plan for implementing these technologies, including the new Ponderosa Commons facility that will house great opportunities for these initiatives.

Prior to that, there’s a buzz going around Vancouver that’s hard to ignore, so we don’t. It’s the NHL Playoffs! We talk about the Vancouver Canucks briefly (though sadly they had to go on and lose Wednesday night in Game One against the Los Angeles Kings, after we recorded) and the hope that things will end much differently than last year, in more ways than one.

All of that and your hosts’ educational goals for the future (Dave will not be singing on the broadcast) and the potentially bad omen of posting this episode on Friday the 13th. At least it’s not episode #13!

We’d love your feedback on anything. Email us at podcast.eplt@ubc.ca

Find us on iTunes, (or just search for EPLT or Down the Hall in the podcast section of iTunes)

And we are now on Stitcher and Blackberry Podcasts too! So you can take us with you no matter what phone you have. Just search for EPLT or Down the Hall on your Stitcher or Blackberry Podcast app if you don’t currently have access to the web.

Just a note that the views expressed in the podcast are those of the hosts and guests, and not necessarily the views of either EPLT or the Faculty of Education at UBC.

To access all links mentioned in this episode, please go to our blog page.

Down the Hall - Episode 33 (29:32)

Time Stamps

00:18 | Introduction

10:55 | Interview – The Future of E-Learning in Education at UBC

Interview with Norman Daoust.

24:25 | What’s Happening in EPLT?

To access all links mentioned in this episode, please go to our blog page.

Credits

Our theme  music | “The Pharaos Theme” by The Pharaos through a Creative Commons license

Bumper music

Selection 1 | “Capricious Lady” by Dance of the Wind

Selection 2 | “23 by 9 and 3” by Everstoned

All selections thanks to Creative Commons licensing.

There are unique challenges involved in educating students in rural areas. This is something that the Faculty of Education at UBC is working hard to address, to help teachers in rural communities enhance their curriculum choices by using local resources and landscapes to broaden their students’ experiences.

This week, Jenny talks to Dr. Linda Farr Darling about the opportunities her position as Eleanor Rix Professor of Rural Teacher Education has offered  her in supporting rural teachers as they face these challenges. The Faculty has a number of initiatives in Rural Education currently ongoing, and Linda gives us some good examples of these projects (more information on these projects can be found on the Rural Teachers site). She also talks about her philosophy regarding the importance of rural education and informing  more urban communities about what’s happening.

Finally, Linda talks about the Restorative Justice summer institute taking place at the Mir Centre for Peace at Selkirk College, July 9-13.

Before that, your hosts discuss some great Twitter hashtags to follow in order to keep up with the Education conversation on that social networking site. Hashtags are a great way to not only follow conversations, but also find interesting people who share that same interest. Just make sure you check out the hashtags you discover for yourself before you use them!

In addition, there’s why we want to go to Education conferences (it’s not what you think), Dave’s budding writing career, and aliens (since there are no zombies this week).

We’d love your feedback on anything. Email us at podcast.eplt@ubc.ca

Find us on iTunes, (or just search for EPLT or Down the Hall in the podcast section of iTunes)

And we are now on Stitcher too! So you can take us with you no matter what phone you have. Just search for EPLT or Down the Hall on your Stitcher app if you don’t currently have access to the web.

Just a note that the views expressed in the podcast are those of the hosts and guests, and not necessarily the views of either EPLT or the Faculty of Education at UBC.

To access all links mentioned on this episode, please go to our blog page.

Down the Hall - Episode 32 (32:24)

Time Stamps

00:11 | Introduction

11:48 | Interview – Rural Education and Transformative Justice 

Interview with Dr. Linda Farr Darling

29:22 | What’s Happening in EPLT?

To access all links mentioned on this episode, please go to our blog page.

Credits

Our theme  music | “The Pharaos Theme” by The Pharaos through a Creative Commons license

Bumper music

Selection 1 | “Red River” by Jackie & the Cedrics

Selection 2 | “Emergency Exit” by Dr. Frankenstein

All selections thanks to Creative Commons licensing.

