A GREAT PHOTOGRAPH IS ONE THAT FULLY EXPRESSES WHAT ONE FEELS, 
IN THE DEEPEST SENSE, ABOUT WHAT IS BEING PHOTOGRAPHED. 
                                                                                                                      - ANSEL ADAMS
As with developing a photograph gallery, creating an engaging and meaningful learning environment for students requires knowledge, techniques, and practice.  

Throughout this space I will exhibit my growth as an educator.  Illustrating the ways I am using educational technology to engage and to support my students in our learning environment.  Allowing them to see beyond the walls of the classroom.  Today's students are 21st century learners living in a world of advancing technology.  As such I believe the use technology is imperative in education.

My ePortfolio will take you through my photographic journey of the Master of Educational Technology (MET) program offered by the University of British Columbia (UBC).  Moreover, this is an album for me to share my thoughts and my experiences with the use of educational technologies in the classroom.  The reflections and the artifacts displayed throughout my ePortfolio will provide an opportunity for visitors, myself included, to contemplate the components involved when blending technology and learning.

The Metaphor

The Guided Tour
The metaphor I have chosen to use as the framework to connect all aspects of the ePortfolio is photography.  With a professional photographer as a father, I have been captivated with the notion of telling stories and of capturing moments in time through photography.  To take a photograph of quality, it requires a great deal of knowledge of the camera functions, of setting the scene, of selecting the camera modes, of taking the photograph, of editing, and of printing and mounting the final product.

As such, the ePortfolio has been broken down into five main categories.  We begin with Being Captivated by the Image.  Here as the photographer, I will describe how I came to be on this Photographic Journey and selected the MET program for my master of education.  From there, we will progress to Taking the Photograph.  Learning the essential photographic theory to build a knowledge base; this section will focus on my experiences in completing the foundational core courses of the MET program.  Following this will be Editing the Photograph, this is where using the previously introduced theory I will take time to edit my photographs, making minor adjustments to create that near perfect image.  Throughout this section elective courses with a specific focus on learning theory will be discussed.  Next, I would take a look at Printing the Photograph.  This is where all of the theory and the editing come together to create the look at the larger picture.  Within this section elective courses that apply all of the aspects will previously learned will be examined.  And finally, I will take the time Admiring the Photographs.  I will share my experience of the MET program and my reflections of this final course and Capturing the Next Image, my future plans for being a lifelong learner.

As a photographer I have also chosen to create a photographic essay.  Throughout this ePortfolio photographs will be used to represent and to share the story of my learning process.  These photographs are a collection of photographs I had previously taken and new photographs taken specifically for the purpose of this ePortfolio.
As the photographer, the learner, and the author of this site, I'd like to invite you to watch this Guided Tour.  It is meant to provide you with an overview of this ePortfolio and the contents within.

Being Captivated by the Image

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A Love of Photography
Just as a photographer is captivated by a subject that grabs their attention, I was captivated by the MET Program.  

Here I will describe how the MET program grabbed my attention and what lead to me selecting Educational Technology as my area of focus for my master’s degree.

Taking the Photograph

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Family Views
Before becoming an intermediate or an advanced photographer, a person must learn how to use the camera and to leave behind the Auto mode. Through learning photographic theory, exposure modes & settings, and compositional rules photographers are able to create the image they want.

This section will be focused on the core course I completed during the MET program.  Without learning the theory and the method of application it is difficult for an instructor to capture the lessons and the courses they desire.

Editing the Photograph

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Building Knowledge
It is rare that a photographer believes an image is perfect without editing.  Many photographers wish they had applied a technique or effect at the time of the shoot, or will use an editing technique post shoot to create the final image they wanted.

Throughout this section focus will be placed on elective courses.  These courses represent the techniques help instructors develop the lessons incorporating special effects.

Printing the Photograph

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Learning in the Palm of Our Hands
Once the image has been captured and edited, it is time to print it or to publish it.  This is where all of the learning theory, applications, and specializations and effects come together to create a meaningful learning environment.  

This section will focus on the elective courses that demonstrate how I am currently using what I have learned in the MET program in my classes.

Admiring the Photograph

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Relaxation
Once the photographs are printed, they are ready to be mounted and hung to be put on display.  Ready for everyone to admire. Just as they would be in a gallery.

This will be where all of the photographs that represent each individual page in the ePortfolio and MET course will be brought together.  This is a representation of all of my learning in one place.