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Showcase of Learning in Educational Technology Program

One of the wicked problems in education today is reimagining online learning. In this infographic I created, and in a white paper written collaboratively, I researched and dissected what we can do better in online learning. I learned that wicked problems in education are hard to define. This makes it difficult to find effective solutions to resolve them, especially since the variables are always changing! In our paper, classmates and I collaboratively proposed personalized learning in response to the problem of lock-step online learning.

To better understand online and blended learning, I created a module for a 5th grade social studies unit. Going through this process, I learned how to apply best practice teaching in an online atmosphere. I gained an indepth understanding of creating student engagement and collaboration with the online environment.

Teachers are often faced with the challenge of knowing what to assess beyond the content standards. However, we know that in order to meet the needs of 21st century success, our students need to know more than the content. They need to know how to think and be creative. In this project I tackle the idea of assessing creativity in students. I wrestle with the questions around it and build a case for its benefits in the classroom.

Project | 01

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Project | 04

During my MAET (Master of Arts in Educational Technology) program at MSU (Michigan State University), I became more informed about how maker education is a necessity in classrooms. In this project, I take a closer look at the research. The Thinglink I created in the blog post gives some perspective. Students need the opportunity to be creative. I became purposeful in planning in a way that places value on my students creativity.

A professional learning network is a major benefit of social media and blogs. In the networked learning project I closely experience learning something totally new using only online resources. It is important that as teachers we understand that our students may have been learning online for years and teach them how to find reliable sites for learning and being creative. Students need to have the opportunity to be create and explore topics of their choice. Using various resources, teachers can better provide them an opportunity to do so.

Project | 05

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In upper elementary there continues to be a large focus on literacy. In an effort to meet the needs of my student, I performed a case study that looked closely at his vocabulary development needs. Through the use of preassessment, strategic teaching practices, and targeted lessons, I document the process of learning over the period of a couple of months.

Project | 07

As I rethought my classroom so that I could meet the needs of my students I considered: color, choice, complexity, flexibility, connection, and light. I used Sketchup, a program for designing, and redesigned the room while also considering cost. I encorporated flexible seating so that my students can have differentiated learning spaces.

Project | 08

This lesson was written to address 5th grade literacy in the content Common Core standards, as well ISTE (International Society for Technology in Education) standards. I planned this lesson using learning theories from multiple resources. Using the framework presented in Understanding by Design (Wiggins & McTighe, 2005), I started with my focus on standards and what I wanted my students to be able to do. After thinking about what it was they needed to do to meet a standard, I thought about what that could look like in a real world performance in line with Yelon’s Goal-Directed Design (2001).

Project | 09

Because professional learning communities (PLC) are so important, I created 5 scenarios that could happen in schools today including possible tweets that various types of leaders would respond with, and shared them with my PLC. Here you can see how I connected the different types of leadership styles to the possible responses.

This project challenged me to think about a current problem of practice in the education system. I chose the lack of relevancy that students see in our classrooms to the work, and the world around them. When students don't see the point, they check out. I propose three themes that teachers can implement in their classroom.

Project | 10

Thank you for visiting my showcase of learning during my master's program at MSU. If you have any questions or would like to see more, feel free to contact me.

Online Learning

Creativity in Education

Teacher Paradigm

Throughout my Master of Art in Educational Technology (MAET) program, I have completed various projects to help me develop my philosophy of teaching and learning and develop a deep understanding of how technology can be leveraged to support teaching and learning. This collection is a sample of some of the learning and topics that I explored. I grouped them in three different categories: online learning (issues and affordances of online learning), creativity (fostering creativity in the classroom) and teacher paradigm (mindsets that I have taken towards different areas of teaching). Many of the pieces are linked to my blog where I go in further detail about the piece. If you would like to know more about any of the projects showcased here, please feel free to contact me.