Feb. 13, 2015

Werklund alum views educational technology as Swiss army knife

John Botting credits doctoral program for helping him see the big picture

When John Botting accepted an academic co-ordinator position at the University of Calgary in Qatar several years ago, he promptly enrolled in the Werklund School of Education's technology program, a program he refers to as a "Swiss army knife."

Botting was confident that his years of experience in transnational and language education would help him succeed but did not want to take any chances.

"I had set up my own language school in Asia and worked in a variety of educational settings, including higher education, so I was not a neophyte to the transnational education scene, but setting up a Western branch campus in the Middle East was a different order of magnitude," he says.

He found that there was a lot of learning through trial and error and that it was particularly tough balancing Western mandates while acknowledging local realities.

This is where the Doctor of Education program came in. Botting credits his dissertation, which explored culture, teaching and educational technology in Middle East classrooms, for helping him to think differently.

"I believe that people with doctoral degrees look at the big picture. They look at institution, region and world. They peel back layers on concepts of the human experience and offer up new interpretations, which can, in turn, reshape the world. I find this type of thinking to be essential to my work in education."

Perhaps it is this willingness to look at the big picture that allowed him to find the synergy between linguistics and technology.

"I call educational technology a Swiss army knife because it can enhance any other specialization that a person might have. For example, my master's degree was in applied linguistics, which continues to filter into my edtech work."

"Today, with the societal shifts stemming from digital culture, it is becoming such that all educators, irrespective of their specializations, need a grounding in educational technology. I believe that educational technologists at the doctoral level end up becoming leaders in higher education because they can do just about anything."

With doctorate in hand, Botting is actively developing his online education portfolio by developing content and courses for adult learners internationally.

"I've been developing educational websites, videos and resources for years, and I've always wanted to get more serious about that. We're still in the pioneer days of online learning. What I've learned through my doctorate has given me the confidence to more deeply move into that space."