My Educational Technology Vision
When I started the Educational Technology program at Michigan State University I had a vision for the role of technology in education. I saw technology seving as a tool to aid instruction and as an online location for learning. As I navigated through the program and completed the various assignments and projects I found my vision evolving. My assignments often fell into the categories I identified, but some challenged me to step outside of my comfort zone.
This showcases highlights some of the work I complete in the Educational Technology program. The chosen assignments demonstrate how my vision has changed while completing my coursework. The assignments show how I was able to grow as an instructor. I enhanced how I am able to help my students learn online and added many helpful instructional tools. I was also challenged and some of the assignments and they caused me to try new things.
Please click on the images to see more about each assginment.
Online Learning
Networked Learning Project
My students go to the internet to learn just about anything. Moving forward with their education they will be learning online as well. What would it be like to acquire a new skill using only the internet? The Networked Learning Project challenged me to do just that. I chose to learn how to crochet. Learning a skill using only the internet had its challenges, but ultimately I found success. The following links show how my blog chronicled my progress.
My MOOC
MOOC stands for massive open online class. What a great way for people around the world to to access so much knowledge. I tried my hand at creating a MOOC, but my version would be considered micro, instead of massive. I designed my MOOC based on my assessment of the skills my students were lacking. The skill I chose was digital communication. I wanted to help them become more professional in they ways they communicate using the internet. This is a three part course created to give them a few quick tips.
Online Course Module - Information Literacy
Planning the scope and sequence of a class can be a challenge. That challenge is increased when it has to be exclusively an online course. It is tricky to design lessons knowing you will not be interacting face to face. I created the online module for the information literacy elective that I teach. In addition to how I wanted to present the content, I had to consider how I wanted to manage the class and what rules and expectations I wanted to communicate. Click through all the tabs to see each facet of the class and what I completed with my students.
Instructional Tools
Personal Manifesto
A component of my goals as I move forward as an educator is to share my knowledge and best practices with my peers. My personal manifesto shows just how I plan to do that as I continue with my new job. I was at a different school when I set out this plan, but many of the resources transfer easily to my new setting.I look forward to sharing these resources with my new colleagues.
Instructional Approaches in 1:1 Schools
I look forward to the day when each of my students has their own technological device to use in my classroom. That day is not far out, so it is good to be prepared. I participated in a virtual Ed-Camp and presented this presentation to my classmates. The presentation showcases some great potential tools to enhance instruction in a 1 to 1 classroom.
Dreaming Up a Better Classroom
What would your dream classroom look like? I used SketchUp to make mine come to life on my computer. There is so much to consider when dreaming up the ideal classroom. What wall colors will be best? What is the best furniture? What technology would I include? I feel like I only scratched the surface of a dream classroom, but as I add years to my experience my vision evolves.
Solving a Wicked Problem
Solving a wicked problem seems like a pretty tall task. This Blendspace page houses all the components to solving the wicked problem of failure as a mode of learning. As a group we researched many different options for embracing failure in the classroom. We combined these options to create our proposed solution to this wicked problem.
Synthesizing Creativity
Coming up with a concrete definition for creativity is quite difficult. This is because there are so many ways to be creative. This translates into the classroom as well. Students are less and less creative every year. As teachers we need to explicitly teach creativity in our classrooms. This assignment breaks down my thoughts on creativity and how it should be approached moving forward.
Outside My Comfort Zone
The Maker Movement
The maker movement sets out to encourage kids to be more creative and interact with the content they are learning at a deeper level. This was my first time using what the maker movement represents. I used my Makey Makey kit to design a lesson plan for the students in my classroom. This was a challenge for me and required me to step outside of the lessons I would normally bring into my classroom. I want to spend more time with Makey Makey to created stronger lesson plans for my students.
Variations on a Theme
I like to consider myself a creative person, but this assignment made me think twice. I was asked to rewrite song lyrics and include content from the topic we covered that week. It was such a challenge for me and even though my final product is not perfect, my takeaway has changed me for the better. It is another assignment that my me uncomfortable, but I walked away with a greater understanding of how diverse creativity really is.