Hello,

My name is Emily Agopsowicz and I am a returning grad of UVic. I obtained my degree in English and Professional Writing back before university blogs even existed (which is really not all that long ago). Having survived in the terrifying post-grad world for several years now I am filled with a mix of excitement and self doubt to return to the prison-womb of university to complete a diploma in Secondary Education. I am taking this course as part of the Technology Innovation in Education (TIE) program requirements, which is a unique program to UVic that (I think) does a great job of preparing prospective teachers for the challenges of teaching in an increasingly digital world.

I am really curious about how digital technology plays into the education and development of children and youth. I want to explore what tools are available and how they can be used to engage students  in their learning and development. The education system is still very far behind when it comes to implementing new technology. I think it must very challenging for teachers to keep up with the rapidly changing world, and often students are more digitally literate then their teachers. In order to be relevant, teachers must try to understand new technologies and find ways to implement them into the classroom.

Aurasma is an augmented reality tool that has started to gain recognition with educators. It is easy to use tool that can seamlessly animate the world as seen through a tablet or smartphone. Here is a TED Talk that explains the app:  http://www.ted.com/talks/matt_mills_image_recognition_that_triggers_augmented_reality.html. In this talk, founder Matt Mills demonstrates how Aurasma captivates audiences both young and old. This shows that rather than bemoan technology-obsessed youth, educators have an opportunity to harness the power of technology and bring a sense of wonder and awe back into the classroom.