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LarueLarry
Joined: 05 Jul 2013
Posts: 32
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 Posted: Thu Sep 25, 2014 8:19 am Post subject: Master of Education Technology |
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Have read a few people on here mention this degree and was wondering if anyone has completed it. I'm thinking of doing one via distance learning next year.
What doors has it opened for you outside of ESL/EFL? I'm hoping it will make me more marketable as an international school teacher. But I'm also curious if there are also opportunities outside of the classroom that anyone here has had experience with.
Thanks for any info |
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esl_prof
Joined: 30 Nov 2013
Posts: 2006
Location: peyi kote solèy frèt
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| Posted: Thu Sep 25, 2014 11:59 am Post subject: Re: Master of Education Technology |
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| LarueLarry wrote: |
| But I'm also curious if there are also opportunities outside of the classroom that anyone here has had experience with. |
I have no direct experience in this field, but I've observed over the past few years what appears to be an increase in job ads for online course developers at the college-level. For-profit schools (e.g. U of Phoenix, et al.) have been doing that for years, but as community colleges and four-year colleges and universities (at least in the U.S.) are starting to jump on the online course/certificate/degree bandwagon, there seems to be a growing demand for folks with the technical skills to help professors transfer their course content from F2F to online classrooms. In addition to the formal training with the degree, it would probably be helpful to teach a couple of online courses, if you get the chance, to be able to demonstrate your knowledge of what the end-product looks like. You might check out the appropriate discussion forums over at the Chronicle of Higher Education website for leads on networking with folks who are productively employed in this field. |
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buravirgil
Joined: 23 Jan 2014
Posts: 967
Location: Jiangxi Province, China
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| Posted: Thu Sep 25, 2014 1:05 pm Post subject: |
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A recent study on massive open online courses (MOOCs) should increase enrollment in ET courses.
http://phys.org/news/2014-09-online-classes.html
I worked with two people so degreed in Saudi hired as department managers. One was adept at email. The other didn't understand flash drives. Course descriptions of two years ago (using a blended approach) read equal parts "leadership" and "business proposal". Somebody has to write those white papers.
I second what eslprof stated: seek the productively employed. |
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nomad soul
Joined: 31 Jan 2010
Posts: 11454
Location: The real world
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| Posted: Thu Sep 25, 2014 1:36 pm Post subject: |
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| LarueLarry wrote: |
Have read a few people on here mention this degree and was wondering if anyone has completed it. I'm thinking of doing one via distance learning next year.
What doors has it opened for you outside of ESL/EFL? I'm hoping it will make me more marketable as an international school teacher. But I'm also curious if there are also opportunities outside of the classroom that anyone here has had experience with. |
I was one of the posters mentioning this field. I'm a year away from completing my Master of Educational Technology, so I don't have any relevant work experience to share at this time. However, MuscatGary has an Ed Tech degree; hopefully, he'll see this thread and can answer your main question. But essentially, you really wouldn't "teach" with this degree---that is, teaching EFL, physical ed, history or whatever in a typical classroom environment. Your marketability is as a specialist in the field (see the link near the end of this post). Ed Tech is pertinent to any and every industry/sector where training, teaching, and learning exists---whether on home soil or abroad. That includes k-12 schools/international schools, health care, government, nonprofits/NGOs, higher ed, security, hospitality, airlines, oil industry, publishing, telecommunications...
Keep in mind, Ed Tech degree content can vary---some programs are more theoretical while others are heavy on the technology. My program is a mix of both. For example, this semester I'm learning Adobe Photoshop (graphic design) and InDesign (desktop publishing) as well as curriculum design in relation to technology applications. Next semester's coursework is on how to design an online course followed by a semester on digital video and Web design (e.g., HTML). I've also completed coursework on instructional design systems and technology ethics. However, my courses still incorporate topics relevant to education, such as learning theories, Bloom's Taxonomy, etc., from the perspective of an educator. Anyway, carefully read the coursework for those degree programs your interested in to see if they fit your needs and career goals.
I also suggest doing an Internet search on difference between instructional educational technology; they're different disciplines yet overlap. Perhaps a Master in Instructional Technology will pique your interest more.
Additionally, check out the following link for Ed Tech trends and a long list of career possibilities:
http://www.geteducated.com/career-center/detail/instructional-technologist-and-instructional-coordinator
Lastly, do a search on educational technology jobs for a look at actual job ads in the field.