This week we are in an art frame of mind, as well as taking a trip to the museum.

Ok, we don’t take an actual trip (though perhaps we could do a remote podcast from one soon?), but we do discuss the importance of art and museums  and how they can play a vital role not only in a child’s education, but also in our lives in general. Dave interviews Dr. Kit Grauer and she talks about just how much museums have become a part of the educational process, as opposed to just holding the relics for us to look at. In addition, she addresses the importance of art in all of our lives as we live in such a visual culture in modern society. Finally, we talk about the 10th Museum/Gallery Teachers Summer Institute taking place at UBC’s Museum of Anthropology and Emily Carr University.

Before that, your hosts discuss their favourite school topics that you may not have heard us talk about before (so Dave doesn’t get to spend ten minutes going on about History), more newly found love of Twitter, and snow! The sun’s occasionally peeking out as this post is being written, but it was snowing the day of recording. That is not cool.

Speaking of bad weather, apologies for the audio quality in Kit’s interview. There was a major windstorm that day and the internet connection was spotty. However, we feel that the interview was fantastic and well worth listening to despite the audio problems. Thanks to Kit for that.

We’d love your feedback on anything. Email us at podcast.eplt@ubc.ca

Just a note that the views expressed in the podcast are those of the hosts and guests, and not necessarily the views of either EPLT or the Faculty of Education at UBC.

To access all the links mentioned on this podcast, please go to our blog page.

Down the Hall - Episode 31 (35:12)

Time Stamps

00:11 | Introduction

09:20 | Interview – The Importance of Art and Museum Education in our Culture

Interview with Dr. Kit Grauer regarding the Museum/Gallery Teachers Summer Institute

32:05 | What’s Happening in EPLT?

To access all the links mentioned on this podcast, please go to our blog page.

Credits

Our theme  music | “The Pharaos Theme” by The Pharaos through a Creative Commons license

Bumper music

Selection 1 | “Canzone” by LiberaMusica Libereldee

Selection 2 | “Alone in a Room” by Steve Dunston

All selections thanks to Creative Commons licensing.

This week, we hope to broaden minds with discussions of both history and intellectual property as it pertains to educational technology and learning.

We open the episode, however, by discussing our top three Physical Education experiences from our childhood, which may come as a surprise to our PE teachers. We all have experiences that shape us as children, and many of them happened in our PE classes. We’d love to hear about your own experiences that you might remember and take with you even to this day.

After that, Dave talks with Dr. John Willinsky, one of the organizers of the “Recurring Questions in Technology: A Brief History of Consciousness & Learning” summer institute being offered here on the UBC campus. John is teaching on the first day of this five-day institute, running this Summer from July 9-13. His topic is intellectual property and how it pertains to learning and technology, and he discusses how it can become an issue as more and more teachers and students collaborate online. He also discusses how the Recurring Questions institute came about and exactly how it will work for students.

Jenny then talks to Dr. Peter Seixas, the Program Director for the Centre for the Study of Historical Consciousness here in the Faculty of Education. Peter discusses historiography:  how history is taught, what stories are told, by whom, and how. Especially, why history is important to teach. Peter also talks about the Historical Thinking Project summer institute that’s being offered through EPLT in Toronto this Summer, July 9-14. Peter offers hope to those of us who truly value the study of history and how it is taught in schools.

All of that and a lot more, including a little Home Improvement and welcoming Jenny to the Dark Side.

We’d love your feedback on anything. Email us at podcast.eplt@ubc.ca

Just a note that the views expressed in the podcast are those of the hosts and guests, and not necessarily the views of either EPLT or the Faculty of Education at UBC.

To access all of the links mentioned on this podcast, please go to our blog page.

Time Stamps

00:11 | Introduction

Restorative Justice summer institute

14:13 | Interview – Intellectual Property in Learning & Technology

Interview with Dr. John Willinsky regarding the Recurring Questions in Technology summer institute

32:30 | Interview – Historiography and How We Teach History

Interview with Dr. Peter Seixas, Program Director for the Centre for the Study of Historical Consciousness, regarding the Historical Thinking summer institute

52:27 | What’s Happening in EPLT?

