Who I am and why I am here

Hello, my name is Mary Lou Siviero and I would like to welcome you to my first ever blog post.  I wish I could say that initiating this blog was my ambition – however, I am not the type of person to venture into the web log land without some incentive.  I am currently enrolled at Brock University with most of my studies geared in adult education. I am hoping to attain my BA in Adult Education sometime before my children go to college themselves. As part of my current course, Learning in Digital Contexts (ADED 1P32), I am encouraged (and required) to maintain an active blog for the next 12 weeks. I anticipate that by sharing my reflections on my learning will help me understand why and how technology can be advantageous to adult education.

Siviero, M. (CC) 2013

Besides being a student, I am a mother of two wonderful and energetic children. We live in Stouffville, Ontario which is known as the country close to the city.  When not being a taxi-mom you can find me working as a registered dental hygienist as well as a dental educator to future dental assistants and hygienists.

Even with my 20 years experiences in the dental field, nothing could have prepared me for educating dental students.  Since beginning teaching in 2007, I have noticed a dramatic change in how many of the ‘Generation Y’ students rely on technology in the classroom. My once creative Power Points are becoming obsolete to web tools that seem much more creative to the generation that never had (or knew how) to find library books via catalog cards.   It seems, in my case, that my students are teaching me about creative ways for presentations through applications and programs that I never knew existed.

The time has come, I bow my head and can honestly say I now know how my parents felt when I brought home their first VCR and watched them for hours trying to figure out what buttons did what on the remote. I can still remember uttering the words in frustration, “it’s easy – just press the red button!” Easy – yes – but discovering that it means changing your ways and thoughts is what is most difficult. Till this day my father still walks up to press the power unit on the TV instead of using the remote. In retrospect, I am, in many ways, like my father – not wanting to change when things still work the ‘old’ way. However, I have discovered through time that without change everything is just information.    

I am hoping more than to just learn the information about digital contexts this semester – I want to be able to enhance my teaching methodologies by implementing various digital tools for instructional activities and to recognize that social media can actually play a role in collaborative learning.  On the other side, I am also hoping to remain being a hip and up-to-date educator as well as a mother who is willing to press the 'red button'.  I know that the Power Point user in me will be hard to let go – but I am willing to change in order to stay afloat in our ocean of technology.