Last edited by nomad soul on Sun Sep 28, 2014 4:28 pm; edited 1 time in total |
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esl_prof
Joined: 30 Nov 2013
Posts: 2006
Location: peyi kote solèy frèt
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| Posted: Thu Sep 25, 2014 5:13 pm Post subject: |
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| nomad soul wrote: |
| I'm a year away from completing my Master of Educational Technology . . . |
This is interesting! Are you planning to use the degree to move in a different direction within the ESL profession, or are you planning to move out of ESL entirely? |
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nomad soul
Joined: 31 Jan 2010
Posts: 11454
Location: The real world
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| Posted: Fri Sep 26, 2014 2:05 am Post subject: |
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| esl_prof wrote: |
| Are you planning to use the degree to move in a different direction within the ESL profession, or are you planning to move out of ESL entirely? |
I plan to transition from TEFL to educational technology/instructional design in a position overseas that serves a broader base. At the corporate level, that's usually within a training department; in academia, it would be the department tied to faculty development or elearning. My target industries are the airlines, healthcare, and higher ed, preferably in the UAE. My TEFL background will certainly come in handy for working with diverse populations. |
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LarueLarry
Joined: 05 Jul 2013
Posts: 32
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| Posted: Fri Sep 26, 2014 2:27 pm Post subject: |
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Thanks for the replies and the great info. I've got a lot of research to do before deciding on something.
Nomad Soul--I hope you keep us posted in the future as to your progress. Good luck! |
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nomad soul
Joined: 31 Jan 2010
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Location: The real world
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esl_prof
Joined: 30 Nov 2013
Posts: 2006
Location: peyi kote solèy frèt
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| Posted: Fri Sep 26, 2014 10:26 pm Post subject: |
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| nomad soul wrote: |
| I plan to transition from TEFL to educational technology/instructional design in a position overseas that serves a broader base. At the corporate level, that's usually within a training department; in academia, it would be the department tied to faculty development or elearning. My target industries are the airlines, healthcare, and higher ed, preferably in the UAE. My TEFL background will certainly come in handy for working with diverse populations. |
Cool! Good luck as you continue to pursue that goal. |
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MuscatGary
Joined: 03 Jun 2013
Posts: 1364
Location: Flying around the ME...
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| Posted: Sun Sep 28, 2014 7:21 am Post subject: |
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| Ed Tech can open many doors, others have already posted some of them so I'll concentrate on some of my own experiences. It allowed me to teach the subject on a B.Ed course in Oman. I also managed to get a job which involved six hours teaching a week and then the rest of the time acting as the E-Learning Coordinator and training and assisting the other teachers. I've worked as a soft skills trainer in India, again due to having enhanced I.T. skills as a result of the Masters. It is a growing field and one which will continue to grow so I reckon it's a pretty good investment. |
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d3773
Joined: 29 Oct 2003
Posts: 10
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| Posted: Tue Oct 07, 2014 11:47 am Post subject: instructional design |
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I did my Masters in I.T in education [eLearning] part time while I was teaching English full time in Hong Kong. I completed the degree at the end of last year and I'm now working as an instructional designer in my home country of New Zealand. The biggest challenge is getting a job without any work experience in the beginning, it is quite common to find jobs advertised wanting a minimum of five years experience.
It's a nice change from teaching, but sometimes I miss the students and also there are long hours sitting in front of a computer. |
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nomad soul
Joined: 31 Jan 2010
Posts: 11454
Location: The real world
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| Posted: Tue Oct 07, 2014 8:59 pm Post subject: |
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| Quote: |
I did my Masters in I.T in education [eLearning] part time while I was teaching English full time in Hong Kong. I completed the degree at the end of last year and I'm now working as an instructional designer in my home country of New Zealand. The biggest challenge is getting a job without any work experience in the beginning, it is quite common to find jobs advertised wanting a minimum of five years experience.
It's a nice change from teaching, but sometimes I miss the students and also there are long hours sitting in front of a computer. |
I suspect it's harder to get one's start in small countries like New Zealand, but you found work. Plus, the field is versatile; as in MuscatGary's experience, there are employment opportunities that entail training teachers and others on how to set up and use the technology.
For those considering transitioning into ed tech or instructional tech, some things to think about:
- Having a solid background/education related to IT, education, teaching, or training appeals to prospective employers; they're likely to be flexible with those 2-3 years of requisite experience.
- Check out at least a dozen job ads for various ed tech/instructional tech positions to get a sense of the most common tech skills and knowledge employers want to see. Use that info as a guide when choosing a degree program (focus on coursework, not the degree major) and determining what tech skills to acquire.
- Create a website to showcase your skills via a portfolio. (This is a requirement of my ed tech degree program.)
- Join ed tech-related professional associations and special interest groups and network while still completing your grad program; join Linkedin.
- If your current EFL teaching situation uses and supports technology for teaching and learning, look to your employer for opportunities for your first ed tech position. (This is particularly doable if you're teaching in a university-based program versus a typical language school.)
- Start incorporating what you've learned in your university studies to your current teaching situation; conduct professional development workshops and give presentations, especially on those skills and knowledge you feel are your strongest.
- Consider applying to jobs in countries where the demand for specialists is the highest. |
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