To access all of the links mentioned on this podcast, please go to our blog page.

Credits

Our theme  music | “The Pharaos Theme” by The Pharaos through a Creative Commons license

Bumper music

Selection 1 | “Wish” by Nobody.

Selection 2 | “Dream Catcher” by Daedalus’ Right Eye.

Selection 3 | “Popcorn” by Tenpenny Joke.

All selections thanks to Creative Commons licensing.

The next episode will be posted on Friday, March 16.

This week's episode has a little something for everyone.  Are you interested in Indigenous cultures and education? How about drama? Cool movies? We've got them all.

We open the episode with five of our favourite educational films, giving you an overview of them and just why we love them so much. We can guarantee that you wouldn't have guessed them when we teased you last episode. If you did, then we're suitably impressed, and we wish we had a prize to give you.

After that, Dave talks to Dr. George Belliveau about the use of Drama in Education, as well as EPLT's summer institute, "Drama, Literacy, and Diverse Learning."  George discusses how using drama as a teaching technique can help engage students in their learning on many subjects, as well as making it more fun for them in the process. It's not just for teachers in a classroom, but anybody who is involved in some sort of educational practice.  Drama can also be good as a research tool for pedagogies and teaching techniques too. George has written many articles on this topic.

He also discusses the institute itself, what sorts of students may be interested in it (not just teachers), how it works, and what students will take from it once they have completed it. Many of the questions prospective students in the institute may have are answered in this interview.

Jenny then interviews Dr. Jo-ann Archibald, Associate Dean of Indigenous Education. They discuss the value Indigenous Education brings to all members of UBC's community, and Jo-ann highlights some upcoming opportunities at the First Nations House of Learning.

There is, however, a noticeable dearth of zombie references in this episode. We will have to work on that.

We’d love your feedback on anything. Email us at podcast.eplt@ubc.ca

Just a note that the views expressed in the podcast are those of the hosts and guests, and not necessarily the views of either EPLT or the Faculty of Education at UBC.

To access all of the links mentioned in the podcast, please go to our blog page.

Down the Hall - Episode 29 (54:45)

Time Stamps

00:11 | Introduction

10:38 | Interview - Drama, Literacy, and the Diverse Classroom

Interview with Dr. George Belliveau

29:44 | Interview - Indigenous Education

Interview with Dr. Jo-ann Archibald

52:27 | What's Happening in EPLT?

To access all of the links mentioned in the podcast, please go to our blog page.

Credits

Our theme  music | “The Pharaos Theme” by The Pharaos through a Creative Commons license

Bumper music

Selection 1 | "Zombie Nation" by Jose Travieso.

Selection 2 | "I cannot describe my happiness" by Paneye.

Selection 3 | "60s French Pop" by Cocolixe.

All selections thanks to Creative Commons licensing.

The next episode will be posted March 2, 2012.

This week’s episode is a reflective one, where we talk about the importance of teacher inquiry and the examination of teaching practices. In fact, it’s not a bad thing in any profession to reflect on the way you do things, see how others do them, and seek to improve your own practices.

Dave talks to Dr. Tony Clarke, a professor in the Curriculum & Pedagogy department here in the Faculty of Education. Dave and Tony touch on self-inquiry among educators as the central principle of Investigating Our Practices(IOP), a conference held here each May.

Tony demystifies the academic conference experience, discussing how IOP makes newcomers feel comfortable, how it’s more collaborative than traditional conferences, and what makes it fun. Listeners can also gain some insight into developing their presentation proposals (accepted until Feb. 24, 2012, despite Dave saying February 20 in the episode itself).

In addition to that, we give you a heads-up on some new off-campus Master of Education cohorts, tease you with some summer activities that you may want to consider, and tell you about an opportunity to win a $50 gift card from the UBC Bookstore!

Finally, what would a reflective episode be without a brief discussion of Bill Murray, Groundhog Day, play-off beards, and zombies? A not very reflective one, that’s what!

We’d love your feedback on anything. Period. Who knows? Maybe we’ll even read it on the air. Email us at podcast.eplt@ubc.ca

Just a note that the views expressed in the podcast are those of the hosts, and not necessarily the views of either EPLT or the Faculty of Education at UBC.

