by Minjuan Wang. Responses provided by Sam Pan.
Fall 2004
Sam Pan, YeDong Tao, and Ming
che Tsai win the 2004 Outstanding Practice in an International
Setting Award by a Student of Educational Technology
Q1. What attracted you to
the Educational Technology field?
Education is betterment. Technology per se is value free, yet
its application to education can take the science out of education.
The marriage of education and technology is deemed long-lasting
and optimistic. A pull from our mentor Dr. Richard Cornell was
timely and considerable.
Q2. Why did you join AECT?
Why the International Division?
With a dementor, oops...I meant Mentor like Dr. Richard Cornell,
who dares not join AECT, especially the International Division?
Frankly, we came from differing countries, which naturally leads
us on to a journey to promote collaboration in an international
/ intercultural settings. By joining the International Division,
we network and share the
first-hand information with professionals from international communities.
Who can do better than the International Division in this regard?
Q3. What trends have you seen
in educational technology in other countries as different from
the US?
Although there is definitely a room for educational technologists
in both corporate and academics, other professionals in areas
of Management Information System and Information Technology have
become strong competition in Taiwan and China. Relatively speaking,
there is more interdisciplinary collaboration between colleges
and schools in China and Taiwan, in terms of developing distance
learning platforms.
Q4. What changes do you
predict?
Researchers and practitioners in ET/IT will acquaint themselves
with other disciplines to further collaborate with other professionals.
A catalyst like AECT will continue to coordinate, plan, and organize
a multilateral force to foster a multi-win situation.
Q5. What suggestions do you have
for the International Division of AECT?
Set a short-/mid-/long-term goal of promoting international and
interdisciplinary collaboration by taking a proactive role. Organize
lecture trips to international communities. Embrace and encourage
inter-associational events.
Q6. What advice can you give
to students?
Keep in touch with your mentor on a regular basis; equip yourself
and prepare for challenges at all times; acquire a foreign language
to certain level of proficiency; stay open-minded for any solutions
and comments; learn how to team up with other professionals and
maintain assertiveness.
Q7. What trends do you see for
the future internationally?
We foresee that there will be more virtual team collaboration,
cooperation, coordination across the curriculum. Reconciliation
between international societies over political and educational
issues will gradually be established. A pedagogical symbiosis
between differing cultures will be evidenced thanks to frequent
and substantial collaboration and intervention.
