[Member Profile] Meet Dan Reeve of Camosun College
Tell us a bit about where you work and what you do.
I have the privilege to live, play and work in the unseeded territory of the Lkwungenpeople. I have taught, mostly, at Camosun College since 2007. I teach political science.
How long have you been involved in teaching and learning and/or ed technology?
I’ve been passionate about teaching most of my adult life. Prior to my start at Camosun I ran the Ski and Snowboard School at Mount Seymour in North Vancouver.
My entrance into the world of ed tech started reluctantly. About nine years ago I taught an online course. I was lost. I reached out to Camosun’s Centre for Excellence in Teaching and Learning. They guided me through that experience. The more I learned about various ed tech possibilities, the more intrigued I became. I haven’t taught an online course since, but the impact of that first experience was an epiphany.
What’s one thing you really love about the work you do?
The most important, rewarding part of my work shows itself when students discover an intrinsic passion for learning. I have concluded that the first, most vital part of my work is to start fires of discovery. Fires create community, encourage sharing and stories, and illuminate the darkness.
How long have you been a member of ETUG?
About seven years. Once I started to see and apply ed tech, I was guided towards ETUG.
What do you like best about this community and its activities?
The sense of collegiality. People come to share ideas, concepts, critiques and wisdom. Every conference I’ve been to, I’ve always felt so welcome and included. If I brought an idea or classroom practice to workshop (from digital rubrics, to VR, to 360° images, to website development) the community has been so encouraging and generous with their time and suggestions.
Do you have a favorite ETUG memory?
My first ETUG conference (at SFU, I think) was a revelation. The workshops were active, engaging, collaborative, insightful, and fun. I’d never been at a conference like that before – at least not in academia.
I must have come back with pages of ideas for how I might improve my courses for the following academic year. Afterwards, I recall boiling down those insights into a list of 10 deliverables that I wanted to implement (a practice I still do after each ETUG conference).
What would you like ETUG to provide more of in terms of benefits/value to members? Any input or help you want to ask members to provide?
I would love to see an ETUG community for Vancouver Island. It’s not always affordable or practical to head over to the mainland for a one-day event. A one-day event in Victoria or Nanaimo might be a way to generate and share ideas on the Island.
Do you have any special interests/hobbies?
It’s been fun getting my kids into skiing and snowboarding. In the summer we camp and go on mountain bike trips. In the last few years I have taken up tennis which has been fun.
Anything special you want to ask or share with members?
While I’ve received amazing support from Camosun and the larger ETUG community, do other instructors who pursue ed tech feel isolated (particularly in the Arts and Humanities) in their discipline?
Most teachers in my field don’t seem not especially interested digital pedagogy. I suppose that these instructors – especially those trying to get a foothold at their institution – feel compelled to discount pedagogy and focus on research.
I’d be interested to know what other ETUG members have seen in their discipline and campuses.