Down the Hall – Episode 28 (27:14) - February 3, 2012

Segments:

00:11 – Introduction

04:49 – Interview – The Importance of Teacher Inquiry

Interview with Dr. Tony Clarke

22:13 – What’s Happening in EPLT

To access all of the links mentioned in the podcast, please go to our blog page.

Credits:

Our theme  music: “The Pharaos Theme” by The Pharaos through a Creative Commons license

Bumper music:

Selection 1: “Rich Man’s Money” by The Rhythm Hounds

Selection 2: ”Snake Skin Blues” by Dickey F

Next episode will be posted on Friday, February 17, 2012

This week’s episode is an online learning extravaganza! This year marks the 10th anniversary of the Master of Educational Technology (MET) program, so we have to mark the special occasion. Jenny’s back, Dave gives some 10-year statistics for the MET program (did you know that basically everybody on the planet has at least asked about taking the program at some point? Is that too much hyperbole?), and Jenny gives some great information about the Faculty of Education Walkabout fitness challenge that starts at the end of the month.

In addition to all of that, we have two great interviews for you.

First, Dave speaks with Yael Tagerud (Linnaeus University in Sweden) and Leah Macfadyen (UBC Faculty of Arts),  who are designing an elective course called “Culture and Communication in Virtual Learning Environments” for the MET program.

Next on the show, Dave reconnects with Tony Bates, a founder of the Master in Educational Technology (MET) program, and a respected advocate for online learning in Canada. Their discussion provides a retrospective look at the MET program’s origins and evolution through its ten years of existence. Tony offers insight into the process of developing online and international academic programs, and considers the growth of online learning over the next several years.

All of this and not a zombie reference to be heard. But the year is still young.

We’d love your feedback on anything. Period. Who knows? Maybe it will even get read on the air. Email us at podcast.eplt@ubc.ca

Just a note that the views expressed in the podcast are those of the hosts, and not necessarily the views of either EPLT or the Faculty of Education at UBC.

Down the Hall – Episode 27  (50:39) – January 20, 2012

Segments:

00:11 – Introduction

07:17 - Interview 1 - Culture & Communication in Virtual Learning Environments

Interview with Yael Tagerud & Leah Macfadyen

24:59 - Interview 2 – MET and the Future of Online Learning

Interview with Tony Bates

46:44 – What’s Happening in EPLT

To access all of the links mentioned in the podcast, please go to our blog page.

Credits:

Our theme  music: “The Pharaos Theme” by The Pharaos through a Creative Commons license

Bumper music:

Selection 1: “Another World” by Butterfly Tea

Selection 2: “Spanish Samba 2″ by Oursvince

Selection 3: “Coconut Speculation” by Briovere Buffentis

All selections thanks to Creative Commons licensing.

Next episode will be posted on February 3, 2012

Welcome to 2012! It’s the first episode of the new year, and Dave’s flying solo because Jenny’s unavoidably absent. That doesn’t mean we don’t have a great show for you, though.

Dr. Blye Frank, Dean of the Faculty of Education, has some great and inspiring thoughts on what role the Faculty will play in the UBC Strategic Plan, Place & Promise. In an extended interview recorded back in October (so the upcoming travel he mentions has actually now occurred), Dr. Frank shares with us his views on where the Faculty is going and what priorities the Faculty is pursuing in implementing the plan. We cover everything from diversity in the Faculty to indigenous education, global outreach, youth at risk, and much more. We really enjoyed sitting down and chatting with him; his passion for Education really came through.

Before you listen, we did want to apologize for some of the audio issues during the interview. One of the headsets that have worked so well for us suddenly stopped working right at the beginning of the interview. We weren’t recording in our office, so we couldn’t just grab another one. We alternated headsets so that Dr. Frank could have his own. The sound you here is when we were making the switch. We tried doing it as quietly as possible, but it unfortunately did make noise.

We also apologize for the lateness!

We’d love your feedback on anything brought up on the episode, or just the podcast in general. Who knows? Maybe it will even get read on the air. Email us at podcast.eplt@ubc.ca

Just a note that the views expressed in the podcast are those of the hosts, and not necessarily the views of either EPLT or the Faculty of Education at UBC.

Down the Hall – Episode 26  (38:26) – January 9, 2012

Segments:

00:11 – Introduction

03:37 - Interview – Education, Place, and Promise

Interview with Dr. Blye Frank, Dean of the Faculty of Education at UBC

35:02 - What’s Happening in EPLT

To access all the links mentioned in the podcast, go to our blog post.

Credits:

Our theme  music: “The Pharaos Theme” by The Pharaos through a Creative Commons license

Bumper music:

Selection 1: “Cocktail” by Nicoco

Selection 2: “Midnight Blue” by Slikk Tim

All selections thanks to Creative Commons licensing.

Next episode will be posted on January 20, 2012

It’s the holidays, and this is the final episode of Down the Hall for 2011. We hope you join us for more great stuff in 2012, but first, listen to this episode! We have lots of great stuff.

First, Dave talks to Denise Lauritano, Co-Chair of the UBC Community United Way campaign. Denise tells us all about how the United Way gets the entire UBC community involved in helping fund and promote programs that benefit the entire Lower Mainland, including many educational programs. Even better, she tells us how you can get involved.

After that, your intrepid hosts discuss the future of course materials in post-secondary education, and ask that necessary question: are e-textbooks the answer?

All of this, and plenty of fun tangents too. There is much laughter in this episode, which is pretty good for a holiday episode.

We’d love your feedback on anything brought up on the episode, or just the podcast in general. Who knows? Maybe it will even get read on the air. Email us at podcast.eplt@ubc.ca

Just a note that the views expressed in the podcast are those of the hosts, and not necessarily the views of either EPLT or the Faculty of Education at UBC.

Down the Hall – Episode 25  (48:37) – December 16, 2011

Segments:

00:11 – Introduction

05:41 - Interview – The UBC Community United Way Campaign

Interview with Denise Lauritano

21:42 - Discussion – The Future of Course Materials : Are E-Textbooks the Answer?

42:26 - What’s Happening in EPLT

To access all the links mentioned in the podcast, go to our blog page.

Credits:

Our theme  music: “The Pharaos Theme” by The Pharaos through a Creative Commons license

Bumper music:

Selection 1: “Frosty the Snowman” by Anthony Viscounte & the Merry Gentlemen

Selection 2: “Riding Through the Snow” by Stefano Giardiniere

Selection 3: “Blue Shore” by Régis V. Gronoff 

All selections thanks to Creative Commons licensing.

Next episode will be posted on January 6, 2012

Happy New Year!!!!

Down the Hall is one year old today! And what a year it’s been. It’s been a year of turnover (though thankfully that turnover happened right at the beginning), but we think we’ve really hit our stride and will continue to share with you interesting guests and engaging topics in Education.

So how are we celebrating? First, we have a gift for both you, the listener, as well as ourselves. Dave interviews Dr. Carl Leggo, a professor in the Language & Literacy Education department here at UBC. He’s also a noted poet, writer, researcher, and all-around fascinating guy. We think that all comes out in the interview as we talk about the importance of creativity and play in the Education field. This is a topic we’ve covered before on Down the Hall, but perhaps not quite to the extent that Carl does. This was a real treat for Dave, and we think it will be for you too.

After the interview, we discuss the podcast itself, taking you behind the scenes a bit. We also bring back former co-host Sharon Hu to talk about what she’s been up to since stepping down from her hosting duties. We talk about EPLT’s Instructional Design & Support Team (IDST) and the services that they offer to those in the Faculty of Education.

First, though, a bit of housekeeping. We’ve changed hosting services for Down the Hall, from Podbean to Libsyn. If you subscribe on iTunes, you’re free and clear. If you weren’t iTunes subscribers but instead were using other readers/podcast players, make sure you update the subscription to our new feed.

We’d love your feedback on anything brought up on the episode, or just the podcast in general. Who knows? Maybe it will even get read on the air. Email us at podcast.eplt@ubc.ca

Just a note that the views expressed in the podcast are those of the hosts, and not necessarily the views of either EPLT or the Faculty of Education at UBC.

Down the Hall – Episode 24  (55:51) – December 2, 2011

Segments:

00:11 – Introduction

03:06 – Interview – Playfulness & Creativity in Education

Interview with Dr. Carl Leggo.

30:05 – Discussion – Down the Hall: A Year in the Making

52:27 – What’s Happening in EPLT

To access all the links mentioned in the podcast, go to our blog page.

Credits:

Our theme  music: “The Pharaos Theme” by The Pharaos through a Creative Commons license

Bumper music:

Selection 1: “Cool Walk” by Delano

Selection 2: “Fun” by Chriss Onac

Selection 3: “A Taste of Berlin” by Alexander Frost

All selections thanks to Creative Commons licensing.

Next episode will be posted on December 16, 2011

Down the Hall has now changed hosts. Those of you who use iTunes should be unaffected, as the feed is being redirected to the new one. Those of you who subscribe using other methods, however, will need to resubscribe to our new feed, as Podbean does not support the HTTP 301 redirect request. Therefore, if you don't [...]

You’ve probably seen them around on flyers, posters, even TV shows! Those interesting-looking square designs with squiggly lines and all of that. You may have wondered what they are? Those are QR codes, codes that are becoming more popular by the day as a new way to interact digitally with print media. In this episode, we [...]

We all like movies, right? As a society, we immerse ourselves in many forms of media, so much so that it’s only natural that we begin to study it, and its effect on us. Film studies has been a mainstay on college campuses for years, but what about studying media in the K-12 classroom? That’s [...]

Does school kill creativity? This week’s episode is inspired by a TED talk by Ken Robinson asking that same question. Jenny’s back, and we get into a very good discussion of just how important creativity is to us as adults, and what we can do to foster that sense of creativity and play that adults seem [...]

We’ve got a different show this week, as Jenny is away and we have a wonderful fill-in performance from EPLT’s own Heather McGregor! While we don’t have a discussion this week, you do get to hear Jenny as she interviews Vanessa Lapointe of The Wishing Star. Vanessa taught for EPLT at an Early Childhood Education summer [...]

It’s always good to keep kids active, whether it’s through Physical Education or taking them out to experience the world outside the classroom. This week, we cover both of those avenues. First, Jenny interviews Joy Butler, who is the coordinator of the Physical Education Teacher Education (PETE) program in the department of Curriculum and Pedagogy here [...]

This week, we talk shop. Shop class, that is, and how vocational training in Education is falling by the wayside. Many kids today don’t have any “hands-on” skills with tools and basic home maintenance, much less more sophisticated trades skills. We look at how both parents and teachers can help get children more involved in [...]

We always have fun when we’re recording the podcast, but this week was even more so. We have an interview with Elaine Decker, former director of EPLT (back before it was EPLT), where we discuss one of her favourite subjects: humour in the classroom. Humour can be a very important [...]

In this episode, we dive down the rabbit hole of media literacy, examining how media studies can require careful examination before taking them at face value. The sexy headline of an article based on a study may not actually reflect what the study says. Awareness is the key, and we encourage you to investigate yourselves when [...]

and we're not talking alien invasions. We're back! After a month-long absence (where we're sure you've missed us terribly), Down the Hall is back on the air. Dave is back from vacation and out from under all the work that was waiting for him when he came back (though not as much there could have been, thanks [...]

EPLT is now accepting applications for a number of our M.Ed cohorts that are beginning in 2012. Since one of them is an online cohort (Early Childhood Education), thus potentially reaching an international audience, Jenny and I thought that this would be a perfect time to give you all advice on just what is required [...]

Recorded early due to one of the hosts going on vacation. Hopefully no calamity that needs discussing happens between recording and posting! Last episode, we discussed Summer learning loss and ways to help reduce it. This week, we offer up some fun and low-cost Summer activities (many of them free) around the [...]

(segment time stamps are below) Education doesn’t stop, even for a dejected city, fresh off of a Stanley Cup Final Game 7 loss. The show must go on! This week we muddle through, discussing the Canucks’ disappointing loss and the horrible aftermath. But this isn’t a sports podcast, so we move on from there. While we don’t have an interview [...]

(segment time stamps are below) The Vancouver Canucks are in the Stanley Cup Finals! Since we’re in Vancouver, of course we have to talk about it a little bit. Especially with all of the gardening talk around the office. But this isn’t a sports podcast, and thus there’s much more to talk about. In honour of the Canucks, [...]

(Segment time stamps are below) We're back on our bi-weekly schedule now, but sadly, we are interview-free this week. We cover that, though, by doing a bit longer than usual discussion about last weekend's Northern Voice social media and blogging conference. Jenny and I talk about some of the things I learned from the conference, just how [...]

(Segment time stamps are below) Yes, we have reached double digits! It's been a month since our last episode, since there were technical difficulties with our original Episode 10 that prevented us from meeting our normal posting date around Easter time. In this episode, we tell you about a new program from Skype called Skype in the Classroom, [...]

(Segment time stamps are below) In this episode, we have a good overview of some of the benefits and precautions about having classroom pets. The right pet can add just the right touch to a classroom, and we'll show you how. In addition to that, we interview Jeff Miller, who has been instrumental in maintaining the quality [...]

(Segment time stamps are below) In this episode, we cover everything from NCAA March Madness to Social Media in the Post-Secondary world. So we’re both sporty and educational! First, we have an interview with David Vogt, instructor for ETEC 522: Ventures in Learning Technologies. He gives the listeners a lot of good information about the course. Secondly, in [...]

(Segment time stamps are below) In this episode, Jenny and I talk about how nutrition can affect educational outcomes for kids. Healthy eating has now been shown to be very beneficial for kids in school, leading to much better learning results over children who do not have a healthy diet. We mention a few initiatives in [...]

(Segment time stamps are below) In this episode, we have an interview with Mary Leah de Zwart & Gale Smith regarding the HEEL Home Economics M.Ed program that we are administering. Jenny and I also discuss video games and educational outcomes, which is always a fun treat. We explore the myths and the negativity, as well [...]

Radio EPLT Episode 5 is now live! In this week's episode, we have an interview with Namsook Jahng, the instructor of a really neat course for science teachers. Jenny and I also discuss the perils and potential minefield of teachers on Facebook. What are the dos and don'ts if you're a teacher and you want to have [...]

In this edition, fatigue has set in, but both co-host Jenny Williams and I soldier onward. Jenny is fatigued from trying to walk to Haiti in this year's Faculty of Education Walkabout, and I am from a long day culminating in a great information session for the MVR4 Vocational Rehabilitation Counselling M.Ed cohort. Which is a [...]

Radio EPLT - Episode 3 (54:24) Radio EPLT: January 15, 2010 Episode 3 Segments: 1) Introduction 2) Interview:  Erin Gillespie (MET Graduate): (06:40) 3) Open Educational Resources (OERs): (21:30) Links mentioned in this segment: Eric Pallant's article about his year of teaching without a textbook. MIT Open Courseware Connexions Healthy Minds - a UBC blog OER Commons Google Scholar 4) What's Happening in EPLT & Plugs: (49:30) Deadlines for M.Ed [...]

Radio EPLT: December 11, 2010 Episode 2 (47:45) Segments: 1) Intro a) Welcome to Jenny Williams! b) Breakdown of what’s coming up on the show 2) Interview – Karen Armstrong (3:35) I interview Karen Armstrong, where we talk about her history with EPLT, teaching online versus face-to-face, and the status of literacy education in schools. Karen’s passion for the subject of both literacy [...]

Radio EPLT - November 26, 2010 Episode 1 (1:11:00) Segments: 1) Intro a) Lessons learned from our Beta Podcast b) Breakdown of what’s coming in the show c) What’s been happening in EPLT since the last podcast 2) Interview – Brian Lamb (9:15) I interview Brian Lamb, Teaching and Learning Strategist for The University of British Columbia’s Centre for Teaching, Learning and Technology [...]